The Fritz handle was invented specifically for cane users with painful hands, as in arthritis. A German Count is credited with this increasingly-ergonomic handle that eliminated pressure points in the middle part of the hand. The derby and crook cane, due to their ‘hump’ shape, press in there, and can really hurt when leaned on hard. When […]

In centuries past, well-heeled gentlemen, and ladies too, were seldom seen without a walking stick in hand. Unlike today, canes of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, often boasting handles of precious metals and jewels, served as symbols of wealth, power and social stature. They were much more a fashion accessory than walking aide. Decorative […]

Many wood craftsmen focus specifically on designing and carving wood spirit hiking sticks that are works of art.Wood spirits contain human features and the elements of nature brought together to create a spirit believed by American Indians to protect from the dangers of the woods. Rustic hand carved designs from the Appalachian Mountains, to more […]

    Ivory, Porcelain, Whalebone even horns and antlers: Canes are made from a great variety of materials, from almost anything that grows including woods of all types, from the four corners of the world, and other materials such as ivory and bone. The stick maker was limited in his material choices by availability and […]

Sometimes sticks and canes can be made from the simplest materials such as a found or fallen branch. Hand carved and smoothed to the desired effect. Here you can see some very simplest to ones with small adornments. Sometimes the knots and natural features are left.

A shillelagh , a cudgel with a strap is a wooden walking stick . Typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob at the top, that is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore. Shillelaghs are traditionally made from blackthorn wood or oak. Most also have a heavy knob for a handle which […]

Avid hikers would adorn their treasured staffs with small trinkets or medallions depicting “the conquered” territory, its features, or inhabitants. The collecting of hiking staff medallions (or stocknagels) is a long-standing European tradition that began in the Alps region of Europe back in the 1800’s. The badges, called stocknagels, attached to the canes, which is […]