Why the Billhook Still Earns Its Place

Walk into any coppice woodland in Britain that has been worked by hand and you will find a billhook not far from the fire. It is an old tool, older than most of the woodlands we manage, but it remains one of the most efficient ways to cut hazel, willow and young ash under about 8 cm in diameter. A billhook cuts with a hooked blade that draws material into the curve, so a steady pull slices through a stem in one or two strokes rather than hacking at it.

It is also a tool that punishes carelessness. That hooked blade is unforgiving, and every woodland worker I know has a story about a billhook and a leg, or a billhook and a thumb. None of this should put you off. Handled with respect and a little routine, a billhook is a wonderfully controlled tool. The trick is to build a set of habits so reliable that you no longer have to think about them.

Start With a Sharp, Well-Fitted Blade

A blunt billhook is far more dangerous than a sharp one. A dull edge slips off stems instead of biting in, and a slipping blade travels wherever momentum takes it. Keep your edge keen and your handle tight.

• Sharpen little and often. A few strokes with a fine file along the bevelled side, following the existing angle, is all that is needed. Keep the file working in one direction, away from the edge, and never file both sides flat.
• Check the handle regularly. Ash handles shrink in dry weather, so the head can loosen. Tap the handle on the ground and listen — a rattle means re-wedging before you use it.
• Carry it sheathed. A leather or stiff card scabbard keeps the edge clean, protects your leg on the walk in, and stops the blade catching brambles at your side.

Cut Away From Your Body, Every Single Time

This is the first rule and the one worth repeating to yourself all day. Arrange your body and the stem so that the stroke travels away from you, never across your shins or up towards your chest. Stand with your feet comfortably apart, your weight even, and turn your hips slightly so the blade has a clear path.

Hold the stem with your off-hand and cut on the far side of it, so the stem itself is between the blade and your body. If the blade slips, it moves into open air. Let the hook do the work rather than forcing with your shoulder, and never use the billhook above shoulder height — a head-height stroke is almost impossible to stop. For anything above waist level, bend the stem down to you, or use a saw.

Work with a clear two to three metres around any cutter, and if you are in a group, agree who is cutting. Most billhook injuries come from a slack moment, not a hard one.

Clear Around the Stem Before You Cut

The single most effective safety habit is a clean cutting station. Before the blade meets the stem you actually want, tidy the space around it.

• Pull brambles, honeysuckle and ivy clear of the base of the stool, cutting them back with short, deliberate strokes.
• Remove brash and dead twigs from your arc and from your footing, so your feet stay flat and predictable.
• Take a moment to see the whole stem: where it bends, where it is under tension, and where it will fall when severed.
• Cut any springy side-branches off first. It is the whippy bits you cannot see that snatch at a blade mid-stroke.

Working Hazel, Willow and Young Ash

Hazel coppice is the classic seat of the billhook. Work around the stool rather than across it, cutting each stem with a short draw stroke as close to the ground as you can comfortably manage — around 2 to 5 cm — with the cut angled slightly so that water runs off rather than sitting in the cut surface. Leave a clean, sloping face and do not split the stem back into the stool.

Willow is softer and springier, so expect the stroke to behave differently. Support the stem to steady it, and cut with one confident, continuous pull rather than several nips; a ragged cut on willow creates an entry point for decay.

Young ash needs a little more thought. Ash dieback is now widespread across Britain, so keep your blade and hands clean between trees where you can, and take care not to transfer sap or debris from one stump to another. Cut cleanly, avoid tearing bark below the cut, and leave the stool in good order for regrowth.

Finishing the Cut and Putting Up

When you stop for a break, lay the billhook down sheathed, or knock it into a stump with the edge facing away from you — never leave it lying in brash where a hand or boot may find it. At the end of the day, wipe the blade, dry it, and give it a thin smear of oil before the scabbard goes back on.

Wear boots with toe protection, and consider a glove on the hand holding the stem. Many of us prefer a bare hand on the tool hand for grip and feel, which is a fair choice — just be certain that your grip is dry and your footing solid. A small blade dressing in the first aid kit, and the knowledge of how to use it, is part of the kit too. Do all of this and the billhook will serve you for decades, quietly and safely, one clean stroke at a time.