I find I am rather addicted to carving Diamond Willow as of late. I love the way it carves and the way it looks once you do. Plus, after the first snake shillelagh I completed, I went back to my old man’s place and stole all the rough Diamond Willow he had –- which turned out to be one. I needed more.
The search was on for more at the local wood shops and across the interwebs. You can find it on eBay or even Amazon for about $20 for a 55” rough blank. I’d even be willing to pay that for the pleasure of working with it again, but I can’t help wondering if there’s something I’m missing.
What’s really funny is I don’t prefer the nice, super-straight ones that make perfect canes; I like the ones that look like they’re rejects from a haunted forest of some sort. They just look like they have more character to me and would be better for carving strange things into them. So really what I’m trying to sort out is: What would be a good, cheap place to get some really knurly Diamond Willow rough blanks — any ideas? Let us know in comments.
*Thank you to Wupen of Wupen Walking Sticks in Vancouver, B.C., for use of the great photo of his handcrafted Diamond Willow walking sticks!
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Wupen Walking Sticks [Website]
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6 Responses to Searching For Diamond Willow
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Sean – search out the local buck skinner/pre-1840 re-enacters in your area. They usually are a good source for this stuff. At least they are up here!
Make friends with someone in Alaska. There are groves of the damn stuff all over the place. Offer to trade them something common in your neck but hard to get up there.
I’d offer to be that friend but I am out of state for school.
*sigh*
Try Diamond willow stick and stuff on ebat or google. I use bkratt@q.com
Grwat prices nice variety, good source.
lololol, Dear Sean – move to Alaska (the Interior, Fairbanks) and you will find yourself overrun with tons of it just like me. I also am addicted to the soul-cleansing transformation that hard work and weeks (one for years), of sanding accomplishes. Really, truly, diamond willow is pretty rare in the lower 48, however, if you want your ordinary walking sticks as you show above, just hand in the out-skirts of Fbks.
I obtain mine mostly in the surrounding hills (those that surround and create the Tanana Valley in which we live).
If you really want to get gnarly and infamous pieces, you must either hike (don’t do it) or boat during hunting season to the old Minto Flats. It is primarly unhabitated, full of moose, damn hard to travel or hunt in and absolutely FILLED with diamond willow easily the circumference of a man’s waist (no, I do not mean those ugly burls found on spruce trees). Bring your chain saw and river boat (and rifle) and be prepared to kneel before Alaska’s beauty in all its forms. There were so many HUGE pieces of diamond willow that my husband only brought me back 2 (the boat would not accommodate more). One of them I transformed into a table in my home. Not out of burl, remember, but the sheer circumference of the piece itself, with almost two foot long diamonds on it. Took all summer working all day every day sanding and using non-powered wood tools to “sort of” complete it. I couldn’t stand to do any more and completed it. (by that I mean end up with 600+ or greater grit, clean carefully and then clear varnish, between sandings, over and over again. Wish I had the guts to sell it but I put too much damn work into it.
NOW THATS how to obtain diamond willow in the AK. Good luck
One post script . . . hope you like to work
Just thought I would let the visitors to this site know
that the above picture of a diamond willow stick came
from my website, http://www.wupensticks.com
The stick was made by me and that is my hand holding
the stick.
Wupen