Today, logs are more in demand for the construction of a bathhouse than a residential building. You can buy ready-made sanded and rounded material, but this requires a considerable amount. It is cheaper to buy untreated timber and remove the bark from the logs yourself. There are several ways to accomplish this task.
Today, the state provides an opportunity to receive up to 120 m3 of forest free of charge for the construction of a residential building. This right can be exercised once every 25 years. To implement it, you need to contact the Forestry Agency at your place of residence. The sawn trees are independently trimmed and sanded.
You can shank (remove the bark) a log using several tools. Everyone chooses the most convenient for himself. In the work you will need an ax, a sharp knife, a shovel, an old sickle, a special tool "scraper" or "corilka". If possible, it is advisable to make or order a device for removing bark from logs, which was used by Russian peasants. It is made in the shape of a crescent, equipped with two handles, the blade is sharpened at an angle of 30-40o.
The most time consuming method is to remove the bark with an ax. Therefore, this tool is rarely used in such work: it is inefficient with it. The case moves much faster if the bark is removed with a sharp knife. If you have a skill (and it appears quite quickly), you can sand up to 10 small logs in an hour.
A more effective tool is a scraper. You can do it yourself. If you have an old sickle, you need to remove the handle from it and grind off the steel sheet so that after the handle is inserted, it protrudes several centimeters beyond it. Then the tip of the blade is grinded: this will make it easier to attach a second handle to it, which is cut out of wood. The shape and size of both handles must be the same. Then through holes are drilled in them along the axis. Then they put the handles on the sickle blade. For greater convenience in work, they are wrapped with electrical tape. The sickle is sharpened at an angle of 30-40o.
It is very convenient to work with this tool: in 10-15 minutes you can debark a large log. First, you need to choose to take the most convenient body position for this work: the log should be located between the legs, the legs are slightly bent and apart. The back is bent. Firmly holding the handle of the sickle with both hands, its blade is driven into the bark of the log. It is important not to damage the top layer of the wood, as this can lead to pest colonization or decay. With uniform, smooth movements with little effort, the sickle is pulled towards itself, at the same time removing the bark of the log.
Another tool that can be used in this job is a bayonet shovel. For this tool, you need to cut the nose and sharpen the lower edge of the steel sheet. It is much more difficult to remove the bark with a shovel than with a sickle, but much easier than with an ax. The main disadvantage of this method is that it is rather difficult to remove the bast (the first subcrustal layer).
