# A question for stick straighteners



## RPM

I've yet to do it myself (only made crooked sticks so far), but I know there are stick mates among us who nicely straighten sticks, often with steam. My questions are, for starters, when is a stick a candidate for steam straightening. Is it better for it to be green or dry, or at some point between the two conditions? Are there only certain specific types of sticks (like shepherd's canes) normally targeted for straightening (and associated specific wood species), and what are those? If you see someone like me walking with a crooked stick (perhaps because I'm ignorant about all the above) do you view me with horror, contempt, both, or neither? : ) Thanks in advance for your thoughts and knowledge.


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## cobalt

A stick should only be straightened after seasoning otherwise it will revert back to its original state .

A Shepard's crook just means that the handle is made of rams horn mostly the shank is hazel but not always.

The height of a crook usually between elbow to armpit height .Crooks are not normally used for walking sticks.. Originally they where designed to catch sheep by the neck

I hate to see a crooked stick it only takes a few minutes to straighten using steam or for a one of use a heat gun.( steaming is the best method) but I often use the heat gun.

you cannot straighten a shank if there is a dog leg ( a knot where its bent)

most woods can be straightened just ask a boat builder just use common sense


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## CV3

As Cobalt said your stick sould be dry or seasoned before you try to straitghten it. You do not see alot of crook sticks in the states. but you should feel free to walk with any stick you have made and are proud of your work. I offen walk with a crook whole walking my dog. Never had any one say anything other than the liked it.


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## RPM

CV3 said:


> As Cobalt said your stick sould be dry or seasoned before you try to straitghten it. You do not see alot of crook sticks in the states. but you should feel free to walk with any stick you have made and are proud of your work. I offen walk with a crook whole walking my dog. Never had any one say anything other than the liked it.


OK, good to al least understand now that these are dry / seasoned sticks that get straightened. My dry sticks have not tending to give the impression they could possibly be bent / straightened, but once I get a steamer I'll give it a try. Of course some sticks draw character just from the unique natural shape they have (say, perhaps a gently S shape or something) and some stick makers would prefer to leave them alone, Once I get more sophisticated in what I'm doing I'm sure straighter sticks will make more sense for me to attempt. Thanks for the feedback, guys!


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## CV3

There are a numbber of video's on YouTube on steaming sticks. they may be of help.


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## Rodney

Pretty much what the others said. If you have an understanding wife or are single you can steam them on the kitchen stove-not the whole stick at once but a section at a time. Just lay the section you want to steam over the pot and cover it while it heats up. I set the pot's lid on top and seal it up a bit with a towel. . You can also use a heat gun if you're just doing one or two at a time.
My steamer is a hot plate, a large stock pot and a box I nailed together out of scrap that sits on top of the pot. Ugly, but cheap.
Don't bother trying to straighten sharp bends. They're usually caused by a knot or an injury. Gentle bends can be straightened.
Pick and dry more than you think you need. Don't take it personally if you manage to break a few while you're straightening them. I still break some of mine.
Rodney


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## Rodney

I'm steaming a few sticks today so I thought I would show my setup such as it is.







It's about as basic as it gets. A better heat source would be nice but it works.
Rodney


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## RPM

Rodney said:


> I'm steaming a few sticks today so I thought I would show my setup such as it is.
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> It's about as basic as it gets. A better heat source would be nice but it works.
> Rodney


Now that's methodology I understand - innovation! Thanks for sharing that.


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## cobalt

well if it works its done its job

long run the steam may warp the wood

seen quite a few made from aluminium ducting with a wall paper stripper attachment but its what's work especially if its cheap and cheerful


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## Rodney

The wooden box was all scrap wood, so basically free. The weakness is the plywood on it. It will eventually delaminate.
I bought the hot plate years ago for another project. IIRC I was making a homemade wood finish and needed to do it outdoors. It's been a handy addition to the shop for other projects as well.
The stock pot I picked up for a few dollars at a local thrift store. It's pretty crude but it works.

I think a propane crab cooker/turkey deep fryer setup would be ideal. They put out a lot more heat so there would be less time waiting around for the water to boil.

Steaming isn't the only way to go about it. The steam is just an effective way to transfer the heat to the stick. Cobalt, was it you that posted the video at the stick making plant where they were sticking the raw sticks in hot sand to heat them up?
That method looked ideal for large operations to me. You can get higher temps than boiling water can get and the sand would hold the heat well once it was up to a working temperature.


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## LilysDad

I made one once using a pressure cooker which had these clamps all the way around it. Then the plywood like yours and a down spout.


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## MJC4

Don't straighten too many, The ones I have done were done over a propane fish fryer pot with boiling water and an old towel to hold the steam in.

Some specie of wood no matter how much you steam um just won't straighten without breaking. Other woods get worse after a steam bath. As a rule I collect a whole lot more shanks than ever get made into sticks. If I were to hazard a guess maybe 1 outa 10 sticks I collect get made into sticks

. As I am usually collecting dead standing wood that borers have killed or wood I have salvaged from tree trimmers or housing developers I don't feel bad about making firewood out of what I can't use. When I do cut live saplings though I get a little more selective on what gets harvested. If I killed the tree I make every effort to utilize it.


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## RPM

MJC4 said:


> Don't straighten too many, The ones I have done were done over a propane fish fryer pot with boiling water and an old towel to hold the steam in.
> 
> Some specie of wood no matter how much you steam um just won't straighten without breaking. Other woods get worse after a steam bath. As a rule I collect a whole lot more shanks than ever get made into sticks. If I were to hazard a guess maybe 1 outa 10 sticks I collect get made into sticks
> 
> . As I am usually collecting dead standing wood that borers have killed or wood I have salvaged from tree trimmers or housing developers I don't feel bad about making firewood out of what I can't use. When I do cut live saplings though I get a little more selective on what gets harvested. If I killed the tree I make every effort to utilize it.


Sounds about right. A lot of those I've collected just don't see to be capable of being straightened.


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## cobalt

I don't know why you should have issues straightening sticks most woods will bend after steaming

i use shanks that are approx. 1 inch in diameter . this is perfectly strong enough for giving additional support for the vast majority of people

i wouldn't use anything above 1 1/4 inch in diameter so steaming is easier with this diameter . o are you trying to steam thick shanks?

Other things i would consider for stickmaking is the colour of the shank . as i don't remove the outer bark . I do go around the local woods walking and looking and it is surprising the colour difference in the same species of wood there are..so it depends on the growing season /conditions

I am much more careful what i cut nowadays and would never use dead wood , usually there not sound and you can spread pests into your workshop .any wood with worm holes personal i would burn them ,certainly wouldn't put it into the workshop could be asking for long-term problems


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## Rodney

I've had only very limited success in straightening found dead wood. I've peeled a few after I broke them trying to straighten them and I usually see some sort of fungus or mold. I've had far better success straightening wood I've cut myself.

I still use some dead wood. It depends on the stick and I don't count on being able to straighten it. Maple is a good example. A stick that came out of the top of a mature maple tree will have a different character than a young shoot growing out of a stump or a sapling.


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## RPM

cobalt said:


> I don't know why you should have issues straightening sticks most woods will bend after steaming
> 
> i use shanks that are approx. 1 inch in diameter . this is perfectly strong enough for giving additional support for the vast majority of people
> 
> i wouldn't use anything above 1 1/4 inch in diameter so steaming is easier with this diameter . o are you trying to steam thick shanks?
> 
> Other things i would consider for stickmaking is the colour of the shank . as i don't remove the outer bark . I do go around the local woods walking and looking and it is surprising the colour difference in the same species of wood there are..so it depends on the growing season /conditions
> 
> I am much more careful what i cut nowadays and would never use dead wood , usually there not sound and you can spread pests into your workshop .any wood with worm holes personal i would burn them ,certainly wouldn't put it into the workshop could be asking for long-term problems


See, this is why I was glad to find a group like this one. The insights from experience. Thoughts and advice from members like you, coming from a different and greater level of experience, help round out my understanding. Yes, some of my sticks are probably larger than the 1 / 1 1/4 inch because to get started I was looking for whatever I could find to give me a stock to work on - or practice on as the case may be. As it happens a couple of those, shall we say, crooked sticks, provided a character that lent itself to a certain type of stick though not of course to more refined versions that I hope to approach soon.


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## RPM

Rodney said:


> I've had only very limited success in straightening found dead wood. I've peeled a few after I broke them trying to straighten them and I usually see some sort of fungus or mold. I've had far better success straightening wood I've cut myself.
> 
> I still use some dead wood. It depends on the stick and I don't count on being able to straighten it. Maple is a good example. A stick that came out of the top of a mature maple tree will have a different character than a young shoot growing out of a stump or a sapling.


That too answers a question for me. As a novice, and to get started more quickly, a lot of the wood I collected was dryer than the Sahara. Good points about the maple out of the top versus the young shoot / sapling. I have found some use in dead wood for carving practice when the wood still as some integrity, and I did make a couple sticks I like out of dead wood by just filling in the bad spots and cavities. Wide range of approaches to this stuff, but it helps to hear the experiences and perceptions of others. Thanks!


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## LilysDad

Another thing about wood of questionable strength; If you are selling a stick to people, you have to consider your liability. If a stick that you made breaks in any way and the owner gets hurt, you could face litigation.


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## RPM

T



LilysDad said:


> Another thing about wood of questionable strength; If you are selling a stick to people, you have to consider your liability. If a stick that you made breaks in any way and the owner gets hurt, you could face litigation.


Good point! But the sticks I make, even out of deadwood, would fist have withstood the test om my OWN absurd girth! : )


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## cobalt

every one knows a stick is for additional balance and don't think people would use them for anything else. Just look at the majority of sticks for sale produced commercially .I think sometimes we worry about what could happen instead of focussing on what would happen.

I belong to a stickmaking group which most of us work on the same diameter of sticks , but i did give a shank to a friend the other day who wanted to make a ladies stick it was between 1 to 3/4 inch with a nice taper just over 1/2 inch. and considered it ideal for a lady

He always carves his topper suitable for a walking stick grip mostly dogs and makes them approx. market stick length .He prefers that size when training his dogs and goes beating as it assists him to get over *****

But i understand you use what's available its a practical solution to get shanks fortunately i have access to a few woods for the hazel i like.


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## RPM

cobalt said:


> every one knows a stick is for additional balance and don't think people would use them for anything else. Just look at the majority of sticks for sale produced commercially .I think sometimes we worry about what could happen instead of focussing on what would happen.
> 
> I belong to a stickmaking group which most of us work on the same diameter of sticks , but i did give a shank to a friend the other day who wanted to make a ladies stick it was between 1 to 3/4 inch with a nice taper just over 1/2 inch. and considered it ideal for a lady
> 
> He always carves his topper suitable for a walking stick grip mostly dogs and makes them approx. market stick length .He prefers that size when training his dogs and goes beating as it assists him to get over *****
> 
> But i understand you use what's available its a practical solution to get shanks fortunately i have access to a few woods for the hazel i like.


Yes, many of us no doubt would love to walk with you (and envy you) when you're harvesting Hazel. Different part of the world - different ecology - different culture - perhaps different philosophy and objectives. And that brings to mind the notion that it might be great to produce videos of those different specific environs and experiences and to post them here for each other to enjoy. ?


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## cobalt

RPM said:


> cobalt said:
> 
> 
> 
> every one knows a stick is for additional balance and don't think people would use them for anything else. Just look at the majority of sticks for sale produced commercially .I think sometimes we worry about what could happen instead of focussing on what would happen.
> 
> I belong to a stickmaking group which most of us work on the same diameter of sticks , but i did give a shank to a friend the other day who wanted to make a ladies stick it was between 1 to 3/4 inch with a nice taper just over 1/2 inch. and considered it ideal for a lady
> 
> He always carves his topper suitable for a walking stick grip mostly dogs and makes them approx. market stick length .He prefers that size when training his dogs and goes beating as it assists him to get over *****
> 
> But i understand you use what's available its a practical solution to get shanks fortunately i have access to a few woods for the hazel i like.
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, many of us no doubt would love to walk with you (and envy you) when you're harvesting Hazel. Different part of the world - different ecology - different culture - perhaps different philosophies and objectives. And that brings to mind the notion that it would be great to produce videos of those different specific environs and experiences and to post them here for each other to enjoy. ?
> 
> there are a lot of differences in styles on this side of the pond and we do have a lot of stickmaking shows here with a lot of world class stickmakers .using different styles where as i suppose a lot of American like what i suppose is called the rustic look there is no right or wrong just preferences
Click to expand...

there are a few videos by a members of this site stick with dave is one of them and they are all on u tube from cutting shanks straightening working both buffalo and rams horn there pretty good / there are also several methods of steaming wood


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## RPM

More to my point is the cultural and personal sharing versus just the technical.


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## cobalt

just try looking at a facebook site called stickmakers and suppliers its a quality site with good stickmakers on it and the guys always willing to answer questions just like here .and i have found it helpful in developing my own style.

I also use a decoy site mostly American but some superb decoys on it so i use some of there decoys pictured for my own toppers and make them interchanagble as i lot of species of water fowl you have there i haven't seen before And its simple enough to draw them to the size you want and to get the transition from topper to shank right

for showing sticks there are of a high quality with some judges more strict on certain features than others

theres always differences some people make the ferules from buffalo horn they do look good but don't think i would use them for road walking


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## MJC4

Different continents, different woods and different style sticks, makes our site enjoyable.

I was introduced to stickmaking, (more appropriate would be to call it hiking staff making), at a folk art center along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The folks I learned from in Appalachia carved the stick itself. Thus the stick I learned to make was/is anywhere from an 1 1/4" on up to 2" in diameter. The larger diameters are required to accommodate the carving of the staff and make it hard to straighten with steam or heat gun. It wasn't till I found this site that I ever thought to carve a topper and attach it to the shank. (Tx to my U.K. friends!) That method has expanded what I can use for shanks, ie. smaller diameters.

As far as using dead wood, large tracts of forest in the west and here in the Midwest are being killed by insects, pine bark beetles in the mountain west and the emerald ash borer here in the Midwest. Harvesting wood that is already dead makes perfect sense to me. I remove the bark before transporting wood from the western states so as not to spread pine bark beetle and the emerald ash borer is already established in my area. ( I have to treat my 3 autumn purple ash trees every spring with Imidacloprid to keep the beetle from killing them.) Untreated ash in my neighborhood are ALL dead as are millions of ash all over the upper Midwest and Ontario. If the USDA or the Forest Service doesn't find a way to combat the emerald ash borer our native ash are destined to go the way of the American Chestnut and American Elm. Since our National Forests allow the harvest of dead standing wood, and unfortunately the borer beetles are here to stay, why not utilize the resource?


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## RPM

MJC4 said:


> Different continents, different woods and different style sticks, makes our site enjoyable.
> 
> I was introduced to stickmaking, (more appropriate would be to call it hiking staff making), at a folk art center along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The folks I learned from in Appalachia carved the stick itself. Thus the stick I learned to make was/is anywhere from an 1 1/4" on up to 2" in diameter. The larger diameters are required to accommodate the carving of the staff and make it hard to straighten with steam or heat gun. It wasn't till I found this site that I ever thought to carve a topper and attach it to the shank. (Tx to my U.K. friends!) That method has expanded what I can use for shanks, ie. smaller diameters.
> 
> As far as using dead wood, large tracts of forest in the west and here in the Midwest are being killed by insects, pine bark beetles in the mountain west and the emerald ash borer here in the Midwest. Harvesting wood that is already dead makes perfect sense to me. I remove the bark before transporting wood from the western states so as not to spread pine bark beetle and the emerald ash borer is already established in my area. ( I have to treat my 3 autumn purple ash trees every spring with Imidacloprid to keep the beetle from killing them.) Untreated ash in my neighborhood are ALL dead as are millions of ash all over the upper Midwest and Ontario. If the USDA or the Forest Service doesn't find a way to combat the emerald ash borer our native ash are destined to go the way of the American Chestnut and American Elm. Since our National Forests allow the harvest of dead standing wood, and unfortunately the borer beetles are here to stay, why not utilize the resource?


Great detail on a specific experience with stick making based on geography and (resultant?) culture. Thanks for sharing in detail. Relating to your Blue Ridge story, though I didn't pick up the practice there myself, as it happens I'm currently doing a lot of carving (blamed thing is turning into a bloomin' totem pole! LOL) on a 2 inch aspen shank that was found dry but good. I will also learn to work with straight smaller sticks an applied toppers or handles. Yes, very interesting variety in this sport!


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## cobalt

speaking of toppers and totem poles something i did a while ago for someone


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## RPM

cobalt said:


> speaking of toppers and totem poles something i did a while ago for someone
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Love it! Very abstract / cubist or something. You're certainly expert at the realistic carvings and they're great but this is a really fun way to mix it up and to appeal to other sensibilities. I would think the new owner was thrilled!


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## Rodney

North West Native American influenced.


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## RPM

Thanks for pointing that out. My mind's eye initially was seeing in terms of general art styles (like in picture painting) rather than in terms of culture, but of course you're right.



Rodney said:


> North West Native American influenced.


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## cobalt

I am a fan of some of the north American Indian style. the subject matter they carve would lend itself to modernism .and there is a wide range matter carved by different tribes both colour and style still look fresh


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## RPM

cobalt said:


> I am a fan of some of the north American Indian style. the subject matter they carve would lend itself to modernism .and there is a wide range matter carved by different tribes both colour and style still look fresh


Puts me in mind of how art deco is influenced by basic forms and concepts found in the art of ancient Aztecs, Africans, Egyptians and more.


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## Gloops

Re stick straightening here is a link to one of a set of stickmaking video's produced by - Woodland sticks a UK based stickmaker well wirth watching the full series


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## RPM

Gloops said:


> Re stick straightening here is a link to one of a set of stickmaking video's produced by - Woodland sticks a UK based stickmaker well wirth watching the full series


You English guys would be a lot of fun for we Americans to hang out with - maybe go stick hunting with, work in the shop some, etc. Whether it would be similarly worthwhile for you guys to make such a visit over here, well, I guess it would depend on what you might hope to get out of it. LOL Anyway, yes, this video answers some of the questions I had such as that straightening typically happens after a stick is seasoned (4:00), and that "doglegs" in a stick are not good on a - "normal" - stick (for some American makers at least, every stick they make has crookedness and doglegs) but would be OK on a twisty stick and even add character (2:30). Anyway, as a novice I've only so far done "crooked, doglegged sticks with character," but wonder on some if some parts could be straighten, when, and how, so I think I'm clear on that now. Also at some point I'd like to find some shanks that would be right for adding carved toppers or cane handles to. Who would think something as seemingly simple as a stick could have so many variants? That's part of what makes it fun. Thanks!


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## RPM

Another note, watching a video on stick cutting of hazel in England, in my part of the world there is no hazel - nor any other species that remotely provides walking-stick-length shanks that are straight and without side shoots. So when I start doing straight sticks with toppers or handles I may well need to travel to a different area to harvest. In any case, the point is that one's environment can shape one's concepts, behaviors and products - and sometimes somewhat cloudy a remote conversation even about something as seemingly simple as a stick. : )


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## cobalt

There's nothing like a rams horn crook on a hazel shank so watch his videos on working rams horn still my favourite work


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## RPM

cobalt said:


> There's nothing like a rams horn crook on a hazel shank so watch his videos on working rams horn still my favourite work


Yes those are indeed admirable. Almost beyond belief that one could work a horn that way too. Amazing craft / heritage. We're fortunate it continues.


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## MJC4

RPM I see you are from Denver. 
The Trembling Aspen that grows all over the Rockies makes a great walking stick. The tree will grow sucker saplings from an expansive root system. One large aspen may have a root system with dozens of saplings growing from it. They grow quickly and relatively straight. Aspen also is a great wood for carving. When we vacation in the mountains I am always on the scout for aspen to harvest for sticks. 
Another straight stick in your neck of the woods is lodge pole pine. The lodge pole pine grows arrow straight and makes a great stick. As pine is a tough wood to hand carve, (though I have carved it with power), it is a good candidate for adding a topper. 
Willow is another wood out in mountain valleys that many a stick maker will use. Keep an eye peeled for smaller trees that show signs of fungal damage as these trees are the ones that will have the "diamonds" under the bark.


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## RPM

MJC4 said:


> RPM I see you are from Denver.
> The Trembling Aspen that grows all over the Rockies makes a great walking stick. The tree will grow sucker saplings from an expansive root system. One large aspen may have a root system with dozens of saplings growing from it. They grow quickly and relatively straight. Aspen also is a great wood for carving. When we vacation in the mountains I am always on the scout for aspen to harvest for sticks.
> Another straight stick in your neck of the woods is lodge pole pine. The lodge pole pine grows arrow straight and makes a great stick. As pine is a tough wood to hand carve, (though I have carved it with power), it is a good candidate for adding a topper.
> Willow is another wood out in mountain valleys that many a stick maker will use. Keep an eye peeled for smaller trees that show signs of fungal damage as these trees are the ones that will have the "diamonds" under the bark.


MJC4, thanks for those suggestion! I did harvest some aspen this fall and have indeed found it nice to carve. I'll look for the straight small suckers you describe. Willow I'd think is normally down by the river / stream and I'll have to refocus on that as well. When you're in the area next time, let me know. Maybe we can hunt together or at least have coffee.


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## top8cane

Hey Brother Rodney, looks great. How long do you allow the sticks to be steamed?

Thanks for the info!

Jerry


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## Rodney

I generally give them a couple hours. That seems to be long enough to get them hot. Being outdoors things like temperature outside and wind play a part too.


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