Drying ash staff

[diviy]

I picked up a 2" tapering to 1 7/8" that I would like to use as a walking staff stripped the bark any tips how to dry it out and what time period am I looking at ?

[David_JAFO]

hello Diviy,
I asked advice on this from a old fella who makes walking sticks. I've had 2 shepherds crooks made by this fella & he knows his stuff. The best time of year for cutting wood for a walking stick is during the winter, it is possible to cut sticks all year round. The problem with cutting in summer is that the sticks will be full of sap. As the liquid evaporates after cutting, the sticks shrink over a period of months even years. The more they shrink, the more likely the wood is to crack or split & the more likely the bark is to wrinkle & come loose. Having said that.. you can often get away with it. In winter the sticks are dormant & have low sap levels, so less shrinkage occurs as they dry. November to February are probably the better months for cutting. I was informed that between one & two years is best earlier than that & the sticks may still have too much moisture in them. If you use them for stick shanks with separate handles attached the sticks can shrink a bit and make the joints open up. In the UK we normally leave the bark on but that's because we tend to use wood types that have attractive, hard & durable bark, people advise stripping off the bark whilst still fresh, it is certainly a lot easier at this early stage. Stripping bark from "green" wood is that by removing it you take away the layer that controls water loss. A peeled stick will loose water much faster than one with bark left on & the stick may crack or split. It may be better to allow the sticks to dry for *several months then shave & sand off the bark. I hope that is of some use to you.
Regards
David

[Bushdoctor]

The best Time to cut a stick is as soon as you see it before someone else gets it most wood is best dried with the bark on except holy which does not produce a good finish some can take up to 2 years to dry and season hope this helps