Greenwood - Baling birch for brooms

As usual I'm running a bit late. The birch tops should have been baled and stored under cover weeks ago. But the weather was ok today and I finally got around to doing it before the rain set in.

When I was sorting through for bean poles and pea-sticks I piled most of the tops that were suitable for besom brooms ready to be baled. So it's just a matter of sorting through again and baling the tops up.





I do this using the traditional 'woodsman's grip'.

Two boards and a few feet of rope allow the birch to be bundled tightly. This method was recommended by my friend Richard who's been coppicing for many years and it provides a lot of pressure.

The boards are forced apart and gripped by the knees or feet keeping the pressure on the bale whilst a bond is tied.




I managed to bale well over a 1000 pieces of birch spray or brish as its sometimes called before the rain set in.

The tight bales should help to form the birch tops into straight wands that will make a good broom.

After airing for a few days under cover to ensure that they are dry I will then pile them up in the dark to store them until they are needed for making brooms. My first day of broom making should be in a couple of weeks time. I'll need to sort out the handles or 'tails' before then.