hickory to make a short fighting stick

[Deaf Smith]

The ones from Lowes is just to see what fits her (and me!) Then make the real ones out of hickory or some other very good wood.

Deaf

 

[wushuguy]

some things worry me a little a bout this, sorry if it may have already been addressed but:

1. she is 1st dan... but seems not to know what length stick is good to carry... has she ever had experience using a stick in her style of martial art? cutting in various lengths to try out sounds ok, but still best to have some real training with the kind of weapon she plans to carry.

2. I just worry that if there isn't much experience a "force multiplier" may not be used properly if there was a time to use it. having experience with using a weapon is vastly different than picking one up and hoping to club an attacker with it.

Otherwise, hickory sounds like a great wood to use. good luck with the axe handles. perhaps an old table leg can be turned on the lathe. hardwood tables i would think have good quality wood.

 

[jks9199]

some things worry me a little a bout this, sorry if it may have already been addressed but:

1. she is 1st dan... but seems not to know what length stick is good to carry... has she ever had experience using a stick in her style of martial art? cutting in various lengths to try out sounds ok, but still best to have some real training with the kind of weapon she plans to carry.

2. I just worry that if there isn't much experience a "force multiplier" may not be used properly if there was a time to use it. having experience with using a weapon is vastly different than picking one up and hoping to club an attacker with it.

Otherwise, hickory sounds like a great wood to use. good luck with the axe handles. perhaps an old table leg can be turned on the lathe. hardwood tables i would think have good quality wood.

Not all systems include weapons at all -- and some don't include them until black belt. So it's not inconceivable that a 1st dan black belt wouldn't automatically know how to use a stick -- let alone a specific length of stick. She may have learned a staff form or staff sets, but no short stick system. Deaf Smith's plan was to figure out what stick would meet multiple criteria; I'd love to hear how it turned out! (hint... hint...)

As to using furniture legs for striking wood... Not necessarily smart. Let's assume we're talking about decent or fine furniture in the first place (lots of furniture out there is NOT particularly good...), the leg will have been shaped for the furniture. It probably is quartersawn at best -- and there's every likelihood it's not even that. That means that the grain may not be in at all a reasonable line for striking. The wood is also going to be very, very dry -- making it brittle.

The best way to make a stick for striking, when possible, is to use either an entire branch or tree, and use spokeshaves, draw knives, or similar tools to bring it down to size, if necessary. Seal it while it's still pretty green, so that you maintain a lot of the flexibility and inherent liveliness of the wood, rather than let it become brittle.

Ax handles, hammer, and similar tool handles are great quick and easy sticks because they're designed for absorbing the same sort of energy as a strike.

 

[Gary Crawford]

Years ago when I was in the "one dollar store " business, I got a buy on a case of walking canes. I noticed that they were made of some very hard wood(probably hickory), longer than escima's,slightly smaller diameter and just slightly heavier. I cut them all to escrima length and then sold them all as escrimas. I still have two of them and if I had to defend myself with escimas,I would much rather use them than my rattan ones. Having said that, if I needed a good hard stick that I could carry legally,a cane would be a good choice.

 

[takezo]

Without any knowledge of this individuals background or training it is very difficult to make a recommendation.

That said I would suggest you individually Google: Yawara and Claves.

I have carried a pair rosewood Claves for about 30 years (...weapon? Why no officer they are portable musical rhythm instruments...). This was necessary since Nunchuku were outlawed here in the People's Republic of Kalifornia thanks to Bruce Lee's making them known to the general public and law enforcement.

Used in pairs they provide a significant force multiplier and are easily concealed in an out of the car. Unfortunately, finding an instructor that can teach something more than law enforcement apprehending and control techniques is a needle and haystack proposition.

 

[lklawson]

2. I just worry that if there isn't much experience a "force multiplier" may not be used properly if there was a time to use it. having experience with using a weapon is vastly different than picking one up and hoping to club an attacker with it.

I agree that getting proper training is the best idea. Yet, having a self defense tool, even in the absence of training, is still far better than crying and begging for mercy.

Peace favor your sword,
Kirk

 

[takezo]

For those interested in the impact properties of various woods the following link may provide some insight:

http://www.aikiweb.com/weapons/goedkoop1.html

Unfortunately some of the most desireable woods are also endangered and/or flatout not available. I prefer White Birch for Yawara (2ft), Jo, Bo, and Yari hafts due to it's price, availability and 'specific impact' properties (Impact Strength / Specific Gravity).

 

[James Kovacich]

Hickory is good as long as it is a fighting stick and not a sparring stick.

There was a guy searching for mulberry branches to make his walking sticks that he sells. He stated he liked them because they were hardwood. That I had never considered before.

I trimmed my mulberry tree but haven't skinned them yet. I cut some really nice pieces, hopefully they are good.