henry d Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Just a reminder..........get them cut ASAP,or the sap will be rising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Are we talking Beaters sticks here HD? Also is it Hazel they use? Cheers LG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted December 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Any sticks,I cut hazel,blackthorn and ash as they are common here but most can be made into sticks if they`re straight,nice on the eye and not too heavy. An estate near me had cut back a lot of overgrown hazel 2 year ago and I`m just biding my time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted December 31, 2006 Report Share Posted December 31, 2006 Strange you should write this, because today I was doing exactly that, took my eldest daughter out with me to drive round the suffolk countryside looking for little spinneys with footpaths in to go and cut some sticks for seasoning and working on for next year. All in all I manged to find one very nice Hazel, one very nice and straight Blackthorn and first time out one very nice Holly stick Going to suspend them from my garage rafters later, labelled up so I know when I can work on them. I'll be like a kid on xmas morning this time next year Cheers SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baikiel boy Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Hi , I've cut several Hazel , Blackthorn and Holly . I have also come across some of those light mottled Hazel sticks and shall be going to cut some of these very soon . Regards bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Because I've been bitten by the bug, I've just purchased a seasoned cut chestnut stick from Attleborough Accessories along with the rough cut nose out crook, plus nice engraved pheasant collar. Sorry couldn't wait until next year, not the same as cutting and making them yourself I know, but needs must. I'll use it to assess my level of competence and practise for next year's sticks when they'll end up either being the dog's danglies or the dog's breakfast Only another 362 days to go until I can work on my own sticks SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 SS, You saying that you had cut a holly stick rang a bell with me so I looked it up. Apparently you have to strip the bark off a Holly stick as soon as its cut, then leave it season for 4 years, before working on it. Tiercel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suffolk shooter Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 SS, You saying that you had cut a holly stick rang a bell with me so I looked it up. Apparently you have to strip the bark off a Holly stick as soon as its cut, then leave it season for 4 years, before working on it. Tiercel I stripped the bark as it says in the book, as apparently "it inevitably wrinkles, and the effect is unacceptable". However it doesn't say about it taking four years to season :( You've got me worried now Best thing to do I think is for me to find another one to cut and then compare after a year and try one, knowing that I have another should that be the case :o Cheers Tiercel SS :o Spent the evening round a mates house, with my two year old seasoned Hazel thumbstick that I had cut with the intention of starting it last year. Time flew and before you know it two years are up. I must say the reason I cut this particular one is that it had an absolutely perfect V begging to be used as a thumbstick. Trouble was I stored it upright and the bottom had curved out in two planes So tonight we got the little colemans petrol burner out and filled a large saucepan with water to boil and then laid the stick over it where we wanted to bend it with a towel draped over it and every 15 mins we took it out and put it in the vice (with seperate towel to ensure no chaffing or biting occured) and bent it back until it was almost straight all over. I still have to work on it to get it perfectly straight but now we're talking millimetres rather than 2 inches one direction and 3 inches at a 90 degree plane over an 18 inch section at the base. :o This stick making lark is easy ("he says until he has to actually carve or cut or polish something" ) SS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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