birch bark

[hardr004]

You know you use dead birch bark to make things.

Do you need a knife to get a big sheet off or does it just peel off in a big sheet?

 

[Cobweb]

It depends on the tree. Sometimes it's fresh and you will need a knife to help things along a bit, but if it's been dead for a while then you can usually just rip it off no problem.

 

[sxmolloy]

I use a cutting tool to remove sheets from dead or fallen silver birch trees. Much neater so theres less waste. If its a paper birch I simply remove it carefully by hand as it's shedding its bark anyway. Silver birch would be best to use as a material for making things as its much thicker and sturdier (sp).

 

[Retired Member southey]

I use a spud, kind of like a stick, with the end trimmed to a flat wedge and cresent in shape, I use a thick stick and the edge is not sharpe but smooth and thin if that makes sense, it's good for cutting a line in dead bark to give you a clean edge.then work the spud under the bark and slowly work it away from the tree. i get quite good results, unfortunatle i've not got any pics, i'll try to get some next time i'm out.

 

[Toadflax]

Remember, however, that you're going to be lucky to find decently thick birch bark in the Southern areas of England. It gets thicker further North (I think the tree grows thicker bark to help insulate itself in the colder Winters), so everything I've ever collected has small slit-like holes - OK if you want to make a basket type container, but it isn't going to be watertight unless you seal it.


Geoff