Cracks keep forming up my walking sticks!

[Forestsoul]

I have only just begun to carve / widdle but have worked with wood all my life being a carpenter just not this fresh =) i chose 3 nice small straight trees to make walking sticks out of one was even wraped with a vine and made a nice head .... my problem is as they were drying this past week all 3 formed splits and cracks.. is there a way to stop this should i leave the bark on wile they dry for a couple of weeks .... or is there something else i can try .... sorry if the spelling is to far off on anything and i thank you for any help on the matter

[Marvin Little]

I never peel my sticks until they have dried for a year. I still do not peel them unless the bark is loose or damaged. I find that I like the appearance of the bark more than I do the raw wood. I scrape off any rough outer bark and then sand the inner bark. I do not cut the bark off but scrape it with a heavy knife, like scaling a fish. This is my choice but I know that a lot of stickmakers prefer to peel everything. I would recommend that you not peel them until they have cured/dried. I use a lot of dogwood and sassafras and both have a rough outer bark but a very nice inner bark after sanding. Excuse the jumping jacks. I tried to remove them and made it worse.

Marvin

[chipmunk]

Originally Posted by Forestsoul

I have only just begun to carve / widdle but have worked with wood all my life being a carpenter just not this fresh =) i chose 3 nice small straight trees to make walking sticks out of one was even wraped with a vine and made a nice head .... my problem is as they were drying this past week all 3 formed splits and cracks.. is there a way to stop this should i leave the bark on wile they dry for a couple of weeks .... or is there something else i can try .... sorry if the spelling is to far off on anything and i thank you for any help on the matter

i found that if u put it in a very cool dry place and slow dring down that it don't crack as bad....and leave the bark on and drill 1/2 in. holes in the ends about 1in.deep helps the ends not to crack dring to fast &the center expanding causes cracks...

[Dicky]

I would agree with leaving the bark on and waiting about a year. If possible cut your stick longer than necessary. This will allow you to cut off any small end checks that may develop.

[dnstehly]

If you are going to carve a piece while it is still green you need to put it in a plastic bag between carvng sessions. Take it out of the bag for a few hours each day then return it. For a slender stick, a few weeks of that procedure will dry it beyond any fear of splits occurring.

[Buffalo Bif]

In addition to leaving the bark on and drying for a year, I dip the ends in house paint too.

BfloBif

[Mitchell]

Don't let them dry too fast.

Searched for previous posts on subject:

Curing a Walking Stick & other stuff

Keeping the wood from splitting

When to cut wood for canes and sticks

Keeping walking sticks from cracking

[sashadoc]

It depends on the wood. I use Poplar and peel them the day they are cut. I wait about a week and cut them 6" longer than needed on both ends. I carve and toward the end trim of the extra and finish carving. I have had no problems with further checking, but of course all wood reacts differently!
Tim

[Tommy Taylor]

Can't tell you how glad I am you posted this.I needed the information too.Afraid I just stripped it and started carving so I've got some hairline cracks but oh well,I'm calling it character.Thanks for the post.

[Ky_Whittler]

I try to cut in winter and seal all ends. I use wood glue to seal them myself. I also cut long as well. Minimum curing time is six months before I carve them. Only one species that I have been able to carve green is red maple saplings. Whittler