Crafting a wand

[Daeloki]

Hi everyone

I recently watched the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and I was inspired to make a wooden wand. I've looked at some guides on how I should proceed, and then I bumped onto this site and thought I'd get ask for help with how to handle the wood.

I have gotten as far as acquiring my piece of wood: a roughly 15" long 1" thick fresh branch of Rowan (in Finland, so it's cold here, mostly around 0 degrees Celsius where I live, I'm only guessing that's relevant). I chose a relatively thick part so that I would have some room for errors while getting started.

I already went ahead and followed some guides and peeled off the bark and sealed the ends with wax, and it's in a place where it can dry.

What I couldn't get a clear answer to was:

1) Have I already messed up somewhere? (My only woodworking experience is from making wooden swords when I was a kid)
2) How long should I wait for the wood to dry, and how can I tell if it's safe to work on it without it cracking?
3) If everything goes good, and I manage to carve out a wand to my liking, what kind of finish should I apply? I have pretty good access to Owatrol products where I work, but I don't exactly know what I should be using.

Thank you in advance, and my sincere apologies if I am in the wrong section.

Seems like I can't attach images yet, but I'll provide pictures of the wood somehow if it's needed

 

[Janne]

Hi and welcome!
It was a very good idea to pick it up now, as the wood is much drier than during the growing season.
I would still season (dry) it for a couple of months in a cellar or similar, to avoid cracks.

Once you have finished carving it, a good treatment is linseed oil.

I assume you know that Rowan has been considered a sacred/holy/magical tree by many pre - Christian cultures?

 

[Daeloki]

Hi, and thanks for your advice, I'm happy I asked since I had assumed a week or two would be enough. I will let it season for a few months then.

And yes, I'm aware of Rowans spiritual properties, it was the reason I decided on Rowan

 

[Janne]

I cut down a nice thick (about 15 cm in diameter) mountain Birch in March 2016 in Lofoten in Norway, took it home and worked on it in June. No cracks.
It may be fine to work on it after a couple of weeks, but you might experience the wood bends after you shape it, when it dries.
Better to wait!

 

[Robson Valley]

Painting the ends is no guarantee that the wood will not crack. Slow down the rate of water loss = keep it cool.
Big volume users anticipate 1" per year drying time. That means 12 months for a 2" stick, OK? One inch all around.

When I buy western red cedar for carving, I leave most of it outside in the shade.
The 5" x 5" x 64 pieces from 2014 are all good now. The 3" x 6" x 72" yellow cedar is OK.
The really old shake blocks (6" x 8" x 24") were left out in the weather, I've lost maybe 4+" each end. Oh well.
The fresher shake blocks are dry enough that I can split them into useful pieces.
All for an equilibrium moisture content of 12 - 14%

All that bull-tweet means is that you need to get more wood. Patience is the name of the game.
Don't fall in love with the first one. Carve 3 = one will be just what you always wanted.

Tools to look for (estate sales, used?) will be a draw knife and a couple of spoke shaves.
Sharpening and honing to better than scalpel sharp is a necessary skill.

 

[Baelfore]

Just a quick note on rowan ( mountain ash), it is notorious for splitting! (we named our son after this tree, so have been using it a lot since!)

as said seal the ends and let it season slowly.

alternatively, get a log 2-3" thickness and force seasoning/ slitting. (stick it on a radiator near a heat source etc)
and carve it from some of the splits (sap wood)

hope this helps,
Atb
Ste

 

[Janne]

In my youth, when I was impatient and wanted a quick drying of wood, I used to saw down to the center of the log, length wise ( with the fibers). A pig of a job using a handsaw, but the wood dried fast and did not crack much. It distorted instead.

 

[Baelfore]

Agreed about the distortion, but for something like a wand a 2" log spit to 1/4s and force dried would give plenty of material to be carved straight.

 

[Janne]

True.
But, Daeloki, to be frank with you, why not create something more useful?

 

[Robson Valley]

Perhaps they plan to use many more than just one piece of wood? Utilitarian wood carvings do have their place.
If my memory serves, Scandinavia has a very long and rich history of many styles of wood carvings.

 

[woodspirits]

Hi Daeloki
I have made a few of those wands for my friends in the Pagan community. Roughly the same size as the one you have planned, mainly Hazel but Rowan and others too.
Green or dried I have never had one split, although I prefer to put a handful Of de-barked and naturaly shaped blanks in the shed for a couple of weeks, only because I find they carve a bit cleaner. By all means cut them longer no point taking a tape measure into the woods! 0h and I agree with Janne re linseed oil, cheap and available

Steve

 

[Daeloki]

Thanks for your views, I really appreciate the help.

I don't mind the wood bends a little, I think it might even look good for a wand, give it character so to speak.

As for tools, my dad has a pretty cool old set of wood carving tools of varying sizes and they're in really good condition, my dads only complain is that they don't get used a lot. And I will probably go out and get some more wood this week, might have been optimistic and just hoped that it will work out one the first try.

Janne: To answer the question "why not something more useful?", the short answer would be I'm a nerd.
I really love collecting items from movies, series, games etc. I've looked att Harry Potter wands several times, but they tend to be expensive (if you want a good one that is). So then I thought that I might make one myself, and to be honest, making one myself would feel more valuable to me. I've always found items made from wood beautiful too, it doesn't have to be useful for me to be able to admire it. I'm also somewhat pagan by my beliefs (really just a mashup, picking up on different beliefs). And who knows, if I turn out to be good at this, I could start selling some and make a few bucks of it (a glimmer of usefulness there )


Woodspirits: Looks good, and yeah, I measured mine after I got home, when I was in the woods I only roughly measured it to fit between the tip of my middle finger and elbow + a little more for room for error

 

[Gary Elson]

Hi Daeloki
Just finished carving a santa "wood cutter santa" post below which is miles away from what your doing just different carving
Here's my advice

Let it season for a bit then go for it
Use all your tools
Watch it bend and twist
Carve what you feel but be bold

And when you have finished put it in a special place and remember it's yours and you made it so that's what makes it perfect!

Have fun
Gary

 

[Daeloki]

Hi Gary

Thank you for your encouragement, that's pretty much the mindset I was setting out with

And the Woodcutter Santa looks amazing!

 

[Tengu]

wouldnt you be better using alicorn rather than wood?

 

[Daeloki]

Tengu I had to google that... And I'm cracking up here :'D

 

[Janne]

Daeloki, being a nerd is as good excuse as anything!

I think ot is absolutely making your own 'tool' instead if buying one. Yours will be unique, not one out of thousands!
Good luck with your carving!

 

[Robson Valley]

Technique: When you start to shape the wand, you might discover that the drawknife and the spoke shaves have a tendency to dig in.
If they do, turn the stick around because you're planing in the wrong direction.
The easy way is from the bottom up. Top down and you dig into older growth rings.

 

[Daeloki]

Thanks Robson, I actually marked the ends back when I cut the piece just in case, good to know I didn't do it in vain

And I completely agree Janne, it will have so much more value to me, knowing that I made it myself