After more than a year of experimenting with Ligustrum, I think I have figured it out. Ligustrum annular rings are too cemented to be split like White Oak, nor freed by pounding like Ash. Tried those and other methods, they fail, some quickly others miserably.
What I’ve found works, is treating it like hazel and making strips. Getting the strips require some skill. First, cut a straight pole, free of branches, typically the diameter of a quarter and about 1.5m (6′) tall. Ideally the pole grew in a shaded area, and it is round, not oval. Once you have this pole, you will want to take your secateurs (snips) and make a shallow cut about 2-3mm for about a 6mm wide. This cut should be made about 10cm from the thin end of the pole. The purpose of this cut will become obvious in a moment. With the cut facing away from you put your knee on the back side of the pole and slowly pull the pole with both hands pulling the pole. You should apply slowly until you hear a pop, that is the annular ring releasing from the pole at the cut you made. Knots will cause you problems and shorten weavers. Use a knife blade to lift the weaver over the knot points to salvage a weaver. Sometimes it fails, that is how it goes.
Now keep moving along the pole applying pressure to pop off more of the weaver until you are near the end. It is impossibble to bend the end enough to run the weaver to the end, so pull it smartly to get as much length as possible. Once off, trim the weaver. You can either scrape off the bark to keep it light brown or leave the bark on to make it dark brown. Typically, I scrape it off. Trim the edges of the weaver to take of the sharpness that will form when it dries.
Now thin the weaver. The outside weaver is the bark side, it will already be smooth but the inside will need smoothing. I’ve done this two ways, the easiest is to put a bit of leather say 20cmx20cm on your knee and then brace your knife in hand and don’t’ move the knife, but drag the weaver under the knife to scrape away the high ridges. This is the safe way to do it.
Note that after you pull off the primary weavers, you can get another layer of weavers off the pole, they will be rough and need more trimming and smoothing than the primaries.
Ideal weaver thickness is about 1.5-2mm thick. Ideal uprights (weft) is about 2.5-3.25mm thick. This weaver, when fresh and green, will pass the 90 degree test over a finger, and actually, you can wrap it 360 without it breaking. So it does make a good weaver. At 2.5mm, the weft will bend somewhat but can break if pushed. Thicker than 3.25mm and it becomes too unwieldy as a weaver for a basket.
To make a pack basket you will need 20 to 24 uprights. Each about 1.25m or 4′ length.
To set up the basket you will need 7 pairs by 3 pairs. The dual wefts provide the needed 2 to 1 ratio of stiffness for weaving. It also looks good.
I lay all my pairs 3×7 on the ground. Then take a thin, (squarish weaver that failed to make a weaver) weaver to begin to weave the outside. You will need 5 courses around the base, tightening each run before it begins to act like a basket.
Because of the even number, one of the corner pairs of weavers, you will need to go in and out so you have a odd number of wefts for the weave to work.
I soak my weavers overnight. A dark color forms, which maybe tannic acid. Don’t worry about it.
You will always need more weavers than you think. Keep them stored in hoops so they can re-hydrate in a small tub.
In the case of this pack basket, I’m shooting for 50cm high by 45x35cm wide and deep.
If I were to make a wild guess how many quarter sized Ligustrum rods to make this basket, I would guess 40. 10 for the uprights, and 30 for more weavers.
After I finished the weave, I thinned out the top uprights and turned them over and tucked them back in. About 1/2 to 1/3 of the fibers broke, but that means 2/3 to 1/2 are going to hold it in.
Next I cut an outside rim and inside rim then wove them together. The right weavers to use was hard to figure out, but in the end, they need to be fresh weavers that have not dried, about 2.5mm thick so almost upright quality. And they have strength, so you can pull until it squeeks. I used wire to hold the rim in place unti I was ready to weave.
Using thin shaved weavers of 1mm was too thin, they were oddly brittle. No strength, and failed at tight curves. Thick to 2.0-2.5 was better.
Also, lesson learned, use wider rims, so it will cover the top of the weaving better.
Lastly, to make the basket sit flat when placed on the ground, and to improve it life, I added sleds to the bottom. With a plywood floor.
