Selecting Wood for Walking Sticks

If you have an interest in carving a walking stick, then your first order of business is to choose your stick.  You can order a stick from a carving supply store, but I have found that the most satisfying is to get outside and cut your own walking stick.

There are a few factors that you have to be mindful of when it comes to selecting the wood for your new walking stick:

1. Size (diameter)
2. Height of the user of the Walking Stick
3. Strength of wood

• Size (Diameter)

Most good walking sticks are going to be between 1 1/2″ to 2″.  When deciding on the diameter of the walking stick, keep in mind that if you are using the walking stick for more than decoration, you will be carrying it around for long periods of time.  The larger the diameter, the heavier the walking stick will be.  Also, the smaller the diameter, the weaker the over all walking stick will be.

• Height of the User of the Walking Stick

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.

A general rule of thumb to help determine the length of the walking stick after it is finished, is to measure the distance from the ground to hand while you have your arm bent at a 90 degree angle against your body.  This measurement is the length to the hand hold portion of the walking stick.  Now determine how much longer your want the stick to be.  I like to have the stick come to just under eye level.  Now add about a 1′ to 1 1/2′ extra to compensate for any checking.

• Strength of the Wood

When making a walking stick, you want to use a wood that is not too weak, but also not too heavy.  Here is a short list of some good woods to use for making your walking stick:

1. Maple
2. Sweetgum
3. Cherry
4. Poplar
5. Dogwood
6. Aspen

This is not an exhausted list, there are other types of wood that make good walking sticks, but these are a few of the ones that I have either found through experience or through advise from other walking stick carvers to be really good.

Now that you know what type of wood you are looking for, the size (diameter) you need and the length you need to cut, it is time to set out on your journey to look for the perfect sapling for your walking stick.  Once you find your new stick, make sure it does not have any unmanageable impurities and cut it to down.

Now that you have your walking stick cut, you are ready to move on deciding if you want to remove the bark or not and then prepare for the drying process.