Debarking tool head

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A debarking tool, or scratcher head, used to debark trees for the turpentine industry. The tool is constructed from iron. It is roughly J-shaped with a squared hook that ends in a curved rounded tip. The hook has a stirrup shaped attachment at the bottom. The straight edge of the attachment is wider than the rounded side and has a beveled cutting edge. An associated small, white, paper tag reads [SCRATCHER HEAD / (to debark trees) / Turpentine Industry].

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