Can anyone point me to where I can find country/field walking staffs for sale? The ones I have seen in various British publications look to be handy and practical. I have done the obvious goole search.
Thanks!
Thanks.
Have you ordered from McCaffrey?
No, mine is hand made by a friend in my Sunday School class, it is perfect for me.
Has my initials and a carving of a snake in reference to the staff that Moses threw down.
He used Mesquite instead of Blackthorn
Mike
p.s. US made
https://www.brazos-walking-sticks.com/categories/Walking-Sticks/Traditional-Walking-Sticks/
Make your own. Your grandchildren, or maybe some other heir, might appreciate it much more. I would.
Check out treelineusa.com and/or Etsy for both walking sticks and blanks. Fairly easy to make one and Treeline has all the goods for finishing your own.
I have 5-6 laying around the house I've made over the years, using blanks I've cut from our property which include hawthorn, hazel nut, walnut, a few from Douglas fir, locust, heartnut and applewood and I don't remember what else. I've given away most I've made to friends and family. The freshly cut stems are easy to peel when wet and green, but they have a tendency to split or check, so I usually let them dry with the bark on before I peel them, after which I usually sand out any smaller branches I've cut off, smooth to the main stem and then finish it with an oil type of finish. I also drill a hole for the lanyard and may or may not epoxy on a sharp pre-fab spike with a rubber screw on cover to be used in various terrain types and ground cover. If I'm ambitious on a staff project and I usually am, I'll cut and shape an end cap, usually walnut and attach to the staff with a dowel and epoxy. I don't do fancy carvings or inlays.
Thank you for those resources. I have looked at Etsy.
I used to collect "Curlys sticks" to make walking sticks out of. Those are the saplings that grow up in a mass of vines and the vines wrapping around them causes them to grow in a spiral fashion. They were usually dog wood, sassafras. redbud or hickory. I wouidl collect them in the winter while hunting after a fresh snow. I could really see the curly trees stand out against the snow. I think I still have some blanks in the garage attic.
I make some for friends from Walking Stick Yucca that I find coyote hunting.
I have a couple from McCaffery. I bought one while in Ireland. One is smaller than the other, but both have the same basic shape. Well finished with the bulbous root portion polished. Easy to walk with and the larger one would make a formidable weapon if needed. If an Irish stick is what you are looking for, the McCaffery sticks get the nod from me. One thing I did do to one was to fit a rubber tip instead of the metal one on the other.
I just realized that I have one of those Brazzos sticks! Nicely done and easy to carry and use. Mine is just over five feet.
I like walking sticks myself and make my own, I have a old lemon tree that will be pruned very shortly. I usually get 5-6 pretty straight shoots when pruned. Lemon wood is very flexible and strong but because it's grafted to sour orange, the fruit is great but the thornes are deadly. I very carefully trim the shafts and let the wood dry through the summer with bark on. By fall, I have a strong 6 footer that is vey durable.I also coat it with epoxy and wrap the upper section with 550 parachute cord for a better grip. Fun to make and useful.