I’ve been using necessary tree pruning at my house as an opportunity to select ideal branches for walking sticks. My self-taught finishing process mostly consists of a bench top belt sander, hand scraper, and tung oil. It’s going pretty well, but I don’t yet know about the long term bark durability and adhesion.
These look nice! The fifth one to the right of the tallest walking stick is surprisingly straight. Almost looks like it could double as a fighting staff.
Thanks, that one is my favorite! It does have some curve to it, but only in one dimension so it hides when leaning against a wall like this. But it does feel like the heftiest choice to fight off a coyote that wants my little dog for a snack.