New to staff carving

[RandyHjr]

I found it very hard to relief carve now that my wife is going to school at night. So I have started carving hiking sticks/staffs and I love it. Now I want to start looking for my own sticks.

I seem to be getting different results in trying to find if a limb or sapling is a better choice for a hiking staff. I have also noticed that some of the darker woods like walnut don't have that deep color in smaller limbs or saplings. What do you use when carving cherry or walnut to get that deep color?

I am also trying to find a good guide to the different types of trees using bark instead of the leaves to identify them.

I also would like to hear your tips on drying the sticks. So far I know you need to remove the bark, wax the ends of the stick, and allow good air flow around the sticks. My garage stays very cold and the only other option would be to use our spare bedroom. Which would be the better place to let the sticks dry?

I live on Fort Campbell which is on the TN KY border, if anyone is around this area that does cane or hiking sticks, please send me a private message if you would like to do some foraging.

[SimonLawton]

Hi Randy, I am new to both stickmaking and carving/whittling, but with this Forum and one we have in England by Keith Pickering The Stickman, you will get all the help and advice you need as everyones so helpful, plus theres loads of Archive stuff to browse too! I live on the Isle of Wight off the South Coast of England, and now is the time here to start collecting shafts for stickmaking. I have also collected thicker interesting shaped wood and Staff length wood to carve and whittle away at!
At present I hide my sticks away in a Cupboard under the stairs, like Harry Potters Bedroom! lol. Also as my wife has banned me collecting anymore till we move house I have hidden some twisties in the Shed! Oh and in the Car!
To me All my shanks and bits of Antler/Wood are all work in progress, and I even get pleasure from looking through them and planning what to do once they are seasoned!
Back to you, I would take over the spare bedroom and turn it into a workshop!
Take care
Simon

[Claude]

Hi, Randy.
Here are a couple of web sites that should help you identify trees.
Dendrology at Virginia Tech

What Tree Is It? HOME

Claude

[Marvin Little]

Randy, I do not think that the temperature is critical to curing. I bundle my stick blanks and stand them up in a back yard shed for a year to cure (dry). I do not peel off any bark if I can help it. I scrape off any outer rough bark and sand smooth ther inner bark. I like the look of the bark better than the raw wood. Just my personal preference. I do not coat the ends and have had very little problem with splitting. I do try to cut them a few inches longer than needed, just in case they split. I live in central
Alabama so my temerature in not too much different from yours.

Marvin

[JJireh]

Randy, I live in Middle Tn. You are correct that we do not have many dark wood in saplings and branches as most of that is heart wood. The main way to get dark colors is stains which usually work just fine. Saplings or branches or suckers work fine, it all depends on what you want to create. Most common trees of tn http://www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/treeidguide.pdf
I use Dogwood, red oak, white oak, wild cherry, walnut, ash, and birch. Honestly just take a walk and look for sticks, it's hard to go wrong. I store mine in the garage for years no real issues.