The Stick Makers Thread

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Are there any stick makers on the forum?

 

I have some well seasoned shanks that need a bit of straightening - does anyone know any easy way to do it?

 

OTC

Edited January 1, 2011 by OldTrapCollector

[The one 8,467]

A stick maker said cable tie them to a beam for a season

[neil r 1,844]

I do it by boiling a pan of water and putting the part of the stick which needs straightning over the pan and covering the the top with a towel and leaving it on the boil for 5 - 10 minutes . Once its soft bend it how you want it , if you need more straightning just repeat it till you get it how you want it . Another way is to get a length of drain pipe , block one end and use a wallpaper steamer (minus the end piece). Put the the stick in the drainpipe , then the pipe off the steamer and seal it with a towel or similar and leave it for 5 - 10 minutes and bend it where ever you think it needs it

[dogsbollocks58 36]

hi mate i think thay use a hot air blow gun to get them strate, i think

[moxy 617]

I do it by boiling a pan of water and putting the part of the stick which needs straightning over the pan and covering the the top with a towel and leaving it on the boil for 5 - 10 minutes . Once its soft bend it how you want it , if you need more straightning just repeat it till you get it how you want it . Another way is to get a length of drain pipe , block one end and use a wallpaper steamer (minus the end piece). Put the the stick in the drainpipe , then the pipe off the steamer and seal it with a towel or similar and leave it for 5 - 10 minutes and bend it where ever you think it needs it

 

I also do it this way, works very well.

 

Just take care when bending over your knee, if you go too far you will split the fibre in the wood

 

[pipa 299]

i used a 1 1/2 meter length of 63mm gas pipe capped off at the bottom, with a 8mm hole drilled about 10" up from the cap for the wallpaper steamer nozzle, put a couple of sticks in, a bit of rag in top to keep steam in, only takes 5mins! i use a heat gun now, its alot easier, when uve straightend them lay them on a flat surface over night, like a table or floor? if uve dried them correctly for a year they prob will bend, dont worry! they will straighten!

chris

[comanche 2,942]

According to my woodsman friend as a rough guide you should allow an hours steaming for every inch of thickness of wood. Using the blocked drainpipe and wall-paper steamer method I found this formula far more successful than the combination of impatience and guess-work I'd been struggling with . I've curved walking sticks ,bows and ribs for a canoe using this guide . You have to work quick to get the piece into the desired shape though-possibly 30 seconds maximum - so have all your clamps and formers at the ready before you take anything out of the steamer.

[Gin 498]

I've made many sticks, by using a hot air gun. Keep the gun about 4 inches from the shank, and keep turning the shank, until nearly too hot to handle. Straighten in the vice with the help of blocks placed against the bend. One block on the bend and two either side infront, and screw up the vice, and leave to cool. Works perfectly.

 

http://www.bobsticks.co.uk/links.htm

[jayjay 264]

hi mate i think thay use a hot air blow gun to get them strate, i think

i'll second that.... ,thats how i straightened mine,and it worked fine,gradually heating it up and checking how plyable it was getting as i went along,keeping the heat gun moving up and down the area to be straightened,and not holding it in one spot to long,incase i scorched the wood,

good luck,

all the best,

jay.

[OldTrapCollector 377]

Does the directly applied hot air gun method have any effect on the bark of the stick? It doesn't lift it or burn it does it?

 

And just to check - we are talking about a paint stripper-type hot air gun aren't we?

 

OTC

[comanche 2,942]

hi mate i think thay use a hot air blow gun to get them strate, i think

i'll second that.... ,thats how i straightened mine,and it worked fine,gradually heating it up and checking how plyable it was getting as i went along,keeping the heat gun moving up and down the area to be straightened,and not holding it in one spot to long,incase i scorched the wood,

good luck,

all the best,

jay.

I think I was gettin a bit carried away in my last post .Sorry.

OTC only asked for an easy way of straightening sticks . I've straightened arrows over a flame and with some gentle thumbing they do come straight pretty quickly so you hot air guys have my vote on that one .

I've found a good steaming is better for serious bending as it is easier on the fibres .

This new country craft section could be a good one .

All the best

[OldTrapCollector 377]

I have heard of the 'steaming over a pan with a towel on top' method before, I just wanted to hear if anyone had any different methods so it has been good to hear of all of them.

 

I have a load of cut sticks in the shed - I cannot resist if I see one when I am out shooting - they are all holly or hazel I think although there might be some blackthorn in there at the back that has been in there for 5 or 6 years or so. Some are thumb sticks but most have been cut with either root knobs in the case of the holly, or with good sized wood blocks at the top for the hazel. There's plenty of scope there for making alsorts. I do like the shanks to be straight though, and whilst they were pretty straight when cut, drying them allows the inevitable kink to develop which is what I would like to straighten - they aren't bowed or dog-legged so it shouldn't take too much.

 

I hope to hear more from experienced stick makers in this section, it is always interesting to hear how others resolve their problems.

 

Thanks so far for your assistance

 

OTC

[comanche 2,942]

You see trugs fitted with hazel handles and rims and these parts usually have a strip of bark remaining firmly attached . These are steam-bent .I was told to soak any seasoned wood for a couple of days before attempting anything too drastic.

I've curved bow tips after steaming over a pan of water covered by a tea towel and foil but once I'd discovered the drainpipe and wall-paper steamer method found things a lot easier.

I guess the answer is to practice on your least favourite stick but I expect you've thought of that

Good luck and keep us informed .All the best

Edited December 21, 2010 by comanche

[pipa 299]

just a few sticks ive made over the last few years, others i have made i gave to friends! when i shank i dont use the steal rods, i carve a wooden dowl on the top of the stick, i find it easier this way, chris

blackthorn one piece thumb

 

[TEZ12346 0]

Are there any stick makers on the forum?

 

I have some well seasoned shanks that need a bit of straightening - does anyone know any easy way to do it?

 

OTC

hi mate if you go on youtube and put in stick making you will have bit fun