Learn how to make walking sticks for a hobby by training a maple, crepe myrtle, or poplar tree into a spiral around a PVC support stake.
Because of eight bone-spur operations in my feet, I appreciate a good walking aid. My favorite hiking sticks are the ones deformed by a spiraling vine. However, you have to find them, and Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate.
But at the corner of my house, I discovered a swamp maple (also known as “red maple,” “water maple,” or “soft maple”). No matter how many times I cut it down, it only grew back faster. As an experiment, I attempted to make a walking cane by wrapping it with a thick Manila rope. Five years later, I was surprised how well it came out. The twists of the rope became embedded in the wood.
My next experiment was to grow a spiral hiking stick. Three years later, it became part of my learning “curve.” I harvested it when the handle diameter was 3/4 of an inch. I didn’t allow for the bark thickness or drying shrinkage.
Making a Walking Stick from Green Wood
Once dried then debarked, the handle reduced to 9/16 of an inch – a bit too thin for my liking. I also learned it would’ve been easier to debark green wood.
It’s important to do more than one full twist, as one twist made it simply look like a crooked stick.
This is a multiyear project and, ironically, shouldn’t be done near walking areas. I lost one tree to the neighborhood kids. Sometimes, a tree just dies and a year or more of patience and growth can be lost. To offset any misfortunes, I currently have three types of tree (swamp maple, crepe myrtle, and poplar) in six various stages of growth.
To make a frame, drive a 10-foot-by-1/2-inch (#4) rebar three feet into the ground near the prospective tree. Then slide a 7-foot-by-3/4-inch PVC pipe over the rebar.
How to Make Walking Sticks for a Hobby
In spring or summer, while the tree is green, thin, and flexible, wrap the tree in a spiral up and around the PVC pipe frame (A).
Very tightly secure the tree with a string or cord. If it’s too short to get the desired turns, let it remain tied; the tree will grow (B), and you can extend the spiral later. After one year, in spring and midsummer, retie your cord at a different location on the tree.
Once the tree is established, remove the limb growth once a year from the intended stick area. Do not remove the top leaves, or the tree can’t continue growing (C).
When the tree grows to a half-inch diameter, stop using bare cord; instead, use cord with a protective barrier, such as a split water hose. I found nylon stockings work well and are reuseable.
Note: If you leave a cord on the wood too long, the growth will cause it to cut into the wood.
Once the tree reaches the desired diameter, but before cutting, allow for bark thickness and shrinkage from water loss during drying. My rule of thumb: Once it looks right, give it one more year.
Depending on your preferences, the bark doesn’t have to be removed. However, bark is easier to remove while there are still green leaves on the tree.
Whether the bark is removed or not, the tree has to dry. Even the thickest lumber can warp while drying. If the bark remains, cut the tree and let it dry on the frame. If the bark is removed, place it back on the frame to dry after debarking.
Once the wood has cured, sand it and add a protective coat of polyurethane for moisture protection, if desired (D).
What Kind of Stick Is It?
People have different definitions for various walking sticks, so for clarity, here’s how I define them:
- Walking cane: waist-high
- Walking stick: elbow-high
- Hiking stick: shoulder-high or higher
Modified English Hiking Stick
The English walking stick has a thumb rest. Select a young tree or branch with a limb growing out 90 to 45 degrees. (The nearer to 90 degrees it is, the longer the thumb rest area will be.) Once cut (debarking optional), attach a 1-1/2- or 2-inch PVC coupling into the limb’s crotch, bend the limb over the coupling, and tie the limb parallel to the main staff. To counter any warping while drying, tie it in place using an angle iron. Once dried, an option is to wrap the parallel section with paracord. Most walking and hiking sticks are thicker at the handle. In this case, the base will be thicker and heavier; trim the base as desired.
