Fixing An Old Friend

My pal Long Tom generally prefers woodworking in a stylistically primitive form, even though his craftsmanship is sophisticated and exacting.  He just loves “woodland” woodworking, making rakes, walking sticks, stools, etc.  He generally keeps a nice inventory of walking sticks in the corner of his shop, and around the time we moved to Shangri-la he gave me a shoulder-height stick he had been saving “for something special.”  I am pretty sure it is some gnarly white oak he picked up during one of his walks through his woods.

For the first couple of years, it resided next to the cabin front door and received only occasional use as I traipsed through the woods or up the creek.  Later as I recovered from my broken hip it became a constant companion on my treks up and down the hill to the barn.  After I recovered fully from that injury the staff was used mostly during inclement weather, helping me to keep steady and upright on the steep driveway.

Then last summer after my knee surgery it became a constant companion once again, to the point where the tip was getting pretty beat up.  I love that stick and refused to let go of it.  So, I decided to make some modifications that will allow it to serve me until they scatter my ashes up on the mountain.

My initial thought was to fit the tip with a ferrule of brass or copper, but when scrounging through my scrap inventory I noticed some bronze bushings including sleeve bushings.  I found one of the perfect size and set to work.

I filed the tip of the stick to fit the inside of the sleeve bushing using an Ariou rasp, working my way slowly around the circumference until it got to the point where I could drive the new bronze ferrule onto it.

Once that was done I chamfered the adjacent wood to make the fit a bit more elegant, and now I do indeed have a faithful walking companion to last me the rest of my days.

All thanks to Long Tom’s friendship and passion for “found wood” woodcraft.

Some woodworking projects are hidden from others, some are fancy or extravagant, but this one was a simple task to guarantee this friend will remain a treasured gift and companion working for me for many more decades.