View Full Version : Making a walking stick
IBrown
09-01-2011, 09:17 PM
My wife has asked me to make her a walking stick. I have no idea except i know i need a piece of straight Hazel. I have been reading info on the net but the basic's like when to cut your hazel ( winter i would assume), do you need to treat it before you start? how to finish it off. That sort of thing. Any info would be greatful.
Regards
Ian
MikeWilkinson
10-01-2011, 09:59 AM
Most sticks are cut around November, but you should still be o.k. now, you need to let the wood season for at least 6mnths indoors somewhere warm and dry- longer is preferable, I like to sand the outer bark off mine before giving it a good oiling with linseed oil. Fit a brass Ferule on the bottom to protect it. (Proper stick makers will tell you to season the wood for a year or two - I've even read 7 for some types of wood).
If you need to straighten it a little, wait till it has seasoned then heat the bend point over a fire and bend it into position.
If you want to adorne it with a fancy handle then, you will need to get hold of some threaded bar and drill both handle and stick, then screw and glue together - sand the joint for a perfect fit. There are loads of horn and carved handles available on the net just google Walking stick materials.
I personally don't like adding handles and would rather get hold of a nice piece of hazel with a Y in it to make a thumb stick or a good stick coming off of a fairly stout branch at 90 degrees so that I can carve a shape into that.
andy t
10-01-2011, 10:03 AM
it may not be the correct way of doing it but i put mine on top of a radiator turning it a little everyday to try and stop it drying out too quickly on one side and bending.....i also find the heat helps when it comes to straightening the stick
IBrown
10-01-2011, 07:11 PM
many thanks for your advice. I will give it a go
Regards
Ian
paul standley
10-01-2011, 07:49 PM
I'm looking to make a stick myself but didn't know you had to cut the wood in November so I'll try and get out this weekend and see what I can find.
FrenchBen
20-02-2011, 10:20 PM
Why November by the way? Something to do with the sap? What's the difference then between November and February for example?
I cut myself a walking stick a couple of weeks ago. It's not a habit of mine to chop living trees, but hazel is a vigourous little tree. It gave me a hard time cutting it...
I wanted a very specific piece of wood. It's long enough for me of course, really straight (however I had to straighten it and it was no fun) and the particular thing is it has a fork on the top, so that I can put my thumb in.
I use it as a tarp pole, walking stick, use it to balance my weight on the ground when looking for wildlife and walking silently, clear my way in the woods when not on footpaths etc.
Here's how I proceeded to straighten it. That's no conventional method and may not be working for every stick, depending on the thickness for example : my stick was quite thick when I chopped it and my aim was to get it much thinner. I processed it with my knife and removed much wood shavings. When I reached the desired thickness, I checked for its curves and noticed it was quite curved in the middle, forming like a slightly curved bow (really slightly).
My first intention was to build a sort of steam oven (I don't know if it makes sense in english : that's basically a box in which you drive hot steam). But I needed tools and stuff I didn't have at home so I changed my mind.
I used a big long dish instead. I cook entire fish in it usually. Filled it half with water and made it boil. Once a good steam was being produced, I lay my stick over the dish and let the steam moist and heat it. I was quite successful at the beginning, as the stick became much softer and easier to bend. But something must have failed because after a night during which I had kept it in the right position, it had come back to its former shape.
Eventually, as the wood was not dry yet, I decided to force it straight. I put it in a position that was well far beyond the desired shape and let it overnight. The next morning, it was quite a surprise (a good surprise :)) to see the stick was almost like I intended it to be.
I decided to keep it like that, and not process it any further, because after all, it reminds me of the will of the wood. Nature has laid things this way. I was able to adjust them a little to meet my needs, but there once was life in this stick and this curve is what remains of it.
I'll post a pic as soon as I learn how to ;)
Hope this helps. If not it's still good to share :)
MikeWilkinson
21-02-2011, 12:01 AM
The november advice comes from various articles I've read, and with Hazel in the UK the wood has its lowest moisture content around then. Low level of sap tied with moderately dry but cold weather resulting in a more resiliant wood. In feb, the sap would be rising in most hazels and we tend to get the worst of our wet weather then. I don't know how true any of that is, but with the three or four sticks I've done, the ones I've collected in Nov have dried out quicker, have been lighter yet tougher than that I collected earlier in the year.
i allways collect mine in feb,unless its a bit special then i cut when i see it as itll be got by some other chap!
by the way folks if anyone comes across a decent symetrical fork suitable for catapult cut it long (to allow for spliting whilst drying) give us a shout,cash waiting.
luresalive
22-02-2011, 07:14 PM
It doesn't matter when you cut them really, it's just that they take longer to season and you have the chnace of a split if there is too much sap in them, the old saying is " When you see it, cut it"..also keep them dry and cool, don't try and dry them out too fast, normally a year for every inch of thickness..
paul standley
22-02-2011, 08:03 PM
I cut some hazel sticks last weeked and I'll keep them in the shed for a few months until the summer and then try working with them. Never make a stick before so cut half a dozen in case I muck a couple up...!
the mistakes are part of the learning!
OKBushcraft
24-02-2011, 04:03 AM
I cut when I need it. I have a hickory staff that is about 5ft 6inches, it is not strait but has a nice mild curve towards the top end. I cut it 18 yrs ago, it was late summer early fall and the bark peeled off nicely. I scraped it with my pocket knife and oiled it with veggie oil. I still have it and use it. It only developed a couple cracks while in storage when I moved. I oiled it with boiled linseed oil last year. It has been on many outings looking for arrow heads, mushrooms, berries, greens and just because. It has moved many a snake out of the way also.
Rough Leafed Dogwood should be cut in the winter, it will split badly in the wamer months even if cut long. I will cut and bundle dogwood shafts for arrows and let them dry with the bark on.
I like my walking staffs to have some character in them, straitness matters only slightly.
H-rig
03-06-2011, 04:31 PM
At the moment i have a few hours spare in the evenings where i can sit outside in the sunshine while it lasts. I want to have a go at making my own walking sticks. Is now not a good time to start collecting and working with suitable wood due to the season ?
Woodwose
07-06-2011, 04:20 PM
At the moment i have a few hours spare in the evenings where i can sit outside in the sunshine while it lasts. I want to have a go at making my own walking sticks. Is now not a good time to start collecting and working with suitable wood due to the season ?
Now is the time to start. If I see straight hazel I cut it no matter what time of year. (Just cut 7 sticks this morning) When the sap is going down is the best time to cut hazel. October to March would be the best option.
Hazel doesn't really split that much at the cut ends no matter what time of year it's cut. I use white spirit and wire wool to remove any flaky loose bits, then sand down any knots then a wipe over with a cloth and white spirit. Finally a coat of wax. Varnish doesn't do it for me.
RobbC
09-06-2011, 07:35 PM
Sorry to kinda jack the thread, but can you use willow to make walking sticks?
Robb
Peter Mackley
07-11-2012, 09:29 AM
How do I get a piece of hazel suitable for a walking stick with a nice "knob" on the end?
FishyFolk
07-11-2012, 09:58 AM
Sorry to kinda jack the thread, but can you use willow to make walking sticks?
Robb
Used my willow stick all trough summer. Just get the bark off and it's dry in a few weeks. A least for my purpose. I don't do any carving on it. Holds up fine. All I do with it is strip the bark off, and sand it down to make it smooth. Use mine mostly as a monopod for my camera. just stick the cam on my gorilla pod and attach the pod on top of the stick. If I want to do a hands free shot, I just stick it in the ground and it stands.
dont forget some before and after shots!
paul standley
07-11-2012, 05:54 PM
How do I get a piece of hazel suitable for a walking stick with a nice "knob" on the end?
Basically (for sticks with handles), you need to find a Hazel stool (old ones are best) with a large diameter stem (approx 7cm - 10cm Dia that has another stem growing out of the side of it (approx 3cm - 4cm dia where the joint between the two has the right shape, size and orientation of wood that suits your needs.
Cut between Nov & Feb when the sap is down.
Most people look for an upside down "T" joint so the best ones are where the large stem is growing horizontally and the secondary stem is growing vertically but these aren't common so you may want to compromise.
Cut the large dia: stem approx 15cm either side of the joint to allow for some end splitting as it dries.
For "knobs" - do a similar thing but cut the large dia stem just 2cm - 3cm either side of the upright. Sticks with knobs are easier to find as the "T" joint symmetry is less critical. The Knob bit is created from the joint section.
If possible dry for 6 months in a shed/garage but if not, the radiator is Ok if you rotate it frequently to stop it setting into a bend on one side. Just watch that the cut ends of the "T" joint don't split as a result of accelerated drying.
Paul.
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