Bob's Stickmaking Pages

104 - A superb t-handle walking stick. The handle is made from laurel wood and horn, while the shank is a thick, strong piece of blackthorn.

 

My brief here was to make a walking stick to support a tall and well-built gentleman, using a blackthorn shank and a handle made from a natural piece of wood. The stick would be used in the right hand and the handle should be substantial.

I selected a good thick piece of blackthorn then had a good rummage through my stock of interesting-looking pieces of natural wood. I was looking for something that would make a large t-handle with plenty of character. Eventually I unearthed a well-seasoned old piece of laurel with a right-angle bend in it. This was one of those low stems that spread along the ground for a bit, not quite able to make up their minds whether they want to be a root or a branch. It was a bit short but from what I could see it promised some good colours underneath the bark, so I figured I could make up the length with a piece of horn on the end.

I stripped off the thick, rock-hard bark to reveal some very nicely figured wood with dark streaks spreading from the attachment of a daughter branch, where moisture had crept in. I would leave a stub of this branch to form the heel of the handle.

At the other end there was a deep hollow where an old branch had died back, again letting in the elements to darken and harden the wood. The hollow had extended beyond the end of this piece, but I could replicate this in the horn tip.

 

I married the handle to the shank using a spacer of nicely-figured ram's horn sandwiched between two pieces of buffalo bone.

The handle gives plenty of support and is supremely comfortable in the right hand (although it is also usable in the left).

Below, you can see the marvellous colours of the water-marked wood over the top of the handle.

And here is the underneath, showing the natural hollow extended into the horn tip. This is a piece of French Charolais cow horn, which displays a grain pattern echoing the grain of the wood (it doesn't show up too well in this photo, though). I inserted a long dowel of black buffalo horn right through the tip and well into the wood, to reinforce the joint.

 

The shank is a first-class piece of blackthorn. I smoothed-over the knots for comfort and safety, but the characteristic knobbly appearance of blackthorn is still strongly in evidence. I left a few little "wiggles" in the shank when straightening it to emphasise this.

 

One of my better efforts, I think!

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