Crafty Staff

[Pelta]

I looked for the previous topic on craftiness but couldn't find it, so I'm afraid I had to make another.

I want to turn this hunk of wood:



Into a staff.

Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about woodwork. I want to carve things into it and attach dangly bits, but I am totally clueless as to how to go about doing so.

Does anyone know of any crafty techniques that may help? Anything you know would be really great.

Thanks for any help you can offer! biggrin

Edit: Sorry 'bout the size of the photo. I don't know how to make it smaller. sweatdrop  

[TheDisreputableDog]

I wish I could help you, but unfortunately, I attract gorgeous staff sticks as if we were magnetic and have no idea what to do with them. Some of them stick (hah) around and some I have to let go of, but none turn into anything useful during their time with me.

The most I could suggest was whether you wanted to leave the bark on it as it looks in the picture, or remove it. Some trees shed their bark easily and some you have to carve off if you don't want to ruin your fingernails and your branch. Whether you leave the bark on or not, I recommend throroughly sanding the place(s) where your hands will be. Splinters suck.

I'm sorry if you were already thinking about it and I was just redundant. 3nodding  

[ShadowSharrow]

How big is it ?
What wood is it ?
How old is it ?
How dry is it ?  

[Pelta]

TheDisreputableDog

The most I could suggest was whether you wanted to leave the bark on it as it looks in the picture, or remove it.

Actually that's my biggest problem at the moment. There are bits that I've already peeled the bark off, but it won't go any further. Plus, the grain beneath the bark is beautifully smooth, and I don't want to sand it because it would ruin the texture. So there's my biggest predicament.

I don't know how to get the bark off without damaging the wood beneath (or my fingernails).

ShadowSharrow

How big is it ?
What wood is it ?
How old is it ?
How dry is it ?

1. About 4 ft.
2. I have no idea.
3. At least six years.
4. Very.  

[ShadowSharrow]

Only coarse sanding will ruin the texture if you stop there, you start course with glass paper and then work down to the very very fine grades of sandpaper and then you bug with a cloth and some bees wax.  

[Starlock]

Gods, that wood type looks really familiar (I think I have a really old staff I picked up as a kid from the same wood) but I can't place it. Are the buds/leaf scars opposite or alternate? I can't quite tell from the image.

The main thing of concern is the hardness of the wood. Some wood is a lot easier to carve than others and the carving I've done so far has been in softer pine wood. I'm pretty sure this isn't pine or a softer wood, so carving it is going to be a challenge.

The other important concern is the general texture; how is it going to respond to chipping away at it? Some woods will carve more cleanly, others might splinter. A good way to avoid splintering is to score an outline of the shape you want into the wood and carve out what's inside the lines you made. Maybe an illustration would be easier. xd I have another few boxes to carve... maybe I can take some pictures. Hehe.

At any rate, first step... buy some tools if you don't have them. A plain knife isn't going to get you very far. The ones pictured here are actually better than the ones I have... you'll probably need better ones if you're working with hardwood. You can always try the sets they sell at craft stores though to see how well those work.

 

[Crowley Vance]

Try going to a crafting store. There might be someone there that can give you some advice.  

[ShadowSharrow]

I would suggest to have a look here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=530

There are a lot of wood workers and turners there and listings of suppliers in and arround dublin  

[Pelta]

Starlock

Gods, that wood type looks really familiar (I think I have a really old staff I picked up as a kid from the same wood) but I can't place it. Are the buds/leaf scars opposite or alternate? I can't quite tell from the image.

I don't know what you mean by opposite or alternate... sweatdrop But I think it might be cherry wood. There was lots of it in Hungary where I picked up the piece. It's also got a lovely reddish tinge to the wood that you can't really see properly in the photo.

Quote:

The main thing of concern is the hardness of the wood. Some wood is a lot easier to carve than others and the carving I've done so far has been in softer pine wood. I'm pretty sure this isn't pine or a softer wood, so carving it is going to be a challenge.

The other important concern is the general texture; how is it going to respond to chipping away at it? Some woods will carve more cleanly, others might splinter. A good way to avoid splintering is to score an outline of the shape you want into the wood and carve out what's inside the lines you made. Maybe an illustration would be easier. xd I have another few boxes to carve... maybe I can take some pictures. Hehe.

Any help would be great! biggrin It seems to be quite a hard wood, but it's so dry the bark peeled off really easily for the first foot or so. The next way down might be a bit of a challenge. Thanks for the tips!

I got myself a set of woodcrafting tools at an art supply shop. I think they're the best in Dublin, because I looked hard enough and everyone sent me to this shop. I got a big, sharp knife at a hardware store that they said was good for woodworking. I also bought some linseed oil at the art store to finish it, but I'm totally not sure what to do with it.

I wanted to get a pyrography kit, but the only place that had one was selling it for E175. confused So I'm gonna try my hand with what I've got. I've also been told coffee works to stain wood, so I might try that in the carvings.

But again, I know diddly-squat about this kinda stuff so I'm basically just crossing my fingers and hoping it works.  

[Starlock]

Cherry wood? Yeah, that may be what it is. That sort of wood can make a great wand or staff; I have something I made from when I was a kid from Prunus serotina (Black Cherry) wood; as the bark dried out it started wrinkling to form a really amazing pattern. By opposite or alternate I mean are the leaf scars opposite from each other on the stem or do they alternate (one on one side, the next is on the other side). This is a basic identification diagnostic used for all sorts of plants.

You can dye wood with a whole bunch of things. There are whole books on using natural dyes. I haven't done much beyond dabbling, but I dyed a box using a solution made from black walnut husks and it came out beautiful. How you finish it depends on what sort of look you want; gloss (shiny) or matte (not shiny).

Not sure when I'll start that box carving... maybe on Wednesday or the Solstice since I'm taking that day off from work. whee  

[Pelta]

Starlock

Cherry wood? Yeah, that may be what it is. That sort of wood can make a great wand or staff; I have something I made from when I was a kid from Prunus serotina (Black Cherry) wood; as the bark dried out it started wrinkling to form a really amazing pattern. By opposite or alternate I mean are the leaf scars opposite from each other on the stem or do they alternate (one on one side, the next is on the other side). This is a basic identification diagnostic used for all sorts of plants.

They alternate. It's rather random anyway. The wood beneath is gorgeous. My hand hurts after much cutting of bark though.

Quote:

Not sure when I'll start that box carving... maybe on Wednesday or the Solstice since I'm taking that day off from work. whee

Well I'm hoping to have this ready for the solstice. It's coming along well, and I should be able to finish it tomorrow.

Thanks for all the help! biggrin  

[bristowjen]

i would research some designs that have meaning to you and you can shrink or expand them on the computer to fit the staff.  

[Pelta]

Just to keep y'all updated, I've nearly finished it!

It looks great. I've stripped off about a third of the bark, then carved runes down the rest. Because of the lovely light colour of the wood beneath, the designs show up really well.

I'm just going to oil it (once it stops raining) and attach leather thongs to it then it'll be finished. I must say it's pretty impressive for my first ever woodworking project. Carving is fun! biggrin

I've also picked up other bits of random wood. I have a whole summer's worth of carving to start and all the tools with which to do so... ninja

I love picking up new hobbies!

Does anyone know if lindseed oil is especially bad or difficult to use? The wood got a tad wet running inside every time it started raining, so will that have an effect if I oil it while it's damp? Websites aren't exactly helpful when it comes to these things...  

[TeaDidikai]

Have you considered pryography?  

[Pelta]

TeaDidikai

Have you considered pryography?

Yep. I looked. I was considering getting one, but the only one I could find was 175 euro. So I passed it up. I might get one in the future though. It would probably be easier than all of this mess. 3nodding