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Binding a Besom Broom — The Birch-Twig Broom on a Hazel Handle
The besom is the oldest broom: a fat bundle of springy birch twigs bound around a hazel or ash handle. Every household swept with one, and it cost nothing but a walk to the woods. There are no nails and no glue — the head is held by tight withy bindings and a single wooden peg, and it only grips harder as the birch dries and shrinks. This blueprint binds a besom from cut brush to finished broom using hand tools alone.
Beginner
3
Instructions
1
1
Cut the birch brush
Cut the birch brush
Cut generous bundles of thin, whippy birch twigs — the 'brush'. Winter-cut birch, taken when the tree is bare, is springiest and lasts longest. Keep the twigs long and unbroken.
Materials for this step:
Birch Brush1 bundleTools needed:
Billhook2
2
Wilt the twigs supple
Wilt the twigs supple
Lay the cut brush somewhere cool for a few days until the twigs lose their brittleness and bend without snapping. Supple twigs pack tightly and bind without cracking.
Materials for this step:
Birch Brush1 bundle3
3
Cut and point the handle
Cut and point the handle
Cut a straight length of hazel or ash about a thumb-and-a-half thick for the handle. Trim it clean and whittle one end to a long blunt point so the brush seats around it.
Materials for this step:
Green Wood Poles (1-2m)1 pieceTools needed:
Billhook
Knife4
4
Soak the binding withies
Soak the binding withies
Soak split willow withies in water until they are fully flexible. These flexible ties will cinch the brush to the handle; they must bend sharply without breaking.
Materials for this step:
Willow Withy2 pieces
Water5 liters5
5
Lay the brush around the handle
Lay the brush around the handle
Stand the pointed handle upright and lay birch twigs evenly all the way around it, butt ends up along the handle and tips hanging down. Keep the bundle even so the finished broom is not lopsided.
Materials for this step:
Birch Brush1 bundle6
6
Bind the top band
Bind the top band
Squeeze the twigs tight against the handle and wind a soaked withy hard around the bundle near the top of the brush. Pull it as tight as you can and twist and tuck the ends to lock the band.
Materials for this step:
Willow Withy1 piece7
7
Bind the second band
Bind the second band
Wind a second withy band about a hand's width below the first and cinch it just as tight. Two bands stop the brush from splaying and spread the sweeping wear.
Materials for this step:
Willow Withy1 piece8
8
Peg the head to the handle
Peg the head to the handle
Whittle a small hardwood peg. Start a hole through the handle between the bindings with the awl, then drive the peg through with the mallet so the head can never slide off the handle.
Tools needed:
Knife
Awl
Wooden Mallet9
9
Trim the sweeping end
Trim the sweeping end
Trim the hanging tips of the brush level across the bottom with the billhook so the broom meets the floor evenly and sweeps cleanly.
Tools needed:
Billhook10
10
Season the besom
Season the besom
Stand the finished besom in a dry place to season. As the birch dries it stiffens into a firm brush and the withy bindings shrink even tighter — the broom is ready to sweep.
Materials
4- 3 bundlesPlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 4 piecesPlaceholder
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