This is a piece of maple picked from a windfall tree in my local area. The second I have managed to form from this tree.

The last stick I made from this tree sported a very classically shaped derby handle, this one I describe as a 'pebble' handle. Somewhere between a ball and regular handle. A very comfortable form to hold with an elegant look.

Maple is another bow wood so is very strong, flexible and also very light compared to others like ash or yew. I gave this stick a thicker neck to retain stiffness around the area with the cavity and got the shaft nice and straight.

To fill any cavities I used brass dust and glue and sanded it back with the wood to create a metal inlay.

The brass is a head nod to the lead centre that traditional Shillelagh could have installed in the handle and also looks lovely.

As always the wood does the real work and the maple has a lovely syrup colour and gentle grains. A very tasteful and pretty wood in my opinion and as a softer wood it's definitely nice to work on.

The length without the rubber end is

A rubber end will be included which adds around 1cm

All my sticks are made by myself 'Sweet Chariot'.

I began making Shillelagh walking sticks in 2023 and have worked towards making them more comfortable, refined and pretty

So far I have used English Yew, European Ash, Birch and Maple and I list as regularly as I can get them finished.

Always oiled to give depth to the grain and sanded to enhance all the details this reveals. All finished with bees wax.

The wood is all foraged from the forest floor or pruned dead branches from the lower rungs of standing trees. Always thoughtfully and carefully collected while walking my dog and looking for mushrooms.

There are no band saws or lathes for the process on these, just minimal power tool use for final shaping and sanding. For the most part this is a very manual creation with the spoke shave and axe doing the bulk of the work.I feel it helps to add to the unique character on each Shillelagh.

I have enjoyed connecting my love for the outdoors with traditional woodwork techniques to produce pieces of wood I hope will become cherished by family generations.

Please see images for exact details