Preserving logs...with bark??

**Eric Clapner** · 02-20-2009, 06:02 AM

I received the following question from a woodworker on my forum:

i am trying to use a 70 yr old whiteoak tree to display my deer heads on in the corner of my den. it is a 12 ft section of it and it has 3 forks at the top.my question is how would i preserve it and are there products i can use to keep it from rotting are loosing its bark?any help would be greatly appreciated.

This really isn't my area of expertise. Anyone have any suggestions?

**StressMan79** · 02-20-2009, 06:47 AM

to REMOVE THE BARK! I don't know how to prevent it from dropping the bark--I suspect it is inevitable if you wait long enough. I wouldn't want to deal with the insects that will want to call that bark home.

-PETER

**patrickandbianca** · 02-20-2009, 06:58 AM

I have a 1/2 log bench that I picked up at flea market. It has the bark attached. We have had it for 4 years. Maybe its NOT bark, but it sure looks and feels like bark. I have tried to figure out how the bark stays on there, but I cant without damaging it. Did you look around on the net?

Patrick

**Loghomeguy** · 02-20-2009, 09:55 AM

remove the bark, he is right on about this, git urself a draw knife and some spar varnish,

**Eric Clapner** · 02-20-2009, 10:16 AM

I agree with and fully understand the reasons why he should remove the bark. Apparently he's looking for a more "natural" look in wanting to preserve it. I'd not found anything in my trek around the interweb, so I thought I'd troll for ideas among my com padres here.

Chris Baylor
<a href="http://woodworking.about.com">About Woodworking</a>

**rocklock** · 02-20-2009, 10:16 AM

We have had a discussion about bark on logs. Evidently there are log homes that are very old with bark on them. I have a picture of a slab log barn with bark on it. It is about 150 years old. So if the bark is still on your log and it is dry, I bet you will have a devil of a time removing the bark... If you want to presurve the bark, I would suggest a spar varnish - oil based to get penaration to the max.

Te reason I removed my bark is because the wettest part is the cambiem layer along with the new wood. The bark also provides a layer of protection for the various critters that eat the stuff under the bark...

But if your log is dry - with no bugs... then good luck

**spiralsands** · 02-20-2009, 10:51 AM

I have a book on Adirondack cabins that shows many logs in homes with the bark on. The author stated that to leave the bark on, you have to cut the log during a particular season. Otherwise the bark will start falling off eventually on its own. He also told the story of an architect who apparently didn't know this and suffered years of reattaching fallen bark to his clients' expensive homes as a result.

Frances

**Klapton** · 02-20-2009, 12:30 PM

My guess would be winter cut, while the sap is down. Summer cut, when the sap is up, will have a layer of sloppy, sticky cambium layer engorged with water. I would think that as the water evaporates, the bark would separate. I'm guessing winter-cut would have the bark already "tighter" against the wood.

**ponyboy** · 02-21-2009, 11:44 AM

Maybe he could peel the bark off in one piece then flatten and dry it out like the bark shingles. Then glue it back on.

Oops. I just reread the question. Maybe skip the flatting part.

**AnneG** · 04-01-2009, 02:14 PM

I recently picked up a book from the library called "Cabins and Camps" by Ralph Kylloe. I believe it was you, Rocklock, who suggested "anything by Ralph Kylloe" in your list of recommended books. In the book, Mr. Kylloe states to keep the bark on your logs, do your logging from October to December. If you log in the summer, the bark won't stay on. The book is more about rustic furniture, but much of this furniture has the bark on it. The author shows pictures of a small camp he refurbished near Lake George in the NY Adirondack area. When I saw the pictures of his camp, I knew it was EXACTLY what I wanted! His camp has bark-on hemlock siding.

Does anyone know anything about this? It does not look like a whole log, it's looks like "log" siding with the bark on. It is not the bark siding as shown in the links here. These are lengthy logs/slabs, not shingle siding.

I've also read Anne LaBastille's book "Woodswoman" (many times over), and her sequels. She built her cabin in the Adirondacks with the bark on as she was pressed for time. She does mention that each spring her cabin becomse infested with the bugs living in her bark-on logs. I would LOVE to build my home with the bark on or maybe peel the bark off one side of each log for the inside wall and keep the bark on on the outside. Am I crazy, or what?? Is this possible?

Any info anyone has regarding this bark-on hemlock siding will be most appreciated. I'll try to upload some pics from the book so you can see what this looks like.