Walking stick balance point

[Clang!]

I'm working on a decorated (knotwork) walking stick project. The spar urethane saturated cord I'm using is going to weigh a fair amount, and change the balance point of the stick. Since I can adjust the balance point by changing the knotwork patterns, where the best place to balance the stick?

Edit: For reference, the stick maximum length is 60" long and the bottom of my horizontal forearm is 44" off the ground. I know the balance point has to be some distance below my hand, but I'm not sure where.

 

[MrFixIt]

Not sure if this helps, or if I can explain it correctly, but an older gentleman told me that when you are walking, the stick should move forward for the next placement. Kind of like a pendulum.
I'm pretty sure that all depends on the arm height of the user.

Like I said, I'm not sure if this helps at all...

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

You mean the swing balance or the bend axis? Both will be determined by where you hold the stick (and for swing balance it may be most comfortable if it naturally balances at this point). A shorter walking stick often seems easier to swing, but you can hit your face on it and it lacks the other uses of a stave such as defense, balance on hills, checking water depth etc. About a heads height, or near your bent arms reach, above your head is good, and this should make the stick balance at your natural handswing.

I suppose you mean weight balance. The straighter the stick the better, and the more standard the thickness the stiffer it will be for balance. If it is heavier at the top then it will bend closer to the bottom, so generally a more standard, bending at the middle, stick is best.

Personally I like a stick that will swing naturally to make it easy if I need to count paces.

 

[Codger_64]

Make a movable weight and find the balance point that works best for you. Perhaps use coins and an ACE bandage.

 

[22-rimfire]

If I had to say, I would say, the proper balance point should be in the middle of the walking stick. But it really isn't something I ever thought about. I've cut walking sticks in the woods and they balance where they balance. I have store bought ones and prefer something with a consistent weight distribution from end to end or less near the tip.

 

[neeman]

The balance pendulum point is just below where you will be placing your hand
So as you walk you can swing the stick with the least amount of effort

An extreme example is a Drum/Bugle Major's mace
It is long and heavy, but the balance point is as described, so you can swirl and toss a 6 foot mace

 

[leghog]

Most sticks and poles are just WAY TO HEAVY for my preferences so I use bamboo. So light I don't worry about its balance though its balance point in in the middle of its length. If you are going to use it for any appreciable distance go as light as possible and have its center of gravity at its midpoint. If that's not possible seek a pole with a higher center of gravity as the thousands of swings it'll make on a trek will be more effortless. Staffs and poles with a lower center of gravity will feel heavier and cause more fatigue because you are moving/swinging more weight through space and doing so thousands and thousands of times daily. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it can be. That's why so many toss their sticks on the trail or later just decide to leave them at home and why the best trekking poles are designed with a higher center of gravity.

 

[the possum]

Ya know, I've never really thought about it in these terms. I was thinking about making a walking stick balanced like a sword, so it would be nice to swing if it ever came down to whacking something with it. But for trekking, you'd want it to swing in time with your stride. This way it would swing all on its own, and you wouldn't have to use wrist power to rotate it with every step. And it should be versatile enough that you could change your grip position just a couple inches to get it to swing faster or slower, depending on your walking speed/pace.

Of course, we're talking about a pendulum. Pick up a stick and do some experimenting. If you naturally grip it too close to the center of mass, your pendulum will be too long, and it will want to swing very slowly.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Most sticks and poles are just WAY TO HEAVY for my preferences so I use bamboo. So light I don't worry about its balance though its balance point in in the middle of its length. If you are going to use it for any appreciable distance go as light as possible and have its center of gravity at its midpoint. If that's not possible seek a pole with a higher center of gravity as the thousands of swings it'll make on a trek will be more effortless. Staffs and poles with a lower center of gravity will feel heavier and cause more fatigue because you are moving/swinging more weight through space and doing so thousands and thousands of times daily. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it can be. That's why so many toss their sticks on the trail or later just decide to leave them at home and why the best trekking poles are designed with a higher center of gravity.

Agree with you. Something like the length in your picture will work really well for general hiking, very comfortable. The over the head ones are more for rivers, uneven territory, and having a spear point.

One thing I don't like about lighter is the bending, so it's a fine balance of lightness and slight flex.

 

[leghog]

Agree with you. Something like the length in your picture will work really well for general hiking, very comfortable. The over the head ones are more for rivers, uneven territory, and having a spear point.

One thing I don't like about lighter is the bending, so it's a fine balance of lightness and slight flex.

Bamboo won't flex. It is extremely tough and very stiff even though very light. Should be fire cured.

 

[jackknife]

I don't think I've ever given much thought to the balance point of a stick. I've made them and usually theres a little bit of taper towards the bottom end. My favorite is a hormbean staff that is a pretty stout staff, and it seems to balance about a couple inches up from center.

Most of the time I actually prefer a shorter walking stick style of stick, so the balance point becomes almost irrelevant. The root ball handles are the heaviest end, and the swing naturally as I walk. The long stick works on open trails, but in dense woods or thickets I like the shorter stick.

 

[Chignecto Woodsman]

Bamboo won't flex. It is extremely tough and very stiff even though very light. Should be fire cured.

Interesting. Don't have access to that.

 

[22-rimfire]

I started using carbon fiber treking poles this year. They are light and sufficiently strong. It is a bit of a new experience for me and I don't think I'm going back to cutting my own again unless I just need a quick temporary walking stick for the day.

The walking stick thing made me think about my walking around in an attic in the last month where most of it was just joists and insulation. I had a small leaf rake with me (ones people use for raking shrubs) and I can honestly tell you it really helped keeping me from stepping off and sticking my feet through a ceiling. I was working so, I'm not always thinking about my footing or placement.

 

[Quirt]

What finish do you guys use to bring out the grain and protect the stick without it looking like a store-bought urethane glass-fest!?

 

[leghog]

What finish do you guys use to bring out the grain and protect the stick without it looking like a store-bought urethane glass-fest!?

My bamboo has no finish. My rattan a light varnish. My others have the bark on. Every few years I put a few drops of boiled linseed oil in my palm and rub it on unfinished sticks.

 

[leghog]

I started using carbon fiber treking poles this year. They are light and sufficiently strong. It is a bit of a new experience for me and I don't think I'm going back to cutting my own again unless I just need a quick temporary walking stick for the day.

The walking stick thing made me think about my walking around in an attic in the last month where most of it was just joists and insulation. I had a small leaf rake with me (ones people use for raking shrubs) and I can honestly tell you it really helped keeping me from stepping off and sticking my feet through a ceiling. I was working so, I'm not always thinking about my footing or placement.

So others know there is a proper why to use trekking poles to gain their benefit (pics below shamelessly hyperlinked from elsewhere on the net).

NO:

YES:

 

[Swampdog]

Interesting. Don't have access to that.

If interested, you might want to check out a martial arts store and look at their fighting sticks. I purchased a rattan fighting stick 60" long and turned it into a hiking stick. I glued a small button compass to the top of the stick, wrapped para-cord around the handle area with a wrist loop, and glued a copper end cap to the bottom of the shaft. I also cut ruler marks every foot so I can measure the depth of streams before crossing.
It is very light, a bit flexible, and you can use it as a defensive tool if needed.

 

[22-rimfire]

Trekking poles can be used like a walking stick too. I want one hand free as I am usually carrying a camera or something else. The lanyard is handy in that you don't drop the pole. I know I don't use them as they are supposed to be used, but I have no use for using two poles out in the woods on a regular basis.

 

[trestle]

My bamboo has no finish. My rattan a light varnish. My others have the bark on. Every few years I put a few drops of boiled linseed oil in my palm and rub it on unfinished sticks.

Where do you source your bamboo? There are many choices on the web and the local home improvement center has racks of them for garden stakes, fencing, etc. I've been wanting to make some bamboo walking sticks for awhile and not sure which to choose. The strength to weight ratio of bamboo is unbeatable.

 

[leghog]

Where do you source your bamboo? There are many choices on the web and the local home improvement center has racks of them for garden stakes, fencing, etc. I've been wanting to make some bamboo walking sticks for awhile and not sure which to choose. The strength to weight ratio of bamboo is unbeatable.

The rattan stick pictured is from Japan. Can't remember where the bamboo came from. For a hiking stick, bamboo should really be heat or fire cured.