A wooden rake is not too difficult to make, provided you have the right tools and a little knowledge. The woods to use are ash, willow, elm and sycamore.
Think of the rake as having three parts the tines, head (the block that holds all the tines) and the stail (handle).
Making the tines
Saw a six inch diameter log of ash or willow to the length of the tines required. Tie a piece of twine tightly around the log. Then rive the log in equal parallel cuts with a froe and mallet. Cut one way and then at 90 degrees to that. You will end up with lots of square cut potential tines.
A heavier piece may require the use of a bittle and a steel wedge, rather than a froe and mallet.
Then use a tine former to shape the tines. The tine former should be attached to a driving stool with a bucket under it to catch the falling tines. Simply place the square tine over the tine former and hit it with the mallet.
