How to make a blackthorn walking stick from start to finish - Irish stick making by McCaffreyCrafts

3 day worldwide delivery by DHL / UPS courier with my blackthorn shillelagh walking sticks,
www.paypal.me/...
mccaffreycraft... - my online shop
/ mccaffreycrafts
/ mccaffreycrafts
/ mccaffreycrafts
Livestream every Friday 6pm GMT on KZbin
Physical address
McCaffrey Crafts Ltd
Lower Bridge st,
Killorglin
V93 W861
Company Reg No: 725466 #handmade #ireland #walkingstick #walkingsticks #crafts #irish

[@ianhobbs4984]

Enjoyable to watch .but I used to use a Zulu War Club a Knobkerry until I took to a wheelchair, but now I don't need a walking Stick But as of now it's the pleasure of watching programs like these as I am pretty much house bound now.

[@bronco1199]

Beautiful work. Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦. I've got my eye on a 38.5 inch, blackthorn walking stick.

[@DONK0]

I'm watching this while waiting for the delivery truck to drop off my walking stick today. Any time now...

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@alecreview]

​@FrancisMcCaffrey5 hi it's me donk, i made a quick video on my channel opening it up and my first impressions. It's very nice looking and feels great! At first I wanted it to be bigger and heavier, but after further consideration the thickness and weight seem perfect. Excellent work!

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

@@alecreviewsaw you review thanks

[@deekthefirst]

Hope the delivery truck isn’t Evri or it’ll be a tree by the time you get it!! 😂

[@glennmeade2390]

​@@deekthefirst or fire kindling

[@marymiles9922]

Great video! I love seeing how you craft the blackthorn into amazing treasures! ❤

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Thank you! 😊

[@martinoneill3345]

Brilliant video Francis. Very interesting to see the different stages of the process. Well done.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@seanburns8920]

I stumbled upon your shop in 2019 while visiting, and I cherish my rowan stick to this day

[@davidwhiren817]

What an exquisite example of a Black Thorne walking stick !!! That baby screams out McCaffrey made !!! & also , your instruction , They call him the Dude , he will put you in the mood & he won't be rude !!! Thank you & much love !!!

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Thank you David

[@davidwhiren817]

lad , it is with things such as this & the Faction fight histories , along with the weight that your name carries with it , that are going to make you & your business an institution !!!

[@artawhirler]

I just got my blackthorn walking stick today and I love it! Thanks!

[@pjofurey6239]

I’m singing the “rocky road to Dublin “ to leave where I was born ,to cut a stout blackthorn , to banish ghost & goblin ,grand job …

[@deekthefirst]

Ahaaa! the old Lidl parkside gloves good quality, comfy and more importantly cheap! Love them ❤️😊

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

So that where my mom got them!

[@Jon-wx6xs]

Man, it's crazy what you can do with just one or two basic tools and some patience when it comes to this kind of stuff.

[@rarutreel4084]

i like the slight bend for character

[@herrdeutschmann4602]

Well Done!

[@dallastiger1]

Greetings from Texas.....Love your sticks and they have been serving me well here in the land of Armadillos and Prickly Pears ! I enjoy watching you work your art so much !!! I always recommend your products to those who ask where to get a quality blackthorn !

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Great to hear!

[@smokNmiras]

Should try some coarse abranet for shaping surfboards.. for getting into tight radii, moving heaps of material without loading like sandpaper… you’ll be pleasantly surprised.. roll it up and you can almost treat it like a Shinto rasp of any size you like👌

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Interesting I’ll check it out

[@rustyshackleford3316]

I wish someone had told me as a kid that was a job I could do, I was sanding sticks down all the time and wacking dead tree branches off with them!

[@johnscully1836]

lidl should sponsor you as most of your workshop has their product. lovely work, fair play, great to see somebody carrying on the tradition , cant figure out the accent though....

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

I’m a Kerry man. It’s a townie accent

[@martinriley106]

The Shinto rasp is brilliant for stick making I use one myself.

[@jeremystafford8374]

Really enjoy this type of content, thanks for your efforts with the channel.....

[@tonynapoli5549]

Excellent demonstration Francis, lovely stick 👌

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Many thanks!

[@garengatorlope1004]

Interesting video Francis

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dizzysdiamonds]

I'd probably steer clear of recommending these sticks for medical purposes... it's 2024 and you know the way some people are ...don't want you to end up with a law suit !!!

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

I used one after my operation to remove my cancer tumor and it was essential for 4 weeks for me. It’s my personal opinion based on me using it after surgery

[@dizzysdiamonds]

@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 absolutely ...couldn't agree more .....I was just thinking of the internet police more than anything ....it's a fine beautiful blackthorn and one of your finest videos to date !!!

[@MB_EDC]

Great video. Thanks for sharing there process

[@susanwoodard9655]

Wow! Amazing workmanship! I'll be saving my money to order one of your beautiful pieces. How do you decide which variation of handle or knob would be best to use? I'm new to this stage of my life to be needing one. Thanks so much! From Susan Woodard in Michigan USA ❤

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Both handles are fine after an operation the t or l shaped handles are better

[@chairlesnicol672]

​@@FrancisMcCaffrey5Hi! You never showed the process of hearing up the stick! Could you show that step of the process nest time! Thnx!

[@davidgeldner2167]

Art.

[@brunomaelstrom8823]

Nice video and quick decision process, the result is really cool !

[@salomeelizabeth6026]

Great video, 'blackthorn' looks fabulous!

[@ianbrowne9304]

Thank you for sharing I would like to know if there is an importance in using blackthorn wood for a walking stick ? From Australia where I think a blackthorn is a thorny plant (??)

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Yes

[@martinriley106]

I love the purple colour of the Blackthorn wood.

[@robbybobby64]

That one looks great Francis!

[@mikebeavis1065]

What type of paint would you use to get the black finish please? Many thanks! Loved the vid!

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Black gloss

[@lailamcdaniels7105]

Excellent presentation.

[@Frederick-q1g]

I'm 6'1" what length walking stick do you recommend?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

37 inch

[@frankwilliams8681]

Where can I get blackthorn?

[@LawrenceEwing-lc3gm]

Found it enjoyable!

[@stevenkennedy4130]

Thanks for the share!!

[@IssaAli-dr2vf]

❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@QrisuMies]

Very nice stick ❤

[@johnferguson40]

Thanks.

[@mkogrady6078]

Is black thorn a shrub or tree? Where does it grow?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Tree and in Ireland

[@gerardlacey9384]

Beautiful work, making something so lovely from nature. Many thanks and best wishes. Gérard lacey in Wexford.

[@bigjames3601]

the T stick is exactly what I am after @37" pity this one is not on your website :)

[@knife_knut]

Lots of labor for these beauties which is why they’re not cheap. Well done, Sir! 🫡

[@kevinwaters60]

Anyone else want to see his prized collection??? This fella is the Japanese katana of stick making 🙌🏼

[@rigamortice]

Good luck finding a straight piece of blackthorm

[@terencebarnett113]

I think I would use drawknife to the thorns on shaft you would nice fest timber poking though the bark

[@jamessmith1845]

My girlfriend ordered me one for my 30th birthday and I couldn't be more excited

[@ww307ly6]

Love your work and now it's time to get ready and purchase one of your works of art.

[@vespadavidson2315]

I have a blackthorn walking stick. It was cut by my grandfather on my birth. It and I are now 68 years old. He used to fit a small funnel on to the end, fill that with oil and then it was stood in the corner of the kitchen. He always had a selection curing.

[@mah3223alia]

What a beautiful gift ❤️

[@m163]

I enjoy watching how make choices and create your sticks.

[@pinkerbot]

How do you heat the stiick for the straightening process?

[@babakbabak5329]

Great job.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Thanks!

[@ianlongmore6898]

Great channel, great videos. A question if I may, I've been given a blackthorn as a presentation however it's just not straight, I mean way out, it's painted and varnished, would I be able to straighten it still?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

You can straighten it but it you will wear off the finish as you do it

[@mvblitzyo]

Exceptional video of a craftsman working on a work of art that will be beautifully by a welcome user of this walking stick.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Thank you very much!

[@artawhirler]

This is one of the most interesting videos you've ever done, Francis! Thanks so much for showing us the whole process! I just have one question: how did the tradition of painting them black get started? Is it to imitate the look of hanging them up in the chimney, as I've heard they used to do back in the "old days" or is there another reason for it?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Black was just a style thing when the bark didn’t look too good after seasoning looks better painted black.

[@meoldfruit]

Hello Francis ,really enjoying your videos can you tell me what finish you use ? Is it varnish and if so what brand ?also do you use a stain before the finish ?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

When I do a course in the future I will let students know

[@glennmeade2390]

You cannit beat a shinto file👍

[@olica2298]

I love it… so nice work 👍🏼

[@mikegifford3713]

Francis, iam 5'9",what size walking stick do I need

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

35 inch

[@RoysTimberArtTechniques-mv6gt]

Must give this a try

[@1961kickboxer]

Does blackthorn when seasoning get micro cracks in the ends

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

It can

[@stegmonjurvinweirdt1834]

It makes sense to me to use oil paint. So, I'm curious if you mix your own paint?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Yes I mix

[@SiApPeter]

How do you heat the stick before putting it in the vice?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Heat gun

[@jeanpierreclerc9613]

Nice video !how long do you keep the stick in the jig to staighten it?thank you

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

A few hours

[@Argonaut80]

So is the blackthorn extinct yet?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Not as long as I am alive

[@CreativeCarpentry]

Where do you harvest the black thorn?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Ireland

[@leviathan8624]

For how long do you season the wood??

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

2 to 3 years

[@garyjohnson9297]

A very rustic stick . Do you ever put a ferrel on the tip ?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Rubber ferrule

[@dfcvda]

what is the sealer? I mean which one?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Just ask for sealer in any hardware store there will be a whole shelf with options.

[@ReverendSoupbone]

My McCaffery stick is with me always! I refused to use some Walmart old man cane. The day I found this guy I ordered. It’s excellent and doesn’t mind some pressure. I’m going to order a second one soon!

[@micjshss62]

[@bosse641]

Such a fun project. Would love to get into that one day.

[@stantaylor2716]

Nice work.

[@derry1423]

Brilliant buddy