Coppicing Hazel for Bow Making

There has been a steady flow of bow making over the past few weeks as children from one Forest School group show of their finished bows to their brothers, sisters and friends prompting them to want to make one too. It was Willow group's turn today. On our way in to the woods, we discussed what properties would make suitable wood from which to make a bow. The children decided that the wood would need to be strong but also bendy. Historically bows were made from the wood of yew trees, but we do not have and yews in our woodland (care must be taken around yew trees as most parts of it are poisonous). Other woods that are used include elm, oak, ash. hazel and maple. We are fortunate to have a number of hazel trees in our woodland that have been coppiced over the years causing them to grow many long straight rods perfect for bow making.

The children were asked to discuss methods they could use to identify which were hazel trees. One suggestion was by looking at the leaves. Leaves can be a very good way to identify trees, but at this time of year, the trees are not in leaf and the leaf litter from last year has started to rot down and break up. Another suggestion was to look at the bark. Hazel has smooth bark with a shiny, reflective quality. Younger hazel stems may have bronze coloured peeling bark which turns pale brown as the tree ages.

For more tips on identifying trees visit:  http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/tree-identification/hazel/#

Once the children had correctly identified a hazel tree, their next task was to select a suitable stem or rod to cut. The best time to coppice trees is during their dormant period usually between February and March (when the tree is bare of leaves). We were going to be using loppers to cut the branches, so the children had to make sure the stems they chose were less than a 2p piece in diameter to ensure the blade would be able to cut through and that the wood would have enough flex. Before using any tool we go through our tool talk together so that we know how to use the tool safely.

When cutting a stem or rod, we aim to cut close to the base and on a slight angle (to prevent water from sitting on the remaining stump causing it to rot). A hazel tree that is not coppiced can live to around 60 years old whereas a coppiced tree can live as long as 500 years!

Once all the children had cut their wood to the desired length, they could begin stringing their bows. They used a clove hitch to attach the string to one end of the bow and with the help of a partner, bent the wood into the desire bow shaped whilst tightly securing the string around the the other end of the bow (testing that the string was taught enough to produce a good' twang').

The next job was to find an arrow that was straight, slightly thinner than the bow and long enough to be drawn back against the string with one hand whilst rest on the hand holding the centre of the bow.

When testing the bow, the children made sure they chose an area where no one would accidentally walk across their path. 

At the end of the session, we discussed how the children could ensure that their bows were used safely when they took them home.