Do you often imagine in your head pictures of the ideal furnishings, fittings and various details of your home? One cannot but agree that often what is put up for sale in special stores does not correspond to these paintings. Whether it's an oak dining table, a decorative willow fence, a pine bed, anything can be done by yourself with enough time and material. And if it's easy, economical and original, why not give it a try.
Which tree to choose
For the manufacture of any object made of wood, of course, high-quality expensive materials are suitable - oak and walnut. But such costs are not always justified. The appearance of any house is not only its exterior decoration, but also the fence. The fence is just the same recommended to be made from deciduous and coniferous species. As a material for it, you can choose dense willow wood. Beloloz has a brilliant beautiful tint, although it is fragile and difficult to bend. Its wood is suitable for weaving original decorative elements. Willow twigs can be used to frame flower beds, various playgrounds, yards.
Which willow fence to put
The height of the fence depends on the purpose for which it is intended. Backyard and country space can be decorated with low wattle fences. They neatly fence the front gardens and flower beds. The middle fence can territorially delimit the garden and the vegetable garden. A tyn of this height will harmoniously fit into a large area. Medium and low wicker fences are traditional elements of folk decor, rustic style, simple and neat, eco-friendly indoor area decorations. A high willow fence for a private house surrounds the outer boundaries of the yard, but for such purposes it is used less often. In advance, you need to decide for yourself in what form the rods will be located - vertical or horizontal.
Material selection and preparation
Raw materials for work can sometimes be obtained either for free or at a very low price. The ease of making a tyn from white sliver lies in the fact that improvised and easily accessible materials are used - willow twigs, vines, dense sticks. Flexible, fast-growing willow and willow branches are suitable for weaving. Additionally, for strong stakes, it is good to use pine branches, which must first be sharpened at the end. They will play the role of a support, so for driving in their height should be half a meter more than the height of the fence.
Freshly cut vines are best for weaving, as they are flexible and pliable, while old material can be soaked in hot water or softened in a bath. Willow vines are cut in flooded areas or lowlands, here they are softer and more flexible. Branches must be he althy and smooth. If you need to postpone weaving for anotherseason, it is advisable to prepare the material in advance. Only branches in the bark can be stored for a long time, and twigs cut in warm seasons can be cleaned and put into work immediately.
Processing rods
Willow branches can be cut at any warm time of the year. In summer, with dryness, for comfortable weaving they will have to be softened in a steam bath. The ideal time for harvesting is autumn and spring. For long-term storage, even rods are cut diagonally and tied into a bundle for subsequent drying. Store only in a dry and closed area.
Vine ends can be left in water for a couple of weeks before use. Branches selected for pegs are debarked and treated with an antiseptic at the ends to prevent rotting. The bark from the vines needs to be torn off with the help of the simplest tool - a pincer, which you can make with your own hands. Ease of bark removal is the main advantage of the material. And its weather resistance can enhance paint coverage.
Making equipment
The shredder for processing willow branches is assembled from durable wood species - oak or birch. At the heart of this device is a hole in which the rod will fit. Such a gap is made by splitting a thick tree branch. An ordinary metal device can be made from wire by bending it in half. Thus, the bark from the vines will be removed easily and quickly.
To color the rods and give the wicker fence of willow a finished look, you need toat the end, apply a stain, iron sulfate or varnish over it. For decoration, you may need brushes and paint. The obligatory arsenal includes a pinch, a pointed knife, wire for fastening, pliers and a hammer. A construction ruler is useful for measuring the distance between the stakes.
First of all - support
Before installing a willow fence, it is necessary to mark the boundaries of the site with the help of stakes placed in the corners along its perimeter. A metal wire or cord is stretched between the stakes, which will serve as guidelines for laying the rods. To begin with, the supports are processed - they are burned and tarred.
Larch support is ideal - it is practically indestructible. The higher the willow fence, the deeper the supports are clogged. The thickness of the rods will tell you what distance between the stakes should be - usually about half a meter, and the narrower the rod, the more this distance can be reduced. By the end of the fence, the distance between the last three supports should be halved, so the vines will be better fixed.
Weaving technology
Do-it-yourself willow fence can be woven vertically or horizontally, and craftsmen can try to weave in a bunch and in a checkerboard pattern. Horizontal weaving looks aesthetically neat and attractive; as a decoration, rods of a different thickness and color can be woven vertically into the finished tyn.
First, the vine is fixed: its end is led behind the second support, and connected to the first with a continuation. One such vine can cover three pegs. After fixing the first vine, the subsequent ones must be carried out in the form of a figure eight. Over time, the rods build up. One rod is over - weaving the second one starts from the previous support. It is necessary to bend around the support pillars with each rod in a mirror manner. If the first vine lay on the stake on the right, then the next one should go around on the other side. When several tiers of rods are ready, you need to gently tap them with a hammer to compact and strengthen.
At this stage, the fence for a private house is almost done. It remains only to bring the ends of the rods inward and cut them with secateurs. You can also weave a fence in a bunch, this requires elastic and light branches. Such a fence looks more effective. For vertical weaving, you first need to drive in or tie horizontally thin wooden sticks to the supports, on which the rods will be held, and the vine is intertwined with them. On the same supports, you can install a bar on which the future fence will be aligned.
After work, the rods are cut, and it is removed. Rods are driven into the ground, with the help of vines they are attached to sticks. Willow branches quickly give roots, so soon the fence will begin to grow. In about two years, it can grow to impassable wilds. To deliberately achieve a "living fence", its branches do not need to be processed in any way, and unnecessary shoots are cut off in autumn or spring.
Additional details
Wicker willow fence can be a great decoration for the entire site. Clay pots that can be hung onsupport stakes. Climbing plants will serve as a beautiful addition. You can also weave dried vegetables and spikelets into rods - this will add brightness.
Dried pumpkins can give a festive mood and imagery, it will be especially atmospheric on Halloween. Near the fence, you can put large decorative stones, put charming figurines of gnomes, casually lean a wooden decorative wheel from a cart on the fence - all this will bring rustic romance in the spirit of the country.
Small wild flowers look very pretty near the wicker fences. If the tyn is not part of the flower bed on the site, then plant sunflowers, climbing roses, bluebells near it - and it will sparkle with new colors. And if you hang baskets with many catchy flowers on the fence, you can attract interest and attention to your site.
Advantages and disadvantages of wicker design
The most important plus is that a home-made fence made of willow branches is an economical and original option for fencing your territory. If earlier a minimalist wicker fence could be considered the lot of insolvent people, now this building can turn into a fashionable, environmentally friendly design of the author's design in the hands of a master, in which you can always bring newness.
Ease of manufacture makes a willow fence accessible to everyone, ease of handling such material makes it possible to give it the desired shape, to protect any area. The disadvantage is that a willow fence can be more of a decorative element thanenclosing. Lightweight and flexible materials make it fragile and unsafe. Typically, such fences do not last long - 7-10 years, and it is impossible to repair or replace a separate part - in the event of a breakdown, the structure must be completely disassembled. Such a fence is also highly flammable. It is possible to competently fit a wicker fence into the decor of your site only if it is all in a rustic or folk style.
