Ah, ha! Yes, I enjoyed this video, Mick, every bit of it! In fact, watching your progress in filming things, describing things and making things, learning and improving your craft as you go, leads me to describe you as “our “Jack Hargreaves” for the modern era”, that new lynch pin that links our generations to trades, skills and ways of life that whilst not having died out, have certainly retreated to the margins? Well done and thank you....I’m also enjoying the Baking bits....😎👍🏻👍🏻 Keep well, friend! 👍🏻👍🏻
That’s kind of you Richard. I cannot come close to Jack’s authenticity and quiet presence but I’m very pleased to be thought of in such a way. Thank you - cheered an otherwise dull day. Keep well.
@@MickGrewcock you should make more of these knob sticks an sell them their beautiful as well as thumb sticks. I believe you'd do very well. Maybe have some with a gloss finish to protect the beautiful walking sticks you make
I saw my grandfather's face laughing and full of joy in your cane's head. He often made me toys and whistles out of wood. He loved making things with his hands. Thank you for sharing.
Kick Slinging: me too and I may even be able to find a piece of Elm that is good enough, from a large Dead Elm still standing and shedding dead limbs, that fell victim of the dreaded disease in my large yard. It is to big for me to fall , even if I was not old and disabled :-(
Hello from South Africa!! Nice attempt at making the infamous knobkerrie. I’m not of the ethnic group which these weapons belong to (the Zulu’s) but what I do know is that the bulb part is actually the base of a tree trunk below the ground (begin of the root area) and the stick part is from the core of the trunk, this gives it immense strength after some curing and treatment. These weapons were used in traditional battles and in more modern times used as walking sticks as part of the attire but also in self defense which is responsible for some gruesome killings. Interesting to see that it has made it so far off it’s indigenous area.
Good evening from the UK! Yes, similar sticks are made here using the root ball of young trees, the stem as you say being the shaft. Blackthorn is a very popular wood for these tough and formidable sticks. Thanks for watching and responding with a great comment.
I saw this video too and was impressed by his stick so much, I made one for myself. I used pine to make it , by the way, I'm form Saskatchewan Canada , so you know it's come this far too
@@sheldondillon hi Sheldon, preferably source hardwood and make the shaft out of the core of the log you’ve chosen. Curing the wood is done in stages. End result would be an extremely strong “kirrie”.
It looks great. Their is something about making a walking stick that seams to speak to me. Maybe it's how the wood speaks to you showing you what beauty lies beneath the bark that I enjoy so much. You can start with A idea and then as your working the wood it tells you exactly how to make it to that hidden gem waiting to be released.
Aussie girl here, been watching a few videos like these, as I want to make my own walking/ hiking stick. I'm keeping my eyes open for the a fallen branch from one of our beautiful Eucalypts. its one of the hardest timbers in the world so it should last me many years once I find the right one. love your video, well done.
Nice looking "stick." I have been using Juniper lately. I have several made from sugar maple saplings and some from white ash. My best 2 are crook sticks. One Northern White Ash and One White Oak. Steaming and bbending them was an exercise in patience.
Watching a simple piece of Elm be transformed into a classic walking stick was so calming and soothing. A simple item made from simple materials, tools, and effort. Great video, thanks for sharing!
I have been a fan of stick weapons since learning the history of the shillelagh. I made a couple of my own using maple, and i would always advocate carrying a walking stick. Be you out in the woods, where a wild animal could think of you as a quick meal, or in more rural areas, as a walking assistance, but also a secret self defense weapon. Funny thing, no one will give you a second look, yet a walking stick can be much more effective then a knife in defense. The different ends can have vary different uses as well. For example, the bulb on the top can work as a pommel to grip the stick, and use the tapered end as a quick striking weapon, while if held by the tapered end, you have the bulb as a heavy strike weapon for serious threats. While the body of a shillelagh will do less damage then the bulb, if you know where to strike, it WILL disable and disarm someone. Feel your shin, how its strictly bone with a little skin over it, flick it with a pencil, or even your finger and feel how it stings a little, now imagine that stick about a inch thick and made of hard wood, and putting a decent swing behind it. You will loose alot of your fighting drive, trust me XD. Or the knees, the groin, all weak spots that if wacked with a stick, it will stop an attacker. Now if your life is in danger, and you have no other choice, that bulb will do serious damage. Man or beast, you wack something with a baseball style swing with a hardwood bulb on the end, and connect, its going to feel it. There is a reason the Irish carried sticks from child to adult, they are effective and can save your life. While i would not advocate for violence, i feel a stick is a great option for self defense, as usually just brandishing it and standing your ground, will be enough to scare off most cowardly attackers, much like what was shown in the demonstration in this video. Sticks are often overlooked as a viable weapon, but if made properly, they can be a life long companion :). Great video as well :).
Wow. Were I a criminal type I would be honored to have my jaw broken by this knobkerrie. Peter Hathaway Capstick wrote about them in several of his books on African big game hunting. Seems he saw them serve their owners well a few times. Great job.
I watched this video a year ago, made a Canadian knobkerrie for myself , which I still take along when I go for walks with ny dogs. And I still enjoy watching it. The story behind the video is interesting and I find that I understand why you made it. Because I made 1 too.
your knobkerrie project impressed me so much that i made one for myself. Its now the one I take when I go for walks with my dogs. P.S. I really enjoyed this video
Good to see you using your bow making tools and skills again. I too carry a big stick,I have several to choose from, for knocking down bramble and crossing difficult ground when out walking. My wife says "why are you bringing that awful thing again ".She doesn't quite understand the ways of the countryman even after all these years. I love your videos Mick, Keep them coming.
I came here because I only searched for a 'Takumar 200" but I watched the whole thing! Very interesting and well made(Both the knobkerrie and the video)
I cut some hazel staves last year and two weeks ago I made a walking staff (longer than this one, about chin height). Charred, rubbed down and oiled, and it’s lovely. I’ve fitted an alpine spike to the bottom end and it’s good to walk with. With a lot of dog thefts in my area, I felt the Leki pole I used to walk with wasn’t heavy or strong enough to use if a stranger threatened us in any way. My hazel stick gives me a lot of confidence and, as others have said, someone in their 60s can always justify walking with a stick, if required. Now I want to make a stick like this one and put a lot more care into it. Your video very valuable for method and tools. My woodworking tools are mainly for cabinet work, so I’ll need to get things like a draw knife and a decent rasp. I never mind spending money on tools, though. Thank you for a very informative and inspirational video. Subscribed.
Exactly, as a 60 year old woman that will be making my own hiking pole, (mine will be about chin height as well ) I'm hoping nobody will ever say anything to me. if they do I'll just let them know its because my left knee can play up on me sometimes and I've got it for support if need be.🙂
Beautiful journey through history art culture calmness craftsmanship .thank you mick blessings from Ireland to you and your family and I hope you will be back teaching me new skills soon .and your cap is absolutely the coolest I have ever seen 😎🇮🇪
very enjoyable video and very well made. I'd just finished my 1st stick when i found this. I'd had the piece of wood for 2 years picked up while walking the dog. I must have taken 20-30 hours on and off working on it. Thankfully I stopped before it got down to baton size. A relaxing and satisfying pastime.
I had a good piece of hickory and made a walking stick with it.. I put it in a pvc tube and then filled it with tongue oil and threw it in the yard for a year.. When I took the stick out it was dark and polished up very fine.. but it had gained a lot of weight... it is forty years old now..
Mick your video is so enjoyable. It's as if we are able to sit down with you and enjoy the very warm music, as well as your very well thought out narrative of a man and his stick. I particularly enjoyed pertaining to the history of the knobkerrie, not in regard to only being a beautiful piece of wood; but being a very capable sturdy instrument of self protection. My favorite aspect of the video is that upon completion you have a very nice stick that will accompany you on many excursions as a most faithful travel companion.
Thank you for a great video. I used to do a bit of woodworking in the past. After building my grandson's urn five years ago i can't seem to bring myself to build any longer. If i ever do get back into my shop i'd like to try this. Thank you for going indepth in showing the step and technique of a proper walking stick. Take care and stay safe.
Why was this video so satisfying? Watch it and see. Now I want to make my own. I just need to get informed about the qualities of wood available to me.
Great craftsmanship, a thing of beauty with a purpose. The back story of rescuing this before the elm disease took it gives it more character and meaning. Cheers!
I'm glad you didn't stop producing great content after quitting bows. Every video you put out there is a masterpiece of its own. It not only shows a simple woodworking project, but it touches the soul. Actually being interested in stickmaking is just a nice side effect.
unfussy sticks have always been my thing. Ive never made or even thought of making one from Elm before now, but I do remember the mighty Elms as a little boy. How they roared in a storm. Thanks for this video, I really enjoyed it.
Watching you work with that piece of wood I understood the passion you have for what you do. I also make walking sticks, 5 foot, 4 foot, and 3 foot. The five and four footers are for trail hiking and the 3 foot ones are for people who need a little assistance with their walking day today. I typically do not cut down any live wood, I use only trees that have been already cut down for other use such as fire wood or blown down by the wind.
At a street market years ago , I bought a stick with a chestnut shaft and a brass plowhorse hame for the ball top . looks great and makes others wary .
Great video as always. Glad to see you still have your hand into making things. I'm glad you didn't have to thrash that fellow with a knife at the beginning. :-) I carry a cane or walking stick most of the time, often my Irish Blackthorn, or sometimes a hickory stockman's cane of the type used by shepherds. A cane raises no eyebrows, even on a plane. As Mark Shuey says, "It's not a weapon, it's a medical device." Cheers mate! I still owe you a pint someday.
Indeed, that pint hasn't been forgotten! A stick is almost as wonderful a companion as a Labrador, though a little handier for reaching hanging fruit or clearing brambles from the path.
@@MickGrewcock Revisiting this video, I find it as interesting as before. I have a stick with a big knob like that, but find it clumsy in my small hands, so I stick with my blackthorn or my crook handled cane. The latter saved me from a dog that got away from its owner the other day in a park near my house. Wish I could give this another thumbs up. Cheers!
Mick, I've surely missed your videos, and when I saw on Facebook that this one was forthcoming, I couldn't wait. As always, you did not disappoint, especially with all those views of your lovely Omega watch. Thanks again for creating and sharing these videos, Mick. These videos are truly the better part of the day for many of us. And oh by the way, that is a beautiful walking stick, sir!
That was a really enjoyable video, Mick. Thank you. I have several walking sticks and have practised stick fighting for years, originally as physio for old forearm injuries but I now enjoy it as an art form in itself. When I walk my dog in the woods, I always have a stick with me just in case but I've yet to need it in anger. A knob kerrie is a formidable weapon in the right hands, but its use seems to be a bit of a lost art nowadays.
Loved your video. I make canes concentrating on carving animals and Vine work on the shaft. I haven't been brave enough though to start out with a raw piece of wood fresh from the woods. Thanks for the inspiration.
I never thought it a good idea to have stopped using canes and sticks, besides being elegant they were very useful for daggers, swords and even other purposes
You have inspired me I will not rest now till I make one. You are probably my favorite RUclips content provider. I am American and I carry a pistol for protection after my 34 year career in law enforcement. But I love the idea on having one of these to hike with.
So much better than firewood. Mesquite and Osage orange are native to my part of Texas and so many are cut down, chopped up and treated as if nothing better than not yet formed smoke. Little do they know what marvelous trees they are and what amazing wood they waste.
You did well to find a straight shoot to work with. My parents had a Dutch Elm infected tree cut down years ago, and it had the most twisted, gnarly grain you've ever seen. It was so tough to split that my father finally sold the whole thing to a wooodworker who thought he could do something with it. Nice walking stick, enjoy! 😄
6:54 Hate when the hatchet runs out of juice half way through a project. :) Anyway glad to see your still finding things to make. Love your videos! Love your dog!
To my shame, I own many walking sticks, a few of which my grandfather cut and prepared with his Leatherman's saw, but I have never made one myself. He had a talent for spotting walking stick shaped branches. I smell a December project brewing, I feel like whittling a knob. Great video! Appreciation from South Africa!
in north america a similar story to the elm is the chestnut, the cradle to the grave tree it was sometimes called. It was driven almost to extinction from a fungal infestation introduced from chinese chestnut trees
Hello Mick You have just worked on one of My True Passions. There is not a time that I Go for a walk in the woods that I don't have an eye out for a suitable stick to make into A walking stick or thumb stick to give to a friend. I've used a walking stick for the last 30yrs due to a back surgery that didn't work out unfortunately. A walking stick is a wonderful Companion always there to lend a helping hand. I have purchased 3 books on stick making from Great Britain they are excellent.. Thank You Mick for a wonderful video You are a true craftsman. Thanks again from Ontario Canada Dwight
Thank you Dwight 🙏 We are of the same mind: I cannot pass a hedge or go through woodland without my eye roving around for that special branch. Keep well and stay safe.Greets from 🇬🇧 Mick
I see that you like me are a craftsman. If you want to, and there is a need, you can make nice things. I have fun doing different projects that I could buy what I need. But where is the challenge. Well done friend.
Even though I love the cinematically gorgeous walks around the British countryside, it's great to see you back at it again, making things too, Mick! Soon my first and assuredly not my last bow will be ready (or it might still yet break), for a big part thanks to your videos demystifying the bowmaking process, while also keeping intact the magic of it, so seeing you back on your feet and crafting things again, warms my heart on this rainy day.
I cannot tell you much I enjoyed watching your video. I have several walking sticks that are kept in a vessel next to my front door. Tomorrow I will embark on making a new one just as you have taught me. Thank you so much
I love doing as this man did... taking time and meticulously working a piece of wood that would eventually end up as firewood and giving it another life! He did an awesome job! Here in North Carolina, we have an invasive species of plant the is a vine. It' goal is to dominate the forest canopy so it will look for ways to grow ever upward. It starts by wrapping itself around a tree at ground level. Sometimes the tree chosen is a small growing sapling. If the forest is dense enough the vine will sprout another shoot about a foot off the ground and attach itself to a close neighboring sapling. As both of these trees grow, the vine will twist itself around the tree and become embedded deep into the bark. I found two such saplings and the original chosen sapling only had the vine wrap for about 14" before the vine abandoned it's connection to that three for the one next to it. The sapling was actually killed by the vine which is why the vine moved on looking for another tree to take it to the forest canopy. I cut the dead sapling down and made a walking stick out of it incorporating the twisted section from the head (which I used and antique glass door knob at the top) to about half way down the stick. I also added a brass cap at the bottom.... Turned out beautiful!!!! I use it all the time.
Dear Mick, it's really amazing to watch your videos. The landscape you walk through with your dog. Your experience and skill transforming a simple stick of wood into a bow. The steps you have to make for an authentic longbow and finally your passion for this natural material. An inspiration for me. I am from Austria and i'm sorry for my rusty English. Stay well and many greetings from Austria 🇦🇹 Werner
Werner Haberl Hi Werner! I didn’t notice any rust on your English. Glad you enjoyed. Brings great pleasure to receive comments such as yours and others here who enjoy the land and its beauty. Keep well and greets from the UK.
Very nice stick and video!….I have several alpenstocks that I use when hiking, hunting, or just rambling about…they are longer than yours for use in steep terrain…I will make one with a knob on the end…
Ah, ha! Yes, I enjoyed this video, Mick, every bit of it! In fact, watching your progress in filming things, describing things and making things, learning and improving your craft as you go, leads me to describe you as “our “Jack Hargreaves” for the modern era”, that new lynch pin that links our generations to trades, skills and ways of life that whilst not having died out, have certainly retreated to the margins?
Well done and thank you....I’m also enjoying the Baking bits....😎👍🏻👍🏻 Keep well, friend! 👍🏻👍🏻
That’s kind of you Richard. I cannot come close to Jack’s authenticity and quiet presence but I’m very pleased to be thought of in such a way. Thank you - cheered an otherwise dull day. Keep well.
@@MickGrewcock Whom are you speaking of??
@@MickGrewcock you should make more of these knob sticks an sell them their beautiful as well as thumb sticks. I believe you'd do very well. Maybe have some with a gloss finish to protect the beautiful walking sticks you make
Never a bad idea for a man to walk with protection.. no matter how "civilized" his society might appear to be.
There is beauty in primal force.
Stay strapped or get clapped
@@Elijah-Bravo saved you're comment👌
True
Agreed. These days, civilized behavior seems to have worn to a thin veneer.
Who knew that watching a man making a stick could be so interesting ;).
He’s good at telling the story.
I saw my grandfather's face laughing and full of joy in your cane's head. He often made me toys and whistles out of wood. He loved making things with his hands. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your memory 🙏
I now have a powerful, almost overwhelming urge to make a really nice stick.
You should act upon it and create a wonderful companion for life! Thanks for watching and good luck!
Kick Slinging: me too and I may even be able to find a piece of Elm that is good enough, from a large Dead Elm still standing and shedding dead limbs, that fell victim of the dreaded disease in my large yard. It is to big for me to fall , even if I was not old and disabled :-(
Good luck Victor!
@@MickGrewcock , the same to you, my kind sir .
Vic in Illinois, USA.
My brother made one years ago. It's come in very handy over the years for support when I had broken my lumbar spine.
There is a certain magic in this video...the music, the camerwork, the voice, the handcrafting...it's gorgeous and mesmerizing
Not sure how many times I’ve watched this, it is just magical, the background music and Mick’s narrative is pure good.
Love it!
Thank you 🙏
Hello from South Africa!! Nice attempt at making the infamous knobkerrie. I’m not of the ethnic group which these weapons belong to (the Zulu’s) but what I do know is that the bulb part is actually the base of a tree trunk below the ground (begin of the root area) and the stick part is from the core of the trunk, this gives it immense strength after some curing and treatment. These weapons were used in traditional battles and in more modern times used as walking sticks as part of the attire but also in self defense which is responsible for some gruesome killings. Interesting to see that it has made it so far off it’s indigenous area.
Good evening from the UK! Yes, similar sticks are made here using the root ball of young trees, the stem as you say being the shaft. Blackthorn is a very popular wood for these tough and formidable sticks. Thanks for watching and responding with a great comment.
I saw this video too and was impressed by his stick so much, I made one for myself. I used pine to make it , by the way, I'm form Saskatchewan Canada , so you know it's come this far too
@@sheldondillon hi Sheldon, preferably source hardwood and make the shaft out of the core of the log you’ve chosen. Curing the wood is done in stages. End result would be an extremely strong “kirrie”.
I get it . I just made mine for looks alone though , it doesn't need to last forever and be hard as steel LOL
Trash
It looks great. Their is something about making a walking stick that seams to speak to me. Maybe it's how the wood speaks to you showing you what beauty lies beneath the bark that I enjoy so much. You can start with A idea and then as your working the wood it tells you exactly how to make it to that hidden gem waiting to be released.
Aussie girl here, been watching a few videos like these, as I want to make my own walking/ hiking stick. I'm keeping my eyes open for the a fallen branch from one of our beautiful Eucalypts. its one of the hardest timbers in the world so it should last me many years once I find the right one. love your video, well done.
🙏🙏
When you find the right stick, you'll know it! As soon as you see it, you'll think, "THERE! THAT'S IT!" 😊
As one who makes walking sticks I think it's the calming affect of making them I'm going to make this one
Been watching videos for Self defense walking sticks. I've seen some that have been impressive. This was just a plain joy. Thank you.
Thank you Wallace 🙏
Nice looking "stick." I have been using Juniper lately. I have several made from sugar maple saplings and some from white ash. My best 2 are crook sticks. One Northern White Ash and One White Oak. Steaming and bbending them was an exercise in patience.
Steaming is a skill I would like to experiment within the future
Watching a simple piece of Elm be transformed into a classic walking stick was so calming and soothing. A simple item made from simple materials, tools, and effort. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Thank you 🙏
I have been a fan of stick weapons since learning the history of the shillelagh. I made a couple of my own using maple, and i would always advocate carrying a walking stick. Be you out in the woods, where a wild animal could think of you as a quick meal, or in more rural areas, as a walking assistance, but also a secret self defense weapon. Funny thing, no one will give you a second look, yet a walking stick can be much more effective then a knife in defense. The different ends can have vary different uses as well. For example, the bulb on the top can work as a pommel to grip the stick, and use the tapered end as a quick striking weapon, while if held by the tapered end, you have the bulb as a heavy strike weapon for serious threats. While the body of a shillelagh will do less damage then the bulb, if you know where to strike, it WILL disable and disarm someone. Feel your shin, how its strictly bone with a little skin over it, flick it with a pencil, or even your finger and feel how it stings a little, now imagine that stick about a inch thick and made of hard wood, and putting a decent swing behind it. You will loose alot of your fighting drive, trust me XD. Or the knees, the groin, all weak spots that if wacked with a stick, it will stop an attacker. Now if your life is in danger, and you have no other choice, that bulb will do serious damage. Man or beast, you wack something with a baseball style swing with a hardwood bulb on the end, and connect, its going to feel it. There is a reason the Irish carried sticks from child to adult, they are effective and can save your life.
While i would not advocate for violence, i feel a stick is a great option for self defense, as usually just brandishing it and standing your ground, will be enough to scare off most cowardly attackers, much like what was shown in the demonstration in this video. Sticks are often overlooked as a viable weapon, but if made properly, they can be a life long companion :).
Great video as well :).
Wow. Were I a criminal type I would be honored to have my jaw broken by this knobkerrie. Peter Hathaway Capstick wrote about them in several of his books on African big game hunting. Seems he saw them serve their owners well a few times. Great job.
No sir not just a stick it's art it's also a dependable friend and a constant companion wish I had your skills
I watched this video a year ago, made a Canadian knobkerrie for myself , which I still take along when I go for walks with ny dogs. And I still enjoy watching it. The story behind the video is interesting and I find that I understand why you made it. Because I made 1 too.
Well done! Enjoy. Thanks for your message too.
your knobkerrie project impressed me so much that i made one for myself. Its now the one I take when I go for walks with my dogs. P.S. I really enjoyed this video
Good to see you using your bow making tools and skills again. I too carry a big stick,I have several to choose from, for knocking down bramble and crossing difficult ground when out walking. My wife says "why are you bringing that awful thing again ".She doesn't quite understand the ways of the countryman even after all these years. I love your videos Mick, Keep them coming.
There's an old Zulu saying, a man isn't a man if he doesn't have a stick.
Even the Boy Scouts tell you to be prepared!
I came here because I only searched for a 'Takumar 200" but I watched the whole thing! Very interesting and well made(Both the knobkerrie and the video)
It was good to see you working with your hands again. Many people forget the utility and the versatility of a good stick.
I cut some hazel staves last year and two weeks ago I made a walking staff (longer than this one, about chin height). Charred, rubbed down and oiled, and it’s lovely. I’ve fitted an alpine spike to the bottom end and it’s good to walk with. With a lot of dog thefts in my area, I felt the Leki pole I used to walk with wasn’t heavy or strong enough to use if a stranger threatened us in any way. My hazel stick gives me a lot of confidence and, as others have said, someone in their 60s can always justify walking with a stick, if required. Now I want to make a stick like this one and put a lot more care into it. Your video very valuable for method and tools. My woodworking tools are mainly for cabinet work, so I’ll need to get things like a draw knife and a decent rasp. I never mind spending money on tools, though. Thank you for a very informative and inspirational video. Subscribed.
Exactly, as a 60 year old woman that will be making my own hiking pole, (mine will be about chin height as well ) I'm hoping nobody will ever say anything to me. if they do I'll just let them know its because my left knee can play up on me sometimes and I've got it for support if need be.🙂
You made a lovely stick and probably inspired others to do the same. Great video.
Love your old school workmanship-strong hands and sharp steel can produce beautiful pieces.
Beautiful journey through history art culture calmness craftsmanship .thank you mick blessings from Ireland to you and your family and I hope you will be back teaching me new skills soon .and your cap is absolutely the coolest I have ever seen 😎🇮🇪
My favourite cap for sure!
very enjoyable video and very well made. I'd just finished my 1st stick when i found this. I'd had the piece of wood for 2 years picked up while walking the dog. I must have taken 20-30 hours on and off working on it. Thankfully I stopped before it got down to baton size. A relaxing and satisfying pastime.
Lovely, thank you sharing your video and the wonders of the walking stick!
Thank you 🙏
Outstanding! I have a very similar process. I have collected and made walking sticks since I was a child (about 60 years ago).
Mick, I'm sure if you put that beautifully hand crafted knob stick I'm sure someone would buy it. You did an amazing job crafting that stick
I had a good piece of hickory and made a walking stick with it.. I put it in a pvc tube and then filled it with tongue oil and threw it in the yard for a year..
When I took the stick out it was dark and polished up very fine.. but it had gained a lot of weight... it is forty years old now..
A great technique 🙏
Stupendo video!
Old english school and in the end the Ninety is natural in the forest.
Thank for the video full of poetry!
Thank you for your wonderful comment!
Mick your video is so enjoyable. It's as if we are able to sit down with you and enjoy the very warm music, as well as your very well thought out narrative of a man and his stick. I particularly enjoyed pertaining to the history of the knobkerrie, not in regard to only being a beautiful piece of wood; but being a very capable sturdy instrument of self protection. My favorite aspect of the video is that upon completion you have a very nice stick that will accompany you on many excursions as a most faithful travel companion.
Thank you Barry for your kind comment. Appreciated!
What a beautyfull walking stick My friend, now i i really want to make one My self
Yes!! I think exactly the same!
Thank you for a great video. I used to do a bit of woodworking in the past. After building my grandson's urn five years ago i can't seem to bring myself to build any longer. If i ever do get back into my shop i'd like to try this. Thank you for going indepth in showing the step and technique of a proper walking stick. Take care and stay safe.
Thank you. I hope your woodworking spirit returns - but I understand if it does not. Stay well.
Blackthorn is my fav, I have made two from this dark, heavy wood and after 7yrs they are as good as new.
Why was this video so satisfying? Watch it and see. Now I want to make my own. I just need to get informed about the qualities of wood available to me.
Great craftsmanship, a thing of beauty with a purpose. The back story of rescuing this before the elm disease took it gives it more character and meaning. Cheers!
Thank you 🙏
I'm glad you didn't stop producing great content after quitting bows. Every video you put out there is a masterpiece of its own. It not only shows a simple woodworking project, but it touches the soul.
Actually being interested in stickmaking is just a nice side effect.
Thank you 🙏
I live in California high desert but you just inspire me to go in my back yard and make a bow and a walking stick,
Good luck!
Amazing story and final results !!!👍
unfussy sticks have always been my thing. Ive never made or even thought of making one from Elm before now, but I do remember the mighty Elms as a little boy. How they roared in a storm. Thanks for this video, I really enjoyed it.
Watching you work with that piece of wood I understood the passion you have for what you do. I also make walking sticks, 5 foot, 4 foot, and 3 foot. The five and four footers are for trail hiking and the 3 foot ones are for people who need a little assistance with their walking day today. I typically do not cut down any live wood, I use only trees that have been already cut down for other use such as fire wood or blown down by the wind.
At a street market years ago , I bought a stick with a chestnut shaft and a brass plowhorse hame for the ball top . looks great and makes others wary .
again the production value of this is incredible
Great video as always. Glad to see you still have your hand into making things. I'm glad you didn't have to thrash that fellow with a knife at the beginning. :-)
I carry a cane or walking stick most of the time, often my Irish Blackthorn, or sometimes a hickory stockman's cane of the type used by shepherds. A cane raises no eyebrows, even on a plane. As Mark Shuey says, "It's not a weapon, it's a medical device."
Cheers mate! I still owe you a pint someday.
Indeed, that pint hasn't been forgotten! A stick is almost as wonderful a companion as a Labrador, though a little handier for reaching hanging fruit or clearing brambles from the path.
@@MickGrewcock Revisiting this video, I find it as interesting as before. I have a stick with a big knob like that, but find it clumsy in my small hands, so I stick with my blackthorn or my crook handled cane. The latter saved me from a dog that got away from its owner the other day in a park near my house.
Wish I could give this another thumbs up. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing and giving us a little history lesson and a few ideas
Astonishing work with an axe! Going now to sharpen three of mine.
Nice video. Loved the music and special effect sounds. The story was lovely as well.
Thank you!
Mick, I've surely missed your videos, and when I saw on Facebook that this one was forthcoming, I couldn't wait. As always, you did not disappoint, especially with all those views of your lovely Omega watch. Thanks again for creating and sharing these videos, Mick. These videos are truly the better part of the day for many of us. And oh by the way, that is a beautiful walking stick, sir!
Thank you John and good to hear from you. And I've now got a lovely Breitling Navitimer too! Stay well, stay safe.
good to see you posting again! lovely looking stick! :)
Given all of the "knife attacks" in the U.K. each year, everyone there should walk with a knobkerrie whenever possible.
Exquisite walking sticks !!!!
Kevin Phoenix ✝️
Thank you 🙏
Very much enjoyed this video. Tomorrow morning I'm off to find a stick.
Good luck Steven.
Just watching again. Thanks for letting us see you working.
That was a really enjoyable video, Mick. Thank you.
I have several walking sticks and have practised stick fighting for years, originally as physio for old forearm injuries but I now enjoy it as an art form in itself. When I walk my dog in the woods, I always have a stick with me just in case but I've yet to need it in anger.
A knob kerrie is a formidable weapon in the right hands, but its use seems to be a bit of a lost art nowadays.
Mick friend, I am a Rhodesian and still have my knobkerrie. You brought back some memories of fantastic times gone by. Regards
I have been to your country, walking in across Rhodes’ bridge. I think I can sense your great loss.
I like to make walking sticks myself, and this was very enjoyable. I will try some of these techniques myself.
Loved your video. I make canes concentrating on carving animals and Vine work on the shaft. I haven't been brave enough though to start out with a raw piece of wood fresh from the woods. Thanks for the inspiration.
Beautiful work! Enjoyed watching the process!
This is one of the best scripted and well photographed videos I have watched on the RUclipss... thanks
Thank you 🙏
I never thought it a good idea to have stopped using canes and sticks, besides being elegant they were very useful for daggers, swords and even other purposes
A trip around our garden & workshop would be nice addition to videos
You have inspired me I will not rest now till I make one. You are probably my favorite RUclips content provider. I am American and I carry a pistol for protection after my 34 year career in law enforcement. But I love the idea on having one of these to hike with.
Thank you. Stay safe. Good luck with your crafting! Mick
So much better than firewood. Mesquite and Osage orange are native to my part of Texas and so many are cut down, chopped up and treated as if nothing better than not yet formed smoke. Little do they know what marvelous trees they are and what amazing wood they waste.
You did well to find a straight shoot to work with. My parents had a Dutch Elm infected tree cut down years ago, and it had the most twisted, gnarly grain you've ever seen. It was so tough to split that my father finally sold the whole thing to a wooodworker who thought he could do something with it.
Nice walking stick, enjoy! 😄
6:54 Hate when the hatchet runs out of juice half way through a project. :) Anyway glad to see your still finding things to make. Love your videos! Love your dog!
Woodworking will always be a pleasure and always something new !!! Congratulations
Welcome back !!!
Usually people are watching me carve sticks, so nice to watch another, thanks mate
No, thank you for watching me!
I have personally mad 100's of walking sticks & never once did I enjoy it as much as you seemed to. Good on ya brother. Cheers from Middle America.
Thank you so much 🙏
Beautiful work! I've carved several sticks. Gave a couple away. I like twists. I want to do a few more. I have 2 I carry as protection from dogs
Enjoy and good luck!
Really well done for both the stick and the video. I believe the nob of knobkerrie is made from the root ball of a sapling.
Same as the east coast native Indian War clubs.....very similar
Absolutely amazing! This deserves more recognition!
Awesome Job ! Never a bad idea too have a good stick when you need it !! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🪓🔪👍👍
Beautiful grain in that plain old elm. ❤
Absolutely Lovely. Thanks much Mate
Fantastic work! Thank´s for sharing.
Thanks for a great enlightening video thanks 😊
To my shame, I own many walking sticks, a few of which my grandfather cut and prepared with his Leatherman's saw, but I have never made one myself. He had a talent for spotting walking stick shaped branches. I smell a December project brewing, I feel like whittling a knob.
Great video! Appreciation from South Africa!
Thank you and good luck 👍
Great video. Thanks for sharing!
in north america a similar story to the elm is the chestnut, the cradle to the grave tree it was sometimes called. It was driven almost to extinction from a fungal infestation introduced from chinese chestnut trees
Very cool and beautiful walking stick! You should make more videos like this, thank you for sharing.
Beautiful knobkerrie,great work. The cap on the sundial made me laugh,and the bloopers at the end. 👍🙂🙏
So glad to see you back in the workshop!
Hello Mick You have just worked on one of My True Passions. There is not a time that I
Go for a walk in the woods that I don't have an eye out for a suitable stick to make into
A walking stick or thumb stick to give to a friend. I've used a walking stick for the last
30yrs due to a back surgery that didn't work out unfortunately. A walking stick is a wonderful
Companion always there to lend a helping hand. I have purchased 3 books on stick making from
Great Britain they are excellent.. Thank You Mick for a wonderful video You are a true craftsman.
Thanks again from Ontario Canada
Dwight
Thank you Dwight 🙏 We are of the same mind: I cannot pass a hedge or go through woodland without my eye roving around for that special branch. Keep well and stay safe.Greets from 🇬🇧 Mick
Truly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship.🙏🙏
Thank you very much
A lovely looking stick and a lovely looking video, thankyou for sharing.
Wonderfully told story.
love you when work the wood and it turned out beautiful, loved when you put that oil on the grain really popped, thanks for the video
That is always the money shot - oil on wood! Thanks for watching.
i made one outta the root of a orange tree,, turned out really nice
I see that you like me are a craftsman. If you want to, and there is a need, you can make nice things. I have fun doing different projects that I could buy what I need. But where is the challenge. Well done friend.
Thank you 🙏
Even though I love the cinematically gorgeous walks around the British countryside, it's great to see you back at it again, making things too, Mick! Soon my first and assuredly not my last bow will be ready (or it might still yet break), for a big part thanks to your videos demystifying the bowmaking process, while also keeping intact the magic of it, so seeing you back on your feet and crafting things again, warms my heart on this rainy day.
Thank you Lwein. Good luck with that bow!
I cannot tell you much I enjoyed watching your video. I have several walking sticks that are kept in a vessel next to my front door. Tomorrow I will embark on making a new one just as you have taught me. Thank you so much
Good luck!
Great to see you back Mick, really interesting film, long may it continue!
Simon Pateman Thank you Simon!
Your tone and cadence are very simmilar to Sir David Attenborough! Its so soothing! Very nice!
Thank you 🙏
Thank you, very educational . I am adding to my list.
came across this totally by accident, and then subscribed about 30 seconds later.
thanks.
I love doing as this man did... taking time and meticulously working a piece of wood that would eventually end up as firewood and giving it another life! He did an awesome job! Here in North Carolina, we have an invasive species of plant the is a vine. It' goal is to dominate the forest canopy so it will look for ways to grow ever upward. It starts by wrapping itself around a tree at ground level. Sometimes the tree chosen is a small growing sapling. If the forest is dense enough the vine will sprout another shoot about a foot off the ground and attach itself to a close neighboring sapling. As both of these trees grow, the vine will twist itself around the tree and become embedded deep into the bark. I found two such saplings and the original chosen sapling only had the vine wrap for about 14" before the vine abandoned it's connection to that three for the one next to it. The sapling was actually killed by the vine which is why the vine moved on looking for another tree to take it to the forest canopy. I cut the dead sapling down and made a walking stick out of it incorporating the twisted section from the head (which I used and antique glass door knob at the top) to about half way down the stick. I also added a brass cap at the bottom.... Turned out beautiful!!!! I use it all the time.
That sounds a wonderful stick - and a great backstory!
Very nice video as always Mick. Relaxing and full of good tips and interesting facts. Thank you
Dear Mick, it's really amazing to watch your videos. The landscape you walk through with your dog. Your experience and skill transforming a simple stick of wood into a bow. The steps you have to make for an authentic longbow and finally your passion for this natural material. An inspiration for me. I am from Austria and i'm sorry for my rusty English. Stay well and many greetings from Austria 🇦🇹 Werner
Werner Haberl Hi Werner! I didn’t notice any rust on your English. Glad you enjoyed. Brings great pleasure to receive comments such as yours and others here who enjoy the land and its beauty. Keep well and greets from the UK.
Very nice stick and video!….I have several alpenstocks that I use when hiking, hunting, or just rambling about…they are longer than yours for use in steep terrain…I will make one with a knob on the end…