The unusual twist on the stick you refer to was caused by honeysuckle twisting around the stem as it grew,constricting it,causing it to swell out.And i fix the Y's on the top of sticks using a length of round steel bar.Sorry about the hijack!
Like it...
launditch1 - thanks for that link.... off in to the woods tomorrow..
Still using my original 5 6 (1.67m) scout stave in ash. Its had slight modifications over the years. Very useful for keeping overgrown brambles off kit as I walk along. Recently had the local constabulary ask me to explain why I was carrying such a big stick, on a footpath in the middle of a wood.
I did find a nice bit of Oak (had to come out as it was damaging a wall and starting to block a stairway)
My question is this (as per link) I am going to leave the staff till 1st March before i strip the bark off - are there any tips for this, eg. work on the fiddly bits first then the main bits?
Any tips/advice welcome.
Hi.Pesonally,i would strip the bark off now.It might have dried out a bit too much by march and you would have a job to remove it then.I remove the bark on mine using an old shop knife(curved blade)then i wittle off the fiddly bits around where branches came out.
Cut in winter
If you cut a sapling in spring or summer, it will be full of sap. This will make it heavy and more important will tend to cause it to warp as it dries out. The best time to cut a staff is in winter. When you cut a staff, you can easily strip off the bark with any kind of knife. Our experience is that if you store the staff without stripping the bark for a period of a few months, it improves its durability. But the removal of the bark is then more difficult.
I shod the stick with stainless doorstops.
What were they doing there then? .../QUOTE]
It was in a clearing beyond the reach of most of joe public, usually I have the place to myself and its a favorite place to stop for a bite. Our friends in blue were exercising their dogs there and having a lunch break themselves. Ive stopped carrying my knife and axe when Im near home (I feel uncomfortable with that) but I refuse to give up using a walking stave when Im walking.