Walking sticks serve as companions and assistants when hiking and exploring.
Wooden walking sticks show more character than metal walking sticks but cost as much as $40 to $50 at craft stores, flea markets and antique shops. For less than half this price, make your own wooden walking sticks to use when hiking or to use as a cane when injured or disabled. This requires only basic tools, but a lot of drying time. You can make a walking stick approximately one or two years after harvesting the wood.
Instructions
1. Hunt for a proper section of wood to use as your walking stick. Look through the forest on property you own or on property of a friend who does not mind that you collect the wood. Search for sapling trees you can easily wrap your hand around.
2. Use a handsaw to collect the section of wood. Cut the tree down from the base, as close to the root as you can get. Then cut the top off the tree to make a single section that measures approximately 6 feet long.
3. Take the section of wood home and stand it up on end. See the height of the stick in comparison to your body and cut the stick down to size as necessary. For a walking or hiking stick, you want the stick tall enough for you to grip it with your arms bent at a 90-degree angle in front of you.
4. Use a whittling knife to remove the bark from the section of wood. Thick barks should be removed now, while still wet and workable, while thin barks can be left until the wood dries or removed before drying.
5. Lay the stick up to dry. To prevent cracking while drying, you do not want the stick to dry too fast; instead of drying the stick inside, place the stick in a dry place outside such as in the rafters of your barn or garage away from rain and flood water exposure.
6. Allow the stick to dry for a minimum of six months or up to two years before taking the stick down to finish the process. Clean the stick with a damp sponge to remove dust without wetting the stick again.
7. Whittle or carve any designs you want into the walking stick. You may also want to carve away any small bits of bark that remains on the wood.
8. Sand all surfaces of the walking stick with a section of fine sandpaper. Remove any rough spots to prevent injury to the hands as well as splinters.
9. Wipe the walking stick down with a tack cloth to remove all sanding dust. Apply water seal all over the stick to protect the wood from water damage.
10. Allow drying time after the water seal application and then apply wood stain to the walking stick. Apply at least two coats of stain, allowing overnight drying time between each coat. You may use a light or dark stain, or apply clear polyurethane instead.
Tags: wooden, walking, sticks, walking stick, section wood, drying time, stick down, drying stick, stick with, walking sticks, want stick, water seal
Related Posts:
Make Homemade Porcelain Veneers Pictures
porcelain dental veneersEver need to fix a broken tooth--or simply want to improve your smile--but you don't have dental insurance and can't afford a porcelain dental veneers just now? If you are...
Homemade Urinating Dog Repellent
Dog urine is not good for your grass.Dogs make excellent pets, great companions and fun playmates. What they don't make is pleasant odors, especially when they urinate in your yard. Dog urine ruin...
Homemade Eye Drops
Eyes can become irritated, red or itchy for a number of reasons.If you are suffering from irritated or dry eyes, you can make homemade natural eye drops to help with your symptoms. Eyes can become...
Homemade Pergola
Creating a pergola helps to add a flare of sophistication to your home. Pergolas help provide a defined, cool outside space, where a patio can be partially covered and add drama to a space you use...
Make Homemade Squirrel Repellent
Make homemade squirrel repellantSquirrels are voracious little eaters and diggers. They will go after any tasty little treat in your garden that appeals to them, including all those flowering bulb...
