Bark peeler or bark spud (tanning tool)

1775-1850

Measurements

26-1/2 in x 3-1/2 in x 1-5/8 in (dia)

Materials

Iron, ash handle

Credit Line

Historic Odessa Foundation, gift of Hagley Museum and Library

Accession Number

2026.77

Condition Notes

The iron blade is lightly pitted.

Provenance

Hagley purchased a group of five objects (accession nos. 2026.74-.78) from antiques dealer Miner J. Cooper of Windsor, New York, in 1957.

Comments

This bark peeler, also called a bark spud, was intended for use with two hands to strip bark from a log. The user dug the rounded and slightly dished blade into the cambium layer of the tree that divided bark from wood. The long handle allowed him to pry the materials apart.

The bark peeler is made of wrought iron.  Its turned wood handle fits into a conical socket formed by folding the metal.  The handle stays in place by a single screw. The metal shaft is roughly square in cross section but noticeably uneven in its execution.