Thread: Stickmaking

I make sticks... thumb sticks...big brother over here for a couple of weeks from Oz so I dragged him along to cut hazel rods and was telling him about the fact that as soon as I could possibly afford to I was going to buy a decent sander...well, blimey heck, he goes to town while I am at work and brings home this...saying, is this what you had in mind?? oh boy...

I thought sticks sort of made themselves naturally so you may have to fill in some gaps please EeeBees !

you are right!!! here's one I made a couple of years ago...the collar and ferrule I sourced from England...



Some of the hazel rods we cut...the only problem with it all is the year long wait for them to dry...have also got holly sticks drying...

Ahhhh I see..... thumb sticks eh... that threw me

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Ahhhh I see..... thumb sticks eh... that threw me

Naaa still got me curious? Walking sticks? Shooting sticks? What do you use a thumb stick for? (And dont tel me it is so you dont have to stick you thumb up someones (!)?

yes, walking sticks...sticks for beating driven game, mountaineering and trekking (attach an alpine ferrule to the base)...

What do you charge for them, my walking sticK (old bit of drift wood is getting a bit past it). How tough are they

I think he has us all a bit curious as to the final finished 'stick'...

Originally Posted by mikee

What do you charge for them, my walking sticK (old bit of drift wood is getting a bit past it). How tough are they

Can't go past a good piece of manuka, I helped dad cut some poles for the drag net near 20 years ago..... many a good size flounder and mullet later one has a flounder spike attached with s/steel mig wire the other I cut a taper on with a knife and attached to a broom for a new handle

Very nice @EeeBees
I have some lancewood drying here to make into decent sticks.
Waiting on then to dry is the worst part. I normally end up defending myself with one that hasn't dried enough. Doesn't last too long then.

@puku, lancewood would be great...do you take the bark off...I am not familiar with the grain of lancewood...what I like about the hazel is that it is very strong but not too heavy...

Originally Posted by puku

Very nice @EeeBees
I have some lancewood drying here to make into decent sticks.
Waiting on then to dry is the worst part. I normally end up defending myself with one that hasn't dried enough. Doesn't last too long then.

Yep Lancewood is my stick of choice too.

Originally Posted by Jimmynostars

Can't go past a good piece of manuka, I helped dad cut some poles for the drag net near 20 years ago..... many a good size flounder and mullet later one has a flounder spike attached with s/steel mig wire the other I cut a taper on with a knife and attached to a broom for a new handle

Manuka and kanuka are fantastic stuff... and the neat thing is if you ever get sick of the stick you can saw it up and smoke a trout with it

Imade one out of a stout manuka pole with a "y'shaped piece of apple tree trunk glued screwed and bogged onto the tip.
Ideal height for an improvised bipod if needed but its bloody good for testing out water depths, prodding scrub ya mates arse if hes too slow, and even carrying gear coolie style! theother bit got turned into a shovel handle for me truck shovel .a handle for a garden fork and a bloody cracker handle on a ball pein hammerhead i had lyin round. Ive got a thickish hunk still in the shed -lets face it if i whacked ya in the shins with it ,i reckon yad drop like a poleaxed steer! got my cobber getting me a few more lengths shortly.

Do you make canes for kids @EeeBees?