make walking stick staff for fall

     This is an update on a post making a fall leaf walking stick or staff.  The image below is a Douglas fir walking stick with a fall leaf adhered to the wood.  I took the bark/outer skin of word for this walking stick project to give an even smooth surface and color contrast 

How to Make Leaf Fall Hiking Stick

    You will notice a slight shine on the wood and leaf. I used a semi-gloss finish  which brought out the natural color of the leaf and wood.  The leaf has lost some of its fall colors. I first tried to use a maple leaf but they were too brittle.  Next fall I will collect more leaves and use non-dry ones to see if I can retain the colors better. 


     It's very important not to rush when putting on the leaf. When dried they are very brittle and easy to break. Only one portion of the leaf as glued at a time. Also, the glow was allowed to soak into the leaf a bit to soften it up a bit. This walking stick making project is great for beginners and experienced hiking stick makers. 

Hiking Stick Making Leaf collecting

   You do not need to wait for the fall to collects leaves to make your hiking stick.  Yesterday I noticed a tree dropping some very colorful leaves.   It almost summer here in Miami and some of the Tropical trees are shedding a few leaves. We have a Tamarin tree in the front of our house and it sheds leaves 2..3 times a year.  In wooded areas just about year round you can find a few colorful leaves for your walking stick project. 

   Also, its a good time to collect wood from tree trimmings too.

 

Rainbow eucalyptus Make walking stick

     Making a walking stick from exotic wood such as the rainbow eucalyptus collected after the hurricane.  Hopefully, the hurricanes are done for the year and new we can get back to our businesses, families and hobbies.  Presently, in SE Florida there are piles of broken trees, limbs and other wood waiting to be picked up. It could take months to pick everything up which means I have time to collect wood for walking stick making.

   South Florida is a place to find many exotic woods and plants for walking stick making not seen in any other part of the USA due to our Tropical climate.  One exotic species is rainbow eucalyptus with its multi-colored outer stick that sheds its outer skin in layers.  The leaves of the eucalyptus can be crushed to use as insect repellent or the wood pulped for paper.  The colorful out skin of the wood is only a few layers deep and its these layers that at shows green, browns, reds and other colors. Its a beautiful wood and I recommend to leave as much of the outer layer alone when making your hiking stick if you are lucky enough to get a hold of this exotic wood!

    I was able to collect about  6 branches. A couple of the branches are thicker than I would normally use but its an exotic wood so I will take what I can get.  Presently, the wood is curing before I work with to make some hiking staffs. I did spray them with a thin coat of clear shellac to help preserve the color and prevent any further skin peeling. You need to do a bit of research when collecting exotic wood for hiking stick making projects. The wood is very light but strong and carves well.

   I collected other wood too while walking my urban jungle. I hope you do not have a hurricane in your area but if you have a storm it may be a great time to collect wood for walking stick making.

Make walking stick update and hilking stick making ideas

Yes we are back up in Miami after the Hurricane. Walking stick making material has been abundant in the streets due to down trees. I collected may exotic tropical wood while helping friends and family clean up after the storm. last year we collected fall leaves in New York and this past few weeks prior tot he storm we made some walking and hiking sticks with the leaves.

 

Fall leaf project walking stick making- New way!

Making walking sticks is great hobby for all ages.  This fall leaf hiking stick making project is great for beginners. The leafs were collected then dried between paper for 6 months prior to working on walking stick making project.  The hiking staff stick wood was prep by taking off the bark on part of the stick and sanded smooth.  Look in the hiking stick making guides for more details on types of wood, wood preparation and additional projects.

Walking stick making fall project

We purchased a jar of Mod Podge and put a thin coat on the wood. Once it was dry we selected our leaves and used more Mod Podge to adhere them to the walking stick wood. We did not adhere the whole leaf at one time. We did half and once it was semi-attached we glued the rest to the walking stick making project.

 The leafs are brittle so you need to take care when gluing. Do not rush it or they will break. Next season we are going to try the project with fresh non-dried leaves to see if they retain the color better over time. 

Fall leaves will lose some of their color when dried. I already have two walking sticks ready to make with fresh leaves which we will collect in Northern Georgia next month. We will not let the leafs dry and we will see how it turns out in a couple months.

The image to the left shows the material I used to create this Fall walking stick.  This project, along with a previous fall leaf project (carving leave) with more images will be added to the walking stick making guides as a special bonus. 

This project would make a get scout hiking stick project. It does not require any special skills and you can even obtain fall leaves online on eBay if you do haev any in your area.  When collecting you leaves for this hiking stick making project remember to get plenty of small leaves. Most hiking sticks are 2" to 4" around so a large leaf will not look good.  Glue them on in sets of three.  Have a great end of summer@

 

 

How to make Wood Hiking stick or scout stick

    Adding details to your hiking stick making project, such as a web handle, is an easy addition when you want to customize your walking stick.  Adding the walking stick web handle is the last step, however, determining the height of the hole should be considered at the same time as your high adjustments.  Also, check the height or your walking stick before selecting the wood. 

     The hiking stick staff should be approximately the height of  your chin or if you are making a staff as tall as you.  Determine the comfortable height of where you want to hold the walking whiling stick when in use. The webbing material used for the handle attachment point will be higher than you hand placement.

   
       Webbing material for your walking stick making project comes in many varieties and styles. Webbing is a polyester material which is easy to use but very durable.  The image to the left shows a few we use and the tool we use to sew the webbing together. No you do not need the special tool to make your wood hiking stick - use a heavy / think needle instead.  Do not use regular sewing thread. In the walking stick making guides it details thread material what to use (yes, most home already have the thread we use but its not called thread) that is both very strong, durable and water proof so it will last many many years.

       The walking stick making guides gives complete details on the how to add the webbing, the correct height of the hole when making you walking stick, how to prevent fraying of the material and alternative material for you handle including weaving your own using para-cord for you hiking stick making project.

       Once you determine the location of hole when you make your walking or hiking stick go ahead and drill it.  Smooth the hole and hole edges.  Now go ahead and work on other details of your walking stick making project including adding wood burning images, carving, painting and finishing the wood all detailed in the walking stick guides.  Then at the very end of the project attach the handle when making hiking stick from wood.

Making magic wands and inserting crystals in walking sticks

Inserted quartz crystal to end of a walking stick or wand

         Several people have asked about inserting crystals on the end of their walking stick making projects. In the walking stick guides it shows how to prepare the wood and several ways to attach items to the end of walking sticks.  Making a magic wand uses the same methods as making a hiking stick or walking stick. I have inserted crystals, rock cabs, rough rocks, compasses, and other items  to a walking stick or magic wand.


        It's important when adding anything to the end of a hiking stick or magic wand is that its secure.  the walking stick guides shows step by step how to insert objects and secure them in a couple different ways. In the image above a crew is used to secure the quartz crystal in the wood.  The natural quartz crystal is about 1/2" into the wood and provides a unique tip for a walking stick project or magic wand.

Several finished magic wands made using the information in the walking stick guides

       If you are making a magic wand for your children make it a weekend project. Choose the wood together and work together ti give them an experience to remember.

       Also, it promotes a learning experience on how to use tools properly and planning a project from start to finish. In the second image it shows several wands almost finished. After the image was taken I aged the wands look using a darker stain wash (similar to a white wash but with a dark wood color).  Noticed I added cooper wire on then to give them a extra appeal. The darker crystal in one of the wands is a tourmaline crystal.

       The wood used in these magic wand making project is aspen left overs from making a hiking staff.  Other great wood for walking sticks and wands are willows found along streams. Make sure you cure the wood as directed in the walking stick making guides before carving to prevent future cracks and problems when working with the wood.


 

Making a walking stick from a christmas tree

       The holidays are over and now the time to go around your area and collect a couple pines or firs Christmas tree for you walking stick making project. I usually go to a tree lot and go through their pile of branches and tress they did not sell.  The tress that did not sell are usually thinner or not as full so making into wood walking sticks is easier.  This year I picked up three long skinny trees with very few branches that were not sell-able as Christmas trees. In fact, the people at the lot held them for me (I talked to them in November). They gladly accepted a tip and I received some great firs for my future hiking stick making projects.

       When you go out to collect your trees make sure they are not too fat at the bottom otherwise you will spend many hours thinning down the trunk.  You you can keep it thick to give you more walking stick carving room on your hiking staff. However, the thicker the trunk the heavier the stick.

      While you are out collecting wood for your walking stick making project look for thick branches to wood carve other things.  I always like to carve wooded knives which friends love to receive as gifts. Other projects I do with thick branches are carved wood flower vases (see the walking stick making guides), wooden knives, create a wood tree forest (see making walking stick guides), stick picture frames and more one afternoon projects.

      Once you collect the wood you will need to strip/cut of the branches as close to the trunk as possible without damaging the trunk. The closer the cut to less sanding you will need to do in the future. Yes, you can strip the bark off the trunk too. I usually leave the bark on because I like the way the stick looks with the branches removed (light areas) and the contrasting darker pine or fir bark.  I only strip the part I plan to carve when making the hiking stick or staff.

Making walking stick or hiking stick rope handle cord

     Para cord is a very useful survival tool. When making a hiking stick  think about it as a complete survival tool by adding special finishes that includes giving your wood walking stick more versatility.  Many people think about inserting a compass on top of the walk sticks or drill a hole for fishing lines/matches. Others make walking sticks with rope weaves to give better grip hand in water and for emergency rope usage. The walking stick making guides gives you all that plus more. One section includes complete details on using para cord to create hand non-slip holds or ropes on your walking stick.

    The walking stick guides use para cord which comes in a large array of colors and strengths. We use the para cord 440 because of it durability and strength.  The above image is on way to weave a pattern using the para cord on your wood hiking stick making project. The cord is 100% removable for emergency usage and while its on the wood walking stick it provides great hand gripping power.   when wood gets wet it tends to be slippery so with the cord around the wood it serves a duo purpose: grip and emergency cordage .

  The walking stick guides walks you through making these weaves and others in an easy step by step method. Plus, it has a section creating cord or nylon handles and much more.