Choosing and cutting your shank

*as long as you can get, I use wide ones that are 400mm long.

Ok now that you have your basic tool kit there's one more thing to get before cutting your stick and that is permission. All land belongs to someone, so I go out of my way to obtain permission. I think it pays dividends in the long run. Most land owners are happy for you to cut the odd stick and most accept the offer of a free stick made from their own wood. The other thing is to take care, whilst cutting, not to wreck the woodland that you are in. If you can leave a wood after cutting 300 - 400 shanks in a day (as Twink and I sometimes do) and leave no discernable trace that you have been there, you are more likely to get invited back.

So you're tooled up, you have the necessary permission and you're itching to get out there. It's fairly important to go to the right sort of woodland, otherwise you will waste your time. A coppice (small woodland so named because of the managment system employed) is by far the best place to look for sticks but hedge rows, scrubland and the odd garden have thrown up nice sticks. Here in the UK, trees that make good sticks are Hazel, Ash, Blackthorn, Holly and Chestnut to name a few, these are the most common types used but there are others. I'll try anything once! To start with it can be difficult to pick the right stick, you have to look at them upside down sometimes. Getting it right comes with experience, I can cut a bundle of 15 shanks and get them all within an inch in length of each other. The type of stick you want to make also dictates what you are going to cut. Many people like "character sticks" something with a slight bend or twist, others like billiard cues. If you are going to cut striaght ones, cut them as straight as possible, so as to reduce the workload when steaming them. When Twink and I first went out cutting, we found that we threw away 50% of the shanks that we cut, because they were not long enough or unusable (they shrink as they season). Now we throw about 5% away and that's usually because they had a fault in them.

Once you have cut your shanks, you will need to be patient as most sticks require seasoning for about 1 year (the rule of thumb is 1 year / inch of thickness). To accomodate my shanks over this period, I have erected a drying shed, in this I hang my bundles to dry out. They are kept in the dark so no bugs or weird stuff grows on them and there is a vent in the top and bottom to let air flow through. The only real exception to the rule for seasoning is Holly and that needs a lot more, up to 5 years. Once seasoned you can start work on them, but be prepared sometimes that prize stick doesn't look half as good a year later.

What follows are some extracts from the American Stickmakers Association

When looking for your shanks check to see if the tree that you are about to cut down will make a stick.

* Look at it from all sides (if possible)

* Check it for the correct length (this can be done with a piece of string cut to right dimension). With practice you will get to know the right length.

* Some sticks are better upside down.

* If you are looking for a straight shank, make sure you have no dog legs in it (almost impossible to straighten).

* Cut side shoots down to about 6 inches from the main stem, this will help prevent splitting when drying your shank.

* Check the bark for damage (bug or other), this is a reasonable indication of condition

* Make sure you have permission to cut the stick (spoils your day, if you get caught).

* Think of the environment before hacking down that tree (sorry had to slip that in). Here in the UK, Dormice live in hazel trees, I'd hate to think I'd spoilt their day :)

* And finally enjoy the fresh air and exercise.

Last updated 07 May 2001

© Mik Strevens 25/6/2000