[Ed in SoDak]

Here's something we recently added to our living room that I'm itching to show off.

A friend got us interested in carving willow sticks. We happen to have an endless supply in the draw below us that follows the creek. I cut a large branch that looked cool, but had no idea where to use it.

Then my wife got the idea to use them as supports under a knick-knack shelf. Perfect! Here's the result, we both really like the looks of it.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Hi Jiju,

A friend made a letter opener using a stubby deer horn from one of our semi-tame deer. He set it in a little hunk of diamond willow, and that got us started. My wife and I found that it grows all along in the creek that runs up the draw we live in. There's literally several miles of it so dense in places you can hardly move through it. From the road it looks much like any creekside large shrub, the branches fan out sorta like a lilac bush on steroids.

We made some cystal suncatcher hangings from small limbs for Christmas presents, but haven't tried a walking stick yet. We're thinking more in the line of furniture, but so far we're just playing with it while we sit out on the porch.

It has an odor from the fungus that causes the diamonds, so it's best to work it outdoors. We have a dust cabinet with vacuum system we use to do the sanding.

If you want a stick or three in their natural state, I could send some to you for the cost of shipping. I have some 4' boxes my shop lights came in, that would be a good length and could be easily mailed. I'd have to go harvest them, but that's an easy task since they're so close by.

I don't have pics of it growing, but here's pics of the large branch we used to make three of the shelf supports.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Jim,
I did a search awhile back and found a couple websites where they sell them and have info about diamond willow. There's a few local folks here making and selling walking sticks. Carved and finished ones get the best price, but natural with the bark still on are pretty reasonable. It's so plentiful here I'm happy to share.

We've been harvesting a few because they catch our fancy. We have an idea or two how to use them if we get the time to try them out. Too many projects going at once these days!

Julia,
Thanks for the comment! The one I show pics of is pretty wild even for the willows. Most we've found didn't have those concentric rings. The older the branch, the more convoluted it becomes. Some are nearly void of diamonds, while others are almost completely covered. Until you remove the bark it's hard to tell how it will turn out. While learning, we cut and peeled quite a few that were nothing special, they just went in the kindling pile. We've gotten a little better at spotting good ones.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Thanks for the positive comments everyone! The shelf has been waiting several years for the time and money (plus the plan!) for finishing off a beam between the old portion of our house and the addition we added.

Sandy and I built the addition ourselves with the help of a friend on the foundation and framing, but that's a whole 'nother project. Maybe this summer we can get the exterior painting and trim finished and whatever else the missus can think up in the meantime! :laughing:

The willows near us have only been very lightly harvested. The willow I chose for this project had a few cuts made some years previously. We've seen little other evidence of anyone else making selections. The cows that are let loose to graze the area in the summer and heavy winter snows have removed or broken more branches than anything else we've noticed.

It has crossed my mind to harvest a few with the intent of selling them online. The few sites I found previously didn't seem that active, but Jim's search tip brought out a wealth of ideas and things I hadn't come across.

Hmmm. Might make an interesting adjunct to help pick up the slack in our slow work times. Of which there haven't been many, thankfully!

I'll try to get some pics of the stands, just now sprouting spring foilage.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Here's where we've been doing most of our harvesting, along about a 100-yard stretch.

Next is an overmature willow that is dying. Dead branches are splitting apart and falling from snowloads and winds. This is the tree that provided our shelf supports. Another pic shows a harvest from many years ago next to my recent cuts.

Lastly, a couple pics showing some likely-looking branches. The willows haven't begun to sprout yet this year, which is good, as the wood is more easily seen and sap is down.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Thanks John, I grabbed a long branch that was broken off to send to you. Next trip I'll bring a saw.

tpolk, the main growth appears decades old in places, but there are thousands of new sprouts coming up from the roots. The cows pastured here and the heavy snows seem to be the primary force in pruning the dead wood, which just falls down and lays in jumbled piles. Others seem to be newer growth with many smaller diameter live branches. We are Zone 3 here and gets to -25 in the winter. Otherwise, it's faily mild here. Every branch is different, and overall they resemble about any diamond willow you'd find pics of on the web.

-Ed

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Hi Marv,

Yes, this is an old thread! I haven't done much willow carving for some time. My wife and I looked for some sticks suitable for a cane. We were hoping for a naturally bent shaft to serve as the handle and found only one. There must be more, there are hundreds of stands to hunt through.

Have you looked online at Itasca Wood Products website? They listed several that were as low-priced as any and seemed to have them in stock. Prices ranged from $9 to $20 each, some had free shipping. They even seemed to be peeled and maybe even sanded or finished. Can't beat that with a stick! lol

If I were to offer any, I'd want to have something in hand first. I'm retirement age now and have mobility and breathing issues. Willow dust is probably not something I should be working much with. Unpeeled sticks are not as certain to have nice colors and many well-formed eyes. But they might be easier for me to simply gather some. It's an intriguing idea to maybe earn some extra cash, thanks for your post!

I'd suggest you try Itasca. Ebay sure has them by the score, but prices are certainly higher.
-Ed