Stick #05

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This specimen, leptospermum Obovatum, was found around Market Garden track in Wonga Park, Victoria on the 6th January 2020. A thicket of River Tea Tree was cut and discarded as part of Parks Vic track maintenance. I suspect the stick was curing in the wild for about 12 months. It was my unfinished companion for that wander and I brought it back to my workshop for crafting. The common name is River Tea Tree and is prolific in the Yarra Valley by the river, however finding a relatively straight stick does require some spotting. There was no steam bending required for this stick. Obovatum is known as a shrub as it does not grow to a height much more than 3m. The shrub flowers white from November to January and is known for attracting butterflies. It likes moist soils along watercourses and swamp margins. Our first nations people used the wood for spears and pegs , hence obovatum makes an excellent walking stick.

I skinned this stick with a Opinel 8 pocket knife, electric file sanded from 80 to 120 grit then hand sanded from 320 to 600 grit, wet and dry. A longitudinal split was apparent and I elected to fill it with a “timbermate” filler. On the same walk I found the rootball of an obovatum and after shaping this it became the handle that was tenoned to the stick.There are three applications of Organ Oil satin Finish with wet sanding in between over a two week period. Finally An application of Gilly wood polish. The tip is an alpine spike sourced from the stickman UK that allows for a rubber stopper for pavement walking to detach revealing a spike that is most rewarding for off track work. I have added a leather off cut and laced it to the upper stick as a grip of sorts.

This stick is best suited to walking in the bush or parklands rather than rambling around town but there are no rules. An affable companion to have by your door in readiness for a wander.

The completed stick length is 125 cm with the rubber stopper and 122 cm with the spike revealed. It has a diameter of 19 mm and weighs 386 grams. It is suitable as a hand around hiking stick for heights of 170 cm to 190 cm. It was officially commissioned with serial #OOW5 on the 28th January 2020.