One of my more unusual hobbies (at least for somebody my age 😉 ) is making walking sticks. I’ve been interested in the craft for some time, but not had much time to actually do any for various reasons.
I’ve been a member of the Calleva Stick Dressers for a few years, but only really in a “web nerd” capacity.
This autumn, I finally found time to attend some of our work evenings in Thatcham, and completed my first two sticks.
The first is a two-piece market stick with an american black walnut handle and a hazel shank. The joint wasn’t too good, so I made it look a bit better by creating a fake collar with black-tinted epoxy resin.
The second is a two-piece cardigan stick with a spalted birch handle and a hazel shank. The joint went a bit better, after a few attempts.
I managed to get them finished in time for Christmas, so was able to give them to my parents as gifts. I’m reasonably pleased with them for my first sticks, but there are obviously things I could improve. Check out our galleries for some amazing work by our members.
Here are some pictures (click to view the whole image, and for some reason the gallery below is only showing 3):