How to Carve Hiking Sticks
Why buy a hiking stick when you can make one? The beauty of hiking sticks is that they are simple, natural, and easy to make from found boughs. All you need is the right size piece of wood, a few tools.
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Instructions
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1
Find a big, solid, fairly straight stick. Most people prefer to use a hiking stick that is at least 4 inches in diameter and shoulder height or taller. They need to be a bit thicker than that, since they get thinner once the bark is trimmed off.
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2
Using a knife or a small saw, cut off all knots and twigs.
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3
Cut the stick to the desired height. If you aren't sure, leave a bit extra. After all, you can always cut off more later.
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4
Peel the bark off the stick. Whittle it away with a knife until you get to the wood underneath.
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5
Whittle all knots and rough edges down. Hiking sticks do not have to be uniform, but you don't want edges that will poke into your hand either.
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6
Sand down any remaining rough edges with medium grit sandpaper.
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Sand the hiking stick with fine grain sandpaper. Alternately, you may opt to leave most of the stick fairly rough, and only sand the part you hold.
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8
Rub the stick with wax paper. Although this is not necessary, a thin layer of wax will protect the stick from dirt and make it smoother, while preserving the natural look.
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9
Cut a hole in the stick near the top.
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10
Thread a leather strap through the hole and tie it off.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want, you can polish your hiking stick with a stone instead of sand paper. This is a great way to do things if you are making your stick during a backpacking trip.
To make a hiking stick good enough to last you one trip, all you really need to do is cut off any rough edges. You can leave stripping and sanding it for later.
Use dry wood. Young, springy boughs aren't solid enough.
