Why does a wooden walking stick cost so much I hear you say?
Read the below and hopefully it will explain the multiple steps, time and skills required to hand make a wooden walking stick and in this case a Hazel Knob Stick.
From Hedgerow to Hand:
Harvesting the Wood
On a cold, clear morning, our stick-maker Craig, walked the edge of an old coppice, searching not for the largest branch but for the right one. A straight hazel shoot, strong and close-grained, rose from a stool with a natural swelling where it joined an older limb. That swelling would become the knob. Craig cut the shoot cleanly during the dormant season, leaving enough wood above the future handle for shaping and carrying it home with the bark intact.
Storing & Seasoning the Wood
Back at the workshop, the green stick was labelled and laid on raised bearers in a dry, airy shed, away from direct heat and sunlight. Its ends were protected with bees wax to slow moisture loss, while small spacers allowed air to circulate around it. Then came the patient work that required no tools at all: seasoning. Through the passing 12 months, the wood surrendered its moisture gradually, becoming lighter, steadier and less likely to split or twist when worked.
Steam Straightening the Wood
When the stick was seasoned, its slight bends could be corrected. Our stick-maker Craig passed each crooked section through hot steam until the fibres grew warm and pliable, then eased the shaft over a straightening iron with slow, controlled pressure. He sighted along its length, adjusted one curve at a time and held each correction until the wood cooled. What had entered the steam as a wandering branch emerged as a balanced, upright shaft.
Forming the Knob: Hand Saw, Rasp & Sanding
The natural swelling at the top now revealed its promise. With a hand saw, our stick-maker Craig removed the surplus wood and established the knob’s rough outline. A rasp followed, its coarse teeth rounding the form and blending it into the shaft. He turned the stick repeatedly in his hands, judging the shape by touch as much as by sight. Successively finer sandpaper erased the rasp marks until the knob sat comfortably in the palm, smooth without losing the honest character of the grain.
Paring the Bottom of the Stick to Apply a Brass Ferrule
At the foot of the shaft, the maker marked the depth of the brass ferrule. With careful, shallow cuts, our stick-maker Craig pared the wood evenly around its circumference, testing the fit often so that the end remained centred and round. The ferrule was pressed firmly into place, snug enough to protect the timber from wet ground and hard paths without splitting it. Its bright rim gave the humble branch a practical, dignified finish.
Sanding & Finishing the Stick with Oil or Varnish
Finally, the entire stick was sanded from knob to ferrule, each finer grade softening scratches while leaving the grain crisp and visible. Our stick-maker Craig wiped away the dust and chose a finish: penetrating oil for a warm, natural feel, or varnish for a harder, glossier shield. He applied thin coats, allowing each one to dry before rubbing it smooth. When the last coat had cured, the grain glowed beneath the surface. The stick that had begun as a winter shoot was now straight, strong and ready for the road—its rounded knob shaped for the hand and its brass-shod foot prepared for many years of service.
