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Making a Modern Survivalist's Hiking Staff
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Burris on
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Terry, I make walking staffs, what do you want to know?
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on -
Robert, I'm thinking of making a staff out of a bamboo pole and using each end as a watertight survival gear compartment. At the lower end, I want to build in a spear point blade that is an OTF blade, but the mechanical design of it has me stumped. Have you ever seen this done?
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Terry, I have made some staffs out of bamboo. Let me warn you, they dry and are somewhat light weight and not very strong. The ones I made were for some ladies to walk through a large flower garden. I guess if you start with a fairly large size it may be okay. You will have to let it dry after cutting and add two coats of outdoor polyurethane. The staffs I make the most of are made of small saplings in a variety of woods. I have always thought about a knife on one end but have never tried it. We did add a spear point from Cold Steel once, that was a staff with an attitude. If there's anything else I can help you with let me know.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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Robert, thanks for your input. It sounds crazy, but my wife and I took a drive last weekend down to the Pacific Coast, about 80 miles through the Tillamook National Forest, and I could not find a single road where I could drive off the state highway into a stand of alders (which are fairly strong and have nice colorful bark) that wasn't posted or gated. I couldn't believe it! So I'm resorting to bamboo because it's available and cheap. (One stick costs a lot less than a tank of gas.) Anyway, I'm coating the bamboo with outdoor polyurethane as you suggested, and if I had a drill long enough, I'd fill the whole tube with some kind of reinforcing material, like a dowel coated with epoxy glue. Thanks, again.
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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on
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Terry,
Been thinking about the issue of having the hollow bamboo in the center of the walking stick. Donnie says go to home depot and buy a cheap electricians drill bit (they come up to 6 ft) then just fill it with a fiberglass resin and give it some drying time. Flexible, light but not weak at any given point
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You know Terry, sometimes money just doesn't figure into a possession. An example would be my grand fathers knife. Some people would rather walk the woods with a plastic or man made material staff and thats fine for those that like that. But if you want something more natural and made by your own two hands, then try it and see what happens. If it cost a little extra so be it, you'll have something better than that store bought, no character staff.
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I have to agree. Taking out one you made, will feel like having an old friend on those trips with you
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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Jan, Hey, an electricians drill, that's amazing! I didn't even know they existed! I'll get one ASAP and some fiberglass resin, as well. Thanks so much!
Jan Carter said:Terry,
Been thinking about the issue of having the hollow bamboo in the center of the walking stick. Donnie says go to home depot and buy a cheap electricians drill bit (they come up to 6 ft) then just fill it with a fiberglass resin and give it some drying time. Flexible, light but not weak at any given point
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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Robert, my feelings exactly. IMHO, making handmade tools and equipment is a challenge and a healthy buzz all in one that money can't buy.
Robert Burris said:You know Terry, sometimes money just doesn't figure into a possession. An example would be my grand fathers knife. Some people would rather walk the woods with a plastic or man made material staff and thats fine for those that like that. But if you want something more natural and made by your own two hands, then try it and see what happens. If it cost a little extra so be it, you'll have something better than that store bought, no character staff.
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Terry,
Keep us updated and let us know how the progress goes.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Waldele on
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I bought the electricians' drill bit today. Well, actually I bought a 4-foot extension for one, plus an auger bit to drill with, figuring I can drill from both ends of the staff. I also got quite a ways along on the recessed "gravity knife" blade that will be hidden in the lower end of the staff. I'm using an old butcher knife that I bought at a thrift store. It has a spear point blade that I shortened to about 10-inches and narrowed with my bench grinder so it just fits inside the hollow of the bamboo staff, then I used a deep sea fishing weight that I split down the middle and fastened the two halves on both sides of the blade to give it extra "ejection" weight. I plan to put two spring-loaded pins in two 2-inch long PVC sleeves spaced abount 6-inches apart on the barrel of the staff, so that the pins will lock the blade in either the recessed position or the extended position and can be released with a stud on the outer end of each pin. I'll post a photo of it when it's done.
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I just love projects like this. Have some fun and if it doesn't work out you will have learned from your mistakes. I make my staffs about 8 inches above the elbow. Good luck and safe woods cruising, bring a dog you'll have twice the fun.
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