[stickman]

I have a fair bit of sassafras on my property anybody have any experience carving and or curing .

I have seen carvings made from it and they look cool with the different colors from sap wood to heart wood .

Mike

[Ashbys]

It is a great Carving wood. The curing is the same as other woods. It is a very slow growing tree to get of valuable size , but it is a good carving wood and will hold great detail , much like butternut.

Ash

[Lightningbolt]

I've had very good results from using sassafras and it carves well. It's a bit scarce in my particular neck of the woods, but I always grab it when opportunity arises.

I carved one of my favorite woodspirit walking sticks from a piece of honey-suckle twisted sassafras which I traded a friend for a completed spirit stick. He sure wanted the stick back after seeing the finished piece but I liked it so much it's been included in my protected not-for-sale stash

[Coldwood]

I have a twisted hiking stick that I bought at a craftshow five years ago. The seller said it was sassafras from down south and that it was twisted by kudzu vine. It's a beautiful stick, I use it a lot, but I'm curious how this happens...any answers or links?

[Thomp]

I have always loved the smell of sassafras , dont know if the wood is as pungent as the roots,

I dont know nothing about kudzu except its itchy here in louisiana we have several type vines that are capable of strangling sapplings, the vines are hard and woody, they climb the sapplin wrapping tightly, when its young and as the tree grows the vine will hold fast for a few years then the tree will bust it and somewhat recover, i have seen many strangled sapplings out hunting but then i had no intrest in walking sticks many years ago. i have one staff where the vine killed the saplin and it made a weird cupped hand shape on top.

i bet a feller could put some copper wire inside a garden hose and do the same by windinf the hose around a sappling and letting it grow, over a few years. if one was inclined to do so...

i wouldnt do it on a favorite tree in the yard as it might have effect on the trunk strength.