Abstract: A machine adapted for barking and cleaning a log, having jet nozzles, and featuring mounting each jet nozzle on its own log feeler arm for individual displacement of the jet nozzles in accordance with the hills and valleys sensed by the log feeler arms at the periphery of the log, whereby to automatically and individually maintain each nozzle at a predetermined spacing from the bark. This log barking and cleaning machine further comprises an endless conveyor defining a log path, a support structure extending around the log path, log feeler arms pivoted at one end to the support structure, and having a liquid jet nozzle at the other end, a spring wire connected to each arm and biasing the latter toward operative log feeling contact with the periphery of the log, means to adjust the bias of each spring wire, and a liquid manifold and hydraulic supply tubes connected to the nozzles to feed pressurized liquid through the nozzles.

Abstract: A method and a machine for cleaning and barking a log using fluid jets wherein the bark is first cut into longitudinal strips by a first series of fluid jet nozzles predominantly arranged to produce a cutting impingement action and wherein the anteriorly formed bark strips are peeled from the wood of the log by a second series of fluid jet nozzles predominantly arranged to produce a peeling action. The machine includes an automatic device to adjust the position of the fluid jet nozzles relative to a diametrical size of the log.