6th September 2007
Today we are making Hazel hurdles. Once the rods have been cut from the coppice stools they need trimming to length with a Billhook and the splitting.
To safely trim with a Billhook hold the rod in your left hand and rest against your left thigh with the cutting location behind your leg. Then sweep down, through the rod and behind you. Practice is needed to find the right stance so that the rod is far enough away from your leg to be safe, but close enough to prevent the rod bouncing.
To split a rod, start by creating a chisel end so that you can clearly see the pith. Then place the bill of the Billhook onto the end of the rod lining it up with the pith. This is easiest if you stand astride the rod and use your legs as a clamp. Using your free hand tap the end of the Billhook to get the split started. The use a twisting action to open up the split. To correct the direction of the split, increase the bend in the larger side at the point where the split ends, and then open out the split. Making small steps is more accurate than going for a few long splits. When working through a knot start biasing the split very early and remember that the wood will want to veer away from the knot. If you encounter a knot face-on, then you may need to use a club to force the Billhook through the knot.
Having split your rods, select 9 pieces for the sails (uprights). Place them into the Mould Block and check for alignment in all planes. Some swapping may be required to achieve this. Start with 3 round poles and form the starting sequence. The build up the height using split poles, largest at the base. Two types of twist are used depending upon whether the sap or heartwood is against the sail. For heartwood, twist back and forth until the fibres separate, then twist round and upwards. For sapwood imagine you are riding a motorbike with you arms until fibres ease, then lift and twist. For round poles, circle the end to stretch the outer fibres, then twist and turn, continuing to twist as the pole is taken around. We then did some Sussex Style weaving which uses shorter lengths from the middle to the end.
Finally we did the finishing sequence, which is a complicated sequence that ensures that the top of the hurdle is locked in place. The first pole goes in vertically between the end and second sail, then up to the top and in front of the end sail, so it lies in front of both. Then a double twist and weave to other end, single twist and lock. Second and third poles go in under the top and top two wattles respectively. Weave to end end and twist to lock. Fourth goes in tip first and just runs to the end, but with plenty to spare. Last goes in under top two, weaves to the end, double twist and insert under itself against the 3rd sail from the end. Finally lift the end of the fourth over the top of the last, locking against the end sail. Then trim all the ends neatly.
A hard days work, particularly on the hands and arms.
After a short rest, Simon Tooomer, the Curator of Westonbirt Arboretum took us on a guided walk of the ornamental part of the Arboretum. Afterwards there was a barbeque and beer, and we all sat around the fire chatting until well into the night.
To safely trim with a Billhook hold the rod in your left hand and rest against your left thigh with the cutting location behind your leg. Then sweep down, through the rod and behind you. Practice is needed to find the right stance so that the rod is far enough away from your leg to be safe, but close enough to prevent the rod bouncing.
To split a rod, start by creating a chisel end so that you can clearly see the pith. Then place the bill of the Billhook onto the end of the rod lining it up with the pith. This is easiest if you stand astride the rod and use your legs as a clamp. Using your free hand tap the end of the Billhook to get the split started. The use a twisting action to open up the split. To correct the direction of the split, increase the bend in the larger side at the point where the split ends, and then open out the split. Making small steps is more accurate than going for a few long splits. When working through a knot start biasing the split very early and remember that the wood will want to veer away from the knot. If you encounter a knot face-on, then you may need to use a club to force the Billhook through the knot.
Having split your rods, select 9 pieces for the sails (uprights). Place them into the Mould Block and check for alignment in all planes. Some swapping may be required to achieve this. Start with 3 round poles and form the starting sequence. The build up the height using split poles, largest at the base. Two types of twist are used depending upon whether the sap or heartwood is against the sail. For heartwood, twist back and forth until the fibres separate, then twist round and upwards. For sapwood imagine you are riding a motorbike with you arms until fibres ease, then lift and twist. For round poles, circle the end to stretch the outer fibres, then twist and turn, continuing to twist as the pole is taken around. We then did some Sussex Style weaving which uses shorter lengths from the middle to the end.
Finally we did the finishing sequence, which is a complicated sequence that ensures that the top of the hurdle is locked in place. The first pole goes in vertically between the end and second sail, then up to the top and in front of the end sail, so it lies in front of both. Then a double twist and weave to other end, single twist and lock. Second and third poles go in under the top and top two wattles respectively. Weave to end end and twist to lock. Fourth goes in tip first and just runs to the end, but with plenty to spare. Last goes in under top two, weaves to the end, double twist and insert under itself against the 3rd sail from the end. Finally lift the end of the fourth over the top of the last, locking against the end sail. Then trim all the ends neatly.
A hard days work, particularly on the hands and arms.
After a short rest, Simon Tooomer, the Curator of Westonbirt Arboretum took us on a guided walk of the ornamental part of the Arboretum. Afterwards there was a barbeque and beer, and we all sat around the fire chatting until well into the night.
Labels: course, crafts, hazel hurdle, westonbirt
posted by Graham | 13:55
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