On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 04:51:09 -0400, (Arch) wrote:

I never see trekking poles (walking poles) mentioned by woodturners.
Probably not popular here in flat S.Florida as in Europe, but are they
widely used elsewhere? The ones I've seen are made of aluminum shafts
and molded rubber heads, but could there (or already is) be a market for
custom trekking poles with special touches of turned wood to rival the
amazing prices custom turned wood croquet mallets and pool cues sell
for?

These are not walking sticks. The idea is to shift the burden from knees
to shoulders and there is a technique involved. Maybe a mystique could
be promoted like the perception of a hardy European trekking up the
mountainside.

Sometimes I'm the last to know so if any of you are already turning
custom trekking poles please respond. Same for you 'kneekick
negativists' who are too often right and know ahead of time that
trekking poles can't work in wood. For any others interested,
please google a few of the many sites and chime in.

I made one that was very similar to what I found with a quick google
search to try and convince my wife to go hiking with me. It didn't
really work, as her idea of "hiking" is my idea of strolling on a
sidewalk. She didn't care for actually going onto dirt paths in the
woods, and it's a shame, as we are right next to a really nice "Ice
Age trail" that extends most of the way across the state.

The one I made was turned from purpleheart, and I turned the finger
grooves, then sanded about 70* of the diameter flat for where the palm
sits. Works pretty good for me, but it might be a little heavy if the
standard ones are aluminum.

I've also turned a number of canes as gifts, and they seem to go over
well. With an ebonized shaft and an exotic head, they can be used as
dress canes by the guys who do various kinds of re-enactment. My dad
does some competition cowboy shooting where a lot of the guys like to
carry thin walking sticks, though he actually needs it for walking, so
his are a bit more stout, with a large knob at the end about 1/2"
above palm level so that he can lean on the thing.