When to peel Ceder logs?

[hydeoutman]

I have 3 large cedar logs (20') I cut them 2 weeks ago, the bark has dried on and the only way I know how to peel em. would be to use my draw knife. Could I wait till spring and over winter maybe they will shrink enough to allow easier stripping?

[Furby]

That is what would work the best I think.
I have a couple I brought inside to "dry", now the bark won't come off. :
I'm thinking they need to be "weathered" a bit and the bark will loosen.
The log home company up the street strips them with a pressure washer, but I don't know how long they leave them laying before hand.

[pappy]

hydeoutman...If they're northern white cedar the bark will fall off by itself come next spring, just leave them out in the weather

Furby... try soaking them in a pond or brook for a week or so and it should peel easier

[Furby]

Yeah, sure, I have one of each here in the city. :
Do have a stream just up the street in both directions, but figure I'd get a fine either for putting them in......... or taking them out. : :

Wonder if my pool would work................. ;D

[tnlogger]

I dont know furb but you can always stick um in the Boss's   ;D

[pappy]

A pool would do it just fine  ;D

I didn't realize you lived in the city :

any ditch will do... the stuff is like a sponge

I cut some crooked cedar limbs during this summers dry spell and it wouldn't peel worth a hoot... left em in a puddle for a week and they peeled... not like spring butt I got the  bark off : me thinks two weeks woulda been better  ;)

[Cedarman]

ERC will peel very easily for the first few days after it is cut down.  But let it dry some and the sap under the bark will turn to glue.  Letting the logs age for 6 months or so will loosen the bark considerably and should peel off nicely.  Depending on when the logs are cut, there is a bark beetle that will lay eggs under the bark and the little larva will leave marks and holes along tje log.  If the logs turn a little grey where the bark is off, a little sanding will make it bright again.

[Jeff]

If its northern white, there are certain times when you cut it, that if you dont get the bark off pronto, it'll stick on there and stay stuck on there and the only way to get it off is as you mention, with a draw knife, or the other alternative, throing them back outside in a pile until the bark starts to loosen from the elements. Probably a year. 

We put some half logs up on the back of the cabin that had the bark stuck fast to them thinking it would come off in the spring, not a chance. Kept off the ground where is was dry, it was still on there big time a year later. We couldnt get a drawknife to it then. We tried to use a pressure washer, and the soft cedar would get all ate up trying to get the bark off. We ended up using a screw driver and a sharpened putty knive to finally get it off. THank goodness it wasn't a lot of bark.

[isawlogs]

  Here if you want to peel cedar you will be doing it in companie to the black flies , anytime after or before  you are looking at a big job , just like Jeff said . The bark will glue on and then you will be sweating to get iot off ...