The Stick Man

DIY shanks information and price list

Page last updated 1st December 2008 - click on "Refresh" or "Reload" to ensure you see the latest information each time you visit.

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Picture shows typical "Seasoned only" hazel, Straightened hazel and Turned Ash

SHANKS

Please note - if you are ordering shanks and other items that you wish to match (such as ferrules, collars etc) please tell us on your order form (additional information) or email us and we will do our best to send matching sizes. If you order incompatible sizes we can correct them and alter prices before payment is taken on a card - but ONLY IF YOU TELL US YOU WANT THINGS TO MATCH. It may seem obvious to you that they are to match but often customers buy items for existing projects and a shank or two for later work. We can not read minds, though sometimes it would be useful!

Most of the shanks we sell are "Seasoned-only" and have been air dried, typically for anything between 10 months and two years. (See lower down for Seasoned and straightened shanks).

None of the sticks is very bent or crooked - but will still require straightening if you like straight sticks (see the STICK PRESS below). I won't send you anything that can't be straightened if you use my methods - I keep the really awkward ones to do myself! Diameter at the top is typically 7/8" (23 mm) to 1 1/8" (27 mm). Most shanks taper from top to bottom and some have lots of knots - others very few or none at all. All have the bark left on. I cut nearly all these sticks myself but predicting demand a couple of years in advance - so they have time to season - is difficult and there are times when I run out of some of them.

HAZEL The most popular material for stick shanks in the UK and I always try to have plenty in stock. Bark colour varies from pale, silvery-grey to very dark brown, mottling and striping often shown. Some hazel is very knotty, some has hardly any knots at all. If you have very specific requirements please contact us before ordering.

ASH Bark normally grey, sometimes with a green tint. Very knotty - sand them down or leave standing slightly proud. Ash takes stain very well and can look quite striking when stained dark brown.

SYCAMORE Reddish brown bark, often quite knotty. Quite a lightweight wood.

ELDER This has a rough, corky bark that needs sanding or scraping off. The wood underneath is a rich creamy yellow. Young wood on Elder bushes is very soft and pithy but as it matures it hardens and only a narrow core of pith remains. Most Elder grows straight to begin with then curves down toward the ground - these sticks are nearly all slightly bowed because of this.

BLACKTHORN Very hard wood with deep reddish brown or purple bark - often very knotty. I only cut a few of these each year so stock soon runs out. OUT OF STOCK JUST NOW!

BIRCH Quite knotty wood with bark from reddish brown to almost black. A strong wood, birch can be reminiscent of knotty blackthorn and some people have been convinced that it really was!

 Although we nearly always have plenty of hazel, we sold out of some of the other "seasoned only" sticks. We tried a few last year to see if they would be popular - wow, were they popular! We cut a lot more of these last winter and they are just becoming available as "seasoned" sticks.

SHIPPING SHANKS: PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO THE LENGTH OF SHANKS WE CAN NOT SEND THEM OUTSIDE THE UK AS "SMALL PACKAGES" AND THEY MAY INCUR A SURCHARGE OF UP TO £12 ABOVE THAT SHOWN ON YOUR ORDER (this only applies if you are outside the UK).

HAZEL - SEASONED ONLY 35" £3.00 each

HAZEL - SEASONED ONLY 42" £3.50 each

HAZEL - SEASONED ONLY 48" £4.50 each

HAZEL - SEASONED ONLY 54" £5.50 each

ASH - SEASONED ONLY 50" £4.00 each

SYCAMORE - SEASONED ONLY 50" £4.00 each

ELDER - SEASONED ONLY 50" £4.00 each

BIRCH - SEASONED ONLY 50" £4.00 each

BLACKTHORN - SEASONED ONLY 50" £8.00 each

BUDGET PACKS

BUDGET PACK OF 10 (SEASONED-ONLY) HAZEL STICKS just £35 (previously £46)
These are bundled in tens in the woods so are unsorted for length or thickness but all are useable sticks.

BUDGET PACK OF 4 MIXED VARIETY (SEASONED-ONLY) STICKS just £15
Four different kinds of stick in each pack - 1 Hazel, 1 Ash, 1 Sycamore and 1 Birch

BUDGET PACK OF 10 MIXED VARIETY (SEASONED-ONLY) STICKS just £32 (previously £38)
At least four different kinds of stick in each pack (all labelled so you know what they are) - mostly from the list above but sometimes others I cut occasionally - maybe holly, hawthorn, apple, rowan, cherry etc. Most packs will contain at least four hazel sticks as these are still the most popular variety. You may be lucky and get a "twisty" stick (caused by honeysuckle) in your pack but we can not guarantee this.

 

  

 

STRAIGHTENED STICKS

HAZEL seasoned and straightened. We never have large stocks of ready straightened Hazel and tend to straighten them as they are required. These are straightened by us using our own STICK PRESS (see below).

35" £7.50 each
42" £8.50 each
48" £9.50 each
54" £10.50 each
58" £12.50 each

Click on the box below to make your selection

Hazel 35" Seasoned and straightened £7.50 Hazel 42" Seasoned and straightened £8.50 Hazel 48" Seasoned and straightened £9.50 Hazel 54" Seasoned and straightened £10.50 Hazel 58" Seasoned and straightened £11.50

Qty

Chestnut shanks, seasoned and straightened - with bark on.

Chestnut seasoned and straightened.
Standard grade typically 7/8" (23 mm) to 1 1/8" (27 mm).
Prominent knots and very dark bark colour - very similar look to Blackthorn (it has fooled many people!). Most shanks taper from top to bottom. If you have very specific requirements please contact us before ordering.

52" to 54" at £8.00 EACH

Pack of 3 for £22.00

TURNED SHANKS

Turned Ash tapered on a lathe from 1 inch (25 mm) down to 3/4 inch (20 mm) 36" (90 cm) long at £5.50 each. Will need sanding for smooth finish

Qty

Stick Press with a stick in a vice

Below: Very bent stick before and after straightening with the press. It took less than 10 minutes to straighten this 54 inch blackthorn stick!

Two brass parts and threaded steel inser. Use 1/2" or 13mm drill for holes in stick and use epoxy (below) to glue into holes. I've recently started using the epoxy putty because it holds the joints in place better than the liquid epoxy so you get more chance to get everything lined up before the glue runs out of the holes or sets hard too quickly!

I find the steel rod supplied is often longer than required so use epoxy to glue one end into the internal thread then cut the exposed part in half. You can also cut the brass part shorter if required.

I use strong Saddler's thread to whip behind the brass to strengthen the stick and prevent it from splitting around the joint.

Soak the whipping thread in epoxy or superglue to form a solid band. Smooth with steel wool and varnish or oil with the rest of the stick

Screw-joints Brass, as in pool-cues, to make a collapsible stick. 25 mm diameter flanges (file down easily to smaller sizes). Essential if you are taking your stick on an aeroplane!

£4.50 per joint or £3.50 each for 4 or more, £3.25 each for 10 or more (ONLINE OFFER)

These have steel rods fitting into brass threads and are much stronger than the old all-brass ones!

 OUT OF STOCK UNTIL AROUND DECEMBER 10TH - SORRY! Any ordered will be shipped as soon as new stock arrives.

Epoxy putty

Two-part epoxy - mix equal amounts of adhesive and hardner together to start the setting reaction. The mixture sets slowly, starting off quite soft like Plasticine and slowly getting harder. In effect you have an hour or so before the mixture gets too stiff to work and it's pretty hard after three hours and can be handled after that.

Epoxy liquid Adhesive

Similar to "Araldite Rapid" but much cheaper! Equal amounts are supposed to come automatically from each tube as you press, but in use it doesn't always happen. I sometimes separate the two plungers using a small saw and this gives me more accurate measurement and less waste! Five to ten minute working time, full strength achieved in 60 minutes. Setting times are slower in cool conditions.

I use nothing else for fixing heads and handles to shanks! Also good for filling hollows or cracks in horn handles - it is almost colourless, unlike some other epoxies that are cream coloured.

Perfect for fixing glass eyes in heads and many other uses.

Price £1.50 per pack or
£13.50 for a full box of 12 packs (ONLINE OFFER).

Wrist straps nylon with elastic loop, fits most sticks. £2.50 each

Black or brown available - if we are out of stock of your chosen colour we will send the other.

The oil finish I use on nearly all my sticks:

Ronseal " Furniture Oil", made for protecting outdoor garden furniture but it's great on sticks - I use it all the time! More flexible than varnish so less likely to crack or flake. I've never known it set in the tin or even skin over like so many varnishes do, so it's really economical! Use it on bare wood for a matt or satin finish. Use sanding sealer first (rubbed down with fine abrasive) to get a more gloss finish. Very fast drying time - I often get two coats put on in about an hour.

Price £6.95 for 500mls tin.

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	Vinyl glove £1.25 per pack of 10 Clear vinyl gloves to keep hands clean when using adhesive, oil, varnish, etc. Unlike latex, these gloves can be used many times and do not dissolve if used with solvents like meths or white spirit. Discount for 10 packs or more Vinyl Gloves £1.25 pack of 10 Qty

NEW

Wading staff conversion kit. All the bits you need to convert your own stick into a Wading Staff. Kit includes lead sheet, shrink tube, nylon cord, clips, pins, brass screw and heavy duty rubber ferrule.
Instruction sheet for fitting the kit included

To see my wading stick click HERE

Make your stick glow brightly in the dark when headlights approach. Use our 13 mm wide self-adhesive reflective tape.

For more uses click HERE

Amazing stuff! 38 mm shrinks to 19 mm when heat is applied (I use a paint-stripper gun). Just slide it onto the stick and apply heat. Forms a tight plastic cover. Can be used on metal, too. Stops soft wood and cane from fraying. Makes metal "warmer" to the touch.
More Uses - click HERE

Shrink tube 38 mm (1 1/2") diameter, for wading staffs and many other uses. Black, in cut lengths of 20 cm (8")

Abrasive tape. Much longer lasting than sandpaper, used for smoothing shanks, handles, horns, antlers and carvings.

Three pieces, approx 30cm (12") X 2.5cm (1") in three grades - coarse, medium and fine

Small compass - diameter around 3/4 of an inch (20 mm). Fit into handle of hiking stick or glue one of these to a piece of polished wood or horn and fit a leather loop to make a simple gift for a walker.

Note: The small air bubble inside the compass should float above the dial. During shipping the bubble may become trapped below it and stop the dial rotating - try tapping the compass on its edge on a hard surface to dislodge the bubble then place upright and allow to settle. Close proximity of any iron/steel may affect the correct funcioning of the compass.

£1.50 each or a Discount pack of 5 for £ 6.25

Leather lace (dark brown), for wrist loops, whistle lanyards, boot laces etc. Sold by the metre or on a full 25m roll.
The lace is square in cross-section but can be rounded out by pulling through sand paper.

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See question and answer page about making your own sticks

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