Husk a Coconut; Make Coconut Milk

Step 2 Husk the Coconut

This is a skill that takes a while to learn. Get a whole stack of coconuts to practice on.

The following method is what they use to husk coconuts commercially, in poor countries anyway.
Get a stake that's sharp on top. It doesn't have to be dangerously sharp, just pointy. Some people like a chisel shape. A pickaxe stuck in the ground works well as shown here. Some people use the pointy end, some use the chisel end.
You can use a machete to lop off a sapling or tree branch at the right height. I often see that near a pile of husks. The right height is between knee and waist height.

Jam the spike into the husk near the stem end. It should be easy to do because the husk is less dense there. The coconut husk will have several lobes. Jam the spike between the lobes with the coconut tilted at an angle. Pry the lobe off. It should start ripping off and then stop. Rotate the coconut, jam it on the stake and start ripping the next lobe. I usually do it three times. The second or third lobe just rips off because the other lobes aren't holding it on. Then pry the remaining lobes off. Rip them off with your hand if they're just hanging on. Don't impale yourself on the stake.