[Jon54]

I'm a newbie both to this forum and to stickmaking. My skills and tools aren't up to this piece of Osage Orange. It's 54" and very unique. I'm open to ideas but I'll probably do what I've done before, hand sand it and put 5-6 coats of pure tung oil on it.

 

[LilysDad]

You could set a polished stone into that hole . . . or a squirrel's head.

 

[cobalt]

it looks like a nice shank so think out of the box . try something different . put something on it your interested in .try not to limit yourself to what you know . lay it aside for a while then it will come to you

having said that i love differnt spieces of water fowl and trying to do a range of interchangle toppers on mine so i suppose i`m just as bad

but as i like carving its what i have been into for a few years you don't know what you can do until you try it . just have fun and let the imagination go

I have never carved anything till i got interested in hiking poles now i look for things i have never done but people always ask you for the same things

 

[Rodney]

Very nice stick. I don't have any great ideas but Cobalt's advice is good. Set it aside and see what comes to you.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Wood actually does grow on trees.

Rodney

 

[MJC4]

Maybe think about attaching something to the top and keeping that piece of Osage orange intact as it appears to be a nice shank. I have seen some of our members here attach antique door knobs, pool balls, round wooden doll heads etc. to the top of their sticks Others have attached medallions to the shank from parks they visited or military branch medallions. Others have inset stones. Some wood burn art into their pieces. One guy used to inset ground turquoise into his sticks. As others have said leave it be and an idea will strike you or a members work on our site may inspire U.

Mark

 

[Jon54]

Guys, thanks so much for your advice. I've pondered putting something in the knot hole and a piece of turquoise sounds intriguing. I have two issues with it. First, where would I find that? Secondly, how would I shape and polish it? I have a basic Dremel and a hand sander.

 

[dww2]

You could try eBay or Amazon for a stone. You could probably even find one that fits the measurement of the knothole and is already polished, so you wouldn't have to shape or polish it.

That is a very lovely stick as is, but a stone inset into the hole would be cool.

 

[cobalt]

there's many things you can put in it maybe antler with some scrimshaw on it . as for polishing anything will polish as long as you have patience and go down in grades of abrasive

 

[LilysDad]

Check the internet and see if there is a lapidary society near you.

 

[Rodney]

If you decide to go with a stone try searching for "cabochon". Most are listed in millimeters for size.

I've polished a couple pieces of stone on regular buffing wheels so you don't need a lot of special equipment to polish them.

Rodney

 

[CAS14]

I've made a number out of Bois d'Arc or Osage Orange. I've wanted to keep them but always ended up sending them as gifts. Now I'm nearing completion of one that I have promised myself I'll keep.

The wood, as you've discovered, is very dense and hard. Should you try to lighten it up with a draw knife, be careful. Be sure that the knife is oriented with the bevel downward, so there will be less tendency to gouge deeply into the wood. Also, this wood can shave off unpredictably.

I've saved buckets of the shavings, and use them as kindling for the fireplace on the back porch.