if you're still searching for ideas and info, I make my own draw knives for peeling logs to build log furniture. I make them from truck leaf springs. I've tried lighter weight store bought ones but mine are heavier and pull through bumps and staubs easier. I take a hatchet and knock off all the branch stubs flush otherwise you have to peel around each one. May leave a few for character (looks) depending. Green trees peel alot easier (like a banana) and you need to get the bark off to get the log to start drying out, plus that will start killing any larve that may be inside the log. The log will also rot faster if the bark is left on. If interested, I can go into detail on how the draw knifes are made and put up a few pics. Also there is a tool called a peeling spud. Kinda looks like a straight hoe but made with heavier gauge steel (thicker). You throw the log on the ground and start peeling off the bark with a pushing motion. Of course the log will peel easier if its been around for a few seasons to where the bark is coming loose. A heavier tool sharpened at the right angle is what gets this job done. Good luck, ......weasel out!
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