[cobalt]

Basically use hand eye cordination . useing a hand held drill more you do it better you get. It would be more trouble of making /purchasing setting it up the jig

I take it your trying to mount a topper on the shank

I use epoxy putty if not quite right, but have found i dont need to use it very oftern.

good luck

 

[cobalt]

If your using a lathe you can get centre hole boring tool, i havnt a lathe so never turn my shanks just use natural material finish .But they are handy for making a two pie

ce .But i just use a small nail for alignment just tap it into the shank lay them on the bech tap them together which leaves a imprint for drilling

 

[cobalt]

All my toppers are fitted with 4" threaded steel bar 8mm in dia. Thers 2" in the shank 2" in the topper fixed with epoxy glue ;usually i get a fairly true hole but i sometimes wack the bar with a hammer place the topper on and just turn the topper it usually settels pretty snug

 

[cobalt]

its just easyer to lay the stick in a vice and drill a right angle into it.I have made loads of hiking poles it works.And yes have made mistakes just redrill the hole chaffing drill up and down attach the topper fill with expoxy resin putty

Just haveiing the stick at a right angle dos`nt ensure you will drill a right angle perfectly by hand.

But what sort of toppers are you using and how do you attach them?are you using a collar ?

just nosey

 

[cobalt]

I use my vice or vise as you call then all the time as i mostly carve all my toppers, i think its RAD that has made a variety of objects to fit on the end of his stick suprising how people are adaptable and its not a bad idea to fit something on the shank that you like or find useful Rad has allsorts of attchments on his .just love the one with a compass thats accurate to a deph of 50 ft ,i can see him now walking along the bottom of a river checking directions , sorry rad a bit of fun.,but it just goes to show how useful they can be,he has used his for a camera mount and mesuring stick etc.

The main thing is just enjoy doing it.

good luck hunting sticks, this is somehing i cant do without the land owners perrmision, but we have by law the right to roam now even tho a few landowners object.

But cutting a stick when no ones around thers no harm done. guilty as charged

 

[cobalt]

Normally a friendly word will get you what , most people dont mind a few sticks its when it get into large qauntites they object after all keeping plants strong encourage further growth and some of them need coppicing

Your laws may be diffrent from ours but not. much. The right to roam is a very powerful tool that we have by law but if you obey the countryside code most land owners are okayBut yes you will come across the difficult ones

A lot of the paths that are used go way back and to medievel times and people will always have the right of way these oftern cross farmland /private property and even run through peoples gardens but nothing can prevent people from using them.If they do by any means the local council would be forced to act upon it to ensure that is reopened. because of the right of way Some farmers are strongly against it but the ramblers association is a powerful vioce when it come to things like the right of way most land owners would aviod a case that they know they would lose

But you must also have right of way Over here if a path is used for 7years or more and can be proven it becomes a right of way.A landowner by law must close the path once a year to prvent this from happening

normally there isnt a problem with walkers.

just have a friendly word with land owner about gathering a few to keep coutryside carfts alive normally this will hep

.

 

[cobalt]

Its usually the best way ,most people are friendly.

I unfortunatly buy most of my shanks but there already seasoned for 2 years and straigtend ,i personnally dislike bent sticks just my taste and oftern tweek one if there is a small bend in it using a hot air gun.

I never strip the bark of a stick ,as i use hazel and chestnue and blackthorn ,i find the colour of the shanks to nice to waste and belive natures packaging is the best. Many here will not agree with me , its just chioce.

Its usually american stickmakers strip the back mayby its the type of bark on there shanks or its just simple preferance .It dos`nt really matter .Main thing is enjoy doing it and see how your type of sticks develop and takes you.

If it works for do it

 

[cobalt]

i am not familar with a lot of wood you have and use over there but there are plenty of people here who could tell you more about them.

But there are plenty of reciepes on the web using juniper berries for flavouring

The berries you metined i know nothing about them i have never heard of them but will probably look them up.

Alawys interested in different fruits

I have been trying to find the name of a fruit we had when we where in Maderia its a cross between a pineapple and a bannana,it looks like sweet corn but is green in colour never found the name of it yet we cant buy it in england its very tasty.

have fun with the sticks

 

[cobalt]

interesting ideas here ? needs careful reading

 

[cobalt]

You can always tape a small spirit level to the drill and use it as a guide when drilling .But with hazel you can see the centre of the shank so I just use that and hand eye co-ordination ,and its usually fairly accurate but mostly okay any variation can be overcome by using epoxy putty . but I always drill the hole 1st before I cut the shank to length so if I do make a mistake I cut it out and start again., but mostly its okay .

This works for me as now I harvest my own shanks I always cut them longer than I want when I harvest them. this allows for mistakes and gives my the choice of lengths. Mostly there over 6ft when I harvest them so there's plenty of room which allows for any cracking in the wood during seasoning but this hardly ever happens when seasoning if you leave the bark on. I never strip the bark anyway.

 

[cobalt]

some samples of drilling out for connectors

and one thing i do have trouble with is drilling holes in is bone and horn collars it can be a job centre drilling into something that's round gripping the collar they always seem to slip and bone ones if they get to hot during drilling breaks in half .need a good gripping method to drill such a small round item .there only 1 inch in diameter any ideas how to hold them to ensure a clean cut without the collar slipping and jamming in the drill??????

These are the things giving me the most trouble to drill a hole for the threaded bar

at lest with these items its more straight forward

 

[cobalt]

i will make a wooden jaw to fit the collars could be the answer .Its pretty dam annoying when the collar slips out from the table vice and gets stuck in the drill bit

your right about the speed of the drill and the drill bit think it is a combination of the two caused the problem.

 

[cobalt]

problem is that collars vary in size from approx. 18 to 25 mm .you have to file them back to fit the shank which isn't to bad as a lot of shanks are not perfectly round but this allows you to get a good fit... Most people will put some electric tape level to the joint to save marking the shank whilst filing it to fit,

 

[cobalt]

i also would like to see how you get on with it

you get on alright with masking tape I it thought maybe to thin and tear to easy for that so I will try it

 

[cobalt]

We just have one to my knowledge when I use it to mask things I just stick to my chinos to reduce the tackiness so to prevent it removing any paintwork

I do use electrician tape to stop marking the shank bark .but will try glops method as its cheaper and nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[cobalt]

there is nothing to forgive ideas are always welcome here

the majority of people here give there views there supportive and helpful

A experianced stickmakers viewpiont like your self is very welcome and most will take you views on board .and with what the sticks you make are used for makes sense

 

[cobalt]

I also make mine for liesure and have seen the same method as gloops mentioned

would you use a larger stick to go beating with, i wouldnt have thought many people would have a decorative stick for beating

I think a lot of people see there sticks as a extension of there personality there so easy to recognise and a good talking piont with ramblers and alike.