I just came home from stick hunting with about 15 diamond willow,a few maple,and some cedar.I do have a question as far as diameter of a walking stick.What is the preferred diameter of a stick?Is it ok to cut the hand area down a little and leave the rest?Thanks for any info!!
new bunch of sticks
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There are no hard/fast rules for stick diameter that I'm aware of. I like a stick 1.25" to 1.75" diameter for support ease of carry. On the other hand I have some sticks that are closer to 2" or so and I have whittled down the grip area for comfort.
Some of the members here texture the grip area, while others wrap with leather or paracord. I have done all three. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " they say. Attached pics are: Textured grip, leather wrap grip, paracord wrap grip & plain grip. I have even wrapped the grip area of sticks with jute twine. How you finish a stick is limited only by your imagination.
Some of the members here texture the grip area, while others wrap with leather or paracord. I have done all three. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder " they say. Attached pics are: Textured grip, leather wrap grip, paracord wrap grip & plain grip. I have even wrapped the grip area of sticks with jute twine. How you finish a stick is limited only by your imagination.
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Certainly a 2" diameter is going too large for most hands to hold. I've looked over my sticks, and none have more than 1.5", most closer to 1"
I usually press on stick stock with a little sideways pressure as well as downwards. If the stick flexes more than a little, I don't bother with them. Ones that flex slightly are OK by me for walking around town. But if I want something for trekking up and down hills, or supporting me when hopping over streams, I want something very sturdy.
Part of the question can be answered by the kind of wood. I've managed to find 1 good piece of hornbeam. The grip of the stick has a cross section of about 1" x .5", which is almost too thin for my stiff hands. The wood, however, is completely rigid. I have a few of white oak and one of hickory, and the cross section on those is slightly less than 1". But I also have some made from sassafras and sycamore which are a bit thicker, as those woods are much lighter and less shock resistant.
I usually press on stick stock with a little sideways pressure as well as downwards. If the stick flexes more than a little, I don't bother with them. Ones that flex slightly are OK by me for walking around town. But if I want something for trekking up and down hills, or supporting me when hopping over streams, I want something very sturdy.
Part of the question can be answered by the kind of wood. I've managed to find 1 good piece of hornbeam. The grip of the stick has a cross section of about 1" x .5", which is almost too thin for my stiff hands. The wood, however, is completely rigid. I have a few of white oak and one of hickory, and the cross section on those is slightly less than 1". But I also have some made from sassafras and sycamore which are a bit thicker, as those woods are much lighter and less shock resistant.
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most of my shanks are 1 inch some go down to 3/4inch and are fine .but have a preferance for a 1inch shank so its easyer to fit a interchangable topper on..
You will find a lot of difference in wiegth between the shanks hazel is light strong yet a bit of a flex on it , where as birch i find heavy and cumbersome.,but i know very little of your native woods, just use the best that suits you
sticks are more for balance than anything on a rocky slippery slope they come into there own,but useful for pushing weeds and dogs out of the way
Its all a matter of choice there are no hard and fast rules
To me 2" shank would be cumbersome , yet some will like it .
large shank will give a better choice for carving a topper on, or even carving into the shank if its what you like
Thats the best of stick making there are no rules only guidelines .suck it and see oftern works but you can get lots of info from your fellow americans when it come to variety of woods
You will find a lot of difference in wiegth between the shanks hazel is light strong yet a bit of a flex on it , where as birch i find heavy and cumbersome.,but i know very little of your native woods, just use the best that suits you
sticks are more for balance than anything on a rocky slippery slope they come into there own,but useful for pushing weeds and dogs out of the way
Its all a matter of choice there are no hard and fast rules
To me 2" shank would be cumbersome , yet some will like it .
large shank will give a better choice for carving a topper on, or even carving into the shank if its what you like
Thats the best of stick making there are no rules only guidelines .suck it and see oftern works but you can get lots of info from your fellow americans when it come to variety of woods
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