Lean to project

[EagleCrag]

Johnny V: Never heard of a bark spud but after looking at the pic it looks like it would be the cat's meow for peeling bark.

[snapper]

Not the same thing but we used a bark spud when we made our Iroquois bark house for a program I work with. We were able to coordinate our need for bark with a local lumber mill who'd just taken in a large number of basswood logs. We went in there in mass and worked for a week peeling logs and then hauling the bark back to our work site where the house was built. Without that bark spud, I think we'd still be there.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by JohnnyVirgil

Ha! I just meant compared to other tools. Although I don't have any experience with pine -- that could be a sticky mess, comparatively speaking. I make windsor chairs so I'm always working with red oak.

You're right John.
Pine logs, newly peeled, collect everything.

[real3175]

Very cool! Thank you for sharing

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by real3175

Very cool! Thank you for sharing

Plan to peel the fresh cut pine logs before the first cool nights in August.
Been there.
Jim

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by snapper

Not the same thing but we used a bark spud when we made our Iroquois bark house for a program I work with. We were able to coordinate our need for bark with a local lumber mill who'd just taken in a large number of basswood logs. We went in there in mass and worked for a week peeling logs and then hauling the bark back to our work site where the house was built. Without that bark spud, I think we'd still be there.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

Bass wood bark for a "Long House" ????
Hemlock bark was the old standard.
That's interesting.

[snapper]

Hard Scrabble - Based on the Native folks we spoke with, the #1 preferred bark was elm but you can figure out how easy it would have been to find any of that. After that we were taught that basswood came next and then hemlock. My guess is that also will change based on where you're located and what's easily available.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

[Hard Scrabble]

American Elm was pretty scarce in the ADK forest.
If one looks at photos and reads accounts, hemlock bark was the chosen material for bark roofs.
Thanks for the well wishes.

[snapper]

HS - Use of hemlock in the northern forests makes a lot of sense. The house we built was down in central NYS (I say "was" because it was eventually consumed by powder post beetles).

Until next time...be well.

snapper

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by snapper

HS - Use of hemlock in the northern forests makes a lot of sense. The house we built was down in central NYS (I say "was" because it was eventually consumed by powder post beetles).

Until next time...be well.

snapper

Bass was and is considered inferior.
The wood won't burn until dry and even then, doesn't give the heat of hardwoods.
The wood is soft and was used for furniture.
You may as well build your cabin of poplar.

Actually, the best timber for log buildings would be cedar. Resistant to insects and decay.

[snapper]

Hard Scrabble - Sorry if I confused you...I'm not talking about using the logs for building a cabin. The longhouse is made using the tree's bark. There is an inner & outer framework of saplings with the bark sandwiched between the two. Essentially the entire structure was sheathed in bark; sides, ends and roof.

Here's a link that will take you to a site with sketches that should make what I'm trying to say a bit clearer: http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1081

Hope that clears it up. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by snapper

Hard Scrabble - Sorry if I confused you...I'm not talking about using the logs for building a cabin. The longhouse is made using the tree's bark. There is an inner & outer framework of saplings with the bark sandwiched between the two. Essentially the entire structure was sheathed in bark; sides, ends and roof.

Here's a link that will take you to a site with sketches that should make what I'm trying to say a bit clearer: http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1081

Hope that clears it up. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper

OK, you're not talking about a permanent structure.
A "Longhouse" in the tradition of the Iroquois.
I'm sure that the native Americans knew the longevity of their bark sheathing, and I think that they chose a softwood like Pine or Hemlock.
The early ADK folks did the same thing when they chose Hemlock bark for their roof.

[DuctTape]

IIRC elm is also naturally rot resistant.

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by DuctTape

IIRC elm is also naturally rot resistant.

Agreed, but American Elm was not widely found in the forests of the Iroquois.
Hemlock and Pine were.

[geogymn]

Originally Posted by Hard Scrabble

Agreed, but American Elm was not widely found in the forests of the Iroquois.
Hemlock and Pine were.

Just curious, where did you glean this information? I would like to check it out.

[Buckladd]

I have some BIG basswoods on my property and some small elm, or "el-um" as my uncle used to call it. Plenty of pine and hemlock too. In another thread I once asked on here about horse logging teams and I have since found one if anyone is interested. I plan to log some time in the next five years.

[snapper]

I was going to stay out of this after already adding some comments but I'm finding that difficult so here goes...

Elm was indeed found throughout NYS where many Iroquois villages were located. Remember, these people lived across the state in a variety of habitat areas. In fact, no one really "lived" in the Adirondacks; they were hunting grounds.

Also, because of the magnitude of elm that grew in Iroquois country, the bark was used for collecting baskets, canoes, spoons, cups and all sorts of other products that were used daily.

Of course, today the elm is essentially gone; although a few still grow to a limited degree. That being said, after working briefly in a Native American program, I certainly understand why elm was the first choice of bark for a traditional longhouse.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

PS - I apologize for my role in taking this thread away from the original poster's topic.

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by geogymn

Just curious, where did you glean this information? I would like to check it out.

If you read the book about "French Louie" you'll see many photos of early life in The ADK's.

[Hard Scrabble]

Originally Posted by Buckladd

I have some BIG basswoods on my property and some small elm, or "el-um" as my uncle used to call it. Plenty of pine and hemlock too. In another thread I once asked on here about horse logging teams and I have since found one if anyone is interested. I plan to log some time in the next five years.

I would suggest a forum about draft horses.

[Buckladd]

Originally Posted by Hard Scrabble

I would suggest a forum about draft horses.

I'll update this one next time I'm on my desktop where the info is...

http://www.adkforum.com/showthread.p...ht=draft+horse