How to skin a trunk??

I did a search and couldn't find anything, so sorry if this has been covered.

What is the best way to 'skin' a palm trunk. In other words, how do you get this:

To look like this:

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Matt

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[ Edited by: Tiki Matt on 2004-08-25 13:12 ]

Leave that one alone.
Cut down a pine tree.
(some parts are edible) Good Luck!

4WDTiki....Thanks for the e-mail. I hope that works for you.

G.

[ Edited by: tikifreak on 2004-08-26 05:30 ]

I use a utility razor knife, although I try to get trunk that is skinned already!
Just start zipping the knife around and around, starting at the bottom end in your picture. You'll quickly see where the cut naturally needs to be made.

4WDtiki said it best, a SHARP Razor knife around the bottom limb. you will soon get the knack fo doing it right and finding another log next time.You can learn to do it but it's easier to keep lookin a little longer for the right log.

On 2004-08-25 19:40, tikifreak wrote:
Find another kind. There are better ones for stripping. Those are WAY too stringy.......

I dunno. You Florida guys may have different kinds of palms than we do in SoCal. From the pic, it looks to be a Mexican Fan palm, which is the predominant carving palm around here. It's the least stringy of the local trees, that I have found anyway.

it is hard to tell from the picture, is the palm really hairy looking with those big X's? or is it just have big X's?

If it has just big X's and doesn't look like an afro, then i take a crowbar/long pry bar and run itup the log, which nocks the big X's off. then there will be a thin coat of thick paper (red) like bark that comes off very easy with the same prybar/crowbar. if you want to strip it down to just palm use a draw knife. or if it gives you trouble take a chainsaw and just skin the outside of the log.

If it is a palm that looks like an afro, then you use the utlilty knifeand just make a cut vertically about a foot into the fur, then just start going around and around with the utiliy knife removing layors, then comeback with a draw knife and skin it to just palm wood. the really furry guys have a great wood inside of them, white, soft and hardly any fibers.

Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a shot tonite...