Walking sticks prep 1

Debarking some sticks to make them ready for storage and drying.
Source Links: Flexcut Scraper Set
www.amazon.com...
Spokeshave: www.amazon.com...

[@johnbright-ty5mj]

enjoyed your video well done

[@virgiltoepfer7087]

Great tips, thank you. Like dipping ends in wax plus revision on scraper.

[@murphacus]

A lot of walking stick videos but this one is what I was looking for. No1 else is talking about the drying process. Thanks dude! 👍

[@UltraD52]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MiLittleCorner]

I'm glad I happened upon your video. Your "little bit abut sticks" is a plethora of information about preparing sticks for use. I've just fallen into the rabbit hole of walking sticks and your video is so helpful. Thank you.

[@UltraD52]

I'm glad it was helpful

[@Bing6813]

I found an old , wood handled Machete at a local flea market , I use it instead of a drawknife to peel the bark from Greenwood and dry my sticks for up to a year , the old machete is an amazing tool , especially when it has a really sharp edge , the bark comes off so easily

[@UltraD52]

South America, Mexico, Indonesia they use them to do pretty delicate carving.

[@garylavorgna5976]

Great video. I use the same mill knife

[@flashwestmoreland3691]

Honestly this video became helpful..i appreciate the info..you answered my curious questions, I like jumping into my hobbies for self learning, I feel the best way to learn is to figure it out, especially if there's no one around to teach or to do a walkthrough, my moral is this video saved me a long time of failed attempts, i just picked up the craft of carving, i liked the idea of keeping the cut off ends for the creative aspect, it's and art form I enjoy

[@UltraD52]

I'm happy to hear that

[@bormatnor]

Great video With helpful tips. Been making sticks for years and never tried the paint scraper. I've used broken coke bottles with good results.

[@edwardbruce5859]

I've been making walking sticks for years and you can cut them green you put them in a closet for about a month and let them dry and then take the bark off it comes off easy leave them in the closet for another 3 months and they're ready to work with easy to work also use broken glass as scrapers they work the best I have taken a green sapling scripted in the woods and treated this way and it did not split the trick is the way the tree grows the way you stand it in the closet if you do it upside down it will split every time

[@Thelby1]

You don't believe in Punctuation, do you? Makes it hard to read.

[@joanneg7646]

Thank you for the scraper and wax tips.. I’m new at making walking sticks

[@tajlu6725]

This was so helpful, Thank you! I went hiking and found a stick perfect for grounding. It’s my official hiking staff, all I need to do is carve and seal it. Loved this video. Don’t have any of the tools though 🤣. Will go shop for some.

[@WhstlblwrBlastingEpsteinsILK]

Great video. I have a More Bushcraft w/ a nice 90° spine. It shaved that bark residue beautifully. Thanks for making the video! Looking forward to more!

[@terry2346]

You can also use just plain old yellow glue for the ends to slow down the drying. That is what us wood turners use to prevent excessive water loss of the end grain cracking our bowl blanks and the principle is the same. :)

[@UltraD52]

good suggestion. Thx

[@GMLAUS]

Thank you for this. The wax idea and also the contribution from the comments has helped

[@dalchof.baileygroup5945]

well done vid. like the concept of wax. I store my new sticks laying flat in the attic for drying. I agree, my best results are with sticks dried @ a year an inch. i'm just an amateur "whittler", but it's something you can do anytime & almost any where with just a few tools.

[@buswellhouse]

I've never meet a stick expert,,,till now!! 😁

[@artloewen]

great video, really enjoyed it. yes on the bark remover, great idea, thanks.

[@UltraD52]

This video was made 5 years ago. I don't do as much of this work as I did then, but I have since starting using a spokeshave as the main tool for the job.

[@bertharbin407]

Don Dailey

[@theof5645]

I used to make canes like that. Then slipped on an icy step, fell on my cane, and when I got up found out my cane had snapped like a twig, but I didn't even know it. That is when I changed my cane making method, and now make much stronger canes. My shaft had air dried for around 10 years, inside, by the way.

[@UltraD52]

Theo, Sorry to hear about that fall. My walking sticks are just that. Not really for supporting full weight.

[@anthonykot]

thanks for that ..cant wait the start on my next hiking sticks...

[@robsmith1975]

I use a fruit/veggie peeler. They work much better/hold up amazingly well to the abuse than you would think.

[@UltraD52]

Oh that's a great idea

[@UltraD52]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@valeriepottorff9344]

Great info. Enjoyed this a lot

[@mikebuchanan3064]

Don very well done informative easy to follow will see what else u have done thanks for the tips keep on keeping on

[@wood4nothing284]

Cool carving it turned out really nice , loving your channel. Cheers Tim from Wood 4 Nothing

[@UltraD52]

Thank you

[@YnseSchaap]

Removing fresh bark is the best part of making a walking stick, I usually use hazel freshly cut and let it dry on the move

[@bobbeyette3227]

Great idea, thanks for sharing

[@FUGYOO]

lol. spoken like a true wood-man. great ideas.wax huh. cool. gonna do it. thanks my friend

[@TerrorDerr]

Thank you so much for this vid, even though it's really old. I wanna try making a staff/walking stick sorta like this, so this vid is very informative. I also think your work is very lovely!!

[@UltraD52]

Thanks. I do need to update this one. ha ha

[@creamylinguine7028]

@@UltraD52 9 years and my guy still responds, what a legend.

[@oafachlebn]

Nice and interesting video. You made a good job. Thanks for the information. Maybe there comes part two.

[@_LauDuran]

loved the video! daughter and I are trying to make a walking stick for her but she wants glitter on it :)

[@m.michael8056]

Excellent info, good photography & well said!! Here's another tool tip...in place of the Flex Cut tool shown, have found that a standard painter's "9 and 1" tool will work as well. (the half circle part)...and it can be sharpened if you want.

[@Space_with_Kat]

13 years ago is crazy

[@strong9241]

This really helped me to survive once, just dry wood and make fire.

[@ramrod60th30]

Good ideas Master I've been carving since I was 10 years old I'm 60 now I carve hiking sticks icard Birds on the top Birds down the side baby birds down the side squirrels rabbits bunnies I mean squirrel that I use a Stanley knife I use the back side of the blade to skin after I take the bark off Stanley knife is all I used to do the whole thing I don't use sandpaper I use a stainless steel rod and rub it up and down the stick in between the carvings and it closes the pores up you don't need to sand glad to see somebody still Beth it but I haven't seen your work yet all I seen you do a skin bark

[@UltraD52]

Good to know. Thank you.

[@wheezydigitz8992]

Claim you're not an expert, but seem quite knowledgeable. Thanks for the vid to get me started on my own

[@johnkurz1591]

good job

[@ASMROW]

I appreciate your help. Thank you

[@rickloftin1708]

Really enjoyed the video. I am trying to figure out how to make a slot in the middle for either a fixed blade or for a "kubaton" just in case this senior needs a little help while walking.

[@crazyhorseranchaz]

FIRST TIME seeing your video, glad i did. As i was watching and you showed the pieces you had cut off that were longer than others would work very well as a so called RABBIT stick, they were, and still used in some parts of the world to stop a rabbit or anything else from running away from you if a stick was the only weapon you had and hunger was gnawing away from lack of food. I carry one when camping just in case needed in troubled times. I felt the explanation was needed for folks who may not of heard of such a thing. Thanks and will be searching for more of your video's and learning some tricks of the trade. Oh in closing I'll add i recently found an old dried tool handle from shovel i think and in the process of making a walking stick of my own .

[@LisaMacInnes]

Wax on the end was a great tip as well.

[@UltraD52]

Thanks

[@oooTDLooo]

Great video sir, i got a lot of useful information from it. Now i really want to start wood carving and making stuff.

[@danvanhoose6783]

Leave the bark,when ready to make,sand the bark smooth and apply polyurethane satin.comes out butiful.

[@emrys6738]

i never peel the bark and seal them with the sap still in and it makes the very strong happy trails

[@leebarker4207]

Great video Don thanks.

[@Junior48210]

Great video ! awesome background Song ! 🎧🎺🎷

[@sambo170a]

I have a small separate space where the fridge is kept the size of two phone boots thats where I dry my sticks as the temperature is constant all the year around

[@UltraD52]

Yes PolyU will absolutely protect and preserve the stick and the bark should hold up if it hasn't come loose at this point.

[@loduck]

great information....thanks, i need all the tips i can get

[@UltraD52]

The part just under the bark is called the cambium layer.

[@rolandvasquez7844]

BEWARE AS HUMIDITY FLATTENS OUT THE GLOSSY POLYEURETHANE TOP COAT. THERE4 KEEP WOOD IN DRY CLIMATE; EXPERIENCE LEARNED👍✌

[@emsy5990]

Thank you for sharing your AWESOME

[@watashmaru7122]

Thank you for this!

[@jodyperalta8795]

Omg I don't have the patience or time to let a stick dry for a few years . I use a hand held grinder to get the bark off

[@mikespilligan1490]

Sticks preparation need jazz flute playing in the background to imbue it with soul.

[@Schnozwangler]

Ive found the back of the knife to work great for getting that green sticky bark not bark off fresh sticks

[@UltraD52]

I can see how that would work very well

[@jlgoins64]

great video, I just had major lower back surgery 3 days ago. I'm in need of a walking stick, I have a friend in a group called "Lean on Me" they are making one for me. I'm thinking of starting making Canes and walking sticks for this group...any and all advice would be helpful,,,

[@WeizDLC]

Thank you

[@blipsmann1985]

I use an angle grinder with a rough sanding pad to get the bark and shave the stick down in 5 minutes. No thanks on all those hand tools. I’d rather work smarter not harder !!!!

[@BBHuey2005]

I enjoy sitting around taking my time while enjoying being outside, maybe around a fire

[@johnvelazquez3434]

no, the tip of the day was the wax idea!

[@bebravedave7720]

If you cut the stick after the sap is up they peel down to the wood very easy

[@flyaway2ak]

I will wax thank you. I debarked green I am a bit worried. Thank you for all the information.

[@donaldmcdaniel1773]

Interesting

[@bobby19xx31]

I did mine with a divers knife. You can smooth it out with the knife as well. It's difficult but fun at the same time. Besides the blistering that comes with it

[@frankipoux]

Great video, thanks!

[@Bing6813]

I tried to work on a few walking sticks today but soon realized I was wasting my time & effort . The Temp. here in SE Massachusetts was almost 90 Deg. F. and humidity was nearly 95% -- I was attempting to Stain a piece of Swamp Maple I cut from a fallen tree in Rhode Island some time ago . -- The Stain / Poly was drying far too fast --I'll have to start all over as soon as the temps cool down

[@williamthomas8545]

I don't really care for the flat paint scraper... What I did was take a five way put it in a table vice and honed the curve and the opposing point and the scaler end with a dremel then sharpened it with a stone and a ceramic sharpener... Has always worked well for me...

[@anthonykot]

important thing ..scraper with some leverage to it .. to obtain a desired effect or result...

[@winsicksick]

if wood is harvested in the winter time the bark is like iron to get off, If harvested in the summer the bark will fall off

[@fludrbywest3886]

Great information in your video! Was wondering can you seal with wax after it has started checking ? 😊

[@UltraD52]

After the wood has checked, it might be too late to use wax to prevent that. Important to slow the drying when the wood is green. You could always cut off the checked bit and apply some wax.

[@keithtibbs2120]

🎉🎉

[@dakellymon]

Well done,

[@UltraD52]

Different people, different tastes.

[@michaelalbertson2612]

Get you some box hedge bush they're really need a carveand there's a lot of and they're a lot easier to peel off the bar use exacto knife that will feel your bark off real fast after you peel the bark wait a few days and then making sure you got all the stuff off of it send it thoroughly make sure you get all the knobs the little imperfections in it and then latest setting for like 2 days after you have sand in it and then go back to it and look over it again and send it with a smoother grithagrid middle and then keep going down to get your satisfied we're doing it and it'll turn out beautiful I make Cane's myself and make it really really really smooth you take a deer antler and you rub it real fast on it it'll make the would look like glass

[@UltraD52]

Nice!

[@UltraD52]

Some good info and dialog here. Yes, I should have done some research and known the name of the Cambium layer. My videos, at least when I did this one, are just me showing my learning curve and what I didn't know about the process then I know now. I don't profess to be an expert, rather my intent is to try a lot of different things and get other interested. I appreciate the feedback. BTW, I now use Anchorseal 2 on the ends of sticks and logs. Seems quite similar to Elmer's glue.

[@dino0489]

Do you use Anchorseal on the ones you remove the bark or just the ones you leave the bark on and do you just seal the ends?

[@dino0489]

Also, do you have a link for the skokeshave that you use? I am starting on my first walking stick and been looking for as much info that i can find.

[@UltraD52]

@@dino0489 Just the ends.

[@UltraD52]

@@dino0489 Just added the link for the spokeshave in description.

[@dino0489]

Thanks for replying; I was also wondering if it matters whether or not to leave the bark on; does it matter or is it a personal preference?

[@UltraD52]

Slow drying seems to be less likely to produce major cracks.

[@dragonspirit1185]

what if the wood already has large cracks?

[@davidmiller6981]

Wire wheel rips fresh bark very easily

[@UltraD52]

It depends on the tree and how it is dried or will be dried. If it dries too slow, the bark might come off.

[@JustMikeA]

Nice video :)

[@infeeneetee]

Hi, thanks for your video. May i know, should i wait until it fully dried before I peel the bark off or can i just peel it green? Sorry for my english.

[@Woodysback]

Loved you video but the music was a little loud to hear you.

[@georgeksirakis8898]

what is your opinion on the practice of cutting wood for walking sticks only during the waning phase of the moon , supposedly because the wood is not as succeptible to rot and wear??? Thank you

[@UltraD52]

I've never really considered that.

[@marvinwells5007]

I used a hook & loop pad with my four inch hand grinder that I was able to attach a sanding disk or a 3m Scotch-Brite pad that comes in different grids that do a Very clean and smooth as you want finish, where all you have to do is finish your stick to the degree you want. Very easy and a super smooth finish, just by working it up and down. Easy and faster than by hand scraping.

[@UltraD52]

That's a great idea.

[@UltraD52]

The was is just parrafin or old candles.

[@NolanSchools]

what's the model of the flexcut tool you used?

[@DougVeazey-zl3xz]

Is that Paul Desmond on alto sax?

[@jamesmayer1873]

If you waited longer to take the bark off, wouldn't that prevent the stick from checking/cracking? I just started this hobby, mainly because I've got a small orchard of cherry trees that make excellent hiking sticks. :)

[@wgdunn68]

Hi, Don. I have a stick that I cut down last June. I didn't debark it then, because I didn't know then how I was going to finish it. It has a few natural twists to it and I'm thinking of leaving the bark on the outside portion of the twist, yet debarking the inside of the twist. But now I wonder what will keep the left on bark from flaking off later. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[@UltraD52]

Paint scraper

[@dino0489]

Does it matter how you store the sticks? Like whether or not to leave the bark on; and can the be stored outside in a shed that isn’t climate controlled; and does it matter if they are laying down flat or standing in a corner? I’m sorry if I’m asking too many questions.

[@UltraD52]

some place dry

[@dino0489]

@@UltraD52 Is freezing temperatures an issue?

[@TomJones0065]

I cut fresh saplings and it did Not take 3 months to dry them, it was about a month and I could stain them, less figure in how thick they are as well. mine are from 2.5 inches from the bottom and thinner at the top. Fresh peels Faster, but seasoned its all that bad to trim or debark.

[@ChurchClown7]

Thanks for this video. Have you tried using a spoke shave? It's designed for round surfaces.

[@davidabacon]

What type of wood are you working with? Crepe Myrtle?

[@UltraD52]

maple

[@BirdwatcherAL]

Can I leave the bark on my stick? I noticed that you said you are saving the bark on one of them. Every video I have watched about making a walking stick shows them removing the bark. I like the natural look of the bark. Are there any disadvantages to leaving the bark on?

[@AsceDb0]

I like the look of LoL, so thats how i write it. (I am also well aware of LoL...LoL)

[@ogdooh]

Thanks for the good tutorial! :) the moisture really seems to be the key to treat properly. I was wondering, is it possible to use some kind of heating like industries do to quick dry the core, or does it damage the wood and risk it of breaking if you don't let it sit in a room temperature for a longer time?

[@garyskirrow]

thanks!

[@UltraD52]

Welcome!

[@mitchellprochnow5754]

How do u avoid the nuts when ur scraping the wood

[@Joannesyoga]

Useful tips, thank you

[@worldlysaint]

How long should my walking stick be? I'm 5'9. Waist length? Shoulder length? Thanks