🪵 Salvaging Wood After the Storm: Ice Damage and Decortication with a Brick Hammer

Gavin Lottering
Apr 30
2 min read

Date: April 2025Location: Near Barrie, Ontario

Earlier this month, a harsh ice storm swept through our region and left behind a lot of broken branches and damaged trees. While the damage was unfortunate, it also opened up an opportunity: the chance to collect some beautiful raw wood for carving and shaping.

🌨️ The Aftermath of the Storm

After surveying my area, I came across a few fallen limbs and branches that were too good to leave behind. Most of the wood I gathered came from trees that had cracked or splintered under the weight of the ice — perfect material for experimenting with freeform shapes, mallet handles, or rustic pieces. I loaded them up and brought them home to dry out and prepare.

🔨 The Decortication Process

Instead of using a drawknife or spokeshave — which I don’t currently own — I improvised with a tool that was on hand: a brick hammer.

Using the flat edge of the hammer, I began stripping the bark and cambium layer away from the logs. Surprisingly, it worked well for this purpose. The hammer was heavy enough to deliver controlled scraping force, but still gave me the precision I needed for the contours of the wood.

The decortication wasn’t perfect — some spots left residual cambium, and I’ll likely go over those later with sandpaper or a carving knife — but overall it gave the wood a rugged, unfinished look that I like. And it revealed a pale, buttery grain underneath that already shows great contrast in color and pattern.

🪚 What's Next?

Some of the pieces are drying out, while others are being roughed into shape for small projects. I’m thinking about turning one into a mallet, maybe using the curved piece for a stool leg or even a rustic coat hook. These salvaged logs remind me of why woodworking is special — it’s not always about starting with the perfect piece of lumber. Sometimes the process begins with a storm and a hammer.

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