The Working Kit: Tools That Earn Their Place

No two thatchers carry identical bags. Regional methods differ, and so do personal habits. Still, a common core appears on almost every Irish water-reed roof.

The leggett — dressing the coat. The aluminium thatcher’s leggett is the distinctive hand tool of reed work. Its job is to drive the butts tightly up to the fixings and produce a compact, even face. Thatchingtools.ie offers it with a wood handle or without, so a thatcher can fit a handle that already feels right. A well-dressed coat sheds water, resists birds, and looks as if it belongs on the building. A poorly dressed coat wastes expensive reed and invites early wear.

The oak mallet. Spars and scollops need a controlled blow, not the sharp shock of a claw hammer. Oak takes the hit, protects the spar, and lets the thatcher feel when the fixing has seated. The same mallet pats up a block ridge without bruising the reed.

Reed-butt pins, crooks and the T-bar. Courses of reed must be held while the next handful is placed. Pins keep the working edge true. Crooks, packed in thirties, pin temporary sways. The T-bar is the measuring companion: depth, line and square stay honest when the tool is purpose-made.

Cutters, drill bits and the modern fixing kit. Contemporary thatching on new battens uses steel rods and screwfixings. Thatching Ireland describes the method clearly: bundles are laid, galvanised bars sit over the reed, and screwfixings bind the coat to the battens. The shop stocks 5 mm and 6 mm galvanised bars in 3-metre lengths, screwfixings in 100 mm and 115 mm, a dedicated drill bit, Knipex diagonal cutters, workshop bolt cutters and a Knipex 460 mm pair. Efficiency here is obvious. Bars that cut square and screws that drive first time mean the thatcher stays on the coat instead of fighting hardware.

Access and comfort. A thatching biddle with long hooks is one of the most useful pieces of access equipment a reed thatcher can own. The aluminium frame is light enough to move, strong enough to trust, and can be stacked when the job is done. Grip gloves keep wet reed and steel from chewing the hands. Boot socks keep feet warmer inside working boots. Comfort is a productivity tool.

Finishing. The copper-coated Spid brush is made for the last pass over a finished elevation. It lifts loose ends and leaves a tight face without tearing the coat.