Straightening Sticks

[Buffalo Bif]

I've seen a couple threads here about taking a bend or crook out of a stick. While watching the toob over the last week I tuned in Modern Marvels because the description mentioned making walking sticks (curved handle canes, really). I was amazed at how simple straightening was for the comp they visited. 20 minutes in a steamer, then the stick is straightened by hand and by eye between two posts. No clamping, straighten throw it on a pile and let it dry. (they dried in an oven)

Just thought I'd share. If it's on your mind, I reccommend finding the show.

[Boydman]

Hey Brian,

I will have to try that on one of these diamond willow!....they are full of twists and bends....and old! So, if steaming will work on these it should work on most anything!....worth a try!

Greg

[Marvin Little]

I am not sure about steaming but I tried to straighten an old stick with dry heat and immediately broke it. I use a straightening block and a dry heat gun for most of my straightening. This works better for me. If you steam a stick then it has to dry again bewfore you can put a finish on it.

Marvin

[vin]

Why straighten them?I got a cane with a 6-8 in bow in the middle. I'm carving a head near the handle . When walking I just dont know if I like to use the bow out front or back..

[Robson Valley]

Here's the deal: in wood structure, there are a lot of wood compounds which are far shorter than the cellulose fiber. The steam transfers heat to those and they soften, plasticise. Exceptionally dry wood is NOT the place to start. Fresh & wet is ideal. The only thing that you have to discover for yourself is how long to apply the heat (and don't get burnt by the hot/wet wood!).
3 hrs over boiling water is long enough to soften a 5" x 1/8" corner for a cedar box.

I had a guy sit at my table with a 1kw little room heater. He was straightening primitive arrow shafts from willow, rose bush, chokecherry and Serviceberry/Saskatoon berry. Maybe 5 minutes each. Just for a giggle, he took a poor one (3/8" thick or more) and tied it in a knot for me.

When my Dad did oak boat keels, he had a long piece of galvanized rain pipe with a regular electric kettle at the bottom. My job was to make sure the kettle never ran dry. I can only remember that it took hours = bent like rubber.

[blanchard65]

Straiten them!! I am looken for the most bent up one that will hold me up

[carvingbarn]

Steaming them you can make a unsuible stick usible and you can also give them twist and turns you want them to have. Also make hooked handles for canes.

[twitcher]

I also steam my sticks, made a long box out of ply ,with spacers in bottom to keep stick of bottom of box, few holes in bottom to leave water out (from steam ) & hole for nozzle from wall paper stripper, 20 min is mostly all they need, 30 min at most...mark

[Marvin Little]

Sticks with bows and/or bends will work fine as long as the top and the bottom point in the saqme direction. When you hold it in the proper way the bottom should sit squarely on the ground. As I have said I prefer the dry heat gun because it does the same thing and I can finish the stick immediately. Straightening sticks is a matter of practice just like anything else that you do.

Marvin