How To Make A Broom

You can make your own brooms! If you have a green thumb, you can start by growing your own broomcorn. But even if you can't grow broomcorn, you can order it from a supplier (see Resources at the end of this article). Photos for each step of the broom-making process are available in the Image Gallery; see link above.

With a few simple tools and materials, you can make your own brooms.

To make a hearth broom, 28 heads of broomcorn are used for the inside layers of bristles and 17 heads for the outside layer.

Only simple tools are required to make a broom. Note foot held apparatus (for holding cord taut), left, and the sewing clamp, top right.

Before tying the outside layer, trim the ends from the previous two layers, tapering the material toward the handle. Be careful not to cut the string.

Place the outside layer of broomcorn heads with the pith (concave) side to the handle

When the top layer has been placed all around the piece, wind the string around the broom at least eight times.

Plaiting works best with an odd number of stalks. If there is an even number, simply find the thickest stalk and split it in half with a knife or thumb nail. The green cord is used to pull the end of the cord under the band to hide it.

For making a flat broom, you'll need a sewing clamp (two boards held together with bolts and wing nuts).

Put the cord around the broom bristles and run the two ends through the loop. This is a called a lark's head knot, but it's more of a tie or a hold.

When you finish you will run your needle all the way through the broom the long way across. Cut your strings flush and start a new row

The lock stitch is used to sew the broom.

Cut the bottom of the broom flat and thread a leather strip or piece of jute cord through the hole in the hand to hang the new broom

Broomcorn

One of the most common questions I hear when I am demonstrating my craft is, “What plant material is used for the broom bristles?” The material is called broomcorn (Sorghum bicolor). This plant is closely related to sweet sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), which is the plant used to produce sorghum molasses. Broomcorn is an annual and, from a distance, looks like sweet corn in the field. Yet, upon close examination, there are no cobs, just a large tassel on the top. That tassel is the part of the plant used for making brooms. Other materials can be used for the sweeper of a broom, but we're focusing on traditional corn brooms.

To make a hearth broom, 28 heads of broomcorn are used for the inside layers of bristles and 17 heads for the outside layer. Each head is measured with a cubit (the distance between your elbow to your longest finger). Put the knuckle of the corn, the place where the head meets the stalk, at your elbow. If the bristles, or brush, are past the tip of your fingers, that stalk is a keeper. If the material is too short, it will be used for a whisk broom later.

The broomcorn is prepared by cutting the stalks differently for each layer. Stalks are trimmed just past the knuckle on the stalk side for inside layers, but left longer for outside layers so they can be plaited. Place the broomcorn in a bucket of hot water with the cut ends submerged. The corn needs to soak for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Assemble the following materials before you sit down to make a broom:

Broomcorn (about 2-3 pounds per broom)
#18 nylon cord (for tying)
Hemp string for sewing (20 lb. test)
Wooden handle (18 inches)

Tools

foot held apparatus (for holding cord taut)
scissors
knife
large needle
sewing clamp
lighter
drill

The Handle

While the broomcorn is soaking, you can prepare the broom handle. I prefer the rustic look and use a stick with the bark still on it. (Commercial dowel handles can be ordered from a supplier.) When I collect handles, I cut them to length (18 inches for a hearth broom), and they dry for at least six months. If any shrinkage, cracking or bark peeling occurs while drying, reject those sticks. Sharpen the tip with a hatchet or knife and drill an eighth-inch hole just above the taper. That hole is for tying the string onto the handle.

The next step is to choose the nylon cord and to wrap it around the apparatus that will be used to create tension when tying the broom. I make and use something called a foot spinner. The photo offers a visual of this as well as other necessary tools. It is not high tech; with a few pieces of scrap wood and some deck screws, it is easy to make one of these. Some people simply use a stick, but I prefer the spinner as it keeps the string from rubbing on the ground.

I use #18 nylon cord or larger. Mason line will work, although finding appealing colors may be a challenge. Some outfitters or camping stores will have nylon cord for anchoring duck decoys. And local craft stores carry macramé cord, which also works well.