Making Hazel Hurdles

At the Yorkshire Arboretum`s `Wild About Wood` fair Clive Smith gives us a step-by-step demonstration on how to produce hurdles from lengths of pliable hazel wood. Clive expertly shows us how the fibrous quality of hazel makes it the ideal wood to work with, as it can be rolled, bent and tucked into position to ensure a strong, secure hurdle.
www.yorkshirehurdles.com
www.woodlands.co.uk/tv
www.yorkshirearboretum.org
www.wildaboutwood.org
www.adliberate.co.uk

[@markkennaby5424]

Fantastic workmanship, made to look so easy, keeping the ancient skills alive, thank you for a truly informative video

[@mightymissk]

Hurdles and wattle fences are fascinate me. These fences have existed for thousands of years. Hurdles and wattle fences must be one of the first architectural features crafted by human beings that are not only functional, but beautiful. I want to build my own wattle fence and put pots of flowers in front of it.

[@BillOdyssey]

Brilliant demo

[@christopherbarnett2961]

Fantastic ancient, traditional craftsmanship 🌿

[@annanelson6830]

Thank you for the demonstration. I am going to try some with different native wood here in Fairbanks, Alaska.

[@stephenrice4554]

Great demonstration, 👍🇬🇧

[@lisascenic]

Thank you! This is incredibly helpful!
I’m going to try something similar in my tiny urban garden in Oakland California.

[@WOODLANDSTV]

Depending on exposure to the wind and if they are secured well these hurdles can last up to ten years! So the work will be worth it

[@jonmould2946]

Longer if you put linseed oil on it.

[@ap11235]

Really informative. We have a number of hazel trees and now I finally have something to do with the wood!

[@frankrizzo9761]

Thankyou! got all the bits, off into the garden to make some now.

[@michaelsashayoung8519]

I loved this. Do you know of other similar woods to use? I live in Texas, USA.

[@maxdecphoenix]

I don't have access to much Hazel where i live in the SE U.S., but I experimented making some of these years ago using ligustrum 'rods' (Privet). The wood twists well, but it takes some hand strength. This guy makes it look easy. I fashioned a compost bin and test hurdle, but they didn't last long. By the end of the second season they had pretty much degraded beyond use. Though that was a confluence of climate and not particularly ideally suited wood.
Ligustrum wood suffices, yet is still pretty shit for this application. Ligustrum seems to have all the bad qualities of willow and few of the good ones. Unlike hazel or willow which likes to grow long and straight, ligustrum will 'almost' do that but it seems that the shoots never get longer than a few feet before its terminal bud dies off and a lateral takes over and veers off in its own direction. I've don't think i've ever seen a rod stretch longer than 6 feet without a lateral junction. Usable, just not ideal for that scale.
They're also not native to the U.S. so i'm not interested in propagating them, which makes them useless as stakewood unless they're debarked because they have highly energetic adventitious rooting. Just like willow.

[@hundwyn7530]

Imagine the grip strength you’d get doing this all day!

[@lisa-xj2zc]

Ouch carpel tunnel 🥺

[@WildPrimitiveSkills]

Great video. Thank you

[@Bernieclark45]

I am going to do this then show my Scouts, big thanks.

[@leenewsom7517]

This is just like the ancient hurdles, e.g., Somerset Levels. 😁👍🏻

[@twinray27]

Wonderful video....
I've seen them made on a video, about medieval wattle and daub buildings.
But this shows perfectly, how to tie the branches in with each other..

[@mikethompson5549]

Great work. Thanks for sharing

[@maecarpenter6735]

Thank you!

[@marie-gabriellerotie7646]

really informative and one of the better videos on making hurdles. thanks.

[@danwebber2139]

Really enjoyed that, many thanks

[@lilazul66]

Excelente!! gracias!! 😊

[@salvatoreshiggerino6810]

I was about to go outside and chase the kids out of my garden before I realised it was in the video.

[@veselinvukovic3654]

What wood is it woven from? Can it be from a fig? Thanks for your reply.

[@RedCoin91]

It's in the title. Hazelnut

[@lufia1624]

WOW

[@Moonessence1]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@paulmatthews570]

There is no weave at the bottom of the hurdle?

[@martinraeside]

Maybe thats easier done after the main part, after flipping it around and removing the plank.

[@judyvance1556]

I have witch hazel. Will that work?

[@erincarr9411]

Pretty sure witch hazel is hazel.

[@rawbacon]

Smersch

[@nacholibre1962]

With that hillbilly music, I thought it was an American channel!

[@andrewbirnie1839]

This is not hurdle making.

[@holdupfareal8353]

Any links to videos you can recommend?

[@erincarr9411]

I'm reading a book about old craeft and this looks exactly as how it was described

[@dave-ug9on]

You sir are clueless in the art of hurdlemaking

[@sydneywood4511]

I'm looking forward to your tutorial

[@adannielsen2442]

Sod off Dave