Bark Scraper From a Cheap Chisel and Reclaimed Wood

Clint
by Clint
3 Materials
I have a lot of logs to peel and using and axe and drawknife was starting to get tiresome. I had a huge but cheap chisel lying around and so decided to make a bark scraper / bark peeler / bark spud. The handle is made of hardwood from a pallet. I hope you enjoy the video below, I'll show a few photos below of how I made it.
I broke the old handle apart with another chisel which was fairly simple as long as you don't hit the metal with your chisel! (Which I almost did)
I cut a plank of pallet wood straight down the middle, planed the faces flat and glued them together with a ton of clamps. I didn't want there to be any gaps or weaknesses in the handle.
After I planed the handle down square I drew from corner to corner on one end to find the centre. I then used a compass or dividers to draw the shape of a piece of pipe I cut off to go round the handle to make the ferrule. I then drilled a hole into the end with an 8mm bit.
I just cut the shape of the pipe with a saw and chisel, slowly taking away wood as I kept trying the fit of the pipe until I was satisfied.
I wanted a nice, tight friction fit on the handle with the pipe, no glue was used I just hit it home with a club hammer. This piece of pipe acts as a ferrule and will (hopefully) prevent the handle from splitting when the chisel is hit inside the hole.
I shaped the handle to a round shape with a spokeshave, checking every now and then with my hand to feel the grip of the handle until I was satisfied with it.
I pushed the chisel in as far as I could with my hands and then rested the blade of the chisel on the floor and hit the top of the handle with a mallet until the chisel was fully seated. I'd like to point out that I have a wooden floor in my shed, if you have a concrete floor then you'd need to put a piece of wood on the floor before you hit the handle onto the chisel.
It worked pretty well, I found that the best way to use it was to scrape it against the log with the bevel facing downwards. Firm pressure and hard strokes are sometimes needed to take the hard parts away.
The handle feels solid and so far has held up very well though I have only been using it for a day! I'm quite pleased with it and I'm sure I'll be using it until it breaks!
If you enjoyed that tutorial then please feel free to comment. If you'd like to follow me and support my tutorials and builds then please give my Facebook Page a like and hopefully I'll catch you soon. Thank you!
Suggested materials:
  • One length of hardwood pallet wood   (Free)
  • 2" Chisel   (Amazon)
  • Metal pipe or ferrule   (Free)
Clint
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
Next