# A few questions from a complete beginner



## Natural Mystick (3 mo ago)

Hi.

If there is a section more suited to this kind of post, apologies and please direct me there. I introduced myself in the newbie section yesterday but im back with a few (novice) questions.

1. When is best to straighten a stick - before/after it has dried? Im currently planning a straightening board with pipe clamps mounted to a piece of wood and using a car jack and heat gun. I have two sticks I found in a nearby forest that I have removed the bark and have them sitting in the rafters of my garage. I plan on waxing the ends and twig holes to minimise cracking during drying process.

2. Drying waiting times - There is a lot of info out there, i have read 2 weeks, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year for every inch of thickness. Potentially slightly anticlimatic having the excitement gathering and debarking to having to wait a year. If thats the case I plan on practicing whitling some interesting top pieces over the next year (don't know the lingo yet).

3. Any recommendations for best beginner tools for carving designs/carving blocks for top pieces - so far im just using an old kitchen knife (with a nice pocket knife in the post).

Thanks for reading and hopefully im not breaking any house rules/etiquette with this post.

Thanks,

Phil

*edited due to poor spelling.


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

Hi Phil and welcome to the forum. Drying time will very with climate, the moisture in the wood, location where it is stored and density of the wood. One year per inch of diameter is a general rule. I am in a very humid climate and fine that a year is about right for most woods I use. A moister meter is helpful. I try to use sticks when they are 12 to 15 %. In a dry climate that can be reached in 6 to 8 months. The best way to gage them is with a meter.


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## Natural Mystick (3 mo ago)

CV3 said:


> Hi Phil and welcome to the forum. Drying time will very with climate, the moisture in the wood, location where it is stored and density of the wood. One year per inch of diameter is a general rule. I am in a very humid climate and fine that a year is about right for most woods I use. A moister meter is helpful. I try to use sticks when they are 12 to 15 %. In a dry climate that can be reached in 6 to 8 months. The best way to gage them is with a meter.


Thank you. I will look into these. I’m in Irish climate here so hopefully my stick are ready this century!


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

If you are not a member you may enjoy a membership in the British Stickmakers Guild.


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## dww2 (Feb 4, 2017)

General consensus is that straightening is best done after seasoning the stick. I tried to straighten a fresh stick once and it didn't work so I tend to go along with that. I have seen videos where people bend fresh sticks with heat (charring them in a fire or heating in a barrow of hot sand, for example) but it's hard to say how those results will stand up over time.
I can't add to what CV3 wrote regarding seasoning time.

Here are a couple of past threads on carving you might find helpful:








What carving tools do I start with?


When people ask me what tools to buy when they start carving I often say a sharp carving knife and a large box ot Band Aids! But the full answer I offer is based on my mistakes. Many years ago I rushed into my new love of carving by buying a large set of very good tools. And while I do fined...




www.walkingstickforum.com













Must-have carving tools


I have noticed that most of the members of the site like doing carving on their walking sticks. So, I wanted to ask what your "must have" carving tools are. The ones you use the most often, and you would miss the most if gone.




www.walkingstickforum.com





And don't be so apologetic all the time, buddy. The old saying "there are no stupid questions" is true here.


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## Natural Mystick (3 mo ago)

dww2 said:


> General consensus is that straightening is best done after seasoning the stick. I tried to straighten a fresh stick once and it didn't work so I tend to go along with that. I have seen videos where people bend fresh sticks with heat (charring them in a fire or heating in a barrow of hot sand, for example) but it's hard to say how those results will stand up over time.
> I can't add to what CV3 wrote regarding seasoning time.
> 
> Here are a couple of past threads on carving you might find helpful:
> ...


Gotcha. Cheers for the links. Will have a look through.


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## valky307 (Nov 23, 2021)

Personally I don't straighten my found sticks anymore. I leave them in their natural state but then they are far and few in rounding them up to meet standards. Last one I tried to straighten was a beautiful American well seasoned Walnut that sadly snapped in two after a couple days of what I thought was gentle clamping. 
I think with our hobby nature trumps technology.


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## Cutman (5 mo ago)

As far as tools I like the flexcut knives . I don't have the patience to wait for the stick to season , maybe a month before I start . I try to find the straightest piece, seal the cut ends and go from there. I live in NY so I cut the top at a 45° angle , works as a dual purpose walking and PP walking stick.


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