Wish this video wasn’t a year old, just stumbled across it today. Being a forth generation Irish/American, I remember my grandfather had a shillelagh that looked almost exactly like this one. That would have been in the 60’s when I was a child in Chicago. I remember being fascinated by it but not allowed to touch it much, since there was some ancestral significance to it I wouldn’t understand. Seeing you make this shillelagh brought all those memories back. My grandfather passed away so of course the shillelagh was now my father’s. As I got older and inquired about the history of one of the very few surviving family heirlooms from Ireland, my father sat me down and told me the story of the shillelagh. The story of the shillelagh in general, being a walking stick and formidable weapon, our shillelagh was apparently used in a crime of sorts and found it’s way to America with my great-grandfather on the run. (Not surprising, hearing the countless sordid tales and yarns of my Irish family history through the decades) After high school I moved from Chicago to California to live on dad’s sailboat. (On the run from my own trouble), and there the shillelagh was. Hanging neatly over my cabin bunk, lit by the dim glow of the kerosene lamps, it took on a personality I can’t describe. A little ominous but friendly and familiar as well, since I’ve known this stick since I could walk on two legs. The Irish leaded crystal goblets would eventually go to my sister on her wedding day and I didn’t care about those things. I loved the shillelagh though and someday it would be mine. At 18 years old now, a sailor like my father, I wanted a closer look at the shillelagh. He unlashed it from the bulkhead and handed it to me. My father watched me as I felt its weight and it seemed lighter and shorter than I remember but last time I saw it, so was I. I looked carefully at the “business end” of the shillelagh for suspicious scull-dents or blood stains and my father laughed. “I’m sure your great-grandfather took care of those on the ship to America.” It was indeed Blackthorn, all the bark intact except for the cuts and sanded areas around the handle area, with the same high-gloss finish I see on your shillelagh you just made. (Goosebumps) The one I was holding back in the 80’s was already well over a hundred years old. It looked very much the same as the one you just made. I’m sure you followed an old tradition and man, I really appreciate that sort of craftsmanship. I became a boatbuilder and finish carpenter and even made some walking sticks, but I’ve never tried to make a shillelagh that looked as historically accurate as the one you did here. I don’t even know if Blackthorn grows in the U.S. but I’ll look it up. You’ve intrigued me here. Inspired me to copy our old family shillelagh because ours was “lost”. (I know where it is, it’s still in the family somewhere in Kentucky. I hope.) While me and dad were on our plan to sail around the world, we made it as far as Hawaii on his beautiful old wooden Tahiti Ketch. We’d hit a deadhead log off the north shore of Kauai that stove in a couple planks. The bilge pumps could barely keep up with the leak and we limped to Oahu. My father worked for Wooden Boat Magazine at the time and they were following our father and son journey around the world. That story ended in Hawaii and my dad started sending off family things to more stable family on the mainland since they were obviously no longer safe with us. We lived like pirates. As far as passing on things from father to son goes, the shillelagh had to be protected and there’s no way we could do that. I suspect it went to my uncle Clyde in Kentucky and that’s good. Those rednecks never change and the shillelagh is safe with them. Probably hanging on a hickory cabin wall in the mountains next to a whiskey still like it did a hundred years ago. It’s with family. That’s what matters. Thanks for inspiring me to write this story and making a shillelagh that looks so very much like the ancient one I remember. If I can find Blackthorn on the northwest coast of the States, I’ll do what you did as far as straightening the bends. Slowly and patiently. The old shillelagh is photographically etched in my mind and I can get pretty close to how it looked. I look forward to more of your work and just subscribed. Thanks a lot from Washington State.
Bro you're a straight up story teller and I'm sure you have many you could recount from you sailing journeys. Just saying but would definitely be cool to hear more of them if you made youtube videos/content
When I was a child my Great Grandfather’s “cane” was in my Grandmother’s house. It was a wicked looking thing and I remember the thorns being longer. After she passed on one of my cousins moved into her house and he and his wife raised 5 kids. A few years ago when my legs started going to hell I started asking around the family to see if anyone knew where the old cane was. So far no one knows or remembers even seeing it. Unfortunately the cousin may have used it for fire wood so his kids didn’t use it on one another. About 10 years ago I bought another one on-line. I wish I had seen this gentleman’s when I bought the first one. Another name for Blackthorn is Sloe berry, as in Sloe Gin.
From the start, I had questions and skepticism about the heating & straightening. But then you had a tea break and explained it all---the nature of blackthorn wood, working during lockdown, etc. As an American, I think regular tea breaks would make the world a whole lot easier to understand.
My grandfather took his shillelagh on board a merchant ship 1920 age 17 and a few months later took it with him when he jumped ship in New York..I still have it and it looks just like the one in this video “Erin go Bragh “
Francis your work is Awesome to watch and i enjoy listening to you figuring the best grip or nob for each stick,each has its own personality! Thanks very much!
You turned a stick into another kind of stick! Wow! Na, for really that awesome. I've got some Irish heritage and a limp so I would love to build me a shillelagh
Beautiful stick! (Coming from a fellow hobbyist) I mostly enjoy finding sticks that have been twisted and nurled up by vines. It's really hard to find the perfect one for a walking stick (not too skinny, too crooked, one that looks attractive enough). I recently found the perfect one and will start working on it today. Might do some wood burning and shellac on it as well. Cheers from Georgia, USA 😎❤
Always a thrill to hear a craftsman talk of his trade. Have always admired the gentleman who can carry off the making of a walking stick, and even tried my hand as a young man using devil's walking stick tree stock after removing the thorns and the viney bits that grew about them. Not quite as nice as the Blackthorn one's for weight nor disability, but it worked well enough to have some character. Wished I had mulled it around more at the time while carving the handle up, as it feels a bit awkward now. It was grand getting your thoughts on the process, and how you work through getting them sorted out. Thank you my friend. Appreciate your time greatly.
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 your most welcome. I will be checking back and seeing what else your doing in the future. I adore photography as nothing else, so I'm sure we have like interests. Best wishes.
I like walking sticks with bends & a knot or 2...gives them character...I never knew a traditional shillelagh had to be straightened...I'll have to try this...
Hi Francis, I bought one of your sticks and I am thrilled with it. I'll be ordering another for my brother. He loved mine and now he wants one too! Sub'd so I can listen to you talk - lol. It's like listening to my grandparents again.
Thanks for the daily videos Francis, I really enjoy your content. I've been looking at making a stick for some time but have struggled to find any information specifically for traditional blackthorn sticks, I've never done anything like it before so i find your videos really useful.
Great videos Francis managed to get two straight blacktorn sticks with decent rootballs other day got a long wait know for drying out . Thanks for showing us how to do it.
I have no access to blackthorn where I live in the USA that I can source sadly, but I found a good piece of black locust that I am seasoning in excitement as we speak. My mothers family stems from county Mayo
Black locust grows all over my property and I was thinking about trying to make one from it as well. As a young man hitting it with an ax was an exercise in futility lol. It should be dense enough.
My Father used to go into an Irish bar in North Philly named Mc Andrews. They had 3 sets of crossed Black Shillelagh (6) hanging above the bar. I was 12 years old in 1959 when I went with him, he would get me a soda.
My kind of hobby is making wooden bows. Usually i enjoy to make them from black locust or ash. The black locust also often needs a straightening. It's very interesting for me to see how these things get handled by other craftsmen. Thanks for this very fine made video.👍
@@maximeb190 Warming up the staves with steam. You can find very good descriptions about in the bowyers bible books. You need to build an oven with a special steam pipe.
@@wildschuetzjaeger2316 Ohh thats very neat idea yeah, pushing steam towards a pipe where the wood strips are located! I see ways of making this DIY with a very simple setup in my mind. Thanks!
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 great job as always but I’m thinking of straightening some my sticks do you do it when seasoned or Fresh ? I do it with out a jig but over my knee old way 👍🇮🇹🇬🇧🐾🦊
Thank you for showing your idea! I, also make canes out of natural shapes; however, I see a way to bend my shapes to tweak them to become more of help to those I give them to. By steam bending one end or the whole, to fit my vision of the best shape. Your handle coud be steamed and bent to more of a 90 degree, thus fitting the hand better. If this is stepping on your toes, pardon me and ignore this!
I started to make one 7 years ago from a great looking piece of Black Thorn I gathered. Unfortunately during the curing stage grubs started coming out of both ends and it started cracking. I had over 40 pieces I had curing but unfortunately they got left behind in the cellar during a move. I'm no professional just someone that really loves Black Thorn canes and was going to make some for the rest of my family. We are of Irish decent and I thought it would be nice for the rest of my family to have a piece of Ireland. My family lives in America I have been living in Germany for the last 10 years and I visited Ireland 7 years ago and was able to source and collect some branches to make some canes and walking sticks but I no longer have them except for the one failed cured one. Most of the bark has now come off it. It's still siting on my work bench as a reminder. One day I hope to be able to go back to Ireland and source some more Black Thorn to start over again.
That came out beautifully. Thanks very much for sharing your process. What kind of paint do you use on such a stick to give it the needed durability? Anything I can imagine would flake off pretty quickly. Again, beautiful work.
Hi, thanks for the great video! I cut some branches yesterday but now I'm nor sure if I got it right... do I bend the stick when it is wet or when it is dry? Many greetings from Bavaria 🍻
Absolutely beautiful work my friend keep er up I'm going to definitely check your sight out always happy to see a fellow wood worker love and support from Ontario, Canada
Great stuff. There's few concerns in life that aren't lessened somewhat by a good stick. Either by just taking it for a walk, or by utilising it's multitoolularity. I like your bending rig there. Nice work all round.
I'm lucky to have some large Blackthorn growing in my garden, never knew this could be done with it, but I know it's very hard wood and so colourful, a beautiful wood indeed. I'm saving anything I cut from now now !. Please can you tell me how long you season the timber before you try to straighten the length's. Thank you.
This video is exactly what I needed. I was about to build a steam generator. Do you normally use low or high setting on heat gun and how long do you run for? What grit sandpaper would you start at?
Thank you so much for sharing! I have my grandfather's shillelagh that he brought over to America with him back in the 30's. When my father got older, he also used it when walking. Well, my father passed away last November and I now have the shillelagh. I would like to restore it a bit, because of all the use, most of the bark has chipped away. My question to you is: what sealer should I use and is there a specific black paint for the finish? I have already started the process and would greatly appreciate it. Please keep up the great work!
Why did I think that the knobstick was formed from the root ball? Is there anything to look out for when buying a blackthorn stick to avoid being tricked into not getting the real deal?
Be careful of two pieces glued together calling themselves black thorn. Usually the black paint is high up on the knob hiding the connecting part. , also look at the wood grain on the handle, wood grain is like a fingerprint and can be make from fake blackthorn
The Shillelagh isn't just a waking stick, it is a defensive and offensive weapon, depending on the circumstances one finds oneself in. Decorative, and stylish as you walk the rocky road to Dublin in days gone bye, or downtown in Chicago, going about your business, it does have has utility.
Hi Francis, Great video, very interesting. I'm going to make a few of these from Bois d'Arc, a hard thorny tree here in Tennessee. Did you straighten the wood after it dried for a year or so? Or soon after cutting? Thanks.
I have a 40+ year old shillelagh that belonged to my father. The finish is not in good shape, and in some places the bare wood under the bark is visible. I am planning to sand it where it's chipping and refinish it. What sort of stain/finish should I buy? Thank you!
May be a silly question. But would it not be easier to straighten stick when it is green, and bendy? Then attach it to a rack to keep it straight whilst seasoning. I guess storage is the issue.
Francis I had an awful time trying to make the brace for stick straightener device. I tried using circular saw to cut wood. I didn't feel safe trying to cut half circle into board. Is there another affective way to straighten walking sticks. I saw somewhere if I soak sticks an place the soaked stick an place between board an use a c clamp will that work? I'm running out of options to steaighten sticks
Francis wanted to know how you made the stick straighter more in depth. The size boards u used an the metal brackets you placed for added support on top of the the shillelagh straighter
Very nicely described. Do you ever use the old butter and set by the fireplace seasoning method? Great selection for the handle. Accentuated that beautiful heartwood. Take care.
Not unless you are cooking food! Butter would not be the best option for seasoning a stick nowadays the best way is to seal the ends hang in a room with moving air with the heavy side down.
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 That was the first technique I read about when I was researching, long ago. You can see the reason it was used in the past and the sticks I have seen that are very old certainly had a rich dark colour. All the Best, John
What did people use to seal and finish them in the old days? I've heard stories of covering them in butter and leaving them in the chimney but not sure if that's true, and if so, how it would work in practice.
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 I have probably less experience than yourself as I only make 1 or maybe 2 a year but I have found the copse I have inherited can be trained quite well. It's been cultivated and maintained for about 4 generations now. The biggest problem I find with forcing a stick straight with is that it can become brittle at that area. But like I say I'm not as experienced.
You found it! The most wholesome thing in the internet.
Wish this video wasn’t a year old, just stumbled across it today.
Being a forth generation Irish/American, I remember my grandfather had a shillelagh that looked almost exactly like this one. That would have been in the 60’s when I was a child in Chicago. I remember being fascinated by it but not allowed to touch it much, since there was some ancestral significance to it I wouldn’t understand.
Seeing you make this shillelagh brought all those memories back.
My grandfather passed away so of course the shillelagh was now my father’s. As I got older and inquired about the history of one of the very few surviving family heirlooms from Ireland, my father sat me down and told me the story of the shillelagh.
The story of the shillelagh in general, being a walking stick and formidable weapon, our shillelagh was apparently used in a crime of sorts and found it’s way to America with my great-grandfather on the run. (Not surprising, hearing the countless sordid tales and yarns of my Irish family history through the decades)
After high school I moved from Chicago to California to live on dad’s sailboat. (On the run from my own trouble), and there the shillelagh was.
Hanging neatly over my cabin bunk, lit by the dim glow of the kerosene lamps, it took on a personality I can’t describe. A little ominous but friendly and familiar as well, since I’ve known this stick since I could walk on two legs. The Irish leaded crystal goblets would eventually go to my sister on her wedding day and I didn’t care about those things. I loved the shillelagh though and someday it would be mine.
At 18 years old now, a sailor like my father, I wanted a closer look at the shillelagh. He unlashed it from the bulkhead and handed it to me.
My father watched me as I felt its weight and it seemed lighter and shorter than I remember but last time I saw it, so was I.
I looked carefully at the “business end” of the shillelagh for suspicious scull-dents or blood stains and my father laughed. “I’m sure your great-grandfather took care of those on the ship to America.”
It was indeed Blackthorn, all the bark intact except for the cuts and sanded areas around the handle area, with the same high-gloss finish I see on your shillelagh you just made. (Goosebumps) The one I was holding back in the 80’s was already well over a hundred years old.
It looked very much the same as the one you just made. I’m sure you followed an old tradition and man, I really appreciate that sort of craftsmanship. I became a boatbuilder and finish carpenter and even made some walking sticks, but I’ve never tried to make a shillelagh that looked as historically accurate as the one you did here. I don’t even know if Blackthorn grows in the U.S. but I’ll look it up.
You’ve intrigued me here. Inspired me to copy our old family shillelagh because ours was “lost”. (I know where it is, it’s still in the family somewhere in Kentucky. I hope.)
While me and dad were on our plan to sail around the world, we made it as far as Hawaii on his beautiful old wooden Tahiti Ketch. We’d hit a deadhead log off the north shore of Kauai that stove in a couple planks. The bilge pumps could barely keep up with the leak and we limped to Oahu. My father worked for Wooden Boat Magazine at the time and they were following our father and son journey around the world.
That story ended in Hawaii and my dad started sending off family things to more stable family on the mainland since they were obviously no longer safe with us. We lived like pirates. As far as passing on things from father to son goes, the shillelagh had to be protected and there’s no way we could do that. I suspect it went to my uncle Clyde in Kentucky and that’s good. Those rednecks never change and the shillelagh is safe with them. Probably hanging on a hickory cabin wall in the mountains next to a whiskey still like it did a hundred years ago. It’s with family. That’s what matters.
Thanks for inspiring me to write this story and making a shillelagh that looks so very much like the ancient one I remember.
If I can find Blackthorn on the northwest coast of the States, I’ll do what you did as far as straightening the bends. Slowly and patiently. The old shillelagh is photographically etched in my mind and I can get pretty close to how it looked.
I look forward to more of your work and just subscribed. Thanks a lot from Washington State.
Thanks that was a lovely story , im very active making shillelaghs look at my website- www.McCaffreyCrafts.com
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5, Thank you very much. I’ll definitely check out your website. Keep up the great work and tradition!
Bro you're a straight up story teller and I'm sure you have many you could recount from you sailing journeys. Just saying but would definitely be cool to hear more of them if you made youtube videos/content
@@Woodstock271 clearly you inherited your family's great way with words
When I was a child my Great Grandfather’s “cane” was in my Grandmother’s house. It was a wicked looking thing and I remember the thorns being longer. After she passed on one of my cousins moved into her house and he and his wife raised 5 kids. A few years ago when my legs started going to hell I started asking around the family to see if anyone knew where the old cane was. So far no one knows or remembers even seeing it. Unfortunately the cousin may have used it for fire wood so his kids didn’t use it on one another.
About 10 years ago I bought another one on-line. I wish I had seen this gentleman’s when I bought the first one.
Another name for Blackthorn is Sloe berry, as in Sloe Gin.
My own stick arrived this week and it's the absolute business. I cannot fault the quality or craftsmanship of the thing :)
From the start, I had questions and skepticism about the heating & straightening. But then you had a tea break and explained it all---the nature of blackthorn wood, working during lockdown, etc. As an American, I think regular tea breaks would make the world a whole lot easier to understand.
So true
My grandfather took his shillelagh on board a merchant ship 1920 age 17 and a few months later took it with him when he jumped ship in New York..I still have it and it looks just like the one in this video “Erin go Bragh “
Having a cup of tea is part of the process 😌
Francis your work is Awesome to watch and i enjoy listening to you figuring the best grip or nob for each stick,each has its own personality! Thanks very much!
Thanks for watching glad to know you like the videos
I had no idea they were painted. Thanks for the demonstration.
You turned a stick into another kind of stick! Wow!
Na, for really that awesome. I've got some Irish heritage and a limp so I would love to build me a shillelagh
Beautiful stick! (Coming from a fellow hobbyist) I mostly enjoy finding sticks that have been twisted and nurled up by vines. It's really hard to find the perfect one for a walking stick (not too skinny, too crooked, one that looks attractive enough). I recently found the perfect one and will start working on it today. Might do some wood burning and shellac on it as well. Cheers from Georgia, USA 😎❤
Sounds like a great start to the week
I have a 50 yo shillelagh. It is massive and beautiful. Bought new by my dad in Dungloe
Would like to see you do the work in addition to hearing you talk about it.
I plan to once the weather improves
Always a thrill to hear a craftsman talk of his trade. Have always admired the gentleman who can carry off the making of a walking stick, and even tried my hand as a young man using devil's walking stick tree stock after removing the thorns and the viney bits that grew about them. Not quite as nice as the Blackthorn one's for weight nor disability, but it worked well enough to have some character. Wished I had mulled it around more at the time while carving the handle up, as it feels a bit awkward now. It was grand getting your thoughts on the process, and how you work through getting them sorted out. Thank you my friend. Appreciate your time greatly.
Thanks Murray
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 your most welcome. I will be checking back and seeing what else your doing in the future. I adore photography as nothing else, so I'm sure we have like interests. Best wishes.
I like walking sticks with bends & a knot or 2...gives them character...I never knew a traditional shillelagh had to be straightened...I'll have to try this...
It’s because they doubled up as a weapon
Hi Francis, I bought one of your sticks and I am thrilled with it. I'll be ordering another for my brother. He loved mine and now he wants one too! Sub'd so I can listen to you talk - lol. It's like listening to my grandparents again.
Hey, I received one of your shillelaghs here in the US a few weeks back. I'm quite happy with with it and really appreciate your craftsmanship.
Thanks for the daily videos Francis, I really enjoy your content. I've been looking at making a stick for some time but have struggled to find any information specifically for traditional blackthorn sticks, I've never done anything like it before so i find your videos really useful.
I'll keep making as many videos asbi can to help
Great videos Francis managed to get two straight blacktorn sticks with decent rootballs other day got a long wait know for drying out . Thanks for showing us how to do it.
I have no access to blackthorn where I live in the USA that I can source sadly, but I found a good piece of black locust that I am seasoning in excitement as we speak. My mothers family stems from county Mayo
Black locust grows all over my property and I was thinking about trying to make one from it as well. As a young man hitting it with an ax was an exercise in futility lol. It should be dense enough.
Nice job sir, I have a black horn walk stick/cane I got from my grandfather
This would make a great ASMR video
My Father used to go into an Irish bar in North Philly named Mc Andrews. They had 3 sets of crossed Black Shillelagh (6) hanging above the bar. I was 12 years old in 1959 when I went with him, he would get me a soda.
This is one of the best videos you've done! Thanks!
My kind of hobby is making wooden bows. Usually i enjoy to make them from black locust or ash. The black locust also often needs a straightening. It's very interesting for me to see how these things get handled by other craftsmen. Thanks for this very fine made video.👍
How do you go about unbending for bow making ?
@@maximeb190 Warming up the staves with steam. You can find very good descriptions about in the bowyers bible books. You need to build an oven with a special steam pipe.
@@wildschuetzjaeger2316 Ohh thats very neat idea yeah, pushing steam towards a pipe where the wood strips are located! I see ways of making this DIY with a very simple setup in my mind. Thanks!
Beautiful job! Love your daily videos.
Thanks I'll keep them coming
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 great job as always but I’m thinking of straightening some my sticks do you do it when seasoned or Fresh ? I do it with out a jig but over my knee old way 👍🇮🇹🇬🇧🐾🦊
Beautiful work Francis.
Francis would love to see how exactly you built this stick straightening device step by step in a video.
Who needs a cane sword when you have a Shillaligh
In the process of hiking about trying to find a stick or branch that speaks to me.
Very nice blackthorn stick sir!
Thank you for showing your idea! I, also make canes out of natural shapes; however, I see a way to bend my shapes to tweak them to become more of help to those I give them to. By steam bending one end or the whole, to fit my vision of the best shape. Your handle coud be steamed and bent to more of a 90 degree, thus fitting the hand better. If this is stepping on your toes, pardon me and ignore this!
I started to make one 7 years ago from a great looking piece of Black Thorn I gathered. Unfortunately during the curing stage grubs started coming out of both ends and it started cracking. I had over 40 pieces I had curing but unfortunately they got left behind in the cellar during a move. I'm no professional just someone that really loves Black Thorn canes and was going to make some for the rest of my family. We are of Irish decent and I thought it would be nice for the rest of my family to have a piece of Ireland. My family lives in America I have been living in Germany for the last 10 years and I visited Ireland 7 years ago and was able to source and collect some branches to make some canes and walking sticks but I no longer have them except for the one failed cured one. Most of the bark has now come off it. It's still siting on my work bench as a reminder. One day I hope to be able to go back to Ireland and source some more Black Thorn to start over again.
It’s getting harder to find each year
The wood will tell you what to do.
Me da & granda made blackthorn sticks but never anything that robust, lovely job. 🙂
Thanks for this. My preference: natural color on the shaft, no black paint.
Natural bark is lovely
Interesting that you apply a black paint prior to the protective finish.
Love this. Master day work
That came out beautifully. Thanks very much for sharing your process. What kind of paint do you use on such a stick to give it the needed durability? Anything I can imagine would flake off pretty quickly.
Again, beautiful work.
Hi, thanks for the great video! I cut some branches yesterday but now I'm nor sure if I got it right... do I bend the stick when it is wet or when it is dry?
Many greetings from Bavaria 🍻
Thank you for posting...
Absolutely beautiful work my friend keep er up I'm going to definitely check your sight out always happy to see a fellow wood worker love and support from Ontario, Canada
Great stuff. There's few concerns in life that aren't lessened somewhat by a good stick. Either by just taking it for a walk, or by utilising it's multitoolularity. I like your bending rig there. Nice work all round.
Bro I'm in Arizona USA love your sticks just found your channel dig it subed
all forgot the ever trusty hair dryer from way back when. now so so so so so many useful ideas it can be used for
What sealer do you use? What black paint do you use and what finish do you use? Beautiful work. Thanks for the video.
I'm lucky to have some large Blackthorn growing in my garden, never knew this could be done with it, but I know it's very hard wood and so colourful, a beautiful wood indeed. I'm saving anything I cut from now now !. Please can you tell me how long you season the timber before you try to straighten the length's. Thank you.
Usually 2 to 3 years
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 Thank you, it will be sometime before I get to have a go then :)
Would like to see the finishes and what is applied to the stick
I wonder if apple would be a good wood for this? I’m in eastern Canada, we have hawthorn, but not blackthorn, I think.
Nice wee video very helpful👍
It looks beautiful!
They did not lock me down! Nice job friend.
This video is exactly what I needed. I was about to build a steam generator. Do you normally use low or high setting on heat gun and how long do you run for? What grit sandpaper would you start at?
Heat seasoned wood slowly start with coarse sandpaper and work your way down.
"Cut limb from tree." Done.
Culture in general can be described as making simple everyday things unnecessarily complicated... And beautiful
Thank you so much for sharing! I have my grandfather's shillelagh that he brought over to America with him back in the 30's. When my father got older, he also used it when walking. Well, my father passed away last November and I now have the shillelagh. I would like to restore it a bit, because of all the use, most of the bark has chipped away. My question to you is: what sealer should I use and is there a specific black paint for the finish? I have already started the process and would greatly appreciate it. Please keep up the great work!
Just need to stand it down and apply any wood sealer and finish you like
Very 👍 nicely done Sir
OMG Cadbury’s mug!
Thank you for showing a real one...in America iv'e seen bogus copies..and when i confronted them..they did'nt even know what blackthorn was...
I was under the impression that shillelaghs were/are usually fire hardened. Is that not the case?
Why did I think that the knobstick was formed from the root ball? Is there anything to look out for when buying a blackthorn stick to avoid being tricked into not getting the real deal?
Be careful of two pieces glued together calling themselves black thorn. Usually the black paint is high up on the knob hiding the connecting part. , also look at the wood grain on the handle, wood grain is like a fingerprint and can be make from fake blackthorn
How a can get one it’s beautiful 😅
McCaffreyCrafts.com
Is this a authentic process? No water used?
The Shillelagh isn't just a waking stick, it is a defensive and offensive weapon, depending on the circumstances one finds oneself in.
Decorative, and stylish as you walk the rocky road to Dublin in days gone bye, or downtown in Chicago, going about your business, it does have has utility.
My understanding is that it's not a walking stick just a concealed weapon,
Hi Francis, Great video, very interesting. I'm going to make a few of these from Bois d'Arc, a hard thorny tree here in Tennessee. Did you straighten the wood after it dried for a year or so? Or soon after cutting? Thanks.
Must wait until it’s dry before you straighten
Dia dhuit, Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? Thank you so much for the lovely video, it is very useful! Go raibh míle maith agat!
Absolute gibberish
Dia is Muire duit a chara, conás atá tú fhein? Tá gaeilge agat, mhaith tú ar fad!
@@Karl_with_a_K Dia duit, Karl!
Maith go leor! Agus tú fhéin?
Tá beagán Gaeilge agam.
Táim ag foghlaim Gaeilge fós.
Can a tip be added to the end of the stick? Perhaps brass?
It can but I use rubber ferrule better in modern pavements
Amazing video
well done!
what is the main saw you use for cutting Western saw or a Japanese pull saw? (For the handle i mean.
Both I have so many saws
fascinating how long, approximately does it take to staighten one area
A few hours
I have a 40+ year old shillelagh that belonged to my father. The finish is not in good shape, and in some places the bare wood under the bark is visible. I am planning to sand it where it's chipping and refinish it. What sort of stain/finish should I buy? Thank you!
Put a sealer on after you sand it down first before any sealer. Finish depends on what you like, glossy finish is good on shillelaghs
Another year and I will be 70. I Plan to buy myself one of these to suport a weak knee.
Very nice.
I love when its all types of bendy but I guess then it isnt good as a walking stick or am I wrong in that? Or is it just a taste thing?
Not at all everyone is different and usually like different things
My Blackthorne is too thick as well as the handle. Any advice on how to reduce the circumference of the stick?
Rasp it
cool stick
Should find a smaller one and make a Harry Potter wand next. Basically just a walking stick for a gnome.
What size holes do you have in your jig, in inches not mm and how far apart are the sides walls
Need to be hot enough for the larger wood I have all different sizes
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 ok, I'm making one from 2×6 wood, but I will also make one from channel iron for extra strength
that purple heart on the stick will match the color of bruises beautifully LOL. PEACE.
Is that supposed to be a sheleighly I'm good for a cracking skulls
Thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks for the support Tony
What is the best type of wood to craft one of these?
Holy smokes there Patty we don't want to rush ya boyo but will you make us more of the shelaly Gotta have more walking shelaly!!!
Very nice
I have a similar blackthorn stick and the rootball has a split developing. Is there a way to fix that at all? Thanks for the great video.
Let me season longer until it can crack no more then wood glue and blackthorn dust mix.
May be a silly question. But would it not be easier to straighten stick when it is green, and bendy? Then attach it to a rack to keep it straight whilst seasoning. I guess storage is the issue.
It’s easier when seasoned
Francis I had an awful time trying to make the brace for stick straightener device. I tried using circular saw to cut wood. I didn't feel safe trying to cut half circle into board. Is there another affective way to straighten walking sticks. I saw somewhere if I soak sticks an place the soaked stick an place between board an use a c clamp will that work? I'm running out of options to steaighten sticks
Francis would it be a good idea to use clamps when doing the straightening process of the shaft of the walking stick?
Could u please provide some more info as to the cost and do business in the U. S.
Thanks
Yes I can mccaffreycrafts.com
Francis wanted to know how you made the stick straighter more in depth. The size boards u used an the metal brackets you placed for added support on top of the the shillelagh straighter
What's it for? Is it a weapon?
Hello, Francis. I’m a bit late to the party and wondered what kind of paint you use?
Black
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5, gosh, how funny are you?
Very nicely described. Do you ever use the old butter and set by the fireplace seasoning method? Great selection for the handle. Accentuated that beautiful heartwood. Take care.
Not unless you are cooking food! Butter would not be the best option for seasoning a stick nowadays the best way is to seal the ends hang in a room with moving air with the heavy side down.
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 That was the first technique I read about when I was researching, long ago. You can see the reason it was used in the past and the sticks I have seen that are very old certainly had a rich dark colour. All the Best, John
I wanted to buy one but they're all around 20 inches, and I'm not a tiny person with a wee pot of gold. How do we get grown peoples sizes?
Go to my website and look at the waking sticks. You looked at the wrong section. Click on the walking stick section
What did people use to seal and finish them in the old days? I've heard stories of covering them in butter and leaving them in the chimney but not sure if that's true, and if so, how it would work in practice.
Anything they had on the farm usually paint and shoe polish to finished
what is it u using for heating ?🙏🏼
I don't know if we have Blackthorn wood here in the U.S. But Im sure we have a nice substitute.
American usually use local woods they have like maple etc.. but nothing compares to blackthorn
Do you not just cut your sticks from straight stock? I am very selective when cutting a stick.
I wish blackthorn don’t grow like that
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 I have probably less experience than yourself as I only make 1 or maybe 2 a year but I have found the copse I have inherited can be trained quite well. It's been cultivated and maintained for about 4 generations now. The biggest problem I find with forcing a stick straight with is that it can become brittle at that area. But like I say I'm not as experienced.
How do you put a coin in them? Thank you for the video. Want to make one for my mom.
I dont do this i think it looks tacky
@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 any particular reason why? Or just personal preference?
What is wrong with bends? I believe they give character to a piece..
Hi! What is the stick coated with?
Gloss