Height for a thumb stick?

[bobnewboy]

Hi All, in terms of body position (e.g at the waist, armpit etc), what is the ideal height /length from the ground of a thumb stick type walking stick? I’ve got all the bits to make one, but haven’t ever used one and think one could be handy in some of the slippery ways round here.

Cheers, Bob

 

[Mesquite]

Whan I hold and use a thumbstick my preference is for my hand and wrist to be raised slightly above my elbow. Any higher and it just doesn't feel comfortable

 

[Paulm]

Somewhere around elbow height usually, start long and shorten it bit by bit until you find the right length for you.

Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk

 

[Nice65]

The advice for trekking poles is about 90° at the elbow. I tend to go a little higher reducing that angle a bit. Not much higher though.

 

[woodspirits]

I make them shoulder height at the thumb. The extra length going downhill will be useful, and gives you the option to hold lower if you wish.

 

[Nice65]

I make them shoulder height at the thumb, the extra length going downhill will be useful.

The reason I prefer a staff grip to be honest, I have a couple of thumb sticks and find them uncomfortable in use and less versatile than a staff.

 

[woodspirits]

The reason I prefer a staff grip to be honest, I have a couple of thumb sticks and find them uncomfortable in use and less versatile than a staff.

agreed, making a staff style grip along with the thumb top sort of gives customers the choice.

 

[Clayze]

One of the nice things about cutting your own sticks (mildly addictive) is there's no reason why you shouldn't have a few at hand by the front door if you so wish. Different cuts, lengths close at hand all ready to go.

 

[Janne]

I bought a ready made thumb stick, ( made locally) and I found that the handle bit, both the area where the hole is, and the top part, are just a little too small/thin.
It makes my hand uncomfortable when I put weight on it.

( have a bad knee, need support it when it has achey days)

I will get some local Birch next week, and make my own handle I will attach ro the existing stick.

 

[Broch]

It all depends on where and how you use it really.

I like a tall thumb stick because I use it as a monopod for a long lens or my rifle. As proposed above, you just hold it further down depending on the terrain. My favourite one is 1.5m (59") to the base of the antler Y that bends over and it's great for pulling down those sloe branches that are too high up to reach - probably stretching the term 'thumb stick' to be honest!

 

[Janne]

Beautiful.......

 

[woodspirits]

Bob if I may illustrate my comments for clarity,

The first picture is of a thumbstick with the addition of a laced leather grip to be used as a staff if required, depending on the topography.
The second picture shows just a staff with the deeper leather grip for hand adjustment, positioning was chest height for this customer.
Final picture again shows a staff with a hand grip this time bark remaining, this was to be used for ceremonial purposes on the flat rather than hill walking. A shade above waist height was requested for this customer.

so there we go, it depends on usage and preferences in diameter height and weight, hope this helps.

 

[Broch]

Now those are proper staffs!

 

[Robson Valley]

Local shop in my village makes canes and hiking staffs in batches, 25 - 50 at a time.
All seasoned diamond willow, which is probably the prettiest cane wood on earth.
They have 4-6" logs that serve as corenrs for queen & king beds, too.

As Broch asks: "What's it for?"

You tell the maker and that gets you measured. Then the discussion of details, fittings and so on.

I've been walking(?) with a cane from that shop for a couple of years. It keeps me from falling on my face.
The biggest attraction was the handle = about 5" long by 2+" wide. Pure comfort to lean on.

Actually, my avatar picture was taken outside the back wall of that shop. You see a little of the firewood pile.

 

[Woody girl]

Lovely sticks there woodspirits. I'd be a proud owner of one of those.

 

[Nice65]

Lovely sticks there woodspirits. I'd be a proud owner of one of those.

Really very beautifully made and carved, top work.

My effort at the moment is a Blackthorn for my own use. I’ve been fitting the antler top with mosaic pins to give some character, but rather than use just a central one, I seem to have overdone it a bit. I asked on another forum if anyone had any bits of mosaic pin spare and got sent a bunch. So I felt I ought to use a bit of everything

I’m now sucking up blue epoxy into 3mm brass tube, cutting 1mm nickel silver rod and trying to create one of two things...a celestial galaxy, or a right mess.

 

[woodspirits]

Really very beautifully made and carved, top work.

My effort at the moment is a Blackthorn for my own use. I’ve been fitting the antler top with mosaic pins to give some character, but rather than use just a central one, I seem to have overdone it a bit. I asked on another forum if anyone had any bits of mosaic pin spare and got sent a bunch. So I felt I ought to use a bit of everything

I’m now sucking up blue epoxy into 3mm brass tube, cutting 1mm nickel silver rod and trying to create one of two things...a celestial galaxy, or a right mess.

thanks for your reply, love working with blackthorn a really gnarly wood with some great features. thought about going down the antler route but it would seem its quite a complicated process, thing I'll stick with the gouges!

 

[Nice65]

thanks for your reply, love working with blackthorn a really gnarly wood with some great features. thought about going down the antler route but it would seem its quite a complicated process, thing I'll stick with the gouges!

I wouldn’t want to carve antler, my main problem is probably the same as wood, matching the outline of stick and handle. I’ve used a Black Walnut spacer to allow for screw ups, and have some brown leather dye to mask the joins between the 3 parts. To seal the pores in the antler I’ve used Ronseal rotten wood repair stuff, it stabilises punky wood in door frames etc and is very low viscosity so the antler pores suck it in. No reason I can’t apply more as needed during finishing.

But as you’ll see, this antler top is already somewhat “over egged”. This is rough finish only, and I’ve been careful not to let the rods overheat on the grinder and blacken the epoxy. It’s ready for more holes and pins.

I’ll have to stud it with tiny shiny nickel pins around the edge and the brass tube filled with blue resin. It’s my first effort, and is for my shot hip instead of the ali trekking pole I’ve been using, so I’m not bothered about overdoing the decoration.

You’ll like the Blackthorn stick, it doesn’t have the root ball on it, but has a perfect thorn pattern, all nipped down with a RobEvs necker sat on a hay bale while camping last Summer. Several coats of dark Danish oil and it looks ok.

 

[bobnewboy]

Nice work guys! Thanks All for the the input. I think I’ll do a combined thumbstick / staff handled stick. I have a nice piece of water buffalo horn for the top, and a straight-ish piece of yew for the stave, plus lots of bits of leather etc for the staff handle. When I get it done I will post a pic.

Cheers, Bob

 

[bobnewboy]

OK, the stick/staff is done, so here are the pictures:

The main part of the staff is a piece of seasoned yew which wasn't ever going to make it into a bow. Its a mixture of sapwood and heartwood tapered with a hand plane, and needed a bit of straightening, which was done with a hot air gun. The thumbstick piece is buffalo horn in a wide radiused lyre shape, mounted through a disk of charolais cow horn into the yew with a 10mm threaded steel bar, threaded into the horn and epoxied into place. The handle is a piece of soft leather with rolled edges, and contains a double loop of strong 5mm leather lace as a wrist strap. The handle is glued on and closed with kangaroo leather lace in a criss-cross lacing. The wrist strap lace is adjustable via a buffalo horn toggle. The stick is capped off at ground level with a rubber ferrule.

Cheers, Bob