It's really nice of you to give your time in explaining this. It takes much longer than I thought, no wonder mine cracked. I'll cut another one this Winter. Thanks again.

Hey Francis, I just got my second stick from you, the thorny one. It's a great stick, just as the first, with perfect ergonomics. Great job!

I enjoyed the information about seasoning. I have made a few sticks of various American woods. Thanks again and Be Well.

Francis , Folks are really starting to understand how unique & well thought out your walking canes & other blackthorn products are & the sales are there to prove it !!! I bet you are working your tail off to keep up with it all ?

I season the cedar I use for flutes in pretty much the same fashion if I can’t start carving immediately. With cedar, you can cut it in the fall or early spring and you can carve it right then if it’s going to be a thin object like a flute. But the seasoned cedar carves much better and makes the wood more dense so you get more resonance from the flute when you play it.

Thank you for another lovely video! Thank you for the tips! Blessings to you!

Faith No More an epic band!

Like making good whisky, with a good stick, you need time. Cutting the stick is the like fresh distillation... it's only the beginning. Then you must wait. There's no escaping nature. Cut a stick in the winter and don't plan on working on it for at least two years (depending on thickness). Especially when getting started, it's more a practice of patience. That's when you start going hunting for good sticks every winter.

Love your shirt! Loved those guys since high school!

P.S. Happy Easter from Florida 😊

Thanks Francis No ifs or butts it has to season properly it makes good sense. It’s a long wait.

Hi Francis , i wish you a Great estern fest 😉

I lost some pieces, mice stripped the bark off over the winter and the wood split badly. Do your ageing where they aren't going to cause problems.

Thanks Francis you are my stick professor.haha

"Maybe" it's better to hang the heavy end down, because the heavy end has more sap that would be pulled into the lighter end by gravity while seasoning if hung heavy end up. If the sap settles in the heavy end "maybe" it will give the heavy end (and the entire stick) a more even cure/season. This might just be nonsense on my part but was just thinking.

Faith No More! Lol

Good tips ty!

Hi Francis. I found a scrub of dead holly on Bray head that looked like it was there for some time....and found a piece that looked like a perfect stick. I cut it off ( Swiss army knife saw ) and brought it home. It looked very dry and petrified so I set about carving. I noticed the bark did'nt have any green in it but the wood is very white. I heard you mention that blackthorn becomes a honey colour when ready - is the same true for holly ? ( if so I've carved it too early...oh well ) Another thing is that it has a gracefull bow in it that I like. Are there occasions when you will leave a curve in a stick or do you straighten them all ? Thanks.

cheers francis 👍👍

I live in canada but would these tips kinda go for all harder woods? If your not sure no problem.

Sadly, I live in a flat, rather than a house with a garden etc. I have a large meter cupboard aprox 3mx2m and 3m high. There are a couple of hot water pipes in there at the bottom but it's not a hot or humid cupboard. Do you think I could season sticks in there if they were seperate with air all around them high up on the wall away from the pipes with the ends sealed? PS love your work ive put one of your hiking staffs on my to buy list!

Could you use a moisture meter to test the wood.

Which Barry's Tea do you like? Breakfast,gold ,or classic. I've just tried the breakfast.

Francis another great video but what’s up with that troll putting in french and Russian porn shite 🇮🇹🐾🦊🇬🇧🧐