Bobs Stickmaking Pages - A t-handle walker stick with lilac wood handle and stained Forsythia shank #108


	108 - An unusual t-handle walker stick. The handle is made from lilac wood and the shank is Forsythia. Maximum overall length 43" / 109cm.
This is what you might call a "shrubbery" stick! The handle is made from a natural fork of a lilac branch and the shank is a length of Forsythia stem, stripped of its bark and stained a dark mahogany colour. The stick looks quite elegant, but in fact is very robust. Lilac wood, especially close-grained old growth like this piece, is extremely strong and resilient - I have known people make guitar necks out of this stuff! The Forsythia, like the lilac, came from a friend's garden and both have been thoroughly seasoned for over four years. I have used offcuts of the Forsythia for making tool handles, and I can tell you it is one of the toughest types of wood I have come across! Forsythia is the large garden shrub that bursts into cascades of bright yellow flowers in about April here in the south of England (they're in flower right now as I write this). They send up long, gently curved stems that are of consistent thickness throughout their length. Fortunately they can take plenty of heat and straighten well. Gentle curves like this are rarely a problem - it's the sharp kinks in some hazel and blackthorn that are difficult to deal with.
	I shaped the handle to fit the hand very comfortably, following the natural shape of the piece. I made sure the design would cut right through the light-coloured sapwood to reveal the contrasting heartwood. There are some super colours in there, ranging from dark toffee to streaks of mauve. The base of the handle is formed from the stub of a side branch, so the grain follows the shape of the handle, giving it a great deal of strength. The handle is mounted to the shank through a spacer of French Charolais cow horn.

	Note the number of annual growth rings packed into the lilac wood (above). To my knowledge, the tree had been standing for about 35 years when this old branch was cut from it.
	Here are some close-up shots of the handle and horn spacer.
		And here are some shots of the shank. The bark of Forsythia is rough and unattractive, so I removed this. The wood underneath is pale and rather bland in appearance, the knots being small and unobtrusive. The cross-section is almost perfectly round, so it didn't take too long to produce a lathe-turned appearance by hand, using just abrasives. I applied a dark stain, which enhances the mottled grain and provides a good contrast with the lighter colours of the handle.
Altogether, it makes a very unusual stick which looks pretty smart but will provide plenty of support. SOLD

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