Tim Willey

There are a number of natural fibres which can be put to good use as a binding material, but perhaps the most useful, in terms of accessibility and strength, is the prolific bramble.  Bramble needs a good deal of processing, and in its wild state it's a bit of a beast to handle!  First the thorns are rubbed off with a leather glove or the back of a knife (colloquially known as 'shrieding'), then it's carefully spit in two and the pith removed. The resultant fibres are incredible strong and if used immediately are surprisingly supple. Here I have used it as a binding for a besom broom. We have hundreds of self-set birch where we cleared some conifers some seven years ago, so birch twigs are plentiful. The handle (or 'tail') is made from holly. Looking back at the 'brush-tailed bird' workshop I ran last year for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, I'm wondering if I could adapt the bramble binding for a 2026 workshop.  As for a title: well perhaps Bramble ...

This version of the Cleft-Stave Basket is made from home-grown hazel and sweet chestnut. It's moved a fair way from the original pattern, which I derived from a J ack Rowsell made original, so I would not dare to call it a 'Devon style' stave basket.   It's quite a different shape - much more oval than the original, and the staves and baseboard are cleft from sweet chestnut rather than sawn softwood.  I think just 'Cleft-Stave Basket' will do nicely!

We got off relatively lightly here in Norfolk, as Amy wreaked havoc throughout the uk.   However, as she passed our way, she did manage to topple this 25 metre scots pine and deposit it in the top of a sweet chestnut.  Of course, it had to be suspended over the footpath and of course it had to be dealt with on a Sunday morning when foot traffic was at its hight.   A horrible job to be honest.  The only safe approach is from behind or well to the side.  It's definitely a winch rather than a chainsaw task.  So over a period of several hours we guided walkers along an alternative route while we winched!   We winched this way and that, backwards and to the side, pulling at the base and then up the trunk.  And little by little we eased the pine from the chestnut's snaggy grip, until finally, she fell to the ground with a resounding thump!  You work towards this moment for hours, but it's still a surprise!

This is the MkIl Stave Basket, and here I've used 'riven' or 'cleft'  splints  (split and shaved) rather than sawn timber.  Is this a more  authentic technology? I'm not certain, but I would have thought that reliance on saw-milled timber for the staves would be a late nineteenth century development.  And nothing wrong with that!  An original Jack Rowsell basket which I have in my collection uses sawn timber staves and it's a beautiful example of the species. Also this week, I gave an evening talk to the local village society.  It was cryptically titled  Faggots, Pimps and Throstles ( don't ask!),  which seemed to draw quite a  crowd. So with the aid of forty-plus images, I meandered through the material ecology of a coppice ecosystem before eventually arriving at this little cleft--stave basket.  It was a pleasant little tour, and judging by the questions at the end, I think I took most of the villagers along with me. ...

  Native to Oregon and much prized in Japan as a construction timber; why it was planted here in this small corner of North Norfolk, I have no idea! But of all the conifers that we regularly thin and replace with broadleaf, the Orfords are left well alone until needed.  It's such a lovely timber to work: It's straight grained, cleaves cleanly, steam-bends (as well as ash) and is highly rot resistant.   No, it's not as visually interesting as maybe board-sawn oak and perhaps not as tough as seasoned beech, but it has an unassuming and delicate grain and has a delightful ginger-like scent.  Used recently on the splint baskets, I treated the top faces of the bands and handle with my interpretation of a Japanese Kakishibu tannin dye, it's a deep reddish brown and it's as natural a stain as you could ever wish for, and what's more... it's a preservative too! As a side note;  how ever much I've enjoyed working with Orford cedar,...

  If I had to choose just one artefact to illustrate the diversity of practical approaches to woodland materials, then the stave basket would have to be it ! It's a very traditional construction, most notably associated with makers in Devon.  Alas, it is now an endangered species, although happily, a couple of very accomplished makers are still active in stalling its demise - it's certainly worth searching them out. These two I made from materials sourced in the wood.  Perhaps not ultra-traditional, but a pragmatic selection of what I have available.  The bases are made of ash, the staves of Douglas fir and the steam-bent bands and handles are made from Orford cedar (an unusual but beautiful timber to work with). In future posts I'll be taking a closer look at their construction, particularly their material ecology and the associated techniques that go into their making.