123 - A crab-apple knobstick.

Maximum length 43"/ 1090mm.

However, I have added a little decoration of my own. The prominent knots which give crab-apple its distinctive appearance do tend to split readily - not a mechanical problem, but it can allow moisture in to damage the wood beneath. So I drilled a shallow hole in the centre of each knot and filled these with brass-filled epoxy resin. This protects the knots against splitting and ingress of moisture and at the same time adds an interesting touch to the stick's appearance.

You will note that there is some splitting to the top of the knob. This is about par for the course where crab-apple is concerned. The splits have been sealed with the linseed oil and Tru-Oil finish, and have remained perfectly stable since I brought the stick into the dry, warm house a couple of weeks ago from the cold and (relatively) damp workshop-shed.

I'm keeping an eye on it, and should there be any sign of the splits opening further I would open them up with a fine saw and fill them with epoxy resin (possibly filed with brass powder to match the other "fillings").

The knob is shaped to fit a medium-to-large sized hand, left or right.