[toynbyu]

Hello all,

I am getting ready to finish a hickory hiking stick, a hefty one, about 3.5" in diameter. I was wondering if anyone has put a metal sleeve or collar on the bottom of the stick. I'm thinking of doing this to prevent fraying of ware as I hike in rough rocky trails.

Any advice would be great.

Thank you. Mike

 

[Markus]

Hello Mike, using a ferrule will definitely prolong the life of your stick. What I use is just a piece of copper pipe and a steel nut. I cut out the shape trying to keep it snug, then apply some epoxy and hammer it on. This is a cheap way of doing it, but so far has been effective. I am interested to see what others are using.

 

[toynbyu]

That looks very nice. Thank you for responding.

 

[CAS14]

Just took a look, and I think I could do that! I'm just a newbie/beginner, and so far I've been using commercially available ferrules - they are pricey. This is a nice, affordable and practical option.

 

[JJireh]

I use copper fittings also, I usually get the tapered ones though. While these are good for outdoors, they like to slip and scratch flooring, so I usually add a rubber tip on the inside of the taper counterset with a screw.

You can buy ferrules that convert for the terrain you are going on.

ttp://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=40009&cat=3,48759,43733

 

[CAS14]

I use copper fittings also, I usually get the tapered ones though. While these are good for outdoors, they like to slip and scratch flooring, so I usually add a rubber tip on the inside of the taper counterset with a screw.

You can buy ferrules that convert for the terrain you are going on.

ttp://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=40009&cat=3,48759,43733

I used the Lee Valley ferrule on an Irish blackthorn shillelagh that I purchased, to replace the large ugly rubber tip, and it looks great! It has an interchangeable, small rubber tip, and a steel point for some outdoor terrain.

I found a larger ferrule, very similar to the Lee Valley item, on the Rockler website and I have several awaiting an appropriate stick. I can't find it now on their website, and the last two that shipped recently were misnamed as "MEDIUM CANE WALKING STICK." The tracking email is shown, in part, below.

 

[CAS14]

Rockler appears to have ceased to carry these brass ferrules, as I interpret this response today to my several questions yesterday:

"Hi Vance,

I'm sorry we no longer have these is any size to offer. The California Prop 65 warning you reference is required for all items that have brass.

Regards,

Steve
Technical Support/Product Information
Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
[email protected]"

 

[CAS14]

My wife didn't want any accessorizing, but her red cedar stick had a tendency to split at the base. I convinced her to compromise, and then sawed a bit of brass pipe to secure the tip. The rubber furniture tip screws into a brass fitting so that it can be replaced easily.

 

[Llama118]

In my experience, if you're tight on cash you can buy some nice adjustable hose clamps and pretty easily fashion those t'the end of your stick. It doesn't leave you with a foot to completely prevent rocks and other solids from crawling up in there and causing a split, but on average it's helped avoid any major splits and the bottoms of my sticks last around three times as long.