Coppice products

This section describes materials which are cut from the coppice and generally require no further working apart from cutting to length and tying in bundles. Some cleaning of side shoots or twiggy growth with a billhook may be necessary. Green woodworking, which is the craft of working freshly cut wood into a range of products, is described in the following chapter.

For voluntary groups, there is potential to use these simple coppice materials within the wood for fencing, footpath work, bank revetment, hedgelaying and other uses. There is also the possibility of using material for stakes, bean poles, pergolas and other garden uses, amongst group members and friends in the local community. Transport is often the major issue, so always ask around and advertise locally so that as much produce as possible is used in the local area. Allotment societies, gardening clubs and local markets are a good place to start.

For larger projects or for full-time workers, there are many commercial uses for coppice products, but you will need to spend time developing your market and being innovative in developing and selling your products. There may be a local coppice association who can provide help, or you may be able to group together with other coppice workers for marketing purposes.

You may also be able to sell coppice material to other craftsmen, such as thatchers, woodturners, hurdle makers and others. Advertise locally, and through networks such as ‘Ecolots’.

Coppice products

Bean rods

Ash or hazel are best, but other species are also suitable. Minimum length 2m (7’) with 25-40mm (1-11/2”) butt diameter, cleaned. Bundle in 10s or 20s.

Pea sticks

Fan-shaped branches of hazel, birch, elm or lime, 1.2-1.5m (4-5’) long with 300mm (1’) of clear stem, with the butt cut at an angle. Stack off the ground with poles on top to flatten them. Bundle together in 20s.

Flower stakes

Cleaned straight rods of any species, about 1.2m (4’) long and 25mm (1”) top diameter. The butt is sharpened and the top is cut as shown, as this prevents the stake splitting when hammered in. Bundle in 10s or 20s.

Hedging stakes

Cleaned poles of any species, 1.5m (5’6”) long, with a butt diameter of 40-65mm (11/2”-21/2”), bundled in 10s.

Heathering (ethering, binding) rods

Cleaned rods of hazel, birch, willow or sweet chestnut, 2.1-3.6m (7-12’) long, with a butt diameter of 25mm (1”), bundled in 20s. Preferably use fresh, or can be stored for up to 6 weeks if kept damp under a tarpaulin.

Fence stakes

Cleaned round or cleft poles of sweet chestnut, oak or elm, 1.7m (5’6”) long, with a 65-75mm (21/2-3”) butt diameter, sharpened.

Tree stakes

Cleaned poles of any species, 1.2m (4’) long, with 40-65mm (11/2 -21/2”) butt diameter, sharpened. For larger trees, use shorter poles in pairs as shown.

Walking sticks

Straight stems of about 1.4m (4’) length and about 40mm (11/2”) diameter, with minimum taper. Hazel, ash and sweet chestnut are easy to find and popular for stick making, with blackthorn, hawthorn and holly prized for their density and strength, and because they are more difficult to find in suitable lengths. Unusual curves where the length, called a ‘shank’ joins the main branch or root, and which could be used for the handle, will add value. ‘Twisted’ shanks, caused by being entwined with honeysuckle are also sought after.

After cutting, bundle the sticks together, about 10 to a bundle, and tie near the top, middle and bottom with soft twine, which will not dig into the bark. Store them upright or laid flat in a shed, unheated spare room or similar. Don’t lie them across rafters or cross-pieces on the floor, as the shanks will bow. Season for 9-12 months before sanding, carving, staining, polishing or waxing as desired. There is an active craft in stick making, with local associations, competitions and so on. See Gowan (1997) for further details on the craft.

Morris sticks

As used by Morris dancers. Requirements vary, but hazel is preferred, with 1m (3’3”) length and 40mm (11/2”) butt diameter a typical size. Sticks must be straight and knot-free, peeled and dried slowly so they do not split. Season for a winter before use, and treat with linseed oil. Ash is sometimes recommended, but is liable to split under heavy use!

Rustic poles

Poles for garden use including fencing, pergolas, arches, gazebos and other uses, according to the customers’ requirements. Value can be added by designing such features, and supplying the materials in kit form or assembled on site.

Crotch sticks

Straight poles with a strong fork can be used for clothes-line props, and as props for the branches of fruit trees. Any species is suitable, of a size to suit the use.

Thatching wood

Split hazel rods are used to secure the thatch on roofs. The liggers or runners lie across the thatch, and are secured by hairpin-like spars or broches, pushed down into the thatch. Some thatchers split and point their own spars and liggers from round wood, while others buy from spar makers who convert the round wood. Hazel is the usual material, but willow is also used.

Specifications will vary with the individual thatcher or spar maker, but the general requirement is for straight rods no shorter than 1.3m (4’6”), and between 12mm (1/2”) and 50mm (2”) in diameter. The rods should be cleaned of knots, but not debarked, and then tied into bundles. Liggers are best split as soon as possible after cutting, but wood for spars is normally stored for a month or so in a shady place to toughen up before splitting. The unsplit rods are called ‘spar gads’, and are usually 540-660mm (21-26”) long, and 12-25mm (1/2-2”) diameter, bundled in 20s or 30s.

A typical requirement for liggers are rods 1-1.5m (3-5’) long and 40mm (11/2”) diameter, split into four clefts. These are then shaved to remove the pith and make a flat surface to lie against the thatch, with both ends pointed to a long taper. They are bundled in 25s.

Depending on their thickness, spar gads are split into four, six or sixteen clefts, 12mm (1/2”) diameter, and pointed at each end. They are bundled in 200s.

Fascines and faggots

Fascines or faggots are a traditional product made from the tops or brash from coppicing operations, tied tightly in bundles. Long bundles are used for riverbank revetment and stabilisation. With changing attitudes to riverbank management, there has been a growth of demand in recent years from the Environment Agency and other authorities. Volumes needed are usually large, with a minimum of 200 a typical requirement, so commercial production is only worth considering if there is good vehicle access into the wood. Each bundle is normally 2m (7’) long and 300-400mm (12-16”) diameter, tied tightly in three places with baler twine or similar. Chestnut brash is particularly suitable as it is more durable in water than other hardwoods.

Traditionally, ‘faggots’ were bundles about 900mm (3’) long and 200mm (8”) circumference, used for fuelling bread ovens and other heating purposes, with ‘fascines’ the larger bundles as above. Nowadays either term is used.

Fascines or faggots are useful in smaller quantities for bank revetment work and other purposes by voluntary groups and others. For details see Waterways and Wetlands – Bank creation and stabilisation.

Footpath construction

Faggots or other coppice material can be used as the base for paths through damp ground, especially in woodland locations. This base is then topped with a thick layer of woodchips to make a dry and comfortable walking surface.

Use a double layer of faggots, made as described above, laid across the path. Other suitable materials are roundwood poles at least 1.5m (5’) long and up to about 75mm (3”) diameter, laid across the path at least two layers thick. These are overlaid with edging poles shown, which help secure the base and also prevent the woodchips from spreading. Topping up will be necessary according to use and prevailing weather conditions. See here.

Horse jumps

Birch tops 1.5-2m (5-6’) long, bundled in 20s, are used by race courses and hunts.

Straight poles, at least 2.4m (8’) long and 75-100mm (3-4”) diameter are suitable for jumps and trotting poles at riding schools and arenas.

Cordwood

Any wood over 50mm (2”) diameter which cannot be used for any other purpose should be cut into 1.2m (4’) lengths and stacked in cords to dry, and then used for firewood.

Bundling, tying and storing

Many coppice products are made up into bundles before being stored or sold. As with all woodland produce, try to plan the work to minimise handling, storage and transport, which add greatly to the cost of utilising wood products. At the commercial level, this means careful planning of handling, storage and marketing, to maximise profits. At the volunteer level, it means never leaving a site with vehicles that don’t contain at least a few items of woodland produce or a bundle of bean poles on the roof rack!

Using a grip and cradle

To make up large bundles, such as faggots:

1. Make a ‘woodman’s grip’ of two poles 0.9-1.2m (3’-4’) long and 40-50mm (11/2”-2”) in diameter. Connect the poles with a strong rope, the length of which is about twice the circumference of the bundle to be tied. Attach one end to each pole about 300mm (1’) from the end of the pole.
2. Bolt a hook, made from strap iron, to a post driven into the ground, so the hook is about 300mm (1’) off the ground, and of a size to hold the pole.
   
3. To use, place the grip on the ground with the poles apart and the rope pulled straight, positioned within reach of the hook and post. Lay the tying twine or bond alongside the rope.
4. Lay the bundle neatly on the rope, with the butt ends together.
5. Straddling the bundle as shown, lift the left-hand pole over to your right, and then lift the right-hand pole over to your left.
6. Put your foot on the right-hand pole, and push the left-hand pole down and under the hook to tighten the bundle. This leaves both hands free to tie the twine or bond.
7. Alternatively, another person can hold the right-hand pole, while you tie the twine.

To make up smaller bundles, such as cleft chestnut stakes:

1. Make up a cradle from two pairs of posts driven into the ground, and join each pair with a discarded bucket handle, webbing strap or similar, to form a curved support.
2. Use a woodman’s grip with a length of rope slightly shorter than the circumference of the bundle.
3. Place the bundle on the cradle, then put the grip over the bundle and push down on both poles to tighten. Hold in position with the knees while you tie the bond.
   

Tying bonds

Bundled material is held with a bond, tie or rose, traditionally of natural material including hazel, willow or bramble. These are not only available in the wood, but unlike wire or twine, do not damage the rods. Use thin hazel or willow rods, which are made more flexible by twisting to open up the fibres. To use bramble, ‘shry’ off the thorns by pulling the stems through a thickly-gloved hand.

To make a bond of natural material:

1. Pass the thicker end of the stem which you are using for the bond around the bundle, and then cross the thinner end over it.
   
2. Loop the thin end (known as the running end) over the thick end. Pull the running end up tight and secure it by twisting it round itself a few times and tucking it in.

Alternatively, if the stems used are sufficiently flexible, you can make a more secure bond by first looping the thick end of the stem around itself to make a noose. Pass the running end through the noose, tighten and secure as above.

Storage

Traditionally, the coppice worker cuts material during the winter, for the reasons given here. Bean poles, pea sticks and similar products are sold in the following spring, and the worker spends the summer using the stored material to make hurdles and other products. Wood is easier to split and bend when freshly cut or green, so that the material becomes progressively more difficult to work as the season progresses. Generally then, coppiced material is best used as soon as possible after cutting.

In contrast, wood destined to be used as firewood or charcoal must be stored and dried for six months or so before it is used. Timber from standard trees must be carefully seasoned according to its species and planned end-use.

Coppiced material should be stored in a shady, cool, ventilated place, where it will not dry out too quickly. If possible store it off the ground.

• Bundles of bean poles and stakes of various types are best stored upright in a shady place. In the wood they are normally stored around the trunks of standard trees in a convenient location for removal and sale in late spring. Pea sticks are stored off the ground.
• Binders or ethers for hedging are best used fresh, but if not can be kept damp and pliable for up to six weeks under a tarpaulin.
• Wood for green woodworking is best kept in as long lengths as convenient, as the wood dries out from the cut ends. The lengths can then be cut up as required. Leave the bark on, to reduce drying.
• Split wood dries much more quickly than wood in the round, so generally once wood is cleft into small pieces it should be used immediately, or stored in water.
• Larger cleft material, such as fencing stakes, can be stored as necessary. Stack in a similar way to cordwood.
• Firewood is easier to split when green, which will also speed drying.
• Wood for charcoal or smaller round wood for firewood should be stored in a cord

Table 9f: Periods of coppice rotation by species