hiking staff

[Rifleman1776]

I may be doing some wilderness hiking in the coming months and decided I wanted my own, self-made hiking staff. The wood is Osage Orange with a walnut topper. I used couplers and a tip kit from Craft Supply (Woodturners Catalog). Added some burn lines for accent. I hadn't planned on making this a convertible from cane to staff and now wish I had. By just reversing the way one of the couplers is inserted into the section, I could have joined the bottom section to the top one and had a walking cane also. No need currently, but one never knows. The rubber tip on the end unscrews to reveal a one inch hardened spike for different ground conditions. Also, that spike could serve as a (minimal) defensive weapon. Fun project.
p.s. somebody remind me to upload pictures later after the upgrade.

 

[TBone]

Frank,

Upload pictures later after the upgrade. [}]

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by TBone

Frank,

Upload pictures later after the upgrade. [}]

[)][)][)] Thanks for the reminder.

 

[devowoodworking]

Hey Frank, I'm quite interested in seeing what you came up with, I made a walking cane for my father in law a couple of months ago out of bloodwood but never thought of making it convertible into a staff as well, sounds like a good idea

 

[Randy_]

Frank: i have seen ads for those couplers that you mentioned and wonder about their strength.

When I was a kid, we would use our hiking sticks as brakes to hustle down steep scree slopes. By leaning back into the hill and putting a portion of our weight on the stick, we maintained our balance and created significant drag with the staff.

I suspect both us are beyond this type of activity; but I still wonder about how strong those couplings might and what sort of loads a coupled hiking staff might sustain??

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hey Frank, I'm quite interested in seeing what you came up with, I made a walking cane for my father in law a couple of months ago out of bloodwood but never thought of making it convertible into a staff as well, sounds like a good idea

As soon as I look over this new format, I'll (hopefully) post some photos. As for others questions about strength. Without experience, I believe the couplers will be strong enough for normal hiking use. As a martial arts defensive weapon, I would question their ability to hold up to whacking a bad guy over the head. However, one time, even if the stick is destroyed might be worth while.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I just didn't scroll down far enough to see the upload option. I was looking for a paperclip, or whatever at the top of the message frame. Here goes.

Edit: BTW, I like the thumbnails.

 

[Chasper]

I'm in the process of making a couple canes right now, but I never thought of the convertible feature. I want to make sure I understand the convertible idea; make the shaft sections 16-17 inches and put two together with a handle and it is a cane, remove the cane handle add another section plus a nob and it is a hiking staff. Or just take out the middle section from the hiking staff and it is a cane with a nob top. In either case that is a great idea.

What about the weight of the osage? I've got a cane turned out of black locust and I'm a little concerned that it is so heavy.

 

[devowoodworking]

Very nicely done Frank!! I'll post a pic of the one I made shortly

 

[Paul Downes]

Hey Frank, Where's the shootin rest? Nice looking staff by the way.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Hey Frank, Where's the shootin rest? Nice looking staff by the way.

Good question. Actually, I'm considering doing another with a forked top for hunting season.

For Chasper: Yes, OO is heavy and this stick is probably heavier than it could be if made from other material. However, it is not notable heavy and will be just fine in use. I'll be making a couple more. A friend has a persimmon tree that has been down for a year. I'll be cutting that up and making the next staff, or two, from that wood.