When setting out to create a walking stick, whether carved, wood burned, or just plain, there are a few things that you can do to help make your project a success. After you have the stick cut and removed the bark or not, you are ready to prepare the stick for the drying process.
When a walking stick dries, the moisture in the wood is evaporating and causing the wood to draw up some. The amount of change in the wood during the drying process depends on the type of wood that is used for the walking stick. As the walking stick dries, the ends can develop small checks or cracks that will gradually open.
- Seal the Ends
To help keep this checking and cracking to a minimum, you can dip the ends in melted wax. This will seal the ends and keep the moisture from escaping too quickly. Is also helps the walking stick to dry more evenly.
- Secure the Walking Stick
It is important to keep the walking stick from bending and curving while in the drying process. If the walking sticks are allowed to just lay or stand free, as it dries, it will naturally bend and curl. To keep this from happening, you can:
- Bundle together a group of 5 to 6 sticks, by tying them together at the top, middle and bottom with string or twine. This will allow them to use each other as support. Be careful that air is able to circulate around each stick, or they may begin to rot at their points of contact with each other.
- Attach the walking sticks to a board with metal or plastic straps. Place a strap over the walking sticks in at least two if not three places to restrict the movement ability of the walking stick as it dries.
The rule of thumb for drying walking sticks is 1 year for each 1″ of diameter. Using a cool, dry place is best without direct sunlight. The sun tends to dry the walking sticks out too quickly and they may begin to split and check worse than if not in the sunlight.
Some woods should be carved before the entire drying process is complete, because once they are dry, they are hard and rigid. There is a delicate balance between carving the walking stick too green and not too dry, depending on the type of wood you are using to make your walking stick. If carved too green, areas of the carving will begin to split and crack.
[...] When selecting a suitable walking stick in the woods, you will need to know how long you need the stick to be. You will also need to add some length to the stick before cutting so that you have room for checking while drying the walking stick. [...]