Bobs Stickmaking Pages - Brass owl and oak knobstick #077

077 - Owl knobstick. A brass owl mounted on a reclaimed oak shank.

I think the owl came from a charity shop. The oak shank was part of an old stick I found on a junk stall at a steam fair. The stick was in pretty rough condition but I could see the shank was rather unusual and the heavily weathered and battered handle would probably turn out to be ox-horn. The joint was crudely wrapped with string and when I got it home I found out why; the handle had almost certainly belonged to another stick originally and had simply been jammed onto a screw dowel, and screwed into the end of the shank, with a liberal application of "This Stuff Doesn't Look, Feel, Taste Or Work Like Nails But We Thought We'd Give It A Silly Name Anyway".
The handle was, in fact, too small in proportion to the shank and I have put it aside for a future project.

The shank itself has the look and feel of old oak school desks and broom handles. The grooves running down the length of the shank are a natural feature adding to its character. Despite some fine splits in the wood (which I have sealed with resin), the shank is very strong and stiff. Again, this is reminiscent of old oak beams. I have treated the shank with linseed oil and finished it with Tru-Oil.

The spacer is of black buffalo horn, showing some nice grey and white streaks. Maximum overall length 35.5 inches (90cm).
SOLD

Return to Womble Sticks page

			077 - Owl knobstick. A brass owl mounted on a reclaimed oak shank.
I think the owl came from a charity shop. The oak shank was part of an old stick I found on a junk stall at a steam fair. The stick was in pretty rough condition but I could see the shank was rather unusual and the heavily weathered and battered handle would probably turn out to be ox-horn. The joint was crudely wrapped with string and when I got it home I found out why; the handle had almost certainly belonged to another stick originally and had simply been jammed onto a screw dowel, and screwed into the end of the shank, with a liberal application of "This Stuff Doesn't Look, Feel, Taste Or Work Like Nails But We Thought We'd Give It A Silly Name Anyway". The handle was, in fact, too small in proportion to the shank and I have put it aside for a future project.

The shank itself has the look and feel of old oak school desks and broom handles. The grooves running down the length of the shank are a natural feature adding to its character. Despite some fine splits in the wood (which I have sealed with resin), the shank is very strong and stiff. Again, this is reminiscent of old oak beams. I have treated the shank with linseed oil and finished it with Tru-Oil.


The spacer is of black buffalo horn, showing some nice grey and white streaks. Maximum overall length 35.5 inches (90cm). SOLD