Staff making advice

[Shewie]

I'd like to have a go at making myself a nice staff but I have some questions ..

Are any woods better than others for durability as a staff? I was thinking Hazel? If so does it matter when it's harvested?

Should it be left to dry before I start carving a woodspirit into the handle?

Bark on or off, does it matter?

Varnish, wax or oil?

Ferrule or not?


Thanks

 

[Laurentius]

I'm no expert, I just take any wood as I find it. If it breaks, or warps too much then use it for firewood and make another. Let nature takes it's course the strongest will survive, and in the meantime have fun experimenting. Green wood may warp as it dries out and wood that has been lying around too long may be rotten, just whack it a few times to see how strong it is. One thing I don't believe in these days is varnish, I just use linseed oil and French polish.

 

[WULF]

When i was making sticks i'd cut them when the sap was low...winter months,longer there left the better to season.
Ferrules are good too.
I used varnish on mine applied with a rag with a bit of linseed oil on it to stop it dragging.
hope this is helpfull.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Hazel and chestnut throw up new trunks from the root or from a cut stump very easily, and they grow quite straight especially in a forest where they are seeking the sunlight. I've cut them at most times of year, though mostly in the autumn as that's when I most often want them (for sounding the depth of flooded areas, for example).

Hazel tends to stay quite thin, at around 1/2" to 3/4" while chestnut will very quickly thicken to 1" in diameter. Chestnut also forks earlier that hazel, so if you want a Y shape for a thumbstick it's better. In general, I'll go for chestnut for a staff, and hazel for a switch.

 

[Man of Tanith]

oak is good if you like associating with those that go to stonehenge Rich
other than that let them dry well before you work em
i have some i cut three or four years that i might start on soon

 

[Andy T]

I don't worry about when i cut mine, if i see what i think is a nice stick i cut it. I think the durability comes with looking after it, the occasional wipe over with oil. Hazel does grow back well and does tend to be quite straight. If mine need any straightening i have a scaffold board with lots of one inch holes drilled in it and some pegs. I put the stick in, and wedge it slightly over straightening it for a couple of days. When i take it out if it's not straight enough it goes back in. I cut mine and debark them, one i prefer debarked sticks and two they dry quicker. You can tell when they are dry by the sound they make when you hold the stick vertically and let slide down through your hand onto a paving slab for example. Oil is better than varnish as it soaks into the wood. Varnish sits on the wood and when it gets knocked as they wll eventually water gets underneath the varnish and lifts it. As regards the ferrule you have to decide where you are going to be using the stick the most. On roads or rocky ground i'd go for a rubber ferrule, cheap and easy to fit/replace. If it's mainly fields then a metal ferrule would be better. I make my own now from copper pipe. I sand the stick down so the pipe goes on when tapped with a hammer and glued. I cut down into one end of the pipe approximately half the diameter of the stick in about 8 places. I tap the ferrule on until the cuts are level with the bottom of the stick and then bend them over. Obviously if you want a combination there's always an alpine spike and rubber ferrule combo. What wood you use doesn't make alot of difference if you are going to stain it. It can be anything underneath the stain. Ash is nice to carve, oak is lovely to work with and if it isn't stained does have a lovely grain which will show through a few coats of oil. Drying...........i have to say i don't leave mine for a year per inch diameter and i've never had a problem. I just don't try and dry it too quickly in the first couple of weeks. They are left in the shed on wet days and on dry days are hung up in the garden and the wind drys them.

 

[Elen Sentier]

Hazel is good, so is ash, oak too. I've got a nice straight hazel stang. Cut a nice piece of ash in the autumn for an ash-plant which I've still to make, it's currently drying and doing good. When I can get them, I love a piece that's had honeysuckle or ivy wrapped round it, got a couple of those.

 

[HillBill]

I'd use Ash personally, its strong, springy, light when dry, easy enough to find straight saplings. Hazel would be my second choice.

 

[red devil]

I cut mine from hazel, nice and straight and about an inch thick. Left it to season a few months, left the bark on - it looks nicer, in my opinion - and finished it with danish oil and a brass ferrule. Also made a leather braid for a wrist strap and ran it through a small drilled hole near the top end. It's nothing special, looks-wise, but it does the job and I'm happy to have made something I use regularly.

 

[HillBill]

Rich, I'm going out hunting for wood for axe handles and bowstaves in the near future( should have been doing it last weekend), want me to see if i can find anything suitable? I know you will be able to sort it yourself Offers there though.

 

[HillBill]

I'd like to have a go at making myself a nice staff but I have some questions ..

Are any woods better than others for durability as a staff? I was thinking Hazel? If so does it matter when it's harvested?

Should it be left to dry before I start carving a woodspirit into the handle? You can carve green, but there's a chance of warp in the stick, so it could distort a carving a little

Bark on or off, does it matter? Depends how you want it to look, also taking the bark off will require more finishing and protection.

Varnish, wax or oil? Depends if you have take the bark off. If you have, then i would use oil, boiled linseed, danish, teak...any will do, depends what you like or dont like the smell of.

Ferrule or not? It can only help


Thanks

...........

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Ash - light, long lasting and a tad springy. Same as your thwarts on your canoe.

 

[Yellows]

What is the use of a staff?

 

[Mesquite]

What is the use of a staff?

A few uses can be for support when crossing fast flowing water, or if you've a limp, testing dodgy ground, harvesting fruit etc etc...

 

[HillBill]

There is quite a difference between a stick and a staff, how they are used, and what qualities the material its made from needs to have.. A staff is a cross country tool, it's used for crossing terrain. It has to be strong enough to take your weight, flexible enough not to snap, and light enough to carry all day. In the UK, Ash come tops for all those things.

 

[HillBill]

Its a third leg twice as long as the others, and an 8ft arm

What is the use of a staff?

 

[Stoker37]

Ash would be my preference for a good strong durable staff. Hazel gives a lighter weight staff but it does not have the same intrinsic strength. Personally I would never cut oak for a stick as it takes so long to reach an appropriate size. Both ash and hazel are woods that may be coppiced so the impact of using these timbers is minimal. If you want to leave the bark on the stave now is the ideal time to cut, traditionally between November and April when there is little sap present. if you cut outside of this window you may find that the bark will wrinkle as it dries. A basic rule for seasoning timber with the bark on is to leave it a year for every inch of diameter. Personally i like to leave poles for 18 months plus before i work them. If you are going to take thee bark off then it is a much shorter drying period. I prefer to finish sticks with linseed oil. In my opinion a ferrel is essential to the wear and overall look of the stick. have fun finding the perfect pole for you.

 

[Yellows]

Typical, ash is diseased!

 

[Andy T]

I have to agree with Stoker37 when he says that oak takes such a long time to grow it should only be used sparingly and with good reason. I looked at the oak staffs i have cut for about two years before i cut them. I got mine from a disused railway line about a mile from my house. The line hasn't been used for about 30 years but now it's started to be cleared. A machine comes along cuts down all the young trees in the line and for at least 10 feet either side. So i knew that if didn't cut them they would end up as mulch, and even then i will admit to feeling a little guilty.

 

[Man of Tanith]

What is the use of a staff?

A few uses can be for support when crossing fast flowing water, or if you've a limp, testing dodgy ground, harvesting fruit etc etc...

Its a third leg twice as long as the others, and an 8ft arm

You forgot pretending to be Gandalf