Make a willow walking stick how to make a hiking stick

   The willow wood is perfect for making hiking sticks and walking canes.  Its a very recognizable tree species and is ready available in many parts of the USA. The willow trees love water and grow along rivers, streams and lakes.  the last willows I collected for walk-in stick making was in Utah and Colorado.  The best time to collect them is in the fall as their leaves fall so you see the limb size the best. You want to collect ones that have a diameter of around 1" to 2".  Its was not a weeping willow which its branches are too thin most of the time to make a hiking stick.

 The willow I collected he willow wood it had a red brown exterior which makes it a perfect wood for making a hiking stick with the skin/bark left on.  When I made the willow walking stick I left sections of the outer skin/bark on and carved several trout fish on the peeled away area.  Then I painted the fish and added some carved river rocks below the fish to make it look like it was swimming in a stream. The walking stick turned out great and now my father is using it when he hikes/walks.

  The walking sick guides has a fall leaf bonus project using willow  sapling. The walking stick and hiking stick making project has several fall leafs carved and painted. then a copper wire is added to the  give the walking stick now pizzazz.

Get ready to collect walking and hiking stick wood this fall

Now if the time to start to think about collecting wood for you next walking stick making project. Fall is just around the corner and in some areas in the far north has already arrived. Also, if you are in the eastern part of the US hit by hurricane Irene, first we want to offer our best wishes and second with all the fallen trees you may want to send a bit of time collecting wood to make a new walking stick.

May trees too to damage will never grow back so why not use them for you walking and hiking stick making hobby.  Just collect a few and then set them aside for a few months to cure.Remember to stripe the bark now when they are still moist and easy to peel.  even if you do not recolonize the type of tree it still may make a great hiking stick or staff.  when you store it keep it in a dry place to prevent wood rot and it's always better in doors to keep wood bugs from eating the wood.

If you are learning to wood carve walking sticks, hiking staffs or wizard staffs collect a few extra sticks to practice. Get great ideas and techniques on how to create unique hiking sticks and walking staffs with the guides. If you need help in what wood to select, how to cure wood, stain, wood burn  and even wood carve your own walking sticks and staffs then the guides will be a great help. Learning how to make hiking sticks, walking staffs and even wizard staffs is a great hobby and even a business.

How to make walking sticks inlay insert rocks, magnets adn crystals

Inlay cut stone or magnet in walking hiking sticks and staffs

Here is another inlay of a stone into a walking stick.  When making your own wood walking stick or hiking staff you can insert stones, crystals, magnets and add top handles will a few techniques. Are you learning how to make hiking sticks or staffs for Boy scouts? why settle for the ordinary hiking stick when you can make a unique personalized walking staff or stick by adding wire, rocks, rope, wood burning designs or staining.

It not hard to learn how to make unique walking sticks using simple instructions in the How to make unique walking and hikgin sticks by hand guides.

When collecting your walking stick wood look at the dimensions of the wood. The skinner the wood the harder it is to do things to it when making your hiking staff especially when carving walking sticks. The walking stick image with the inlayed  lagoona agate is approximately 2" x 3" in size. It tapers down to 1.5" inches. depending upon the wood selected you may need thicker wood. If you collect hardwood for your walking stick making project then it can be thinner. However, if you are working with pine, aspen, willow try to get ones that do not taper down to beyond .5" in diameter.

Making hiking sticks with magnets or compasses on the tops require the same though. Get the magnet or compass and then collect your wood to make a hiking stick or walking staff. guides to making walking staffs and hiking sticks out of wood using carving, wood burning, rope work, inlay objects, staining and other techniques is a great way to enjoy the hobby. Collecting hiking stick wood and then only to have it ruined makes for a frustrated hobbyist.  Just as in any hobby there are techniques and methods to working with the material and the surest way to prevent frustration with a new hobby is to get guidance. The inlayed stone above uses wood carving, staining and stone anchoring techniques. No the stone is not just glued to the wood (gluing stone to wood does not hold!). It uses simple techniques learning when making unique walking staffs and hiking sticks.

Walking Stick carving and making left over projects

Making wood walking by hand is a great hobby, however, if you are like me you have a bunch of left over wood or sticks to thin to use as walking hiking sticks or staffs. There are many left over walking stick wood projects to do including making wooden knives, miniaturize flower vase's,  wood spoons, forks, wood combs, wizard wands, candle holders, wood carved Xmas tress and much more. In the previous post we described making wizard wands using the same techniques as you would with making walking and hiking sticks and staffs.

One favorite project is make wood knives or making wood flower vases. My daughter loves the vase's and she has a small collection of them in her room with fresh cut flowers.  The vase project is shown in the walking stick how to make guides left over section. My son and I have contests on unique wood knife whittling and carving. He uses the techniques detailed in the how to make unique wood walking and hiking stick guides for ideas and how to's.   I will post some wood whittled knives next week along with an update on the wizard wands scepters.

Do you have a great left over hiking stick making project?  Please feel free to post it here. We are always looking for new ideas on hiking stick making styles and project. have a great weekend and happy walking stick and wood carving!