tools of the trade

We peeled all the bark by hand using these tools: gloves, safety glasses, peavey (for turning logs), hard plastic tree-falling wedges, axe (mainly for occasionally hammering the wedge), knife (for sharpening the wedges), homemade long-handle de-bark tools (made from those hard plastic tree-falling wedges, wood handles and tennis racket tape) ... and, of course, Burt's Bees Hand Salve.