Actually, the title of this blog is kind of backwards to the way I approach wooden weapon making. The way I approach weapon making is that I get a feel for the weight, and then I am able to determine what sort of weapon it will be. In other words, the wood informs ME on what weapon it should become.
Once I acquire a batch of wood, all the wood is then graded with the intention that I will only make weapons that are appropriate for the wood I have. Wood that is either too heavy or too light would not work for certain staffs . Often I don't have certain items in stock, because I don't have the appropriate wood for that weapon. For more information on how wood of the same species can vary in weight and check out another blog post here.
Say I need a super heavy contact staff that is tapered, Specifically the 1,1/8 Hickory tapered staffs. I need the absolute best Hickory wood for this, The reason that these staffs get the absolute hardest hickory possible is that they have to do the most with the least. They are used for heavy contact, while being thinner than 1,1/4 and tapered. It's not just that I use the best wood I have on these. If the best wood I have is not good enough, I don't make these. Wood that I consider good enough to use for these particular staffs, is rare. Maybe 1 in 10 or more boards of the boards that I select for weapons grade staffs.
A 1" staff that is intended for speed, can only be appropriately made from lighter weight hickory. If someone buys a tournament thin tapered staff having it be made from too heavy wood, they may find it uncomfortable. Likewise, using too heavy hickory for a 1.25" 72" staff also might be overkill, unless someone wants a super heavy muscle building staff. For staffs that might function at light, medium or heavy for different uses, such as the 1.25 quarterstaff sizes, I list them with corresponding weights.
Some staffs such as 1" jo staffs, need above average hickory as they are used for contact. If I make some out of lighter hickory, then it would be advertised as medium or lightweight in the listing, and not appropriate for contact.
Of course customers can request something specific, but this is my default. Its all very personal what people want in a staff, and I always do my best to accommodate especially with custom orders. But the point is... the wood tells me what it wants to make. For clarity I will always explain what the intended use for the staffs are in the listing description.
There are other factors affect my decisions as well. Such as aesthetic markings, pin knots or even the bend of the wood. No two staffs are ever perfectly alike, and a decision needs to be made on every staff. There is no automated process. A human touch and care needs to be applied at every point. This is one of the beautiful satisfying things with working with a living material such as wood.
-Adam
Leave a comment