Preserving logs...with bark??

[Eric Clapner]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Eric Clapner]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[GENE13]

You must take the bark off, otherwise you will encounter bug infestations. Why they chose to leave the bark on I have know idea, other than to say they must like that bark on log look. The common sense approach is TAKE THE BARK OFF.

[Loghomeguy]

Leaving the bark on precludes the log/wood from drying properly if it gets wet.

It provides a place for both bugs and wood eating organisms to thrive, mold to grow and "dry rot" to begin.

I too like the look of "bark on" especially birch so I understand how you feel. It is just not proper technique to leave bark on if you want your log construction to last.

In this case I would have to opt for longevity over aesthetics.

Of course it is "possible" but not advisable.

I probably would not mind doing bark on with rustic furniture because maybe I do not care so much when it collapses under uncle Buck in five years ! :)

Respectfully,

Michael , class of 1987

[GT.]

Glacier Park Lodge


http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb300/domostroi/GlacierParkLodge.jpg

[chadfortman]

I wounder if the logs were covers with a plastic coating to protect the bark and to stop it from drying out and peeling.
I like the idea the fram in my lg home that looks cool.

[Big R the lumberjack]

winter or summer cut wood doesn't make a difference if u want to leave the bark on.The bark will stay on most woods if handled right.winter cut wood is easier especialy pine because the sap is down.summer cut pine has to be treated right away because once the sap supply is cut off bug infestation starts. Hemlock has a natural abilty to ward off the types of bugs that worm into the bark and loosen it from the surface of the wood

[Loghomeguy]

Thanks for the great picture, It does look kind of cool!

in honor of Skip though, we should have a midnight spudding party ! Duly noted the logs are all inside :) Again, I would never ever leave bark on any log structure I wanted to last.

[AnneG]

Thanks to everyone--especially Big R--because you agee with/affirmed my thinking, of course! Fantastic picture of Glacier Natl Park Lodge--WOW! How can you not LOVE that?? Talk about bringing the "outdoors inside your home!"

I did scan and have a PDF document from Ralph Kylloe's book. But again, it appears that his camp is not actually full logs with the bark on. It is slabs of wood with bark on. Another thing about the camp, he used more of those bark-on lengths of wood for the trim inside the camp: i.e. edging where the ceiling and walls meet, etc. It really looks wonderful. It is certainly not ritzy looking--very down-to-earth and campy, cozy wonderful!

How do I get a PDF to upload?

Thanks, AnneG

[GENE13]

What Causes Bark to Separate from the Tree?
During the warm summer months, there is an infusion of water into the bark of a tree causing the bark cells to swell. When a tree is cut in the summer, the water in the cells of the tree will dry up. The water in the sapwood of the tree and the water in the bark of the tree decrease at different rates. The bark tends to dry faster than the sapwood, causing the bark cylinder to shrink and crack. When this happens, it will potentially separate from around the sapwood. During the freezing months of winter, little or no water rises into the inner bark. When a tree is cut in the winter, and the sapwood and inner bark dries, there isn?t much difference in the rates of shrinkage. It is less likely that the bark will crack open and peel away from the tree.

No matter what the season, any log or post left in its natural state will potentially check or crack from the heartwood to the surface. As the wood cracks open and expands the bark can crack and separate from the tree.

When bark is being left on the log for aesthetic reasons, the bark is NAILED to the log while it is still freshly cut. Also, the log(s) must be kept in doors, a sealant is added to the butt end or end grain of the wood to further protect it from wicking water. Anything from a water-based sealant to an exterior varnish will suffice on the bark itself. Then what will be will be, it may stay on a year or 100 years if cared for.

Thanks for the pic AnneG

[ragdump]

Ragdump

I'd like to know how they moved and handled those big logs not to tear up the bark,that had to be another big job

[KingLewey70]

They are probably artificial

[loghousenut]

I'm thinking they'd look really cool if they were peeled. Anyone seen Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood?

[rckclmbr428]

I have a couple end tables I made about 4 years ago from a black walnut tree i cut down for someone, the bark has a really nice layered look to it when cut across so I left it on, decieded to leave the bark on the chinese chestnut legs to match, now every time you bump the table or the dog walks past, little bark chunks end up in the floor, making a big mess, at some point in time I will be debarking the whole thing, but I would imagine it would be even worse with white oak, espicially as white oak matures, it tends to get flaky bark anyways, which i think would make for a big mess spread out over the next 10 years anyways, here is a pic of one of my tables for a visual
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk122/rckclmbr428/basement%20idea/IMG_3231.jpg

[adubar]

We have a similar and heavy log table at my family home. It is about 40 years old. The wood was sealed with a thick wax like substance after it was built. We've had minor checking over the years and the outer bark layer looks as good as it did new. As the table was purchased in the third world, I venture to guess that the chemical treatment for criters would not have passed EPA guidelines here, but it appears to have done its job. The type of tree the table is made from appears to have a very dense and hard bark. The wood is extremely dense and the weight for the size is considerably heavy.

I seem to remember reading about concoctions using parafin and pine tar for teating bark faced logs. Most books just took it for granted that it would fall off at some point.

[GENE13]

They are real Douglas fir, they are 40" x 40' logs
Do you notice they look like they are treated with something that is making them shine?