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Stick_Fighter
12th August 2007, 08:07 PM
Hi,
What would be the most suitable timbers to use for a fighting staff? My staff is to be quite heavy and very hard, I have many softer and lighter sticks for showing off and would like one for strength training and 'drilling' techniques with a partner. The staff I require is around 22mm in diameter and about 5' long, it is to be kept smooth and oiled. Having found an ideal timber and source by what method can I get it in the dimensions I need and as such are there any interested wood turners here that would like to craft it for me?

Thanks for the time,

Dal.

weisyboy
12th August 2007, 08:40 PM
iron bark is very hard and if you get straight grain it dose not break.

or even spotty gum would be strong if you could get it with streight grain.

Pops
12th August 2007, 08:50 PM
Hi Dal,

I think there has been threads on making wooden swords and the timber selection for them on the forum previously.

Not quite the same thing but similar perhaps enough to take some tips. From memory I think Gey Ironbark and Spotted Gum were both mentioned as good local sword timbers.

Best of luck.

Cheers
Pops

Wayne Blanch
12th August 2007, 09:03 PM
Hey there Stick,

Having 25+ years in martial arts (black belts in several styles of Karate.) and some experience with weapons I would suggest that you need to look at possibly Yew or Oak as contenders however if you were a traditionalist you may also look at good heavy bamboo for training purposes.

Bamboo is surprisingly resilient and has the advantages of flexibility which can offer some benefits in that you are able, as your skills develop to use the "backlash" from a strike to inflict additional stikes in one motion, also as it is lighter it is less difficult to halt a strike that has missed it's mark and easier to control in a training environment so that you have less risk of injuring your training partner to name but a few advantages. Is it possible that I am one of those traditionalists?:? Of course the other advantage with Bamboo is that it would not require any turning should you be able to locate it.

I understand that you wish to use your new staff for training purposes and that you want it heavy for strength training but it may be advisable to avoid timbers that are too heavy and too hard as generally (with my limited knowledge of timber.) the harder the timber the more brittle it tends to be. In an environment where it will be striking other staffs, the floor etc there is a possibility that it may shatter.

Having said that if you want something with a little more body to the staff and with my very limited knowledge of woods I would possibly lean towards the yew as it is very durable and allows for some flex in smaller diameters. (Yew was traditionally the timber of choice for the legendary and arguably the most powerful of traditional bows. The English Long Bow.)

I would suggest that you should be able to locate a good staff from a decent martial arts supplies store. An advantage with this method is that you would be able to "Heft" the staff and get the feel of it. Essentially you would probably end up with a more suitable weapon for you than if you were to ask a turner to make one for you blind as it were.

Having said that I am sure that there would be someone among st the people on this forum who would be happy to produce and more than capable of turning an excellent staff for your purposes.

I hope that I haven't put a dampener on your quest for the right weapon for you, but I also hope I have helped a little.

To all those turners who were looking at a possible commission job you have my humblest apologies if I have burned a customer. Sorry!:sorry:

Regards
Wayne

Ashore
12th August 2007, 09:08 PM
Perhaps the bamboo and drive a piece of thin walled steel pipe down the center :rolleyes:

ticklingmedusa
12th August 2007, 09:13 PM
I have a mate I turn fighting sticks for here in seppoland. The first ones were test models of, Maple, Goncalo Alvez, and Oregon (AKA Douglas Fir). After he saw I could manage that he wanted them made of Cocobolo. Its naturally oily, heavy, hard and dense, perfect for training
or matches. Its also more expensive.
I just finished 2 more for a another student at the dojo.
Its an islander form of stickfighting called the Rikarta or Escrima style, a short staff at 29 inches.
Islanders use a wood named Kamagong.
I'm sure that some of your native timbers would work just as well.
My rates are reasonable by local standards but shipping would be over the top.
There may also be problems with sending weapons by international mail.
tm

Lumber Bunker
12th August 2007, 09:16 PM
You will not be able to perform, spins, turns, strikes etc with iron bark or all most any other Aust Hardwood (very well) they are far too heavy!
Great for clubing people with though, but not used in the martial arts way... We use to practice with cane / bamboo. Very strong and flexy, and it doesn't have the inertia that aussie hard woods have... that is you will be able to change the direction of motion!
and have heaps less bruises!

Good Luck

Frank&Earnest
12th August 2007, 10:55 PM
With all respect, all previous advice indicates an ignorance of jojutsu. The traditional jo was made of white oak - very strong but not particularly heavy. Bamboo would be fine for a shinai. Denser woods would be fine for a bokken.

bdar
13th August 2007, 02:17 AM
I am no expert but my friend was his Jo was made from Japanese Red Oak which I have now. Extremly hard but light to use.
darren

Frank&Earnest
13th August 2007, 01:19 PM
Yes, nowadays they use red oak too. Mainly to please the westerner's eye, IMHO. The density is about the same. They also offer thicker sizes, probably for the same reason.
Dal, if you are prepared to pay for one made to measure, you might be better off googling for suppliers of the 'real' thing and if they do not have one already made that meets your specifications, you can always buy a bo and have it turned down to the jo size of your liking.

ptc
13th August 2007, 01:37 PM
Horizontal. From tasmania (if you can get it)
Used for axe handles.

weisyboy
13th August 2007, 04:39 PM
:?
Horizontal. From tasmania (if you can get it)
Used for axe handles.:?

ptc
13th August 2007, 05:46 PM
Wood in Austrailia. K R bootle.
Page 287.

Stick_Fighter
13th August 2007, 07:12 PM
Thanks for all the input, I am interested in trialling something other than oak, I have a lovely Oak Jo but it is a little to short and would very much like something a little out of the ordinary. Rigidity is key with Jo as mentioned, usually they are narrower than a long staff, probably to keep the weight down due to it's principle method of use. While on the topic it would be cool to get an idea of the best timbers for either type, the solo training Jo, rock hard and twice as heavy then the all purpose Jo, light as a feather but still very rigid and dense.

Dal.

Tornatus
14th August 2007, 11:04 PM
G'day Dal

Like some of the others who have posted, I have some experience in martial arts, and like you I wanted a jo which was a bit different - mainly in length, because I am big (6ft 4in in the old way of telling time) and the traditional (ie Japanese) length jo is too short. I wanted a bit more heft, for the same reason.

Well, I found a suitable piece of wood, but I haven't got a clue what it is. It was actually being sold in a hardware store as a handle for a hoe, and I think it's one of the generic eucalyptus species. All I know is that it was just right for what I wanted, and performs well.

Having said that, I should note that my bokken have always been Japanese white oak - some things you don't mess with.

If you want a strong, tough and resilient Aussie wood, I agree with PTC that Horizontal Scrub is the way to go. You will have to get it from Tasmania, and it may be a bit bent and will need straightening (steaming or heat gun), but it is ideal for walking sticks, so should make excellent fighting sticks as well (the Irish shillelagh is a combination of both, after all). I am lucky to have a Tassie-born friend who has brought me back some sticks from visits home, but I'm sure you could track down a supplier there.

Frank&Earnest
15th August 2007, 04:27 PM
I have a lovely Oak Jo but it is a little to short and would very much like something a little out of the ordinary




like you I wanted a jo which was a bit different


I have seen some lovely ones with sequins... pity they were calling them "batons"...:rofl:

rsser
15th August 2007, 09:15 PM
.. .some hoe handles would've been US hickory.

Pretty similar to Horizontal in colour, grain and flex.