green woodworking

[shaggystu]

SWMBT has just started her second year of a countryside management course at college and the first unit she's doing this term is entitled "understanding greenwood crafts". part of the work for the unit will consist of producing some greenwood items herself, things that have been mentioned so far include (amongst many others): pole lathes, hurdles, treen, benders, basketry, tool handles etc. i just wanted to pick the collective brain and see if anyone could suggest some ideas for projects that she might not otherwise have thought of, unusual ideas especially welcome.

thanks in advance

stuart

 

[Eric_Methven]

Besom brooms, garden rakes, hay forks. Milking stools, rustic garden furniture, living willow sculptures. The scraps left over can be burned in an oil drum to make charcoal.

There's tons more things, but that'll do for starters.

Eric

 

[shaggystu]

thanks for that eric, you're top of the list to be getting a PM from me on this subject before too long. (i say top of the list, in all honesty you are the list!)

do you have any info re. charcoal burning in an oil drum, it's something we were talking about laying in bed last night (who says romance is dead) and the conclusion we came to is that we were both really just guessing how to go about it.

cheers

 

[calibanzwei]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55727&highlight=

 

[shaggystu]

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55727&highlight=

thanks for that mate, i shall pass it on

stuart

 

[FGYT]

have a look here

http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/

ATB


Duncan

 

[shaggystu]

have a look here

http://www.bodgers.org.uk/bb/phpBB2/

ATB


Duncan

that looks really useful, thanks for that

stuart

 

[Eric_Methven]

do you have any info re. charcoal burning in an oil drum,

There's the upright way linked to above, and there's the "lying on it's side way", which is how I do it. Take a 55 gal oil drum and cut a slot right down the side from top to bottom. Then cut another parallel slot 9" from that. Now cut across the two ends so you end up with a huge letterbox shape.
Now either dig a shallow trench oil drum length, or have a few bags of sand handy.
Lay the drum on it's side, slot uppermost and fill with wood (around 2" - 3" diameter pieces work best). Set them on fire and get a good blaze going. Make sure the whole drum is well packed with wood.
When it's good and blazing, roll it over so the slot is on the bottom.
If you dug a shallow trench, make sure it rolls into the trench, slot down, and use the ezcavated soil to pack around the sides to seal the slot from any air.
If you are using sand, pack the sand round the edges to keep any air out too.
Then let it burn and get cold. When it's cold, roll it over and remove the charcoal. There will be some half consumed bits in there too (they are known as "brownings" in the trade) and you keep them to start the next burn.
The advantage of this method over the upright method is you don't have to faff around making a tight fitting lid.

Eric

 

[shaggystu]

thanks for that eric, it's good to have a few different approaches to the same problem, especially when you're trying to produce a piece of written work on the subject.

would burn times be pretty similar with your method? (5-6hrs was quoted for the first method)

stuart

 

[Eric_Methven]

thanks for that eric, it's good to have a few different approaches to the same problem, especially when you're trying to produce a piece of written work on the subject.

would burn times be pretty similar with your method? (5-6hrs was quoted for the first method)

stuart

I've always done it so it burns overnight. Because the drum is completely sealed at the bottom - and there is no lid to fail, it doesn't need to be watched. It is always finished by morning and cold enough to open by lunchtime. I suppose the times are similar though. My method means I can get on with other stuff without worrying about ending up with a pile of wood ash when I open it.

Eric

 

[Elines]

Only this evening someone was telling me that in the 'olden days' of the traditional gypsy caravan they used to make a temporary shelter made from vertical hoops of ?willow, held together with horizontal hazel? poles, covered with a tarp - I think the name began with an R

 

[Eric_Methven]

Only this evening someone was telling me that in the 'olden days' of the traditional gypsy caravan they used to make a temporary shelter made from vertical hoops of ?willow, held together with horizontal hazel? poles, covered with a tarp - I think the name began with an R

These types of traditional gypsy shelters have always been known as benders.

Eric

 

[Elines]

These types of traditional gypsy shelters have always been known as benders.

Eric

Well ....... B isn't that far from an R!! (At least the look similar) But yes - now you remind me it was 'benders'. Thanks for that - and the picture

 

[Eric_Methven]

Before the fancy wagons that we now associate with the gypsy community (known as bowtops), the travelling family would just have a flat bed wagon pulled by a horse. They covered it with canvas stretched over bent saplings. When they got to their camp area, they would lift off the cover and set it on the ground - to live in. Then the men folk would use the flat bed to do work or ply their trade. When it became time to move, they simply mounted the bender back onto the wagon again. Bowtops evolved from those early forms of transport.

Eric

 

[Eric_Methven]

So, to add to the greenwood list, gypsy crafts. Clothes pegs, gypsy flowers, tent pegs, willow baskets.

Eric

 

[shaggystu]

thanks for all the input so far folks, some good ideas.

i think they're already planning to build a bender of some description, and hurdle making's on the list too.

keep the ideas coming chaps, the more unusual the better

cheers

stuart

 

[calibanzwei]

Would fedge creation come under green woodcrafting? Hmmmm
http://www.westwaleswillows.co.uk/fedgeplanting.html

 

[shaggystu]

Would fedge creation come under green woodcrafting? Hmmmm
http://www.westwaleswillows.co.uk/fedgeplanting.html

very definately (well within the way that green woodworking is defined within gemma's course it does anyway), that's ecatly the kind of thing that we're looking for, something that other's might not have thought of.

thanks for that

stuart