Saturating a dowel with oil??

[Packard]

I watched a video the other day from a domestic (USA) maker of wood walking sticks—though presented as a disguised fighting stick.

The demonstrator said something like, “Unlike the off-shore walking sticks, which are made from very dry wood, our sticks will not easily shatter.”

He goes on to demonstrate the brittleness of the imported sticks by striking them in the middle with one of their own sticks.

He claimed that their sticks, made from oak, hickory or walnut are saturated with oil to improve the strength.

I have never heard of oil being used to strengthen wood. I can’t imagine it would penetrate very deep. Any truth to the statement?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Given enough time oil can penetrate quite deeply depending on the type of timber and how open the grain and pores are, but I wouldn't have thought overly brittle walking sticks to be a problem of any significance.

 

[Packard]

Given enough time oil can penetrate quite deeply depending on the type of timber and how open the grain and pores are, but I wouldn't have thought overly brittle walking sticks to be a problem of any significance.

They are calling them walking sticks, but marketing them as fighting sticks. I suppose the strength of the stick is more important in combat.

He was referencing hickory (think baseball bats), oak and walnut. I think the oil bit was b.s. maybe the wood used for the imported sticks is less sound.

Traditional Irish fighting sticks are made blackthorn roots. I’m guessing it is a very dense wood.

What is an Irish fighting stick called?

A shillelagh (/ʃɪˈleɪli, -lə/ shil-AY-lee, -⁠lə; Irish: sail éille or saill éalaigh [ˌsˠal̠ʲ ˈeːlʲə], "thonged willow") is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty blackthorn stick with a large knob at the top.

 

[MikeGE]

Maybe the hidden sword blade in the fighting stick is adding to its strength.

 

[Packard]

Google A.I. says it can strengthen wood, but the extended version backs off that claim. It kind of looks like my question influenced Google’s A.I. response.

“Can adding oil strengthen wood.”

Google Search

 

[woodferret]

Open grain vs closed grain? I'm thinking like bending empty straws vs filled ones.

 

[Packard]

Open grain vs closed grain? I'm thinking like bending empty straws vs filled ones.

Well, their sticks are made from hickory, oak or walnut.

Even if it is open grain, how far into the surface will it penetrate?

Even pressure treated lumber has to be under pressure to get penetration. I would think oil would penetrate less than the solvents used in PT lumber.

 

[woodferret]

Bending and impact forces are only on the outer skin.

 

[Sparktrician]

@Packard, if you're looking for a self-defense walking stick that won't shatter, take a look at those from Cold Steel - https://www.coldsteel.com/walking-sticks-canes/. They're made from injection molded high-impact polymer.

 

[Packard]

@Packard, if you're looking for a self-defense walking stick that won't shatter, take a look at those from Cold Steel - https://www.coldsteel.com/walking-sticks-canes/. They're made from injection molded high-impact polymer.

I have one. An awkward piece for me. I guess to get sufficient weight to the knob end they made it about 3-1/4” in diameter. My hands are most comfortable grasping a piece that is 2-1/4”—exactly the size of a billiards ball.

I reduced the size of the ball end, but it still felt awkward to me. They were trying to mimic the blackthorne root balls, but less than successfully.

The walking stick I made for myself has an 8-ball as the head and a 1/2” diameter fiberglass pultrusion for the shaft. Excellent except that the rubber crutch tips in 1/2” diameter wear out in about 3 - 4 weeks.

So I made another using a 1” diameter fiberglass pultrusion and an 8-ball. The 1” crutch tips last 6 months or more. But pultrusion are heavy and for self-defense you would need a two-hand grip on the 1” diameter shaft. Not ideal.

The pultrusion are white, and I wanted a black finish. For that, I used electrical shrink tubing. The shrink tubing and the 8 ball are the more successful aspects of the home make walking sticks.

I have a 1” diameter oak dowel that is 48” long. I’m thinking of a walking staff rather than a walking stick.

I’ve been using the walking stick for about 2 years now, and it feels strange when I abandon it.