By Steve Gillman
What do you need to make your own hand carved hiking sticks? Apocket knife and a walk in the woods. Be sure your knife issolidly built. You don't need more than a three-inch blade, butit needs to be strong enough that it won't snap on you when youhit a knot in the wood. A locking blade is a good idea too, ifyou value your fingers.
What type of wood should you use? Any type you want, but beaware of the differences. Many people like hardwood hikingsticks because they can be very beautiful once polished up.That's fine if you don't mind the extra work it takes to carvehardwoods. Also be aware that they are heavy, better suited fordecorating the cabin than for using on long hikes.
One of my favorite trees for carved hiking sticks is poplar.It's light, and one of the easiest woods to work with. Youngpoplars often grow in over-crowded stands, so cutting a few outwon't hurt the forest. If you cut it in the spring or earlysummer, you can almost peel the bark off by hand.
Northern White Cedar is a much tougher wood to carve, but it isbeautiful, straight, and one of the lightest. In a cedar swamp,you can find many dead young cedars that have not begun to rot.Cedar lasts forever, it seems, even when used untreated as fenceposts.
Making Your Carved Hiking Stick
What if you don't know your trees? Find a straight young tree inany area that could use thinning, and cut it. A short saw is theeasiest way to cut your stick. Otherwise, you can use yourknife, by cutting deeper and deeper in a circle around the treeuntil you can snap it off. Cut the piece a bit longer than youwant your finished hiking stick to be.
How long should it be? A general rule is to have the hikingstick come up to just below your armpit. This is a personalthing though. If you want a fancy seven-foot staff, go for it.
Cut away from yourself, removing all the bark. Narrow down thebottom end, but not to a sharp point. You can leave the topflat, round it off, or even carve a spiral design into it. Useyou imagination. Almost any piece of sandpaper can be used tosmooth it, and you can apply stain or a poly acrylic finish ifyou want, or just leave it natural.
If you start with green wood, it is best to let it dry for atleast a few weeks. Carving it while green can be easier, but itwill often twist or bend then as it dries. You might preventthis by tying it to something straight to dry. Each wood is alittle different in how it cuts and drys.
I wrap the bottom end with leather (with a small nail to holdit) to keep the stick from splitting. I also usually put ahandgrip on it. This can be a piece of cloth or leather. Glue iton or glue and staple it. You can also drill a hole throught thestick near the top, to add a wrist strap.
Get creative. Use a wood burner to add designs to your hikingstick. Drill a hole in the top and glue a glass ball in it. Markinches on it, so you can measure with it. Some of my bestsellers had pewter animals nailed to them. Experimenting is oneof the best parts about making your own carved hiking stick.
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