Modern day Billhook

[TeeDee]

Is there such a thing as a Modern day Billhook ? using modern materials? Not there is anything inherently wrong with steel and wood.

But as there are axes and hatchets and sledge hammers that have all used more modern day materials for shafts and handles I'm wondering if there is a modern equivalent of the humble Bill Hook?

I have a hedge laying course coming up ( fingers crossed before I jinx it ) so will need to find something , not sure if me turning up with my Skrama will please people.

 

[Broch]

To be honest, I've never seen a billhook with fibreglass or similar handles. I can't believe they're not out there, just not as popular maybe.

I would be surprised if they expect you to turn up with your own billhook though. It's likely they'll be using a specific style for the area, and you turning up with a 'Yorkshire' blade may be worse than the Skrama

 

[Stew]

I would think that the Fiskars billhook would fit your idea of modern materials, not that I'm recommending one!

Morris Newton serves me well, though I'm not a hedgelayer.

 

[Jared]

I've layed many a hedge with a yorkshire billhook, prefer the pointed corner and the weight for the initial cut, and then flip it around to the hook to trim the spike.

Never tried hedgelaying with a fibreglass one, but imagine they're really lightweight.

 

[Herman30]

Is there such a thing as a Modern day Billhook ? using modern materials?

Fiskars.

 

[John Fenna]

I love my old Elwell - I would pass on the Fiskars just on it's looks!

 

[Laurentius]

Is there such a thing as a Modern day Billhook ? using modern materials? Not there is anything inherently wrong with steel and wood. But as there are axes and hatchets and sledge hammers that have all used more modern day materials for shafts and handles I'm wondering if there is a modern equivalent of the humble Bill Hook? I have a hedge laying course coming up ( fingers crossed before I jinx it ) so will need to find something , not sure if me turning up with my Skrama will please people.

I am tempted to say whatever works, use it, you will find out soon enough whether it is suitable or not. It is not as if there were only ever one pattern of billhook. My Elwell slasher is like a cross between a billhook and a thick machete, it works as well as a bill in some situations. I also confess to using all sorts of things for purposes they were not originally designed for, but they were available at the time.

 

[Jared]

Fiskars.

Yeah, more brush hook, made for swinging around.

Edit: Didn't know Morris of Dunsford seemingly wound up the business end of last year.

 

[Stew]

Yeah, more brush hook, made for swinging around.

Edit: Didn't know Morris of Dunsford seemingly wound up the business end of last year.

That’s a shame to hear!

Just found this which looks ok.

Pardon our interruption...

 

[Wildgoose]

I have an Italian made one with a leather stacked handle. Longer than a traditional English and as above a cross between a bill and a machete.
I’ve cut h miles of hedge with it and cleared a fallen willow in pretty short order too.
Closest I’ve seen in the UK is the Stihl ones.

I have a more traditional one I bought a few years back but it arrived unfinished as they often do so still needs the blade profiling.

 

[Nice65]

Fiskars.

That’s nothing like the Fiskars I have.



The old coppicing boys who I used to cut Chestnut for the NHS walking sticks with a few years ago quickly moved to these as tool of choice after years of Elwells and more traditional ones. They're called handbills in Sussex.

These things are slim stock and the handle can put a lot of force behind the blade, they work very well. The hole can be annoying if it snags, it’s something to do with stacking for heat treat to prevent warping, same as Skrama blades.

An edit:

This vid shows the older and newer versions, mine is the older, bought in the local hardware shop in Midhurst late 2008 for £25.

 

[jackorion]

There’s lots of old billhooks still out there (on eBay, on Facebook, and on various sellers websites) and, most of them, will be better by far than any new ones.

A lot of the time they won’t come to you in a useable condition and you’ll need to put a proper edge on them, but you can pick something up from eBay for under £50 that’ll be an excellent tool.

Or you can head to some of the excellent resellers/repairers etc - two I have previously used and can vouch for are Jordan at Dartmoor greenwood - https://dartmoorgreenwoodhandles.wordpress.com/ - and Ian at the Luddite - https://theluddite-tools-for-sale.sumupstore.com/

Although I haven’t seen them in the flesh, the hooks from woodland craft supplies look excellent and are made in the uk - https://woodlandcraftsupplies.co.uk/collections/billhooks

 

[Herman30]

That’s nothing like the Fiskars I have.

They renew their models from time to time.

 

[Jared]

Yeah have bought a Whitehouse Sparhook for 50p at a carboot once.

Spear & Jackson make some inexpensive ones if need one asap, and hopefully have the opportunity to try out other billhook patterns at the course. And then can find a old one or decent modern make.

 

[TeeDee]

That’s nothing like the Fiskars I have.

View attachment 91233

The old coppicing boys who I used to cut Chestnut for the NHS walking sticks with a few years ago quickly moved to these as tool of choice after years of Elwells and more traditional ones. They're called handbills in Sussex.

These things are slim stock and the handle can put a lot of force behind the blade, they work very well. The hole can be annoying if it snags, it’s something to do with stacking for heat treat to prevent warping, same as Skrama blades.

An edit:

This vid shows the older and newer versions, mine is the older, bought in the local hardware shop in Midhurst late 2008 for £25.

That looks very usable to be honest - handle length is good and they've not done anything too weird with the blade geometry and shape. Light in the handle and some nice forward weight.

Rather annoyingly - THAT design seems to be now usurped by Fiskars latest weird looking billhook that looks like a weird homage to the Predator films.

Whilst I appreciate the various links to refurbished older tools - its not really something I'm looking for , for the money they seem to want to ask for them.

I will keep my eye out down the local recycling yard or random car boot sale for an old billhook blade and look to rehandle it myself if the asking price is cheap enough.

 

[Nice65]

They renew their models from time to time.

The newer version looks completely useless as a billhook for traditional use as a coppicing and hedging tool.

 

[Pattree]

Any use?

and……
Has anyone used the Fiskars model?

 

[alphaburner]

Not modern handle materials but reasonably priced if wanted to give a try. But they do say for light work:

Imacasa Billhook Classic 10" | Woodsmith

Effortlessly cut back soft vegetation such as brambles with the Imacasa Billhook Classic 10". A billhook style machete, probably best used as a lightweight short handled slasher.

www.woodsmith.co.uk

 

[Damascus]

Bought a bill hook at a car boot for 50p, needed a new handle, so I used a broken lump hammer handle to replace, that was almost 30 years ago, it’s the best I own and sharpest!

 

[Herman30]

The newer version looks completely useless as a billhook for traditional use as a coppicing and hedging tool.

Well here in Finland we don´t do coppicing or hedging. Billhook mostly used for cutting bushes or cutting off branches.