- 1). Look for a yellow birch sapling that is 2 to 3 inches wide and at least 5 feet long. If possible, avoid saplings with limbs and knots to get the straightest, smoothest possible broom. Cut the sapling down once you have found the one you like and trim it to 5 feet.
- 2). Strip the outer bark from the sapling using a pocket knife until none remains along the outside.
- 3). Pick the end you want to be the handle and the end you want to be the bristles. Measure up from the bristle end by 12 to 15 inches. Tie a length of twine around this point to mark it.
- 4). Sit in a chair and place the sapling between your legs with the handle end running under the chair and the bristle end in front of you.
- 5). Peel back thin 1/2-inch wide strips of the sapling from the end of the stick to the twine with your knife. Rotate the sapling as needed to work around in even rings, gradually peeling back more and more until only a 1/2-inch diameter center of the sapling remains.
- 6). Cut off the 1/2-inch thick sapling center with your saw or knife as far up as you can get without breaking off the peelings.
- 7). Pull the whittled peelings downward to bring them together. Loop twine around the peelings 4 to 6 inches down from your marking twine. Tie the twine tightly to hold the peelings aimed downward.
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