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Whats the best wood for a hiking stick?


AroseP

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Acacia is probably the best. Pricey and rare though.

 

Rare and Pricey? :) Do tell!

 

Acacia are considered an undesirable invasive species around here and people hack them down all the time. I suppose I could turn some of those into hiking sticks for $ :D

 

It's a fast growing hardwood, native to Africa and Australia. The ones that I saw were pretty pricey. I guess it depends on the type of species. It's mentioned in Exodus as the wood that the Ark of the Covenant was made out of, and also symbolic in Freemasonry. You probably could make money if you did a mail order business to people that lived out of the area.

Edited by 4wheelin_fool
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Oak. It is very hard, which means it would probably stand up to vigorous use. :)

 

Isn't Oak a relatively heavy wood?

 

I wonder how purple heart would hold up? I've always liked purple heart.

 

Both purple heart and ebony are heavier than either red or white oak are.

 

Yes, I knew that much. ~LOL~

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While I am not adding an answer to the orginal poster's question - I have a question that may help others that may read this thread:

 

Does anyone know the rule of thumb about the height/length of the walking stick? Is there some standard? Thanks in advance.

 

The "standard" changes with the terrain so I use an adjustable one from Beans.

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I just picked up a 60" length of Ash broom handle and man, is it heavy! Sturdy beyond expectations though and will make an excellent all purpose hiking / trekking tool. This one is designed for the large industrial brooms that are around 4' - 5' wide. I hung my whole weight from it (230lbs) and did a couple of chin-ups and it only flexed a little.

 

There is a wood working shop in the complex I work at and I'm going to see if he will turn the diameter down a wee bit on a lathe to cut some of the weight down, but I am looking forward to carving and etching some custom designs onto it.

 

After doing some research I chose this because of the strength mainly and abundant availability secondly, and at $9.00 the price is acceptable for a blank stick.

 

As the stick appears to be composite and not a solid shaft, I will most likely stain it near-black and paint in the etching and carving.

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I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

 

An ElDiablo stick made an appearance at an event I attended today. Very nice. The owner of the stick considers it to be one of his prized possessions.

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While I am not adding an answer to the orginal poster's question - I have a question that may help others that may read this thread:

 

Does anyone know the rule of thumb about the height/length of the walking stick? Is there some standard? Thanks in advance.

 

My best suggestion is to take your height and substract 10 inches. This should bring the staff about to your shoulder. Too long is always better than too short.

 

As to the best wood. If you have Poplar in your area that's my favorite. There is nothing that will dry straighter or lighter, and yet still very sturdy. Other good woods are Hickory, Maple, Ash and Cherry. Avoid Oak. It's very strong, but also very heavy. Also avoid Pine because of the sap, it will leak out forever.

 

If there is anyway I can help you please let me know.

 

El Diablo

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I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

 

An ElDiablo stick made an appearance at an event I attended today. Very nice. The owner of the stick considers it to be one of his prized possessions.

 

It's a staff...not a stick. I've always regreted naming my web site geo-hiking sticks. It should have been geo-hiking staffs. Stick, just sounds so impersonal. Every staff I've ever created was customized to the owner.

 

El Diablo

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I don't know if he still makes them but I would bet that ElDiablo has some seasoned cured staffs that he'd fix you up with. If not he can tell you everything you want to know about good hiking staffs

 

http://www.geo-hikingstick.com/id2.html

 

An ElDiablo stick made an appearance at an event I attended today. Very nice. The owner of the stick considers it to be one of his prized possessions.

 

It's a staff...not a stick. I've always regreted naming my web site geo-hiking sticks. It should have been geo-hiking staffs. Stick, just sounds so impersonal. Every staff I've ever created was customized to the owner.

 

El Diablo

 

Sorry for the using "stick". I should have known better. By the way, the Boy Scouts call them staves. I don't know why.

 

Thanks for the poplar recommendation. I love to work with poplar in my woodshop. I'll have to keep my eye open for a good looking piece in the woods. Will a branch work or should I look for a sapling?

Edited by Wooden Cyclist
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If there is anyway I can help you please let me know.

Hey El D! Long time no see!

(please forgive the cheesy attempt at poetry)

 

Have you worked with root stock orange tree wood?

 

I found a spot way out in the swamps that apparently used to be an orange grove. Several sapling wild orange trees in the area, and most have fairly straight trunks. I should be able to get permission to harvest one, if they'd be worth messing with.

 

-Sean

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Mine is ash and has served me well for a lot of years.

 

When I'm out and don't have it, I generally make an improvised staff from sycamore if I can find it. If not, I'll use whatever's handy. For a long term staff, any hardwood that's straight and true and properly treated/dried should do the job. I've seen maple, oak, hickory, ash, sycamore and any number of other eastern hardwoods used successfully.

 

Good luck and enjoy making your staff.

 

- Zurfco

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Persimmon is the wood I used for my staff. Its light but extremely strong. If you can find a good straight piece, it works well.

 

As to length, I didn't want it to be too long, because here in the deep south, there are a lot of thickets and briar patches with caches in the middle of them. If the stick is too long, it becomes a hindrance, and unusable for the purpose. I made mine so that when I hold it like I use it, my forearm is parallel to the ground. Its really a long walking cane more than a staff.

Edited by geobudman
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