hiking staff

OK, I finished it. And, because of an overwhelming number of requests from the peanut gallery (one ) I am posting pictures.
I may be doing some wilderness hiking in the coming months and decided I wanted my own, self-made hiking staff. The wood is Osage Orange with a walnut topper. I used couplers and a tip kit from Craft Supply (Woodturners Catalog). Added some burn lines for accent. I hadn't planned on making this a convertible from cane to staff and now wish I had. By just reversing the way one of the couplers is inserted into the section, I could have joined the bottom section to the top one and had a walking cane also. No need currently, but one never knows. The rubber tip on the end unscrews to reveal a one inch hardened spike for different ground conditions. Also, that spike could serve as a (minimal) defensive weapon. Fun project.

Looks good........I made a 2 piece cane from Cocobolo using the same coupler and tip.
Keep the chips flying.

Well Done Frank. I like that is come apart so you can store it in the car/truck easier too. My dad has a hiking stick he made on a camping trip with me and other boy scouts long ago...I know he carved the date into it. Did you?

Me thinks my MIL, who takes long walks in the woods too, would love something similar. Thanks for the inspiration.

That came out looking very nice, Frank. Well done.

Now, the real question is, will they let you on the plane with it?

Rennie Heuer said:

Now, the real question is, will they let you on the plane with it?

Click to expand...

Of course not Rennie, it is walking stick not a flying one!

Rennie Heuer said:

Now, the real question is, will they let you on the plane with it?

Click to expand...

It's going into check on luggage. Really, there could be a problem. My luggage is camouflage color, it always gets inspected. Can we say 'paranoia' boys and girls?

Great looking piece Frank. Well done.

Awesome job Frank,

Yes, I've traveled with camo duffels before, and for some reason they always get a peek.

I've always carried a pocket knife, usually a leatherman, for many years. I remember when they used to have you put your keys and pocket change in a little cup, instead of going through the x-ray, and just putting my knife in there.

Times have definitely changed.

As far as having a convertible staff -> cane, maybe it's just another opportunity to refine the design. An extra connector and you could have an interchangeable top piece. In staff mode, it could be like what you have now. In cane mode, you could have some sort of 90 degree knee thing, perhaps made from a natural bend of a tree, taking advantage of the curved grain....

Beautiful....

That's way cool, Frank. Now you need to make a velvet lined case for it like a prize pool cue.

BTW, you can carry it on a plane but you have to place it in a 1 quart zip-loc bag and run it through the x-ray.

Hmmm, Might not want to run it through the xray. There are sword canes out there.....

Great looking hiking staff Frank like the fact it comes apart for storing. I have friends that go for walks on the wild side now you have put another to do piece on my ever expanding list but looking forward to the challange

Frank, that is a neat walking stick. I might have to try one of those. Looks like a fun project.