How to Make a Hiking Staff - a Complete Guide 

Watch this video to see how I use my hiking staff ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iI6UA_ASU7g.html

I used to refinish gun stocks. And we did something we called whisking. When the wood was bare, smooth, and ready to start adding finish, we would wipe it down with water. Dampening the surface. Then let it dry. This would bring up small fuzz that had not been sanded off, but not visible. When dry we would re-sand. One or two whiskings and no more fuzz. Then we would start applying the finish. So, maybe this step could go before your linseed oil.

I'm from South Louisiana and swampy areas are common. I tend to use rubber knee boots quite often. I made a mark on the bottom my staff 1" shorter than the tops of my boots. When probing ahead of me, I can easily tell if the water is too deep.

Mark, great video. Great viewer contributions as well. Mate, I’m Australian. I was taught a lot of Aboriginal ways (my heritage) ways of straightening spear shafts. My mob (ancestors) made spears that were about 8ft long. It’s hard to find straight natural shafts that long. What the ancestors did, while the wood was freshly cut, they would have a small ash and coals fore going. In that they would have a rounded ‘flattish’ rock in the coals. They would pull the hot rock out of the coals and holding the raw shaft horizontal to the ground with a bend in the shaft facing down to the rock. Then weight was applied to the shaft over the rock and the shaft will bend straighter. Noticed the ‘er’. This is repeated until the shaft is dead straight. It’s not hard, but can be time consuming. The benefit is that shaft maintains is original diameter and hence forth not weakened. It works.

Another use for a walking stick is to use it to telegraph your presence to any close by animals. If you drop your stick from 4 or 5 inches onto any rock on your path it makes a pretty good racket. I told my Granddaughter that it would scare away any rattle snakes ( it does) and now she spends more time looking for rocks to whack than she does hiking.... :-)

Well done Mark! When I was leaving the Ranger Battalion, I was presented an intricately carved and stained walking staff (I used one quite often as a Pre-Ranger School Instructor) - it remains one of my cherished items! For using the staff to support a tarp, I bought a small rubber ball (heavy duty dog toy is both smaller and stronger than a tennis ball) and cut a hole in it for the staff, I found this to help prevent damaging my tarps.

Not only do I love the presentation but I love the commenters, knowledgeable, polite; real gentlemen.

Striped maple may technically be softer than other maples but I have always found it to make an exceptionally dense and ridged walking stick. My favorite walking stick I have ever made is Moosewood.

Hey Mark great video. I made a walking stick when I was about 15. Had it ever since I used B.L. oil and a rubber stopper for canes as the base. It goes along with almost every trip. Excellent. For going off trail getting up steep hills and going down. It's a childhood momento that could never be replaced.

Wonderful video, thanks for posting! I love the idea of using the 3/4" copper end cap on the bottom. I got lazy in finding my staff, while paddling in the Nirthern Niagara swamps, I picked up a perfect staff, already cut down with the bark stripped by tge local beaver population! The teeth marks look great, so I will not be sanding them out. I also used a 3/8's lag bolt screwed into the end, with the head ground off, into a point! Now all it needs is the strap and a nice protective finish! Thanks again!

I started out using a hiking staff in large part due it's doubling as a camera monopod. However over time I have learned to really appreciate the advantages of using it for walking for many if not all the same reasons that you have given in this video. I appreciate that axtra balance support when navigating off trail in severe terrain. I also appreciate the extra support when walking slippery muddy terrain especially uphill and downhill since I prefer a boot type with minimal tread.

Great video. Thank you. I've made a few walking sticks just from limbs that came down from trees in our yard. I used a draw knife to remove the bark and smooth out (somewhat) the knots. I don't remember doing anything else to prep the wood, so mine looks somewhat more "rustic" as a result, but it still works well. I had some tung oil left over from an earlier project and used it--I agree it makes a great choice. I wrapped paracord around the top for a handle (my tree limb was a little thinner than the branch you used), and sized the bottom so I could use a replacement rubber crutch tip. It has saved me from falling many times over the years.

Another thing I would add would be witness rings from the bottom to about 3/4 from the top at one foot intervals (10 cm in your case😎). These can be used in many ways where measuring is required such as tracking etc. Great video. I was impressed by the seasonal change from start to finish 😉

Although a bit longer, it was worth every second to watch. Very well explained with tricks of the trade, precautions and good oratory skills. A soldering iron can burn proverbial words of wisdom. Great video to watch. Will catch up on more.

Loved Your Tips For This Mark ! Nothing More Theroputic Than Crafting A Hiking Staff, Made Many Over The Years & Gifted Them To Friends. Thanks ! ATB T God Bless

When clearing land and building my house in the rainforest jungle on the Big Island my most important safety tool was my Koa hiking staff. The dense foliage made it impossible to even see the ground often and I used it to probe ahead for holes and lava tubes. It saved me more than once.

Excellent Video. Made many myself, canes and walking sticks. More fun than you can imagine and very useful for sure. Having had four hip replacements on one side over the course of 50 years, a scencivitjy for others and their needs given many away !! Thank you for sharing !! H.

I like that little curve in the wood; it gives it character.

The iron wood we have in Hawaii is very heavy... but super straight. One hiking stick I made is the diameter of my little finger, but is by far the heaviest of all my hiking staffs.

Very grateful for your video. You have helped answer questions I had in refining my Christmas tree distaff, and for this sudden interest in spindle carving. I can even think about hiking in reasonable terms.

A walking staff is also great for checking the next step for snakes and other critters. Thanks for a great and informative video. God bless.

great tutorial and great to see someone promoting the staff. I have used a staff for decades but I can't seem to convince others of the advantages. I regularly hike/climb steep mountains and I do find a long pole best the steeper the terrain. Being able to reach down slope and find a stable support point has kept me safe many times. In rocky terrain I like a carbide tip. I like to make tips from 1/4" carbide end mills or drill bits. I break the end of the carbide off and epoxy the tip in 1/4" hole drilled in the end of the staff. The carbide fractures over time but that just makes it bite rock better and after it wears down it is easy to extract and renew.

Great video! Thanks for the step by step instructions! I am planning to make a few for family but, needed to fill in a few holes in my knowledge on drying and finishing. Thanks for the great advice!

Nice video Mark, the staff sling in Medieval times was a deadly weapon as it launched fist sized rocks a hundred yards.

Good morning, Mark. Thanks for sharing your perspective and understanding of the walking staff. Your instructions were clear and easy to follow. I too enjoy a good staff for walking and have made a few over the years. Found a discarded Christmas tree in Germany with many limbs/knots. After sanding, I used brown Kiwi shoe polish for the finish. Did the same thing with a locus stick when in Honduras. It had multiple angles and knots, but strong and relatively straight. Found a nice, straight Hickory pole, deer hunting, in East Tennessee. We make a fair group of outdoorsmen who walk. Our sticks, like our kits, are light, strong and have multiple uses. Thanks for sharing. Notice behind me is a sow with three cubs, up a persimmon tree, in Cades Cove, in the Smokies. I wish you well. Kentucky

I am very pleased with this video I have begun making a Walkingstick will refer back to this. Thank you so much greetings from Central Mississippi, USA.

Cool project Mark. I’ve got a project staff I’ve been working with on and off for a few years. It’s super hard wood with a few detailed carvings. My main hiking staff is shorter than I would like but I’ve had it for over 40 years. I used shoe goo and a similar bolt to protect the bottom. It has a nice bend for a had grip. I’ve never used a treatment on the wood other than decades of natural oils from my hand. Thanks for sharing the copper piece which I will add to my project staff.

Thanks Mark for your video . I too am embarking on this journey of staff making . It is so good for interacting with the walking community and making new friends aswell. I wish you all the best . from Hampsire , England , UK 👍

Great job on the weight loss, there is nothing better you can do for you health. I enjoyed watching the process for making the staff, especially the copper tip with a bolt idea.

I'd like to congratulate you Mark on this excellent video. It is one of the clearest and detailed explanation of the way you go about making a hiking pole from start to finish. Very watchable!

Mark, finally got to try out the staff. Makes a huge difference for my Urban walks with the dogs. The hand hold portion needs to be 2 in or 50 mm for my large hands. The current 1.25 inches is far to small and my hands felt very cramped by the time I got home. the Tung oil is just an excellent idea and you're so right the grip is excellent. Now I have to adjust the length for my Urban Walks as well, a little shorter I will cut it down in 2 inch increments until I get is to approximate length. Thanks for all the tips.

Excellent video! There are many staff-making videos on RU-vid but this is the best one I've seen! I make these too and do it about the same way you do. Most of mine are buckthorn, but I also have one ironwood staff too. Like you, I leave mine basically plain without any fancy carving or wrapping. But I live in a city, so instead of the metal point like you have, I use a rubber tip like you see on canes, crutches, etc. I don't use glue, but just whittle the end down until it's the right size (about one inch) and then just jam the stick into the tip by pushing it against the floor. They never come off! The advantage of a rubber tip in the city is that you can use them indoors whereas a metal tip would scratch up the floors. Once more, thanks again for this great video!

Thanks for the copper tip idea ... we live on a brook with beaver and they leave a nice pattern when debarking limbs. We make a few canoe trips on nice days during winter and usually find a few ... there have been some very unusually nice ones over the years

Awesome stuff. Thanks for all the great information and for sharing your experiences.

Keto has done wonders for you my friend. I picked up a 7' Bamboo pole about 1 and1/4" round from Dollarama a few years ago with the idea of making a survival staff. I was able to find one straight and no linear cracks. Used to rubber chair leg end for the bottom, but now think I will try the copper end and concrete screw as I have quite a few. I cut it down to around 55". The top is hollow for approximately 6" which I used a rubberized tube cap from refrigeration tubing. I have filled the hollow with a variety of survival items and lightly scraped of the varnish and applied linseed oil. I will now look at getting some tung oil after watching this video. Its very light, strong and comfortable to use. Cheers Mark.

Excellent video. Clearly explained and not drawn out. Everything you need to know.

We have a lot of ceder in Arkansas and Texas where I'm from ! I also use linseed oil and polyurethane !!! Loved the video keep em coming !!!! 🤨

I’ve made few walking staffs and walking sticks when we were in lockdown enjoyed making them 👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇨🇦👍👍

Appreciate the video. Especially your explanation of the different oils, how to use them, and why. Good stuff. (Down here in Florida swamp country, finding the right wood seems to be a bit more challenging.) Thanks.

Mark on the tips instead of epoxy (which is brittle especially in the cold) you might try a product called JB WELD. On the knots you can put a small dap of epoxy with masking tap over it, let it dry and then sand and finish. It will keep the pin knots from coming out. Great video, thank you

Great Video on Walking Staff. I have one I need to work on. Thanks for making this one. Have a Great Weekend.

Mark, I use the Spoke shave is to remove the knots and even out the staff, where you use a long heavy knife and while you work out side, I work in my basement, at -18C I am just not as hardy as some.. I have a Tormek for my sharpening requirements, having a Sharp blade regardless of task makes the job so much easier. I am surprise how hard the Poplar wood really is. As the wood dries out in the basement the wood is noticeably harder.

Greeting s from USA West Virginia is where I live. Like the way you present your videos. Clear and very well spoken. We have Maple here also. This I am in my 70s and I do hike quiet a bit. Have a great year.😁😁😁😁

Nice work Mark :) I got into making hiking staffs during the first UK lockdown in 2020, and have really got into it (mine are mainly ash, but I've made a couple from willow), making them for friends and their kids, as well as myself. I really find them a big help when hiking, they're so useful. I had to fend off aggressive sheep once! :D A tool I've found really useful is a Chisel Knife (mine is a Hultafors). I usually use a couple of coats of sanding sealer, and multiple coats of Danish oil, but I also use linseed oil, linseed oil, and wax. I sometimes counter-sink a compass into the top, and I've also made them to use as camera monopods.

I Enjoyed The Video, Thank You For Sharing. One Thing I Do In Addition To All You Presented, I Personalize My Staffs Along The Side Near The Bottom Cap Before Appling Any Finish. First Initial, Last Name, Month & Year. I Started Down This Staff Making "Trail" Back In May Of 1985.

I made one from iron wood and left the crotch at the top. It’s amazing for climbing hills by grabbing small trees or reaching and recovering items out of reach. I also used open flame to darken the staff before the finish. Nice video Mark 😀

Good rundown Mark, I had discarded a bunch of wood I had dried before moving to the new house last year, I had a lot of nice pieces, was following most of your steps. Your staffs look pretty good.

I have been working in the outdoor industry for many years and have used many aluminum alloy trekking poles. But wooden trekking poles offer better defense against wild beasts and memory. Great video.In addition, it is very important that the tips of modern brand-name trekking poles are made of tungsten. Because steel is too soft, it will slip on rocks.

Thank you very much for putting this video out there! I just finished a couple walking sticks, an ash branch from a freshly fallen dying tree using a copper reducer coupling to try and make it more of an "alpine spike" shape. I figured i could always cut it down further and try again if that experiment fails! I did make a second one out of a 60 inch hardwood "quikie" broom handle from the orange store that I got for 11$CDN. There was only one with straight grain in the shelf of 15 of them though! they seem like they would be lousy broom handles, but i figured 11$ for a 60"~ hardwood dowel wasn't terrible. Cut off the end with the metal ferrule and all I had to do was file a little bit to have a super snug fit with the copper end cap. After stripping off the weird brown stain that was applied with a card scraper, I sanded it down to 320 grit and threw some boiled linseed oil wax from allback. I can't be sure what kind of wood it is (i think the handles are made in brazil) but the wood looks really amazing! The grain really pops out and there are really nice red and even blue tones throughout, kinda like a mix between maple and poplar. Anyways, thanks again for these videos! :D

Great stuff. I am getting older and need one of these for hiking. I have hiking poles but I think it would much more fun to have one of these. I picked some sticks up from a tree I trimmed so I am ready to start on my first one.

Now I want to make me a good hiking stick. Sealing the ends while drying was a really interesting point, and the finishing oil you used seems to give the grip I was looking for but never got with linseed. I saw in a video a guy texturing the grip area of a wood handled knife by pressing the teeth of a medium-fine rasp into the wood, looked functional and easy to make, I might try that as well

Hi Mark I like your use of a copper fitting and cement screw for a shaft end, I found some brass caps similar in size to your fitting and drilled a hole in the end and soldered in a brass bushing that takes a 1/4-20 thread and used inserts from a broken tripod, which gave me a spike and a rubber tip.

ThankYou Mark Young: I have always wanted to make my own Hiking Staff. I Truly didn't know weir to Start Your Video has helped BigTime, I will follow you as of today 2/20/24 Very very very Nice, Did I say very nice.😂 Boston Massachusetts

Nice stick! I will use many of your tips on my next stick. thanks for sharing

A very thorough and helpful video. I've used raw linseed oil on handles and staffs. It takes longer to dry but gives a very solid finish with decent grip. BLO has some chemicals in it to speed drying that I don't want.

Excellent video, with perfect timing for me; as I am making some hiking staffs.

Great DIY and the finishing steps Great 👍

Thanks Mark I put some ranger beeds on top .and inserted a compas it's iron wood copper on bottom helps to keep it from splitting .thanks a bunch for your videos .

Mark, I live in Edmonton, AB, however I was born and raised in Halifax. I miss living there a great deal. My youngest sister moved back to Nova Scotia when she retired. If it were not for my wife need the dry climate here I would never had moved here. Here I have available Poplar wood which grows like a weed, along side of the garage. I am using a plane to remove the branch nubs and generally remove the bark and smooth the surface. In my case it is for urban walking with the dogs, especially in the winter, (October - May) snow season. I like your simplistic approach, the ground time is quite a practical approach. From my time in the Boy Scouts in the Waverly, Bedford, Dartmouth area I had been thinking of a longer staff, but with your suggestions I have been working through and I suspect your more simple approach may well be much more practical, and lighter as well. I will look for a future staff with a much larger ball end for my large hands. Also thanks for the reminder about boiled Linseed Oil and a finish coat of tung oil. I much prefer and oiled finish, I took a lot of criticism when I scrapped the varnish stock on my rifle and gave it a light coat of boiled Linseed oil. I still prefer its appearance, and it is easy to care for.

Incredibly detailed and informative. Thanks for sharing your methods.

Thank you for a great video. Just started making my first walking staff and your video provided some great advice for me

Hey Mark, I am about to embark in making my own hiking sticks here in the UK. I live in a beautiful forest full of native trees. Your video has been invaluable in giving me the confidence to go ahead. Well done!

Great presentation and explanation as usual. I especially like your solution to the high cost of end caps. I’ve made a few walking staffs over the years. There’s one thing I would suggest when choosing a stick; occasionally a bend in the wood can be advantageous to using the finished staff. One staff I made has a bend that makes it quite ergonomic to use on relatively level land (almost as though I planned it that way) and it doesn’t seem to compromise the strength of the staff. Thank you for posting this presentation.

Great video mark! I really like the idea of using a tapcon concrete screw as a tip for the staff. Cheers!

Good video. I use a drawknife and a rasp to debark/clean my sticks. It gives me more control over the process. Like some of the other commenters, I put a rubber foot on my sticks so they grab where you place them and are quieter.

Another great video. What a fun project.

Fine video Mark informative and entertaining! Thank you!

Very much enjoyed your video and learned something new. Thanks! I'll be trying this when i find a suitable piece of wood

I enjoyed your video. You have many good ideas. I've had good luck with willow. It is light, but strong and has some flex to it to absorb the shock and decrease the strain with all-day use. If you select diamond willow, you can accentuate the diamonds to make the stick appear very rustic. Thanks for your good work.

Precisely the information I needed, keep it up!

For cutting in grooves on the shaft, a rat tail file could serve well too. The bottom of the resulting groove would be a concave surface to receive a line very well.

I saw a comment about whacking rocks to scare snakes away. It reminded me of the khakkhara, a kind of staff I read about when I was young. Hermits in Japan and China used them, it's a staff with several metal rings dangling at the top. The noise it made would alert animals like bears and large cats so they wouldn't be surprised and attack. You may enjoy looking them up, I saw you replied you had black bears, the staff does all the noise making for you. I am enjoying your videos, definitely subscribing.

Hey, Mark, I just discovered your channel and am enjoying your videos immensely. I especially enjoyed this one, as making hiking staves, etc. is one of my retirement hobbies. Great to see a local guy on here!

Hello from Wisconsin and thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Hi Mark,thank you l was very interested and really enjoyed watching the way you make your staves, I like to make them and also other types of walking sticks

Mark, T.he more I work on this staff the more I have to go back to my childhood and the lessons learned. the blades in both the Plane and the spoke shave are not square, nor are they sharpened to the correct angle. The wood rasp works but it does not work the way I think it should. Other forums recommend using a scraper, I turned the rasp on an edge and promptly the rasp became a scraper which removes the inner bark with greater ease than any method I have tried so far. Once all bark layers are removed then the rasp is able to bite on the wood of the staff in progress. Taking my time, and learning how to do east task is like discovering something new, no it is going back to my childhood in Nova Scotia and remembering the things taught to me at a young age. Finding someone like you from down home make a significant difference.

Fortuitous timing, on my part in running across your now year old video, as I'm in the process of making a staff to replace the one I'd inherited from my ex-roommate that "Turned up missing" after I left it next to the dumpster a few months ago. Shortly after that we had a wind storm and I salvaged some limbs from a giant cedar and a sycamore that are out front and have just now gotten around to turning a 5' sycamore limb section into a 4'5½" walking staff - I'm 5'10", but it works for me. I used the wood working hand tools I had handy in "The Little Shop", as I call it, and it went well. Now I'm almost ready to apply a finish and was debating as to which oil finish, Tung or Linseed, (boiled or not) to use. I appreciate the insight as to why you chose what you did and will give it serious consideration.

I made a hickory stick and rather than using tongue oil and oils that you have to reapply I used TimberLuxe which is used for gun stocks and you can Google it to see how to apply. It works great and also I had my stick already done with a rounded end down and instead of cutting it off square I used a 12 point socket the size of the outside of the copper fitting and swagged it around the end and it turned out looking great.

G'day Mark, good stuff mate. yep plenty of variations alright. I have seen a patterned one, done with hot copper wire, looked fantastic and aided the grip too. I always retain a short fork on the top end, to pin a snake head if necessary, lotta nasty ones here, haven't had to do it yet, but been close a couple of times. Cheers Duke

What a great all-around video. Thank you, sir.

Good instructional video and tips Mark , thanks for sharing , God bless !

Thanks for an excellent video. I’m definitely gonna use the tung oil.

I had been thinking about a new hiking staff because the top of the one I have been using for years has a natural edge shape on top and any time I want to use it as a tent pole for my tarp I am afraid I will rip the tarp. Your video motivated me to pull out a few poles I had laying around and work on a new staff. I wanted to share that instead of making it as round on top as you did the one in the video, I hand wove something that looks like a beanie/net for to permanently pad it when used for this purpose. I will look to share a photo.

excellent video,very informative and well presented. thank you.

I've seen people who were lost, use a Type of Walking Stick in their Rescue.....T-shirts were Attached to the end, and waved at the Helicopter rescuers. I've seen some pretty fancy pancy walking sticks.... 🌞 One survival instructor , took two of the hikers walking sticks, and made a carry bed , to the injured hiker. 🌞 Native americans in the past would make a Travois , from sticks, to transport their gear (longer than 6' walking sticks) 🌞 I've seen others use their walking sticks as measurment yard sticks 🌞 I've seen a really cool walking stick , that was hand carved and was hollowed out, with survival gear inside it (fishing string, small hooks, saw, tinfoil, matches, small blade tool, etc ) 🌞 I've seen a walking stick come apart and turn into a self defense weapon...3 stick nunchucks. 🌞 I've seen a walking stick that was a casing for a sword blade.

this was an awesome video thank you so much for your knowledge and sharing, I'm going to make my own and this was so helpful. Thank you

Hi! Mark: I enjoyed this video. I have made a number of hiking staffs myself. And I would say there is no wrong way to make one. Everyone is free to do it the way they want. So my suggestions are only to show how I have done it. I've made all of my staffs from local native woods. I like White Bark Birch, it is a straight grain wood. Strong and easy to work with. But I have also used False Cherry, Russian Olive, and Arizona Cypress, to name a few. The Russian Olive had some knots that didn't knock off as expected. When the knots came out, some extra grain seemed to be part of the knot. Which then left a tapered groove leading away from where the knot had been. It would have meant a lot of work to fill in all the torn out knots. So I just left them, and smoothed them over some. They are part of the character of my Russian Olive staffs. And in reality I try to choose limbs of all types of wood that are less than straight. Thus each one has it's own personality. One I used a lot has a rather huge bow in the lower half. I'm sure most anyone would reject it as unworthy for use as a hiking staff. But that bow turned out to be very functional. When climbing over logs or large rocks that bow reached closer to bottom edge of the item being crossed. Where a straight staff would have been waving in the air unable to reach the ground beyond. I started out using all hand tools to make my staffs. A maximum coarse rasp to remove the bark and rough shaping. I followed that with a medium coarse half round 10 inch file. But it didn't take much sanding before I opted to use a power palm sander for final shaping and finishing. I like your copper cap on the end. But rather than the cement screw, I would install a 1/4-20 threaded male insert. You can then screw in a 1/4-20 hanger bolt, which gives you a sharp point for icy and slippery places. They are only mild steel. But every hardware store stocks them if you wear one out. You can find carbide or tungsten tips at hiking/ climbing outfitters. You showed a wrist loop on one staff. But it seemed to be mounted too high to me. And too long. I've done wrist loops two ways. I've figure out just where I want the loop on the staff, then drilled a hole clear through the staff. I made the loop just large enough to easily slip on and off the wrist. Yet you want to control the staff if you fall in a moving stream. You want the staff to still be with you, when you get to where you can stand. Then you just reach below your wrist and the staff will still be there for you to take hold. The other way I've made a grip and wrist loop, is to wrap braided cord where you want the grip handle, usually below the shoulder but above your elbow. Be sure and secure the ends of the cording through a loop under the last few wraps of cord. The wrist loop can be separate and held in place under the wraps of the handle, or it can be part of the handle all wrapped from a single length of cord. You need to have done some cord wrapping to understand. I'd give you more detail but I've wrapped nearly every staff handle differently, from one job to the next. I haven't found a favorite way to do handles yet. Every staff I make I try to do it some new way. If you figure the length of your staff to the proper height, you can then install a 1/4-20 threaded insert on the top end. Then use a 1/4-20 stud to install a quick release camera mount. Then when out hiking your staff can be a nice mono-pod for shooting sharp outdoor scenes. With the camera mount removed you can use the 1/4-20 stud to attach your tent or tarp to. I'll be watching your other hiking staff video next. Thanks Again!

Amazing video - Well done, Mark!

also a rubber crutch end cap in 7/8 will fit on copper cap perfect to use in everyday use on tile floor so screw won't scratch of damage it and won't slip

Mark, I did find a spokeshave works far better than my plane. I cannot find my 4 - 1 Rasp. I did however use oil to seal the ends of the staff in progress, no paint available at the moment. While I have my doubts about the Poplar Wood, it is what I have available. As I have begun work on it it is bring back many memories of my summers in Nova Scotia, especially one summer on a farm in Middle Musquodoboit, plus the many hours tramping through the woods near Waverly. We have an old hermit who had a small gold mine he operated. Many other memories of my child hood in Nova Scotia.

No Tilley 😂 & yes I think that Keto is working well for you. That staff turned out great, I’ve been wanting to make one for awhile but…. Years ago I made a nice staff for my sister who likes to hike. It was a excellent piece of popular that a beaver was kind enough to cut down & peel, it dried perfect. I made a nice brass bushing & added a leather hand strap. Added a Good coat of spar varnish, it was a perfect gift. Now I just need to make mine.

😊thanks Mark. Good tips for making a staff.

Morning Mark greeting from Wiltshire in the UK. Funny, I was in the hardware store this very morning and I picked up a wooden staff looking for something to make a hole for my makeshift selfie stick plastic tube to sit in the ground. The staff I eventually chose has a metal attachment on the bottom and the design of it seems ever so slightly thicker at the ends. Although the ground probably isn't as hard as yours in Canada, its still solid dried out clay at the moment, and to be fair I would probably use it to clear nettles and brambles out on my way on the footpaths and through the woods. Whilst walking thinking that I'm a very scruffy samurai. Keep on with the vids, as always finding them informative; thanks. Me I'm also making new vids for You Tube.

hi Mark so nice you started in winter and now it's summer

Thanks. Looks like real fun.

Great one with the concrete screw on the bottom tip! I have always used boiled linseed oil alone in this rule: once per hour for one day or evening then wipe it off. Do this 2 days in a row, then once a week for a month Some go as far as once a month for a year, but I found the wood (at least Maple) is sealed like crazy already.

Excellent video. Well done. Thank you.

Mark, the 4 in 1 rasp arrived today. I can now see why you use it on your staffs. great on the removal of the bark. the down side is it is not quite as good as the spoke shave on the knots. This is just my opinion. the Danish oil is doing wonders on the Staff Ends.

Hi Mark. Thank you very much, your video was very useful 👍

I have some land too. I've made a few staffs out of Juniper Cedar(a red cedar). It's a fairly strong wood yet light. One quite thick and worthy of defense should something come around. Other not as thick and bottom/earth end say 3/4" or less. It has a hand to mind's eye report, if jabbed to earth while hiking. Like detecting hardness of the soils via vibration; hard to explain unless done. Jabbing fallen trees to detect punkwood/tinder vs drawing a knife. I like the worn look of the cedar bark/near as a skin when left on. Top end I just whittle in circles and make a rounded crown, then around again to remove the peaks. 50 to a hundred cuts? ..fun to do. The thick one I skinned the top 1.5'. Beginning 3.5" down from crown I carved in a narrower 1' section to fit hand/hand slide as walking around kinda sorta. Knob at top is a stopper, and if I'm ever brave enough to carve in a tiki face or something someday..as art, it's there. (-: Did I say thick? :-D Thick enough to sit on if span not too far. Climb it up an easy tree and use it for the Third branch(triangle) to sit on...waiting for nature to forget I'm there. yeah, the older I get the less I do that one. Well at least not 35' up no moe. tips me hat Mark ~