Please help me choose wood for a staff

[josh stout]

I am putting together an order for several staffs and shorter sticks from this company (http://www.dowelsondemand.com/Martial_arts.html) and would appreciate recommendations on which wood to choose. I am looking for something heavy for training and forms that will not chip too easily when the staffs are banged together. I am also looking for something that can serve as the haft of a spear or pole arm if I ever get around to restoring some of the antiques I have.

I like the look of purple heart for a staff, and I was thinking about swamp ash or hickory for a spear/pole arm. I think European weapons often used ash. The antiques I have seen used what I think is Chinese red oak, but it looks like what is listed as jatoba on the site.
Thanks,
Josh

[Lew]

Josh

I have bought from this site in the past and he has good stuff. For a training staff jatoba is good I have a hanbo walking stick made from it and it holds up very well.

[fearn]

I like hickory for impact and ash for pole arms (if we're talking spears). It depends on the grain in the particular piece of wood, as much as what the wood is.

Interesting article on woods

Have fun,

F

[spiral]

Straight grained quartersawn purpleheart has the qualitys required more than any other timber commercialy available. {or most timbers not commercialy available either.}

Spiral

[Neil]

Josh,
I train Northern Shaolin with what is known as Chinese white waxwood staffs. They are the norm for Chinese martial art practice today. Their true name and place in traditional Chinese martial art history is not completely clear to me. I can say with certainty though that they are very tough and resistant to chipping/splintering and breakage. I have personally put them through serious repeated impact and they are good to go. They can be found through dealers such as Wing Lam Enterprises etc. I believe you are a Chinese arms enthusiast so you may be aware of this option already. I thought it was worth mentioning though. I hope it helps.

[josh stout]

I know wax wood is a traditional choice, but we use rattan for our light and flexible staffs. The training center in Indonesia uses Macassar ebony for their heavy training staffs, but it is very pricy and usually unavailable.

Thanks to the advice on purple heart etc. I will post pictures when I restore a spear.
Thanks,
Josh

[lionzden]

rosewood

[FilAmfighter1]

I would not recomend any of those woods you have listed for constant training, I would use rattan for you sticks and staffs. Make sure you fire harden and use an natural oil finish. With Modifed tapideo they use coffee wood sticks for their stick practice. You will have better luck and less broken high cost hard wood staffs and sticks.

[Nathaniel]

what about using a laminate?

[fearn]

Laminates...not so much. They're likely to split along the layers under repeated shocks, because each layer is going to warp differently, depending on where in the stick they are.

[Nathaniel]

Fern, you are probably right.

It is interesting to note after I posed the question over a laminate, I see #6 on the wood impact strength graph is a laminated rosewood composite.

The thought just came to me because I remember 3 or so years ago having a conversation with a Aikido instructor (http://forsythaikido.com/portal/) whose father in law was a wood worker...and made weapons for him and Laminate where among them...and I seem to remember him saying the laminate performed well.

Modern adhesives I know are impressive. But I suppose if laminates where that good...then more people would be using it.

[Jason Anstey]

Shiro Kashi (Japanese White Oak) is great, I have been using the same 24mm x 128cm pole for full impact wood and against wood for over ten years now. Some light oil is all that is needed for longevity. The long grain and impact resistance make this a really good choice. It is reasonably flexible as well.

The All Japan Kendo federation have made a ruling that this is the ONLY type of wood they will allow for bokken (wooded sword) and Jo (wooden staff) in Jodo competitions due to safety.

THicker poles are available as well, generally in the form of a Bo.

They wood is relatively easy to come by and I know that there is a supplier in Canada that can custom make stuff or supply you with the blanks.

Search SDK Supplies

As others have mentioned hickory is also very good - depending on the grade selected.

[fearn]

Back when I was doing capoeira, one of the guys made a couple of berimbaus (musical bows) by hand-laminating the wood staves. They were gorgeous things, and they worked well under tension. But one did snap spectacularly. The glue failed, and the whole thing split.

The problem with a laminated staff is that its strength depends more on your skill in laminating. And unlike the berimbau above, the forces warping a fighting staff are going to be coming from all over the place, not just one direction.

Conversely, if you're good a gluing, it's probably a bit easier to get thin strips that are straight grained, so if all you can find is crap staves, it is an option.

Best,

F

Originally Posted by Nathaniel

Fern, you are probably right.

It is interesting to note after I posed the question over a laminate, I see #6 on the wood impact strength graph is a laminated rosewood composite.

The thought just came to me because I remember 3 or so years ago having a conversation with a Aikido instructor (http://forsythaikido.com/portal/) whose father in law was a wood worker...and made weapons for him and Laminate where among them...and I seem to remember him saying the laminate performed well.

Modern adhesives I know are impressive. But I suppose if laminates where that good...then more people would be using it.