Walking Stick Z

A tall stick and a Hypertufa project.

I don't really have a title for my new walking stick project.  Until I come up with a better one I decided to call it Walking Stick Z because my husband saw the latest stick I was using and said it looked like a good stick for fighting Zombies.  In case you are wondering what all that is about, I'll tell you that we are fans of the television show, The Walking Dead.  It is about Zombies.  Silly, but you have to start somewhere. 

The stick is a hefty stick.  At the moment, the staff is exactly seven feet long.  (More on the reason for that length in a moment.  The diameter of the sapling is an inch and a half at the base and an inch in diameter at the top.  This is a Locust sapling.  Locust is a hardwood.  A fighting staff six to nine feet long is generally called a Quarterstaff. 

I feel compelled to mention at this point that I personally did not cut down any saplings to obtain the

Locust wood.

sticks.  There is a farm field just down the street from my home.  Every few years the farmer goes out and cuts down the saplings that shade the field.  After he has cut them down, I get permission to cart off some of the saplings to make walking sticks.  The key work here is permission.  Don't assume that that land full of scrub trees is not owned by someone and that they won't care if you are on the property cutting saplings.  The saplings are going to the dump or burn pile eventually so the farmer doesn't mind my hauling off as many as I can use.  Some saplings are too small or too thin to be usable, but I generally manage to come away with several sticks.   

I have heard a number of people complain that they have tried to make walking sticks and the sticks have cracked.  There are some tricks to the trade of making walking sticks.  I thought I'd go through the process step by step.  It might save some people from losing a good stick. 

First off: choosing a stick for the walking stick.  It is better to have a sapling than a branch.  Most branches are either too thick or too thin.  Also, branches tend to be curved or wavy as they branch and its leaves grow in various directions in order to reach the light.  For a walking stick you want a straight stick so that the weight you apply to it as you walk (or fight with it) will be transferred down the entire length of the stick.  If a stick is curved, the weight will be transferred down until it gets to the bend, then there is nothing beneath it to support the weight and the stick can crack.  That said, every once in a while you find a branch or sapling that has a very artistic curve to it.  They can be useful for making a beautiful art stick.  Just consider your application for the stick before you start.

As I mentioned above, the staff is currently seven feet tall.  The sapling was taller.  I use a chop saw to cut them down to seven foot lengths.  I generally start with a taller staff than I want because cracks can develop while the stick cures.  These cracks generally occur at the ends of the staff during curing.  By leaving the staff long during the curing process, you can generally cut off the cracked portion and still make a staff of reasonable length. 

The first photo illustrates the current length of the stick.  In the lower left corner of the first photo you can see one of my Hypertufa spheres in progress.  The spheres are cast as half spheres then bonded together with concrete bonding and thin set mortar.  The stand is cast Hypertufa as well.  More on that in some other blog post or look back through the blog listings to find out more on Hypertufa.

There is more to the curing process than I have time to discuss in this post.  Next blog post I will have more on the techniques of curing the walking sticks.