Beavers should never be about speed.If you have a bunch to do-speed will come with doing more and more.Don't always be in a rush to do everything-especially beavers-ya they are a lot of work-but they are probably the most satisfying in the end product.I skinned and fleshed over 1750 beavers one spring/summer-by myself.It actually turned me off skinning beavers for years.Now I just take my time and do them at my leisure-I love putting up beavers as long as I am not being rushed.

I have never tried Beav's way of doing it but it certainly sounds alright-going to give it a try.Have always done the centre strip down the back with a very sharp caribou knife and then used the dull knife to do the sides etc..Back when I was doing lots-I would skin ,flesh,and board 20 in an evening-that was a crap ton of work! Now if I flesh 10 in a day my hands go numb!

Ok, I know there are guys that are fast and most faster than me. Wouldn't you know I got 3 more Beaver today. 2 smaller and one bigger than yesterday. The big one was the biggest I have ever gotten. I wanted to weigh it but wouldn't you know the battery in my bathroom scale is dead. The biggest I ever got before was 58 pounds and just to guess I would say this one is 65 plus. Anyway, I decided to clean skin. I did one of the small ones in 1 hour 45 minutes. Mind you that is carcass to board, hung castor, processed carcass and cleaned up. That is 45 minutes better than yesterday but smaller beavr. The second one was 1 1/2 hour. Better job on clean skinning also. When I get home tonight I am going to take the monster Beaver. Hopefully I can finish him I 1 1/2 hours also. It takes me about 10 minutes just to nail it on board. Don't see how anyone can complete in 15 minutes but more power to ya....

IMO that is great improvement over your first posting times. With further practice your will most likely get better but I would not expect completion in 15 minutes anytime.

10 or 12 nails makes the nailing faster.

Impossible to get the proper put up/shape/sizing for marketing thru the auctions with 10 or 12 nails

Yea but its fast,lol.

Boco-I have seen your put up-you don't use 10 or 12 nails-LOL

I also find that like in the above mentioned post, that it is much easier to skin when I cut around the inside of the leg holes after removing the feet.

the more you do the faster you will get. ya aint gonna skin flesh and board your first beaver in 20 minutes.
it took me a couple hundred to get the hang of it. no i ain't fast but 6 minutes to rough skin and remove castor. 5 to flesh and 3 to board. i use an electric stapler. if using a stapler, remember one leg in one leg out .DON'T leave any staples in for the graders to find.

I rough skin and use a beam and knecker knife to flesh. I stop when it gets less than razor sharp and hit it with a stone a couple times. If your knife is sharp enough and with a bit of practice the knife does all the work. I’m by no means the fastest but I always get compliments on them from my buyer because I don’t rush it. I take my time, do it right, and in the end have a beautiful pelt.

But the sharper your knife and the more you skin the faster you’ll get. It’s one of those things that there is no simple fix where you can just buy a certain knife or board and be fast.

I was just funning MB.
That is the truest statement above,no matter what method you use,concentrate on your technique first,and by repetition,the speed will come.Even at the end of each season I am faster than doing the first few at the beginning.

I rarely skin and board beaver at the same time.I usually skin and freeze,then at a later date board.
I clean skin so there is no heavy fleshing to do.

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My guess is the bigger beaver will take more than 1 1/2 hour. Probably because A=PIr2 and C=2PIr

It could slow down if you hit a pocket of puss the size of a golfball.

Ok, so last night when I got home I decided to put up the big Beaver, he was 72 pounds, I bought a battery for my scale because I had to know. It took me 2 hours and 20 minutes this time but I realized that big Beaver have a lot more fat and are tougher than the little ones. Not to mention that I had to set the knife down to move him. Not like a small one that I can toss around with one hand. I clean skinned again but had a bit around tail to remove after. I heard mention of a Necker 600. Is this a good knife for me to purchase for the touch up and tough areas.? Also I like the tip about cutting around feet once removed. That is my slowest area so I don't make extra leg holes. I have one 5 legged Beaver LOL....Thanks for all the in put. Also I thought the purpose of nails was so air could get to both sides of pelt. Figured bstaples would be bad...Explain one leg up one leg down please.

ok, another question. I have 1 beam that is round and just picked up a flat beam. I use a Necker knife but rarely have I ever used the sharp side for any other critter. The question is; What works better for you a flat beam or a rounded beam? Straight edged knife or curved? (For Beaver) Oops that 2 questions.

Correct, nails should be used to allow air to both sides of the pelt. Although I have never used staples I believe the one leg in and one out refers to the staple legs overlapping the pelt edge, one leg in the pelt the other in wood only.

A beam that fits a curved fleshing knife. Although when clean skinning no beam is required, just a small pelt flesher to clean the pelt up once initial nailing is completed.

For your beam all you need to do is round over the edges. Start about 3" In from the edge and plane them down .
The curvature of your knife has little meaning If your using the knife correctly . Your knife blade should be just about flat to the hide. And your making side ways slicing motions. So only about 2" to 3" of your knife blade Is making contact with the hide.

If your matching the contour of your blade to the contour of your beam your knife would have to just about vertical. And that Isn't going to get It done.

That's correct. Unless you're pushing fat on a coon. Good points Beav.