Hedge laying has a specialist range of tools designed to the job well. These tools, like hedge laying styles, very in design around the country and from blacksmith to blacksmith. Here are some photos of the tools we used to lay a hawthorn hedge this week.
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| Some hedge laying tools |
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The first two tools from the left are billhooks, the bow saw on the right has a frame that comes to a point with the blade to allow it to get into tighter places. The billhook on the left is a Yorkshire billhook, it has a longer handle than most other patterns, it is double edged and both edges run the length of the blade. The Yorkshire billhook is widely used in the north of England and into the Midlands. My billhook, the one on the right, is a Midlands style billhook with a shorter handle and shorter straight cutting edge compared to the hooked edge. I am having difficulty identifying the exact pattern, however it is similar to the Banbury, Leicester and Lincoln patterns and the Harrison 784. You may notice the hooked edge has a concave curve to it quite unlike the Yorkshire pattern which has two parallel sides (or in some cases the sides gently taper inwards towards the handle).
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| A "slasher" |
A slasher is used to cut back thinner branches and twigs high up in the hedge that would otherwise prevent the hedge from laying by pushing against the other laid material or at tangled in the adjacent trees and bushes. It is an extremely useful tool as you don't have to climb into the hedge to get to awkward parts.
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| The slasher with the other tools to show the length of the blade |
If anyone recognises the pattern of the "mystery" billhook in these pictures please let me know where it "belongs" to.
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