I have a good sized piece of cedar that I plan to use as a walking stick/cattle driving stick. I cut it 6-7 years ago and let it dry, bark on, in the corner of my workshop. I took the bark off and sanded it down last week. Now I am looking for some sort of sealant/protective coating to use on it. I am not really looking to make it a fancy walking stick or anything, it is going to be a working tool that one day will get stuck in front of the wrong cow and wind up broken.

I am looking for something that will help protect it from the weather. I would rather not have a shinny, slick finish. I like the natural appearance of the wood and don't want to change it much.

What do you woodworkers recommend?

FWIW, cedar is a very soft wood probably not the best wood for a walking stick.
Nevertheless, if you want to keep the natural look to a Tung oil finish.

Boiled linseed oil or tung oil

BLO....boiled linseed oil. We put it on any wood on any of the ships I was on. Fireaxe handles and gaffs...stuff like that.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
FWIW, cedar is a very soft wood probably not the best wood for a walking stick.
Nevertheless, if you want to keep the natural look to a Tung oil finish.

I agree with all this.

I like tung oil for such applications. If it ends up too shiney, I rub it down with Birchwood-Casey "Stock Sheen and Conditioner" until I get a more satin finish.

(If you do go with tung oil, I'd recommend "Tung Oil Finish" rather than pure tung oil, unless you want to wait a month for it to dry. OTOH, Pure Tung Oil soaks into the wood more and would give you a more woody finish, which maybe is what you're looking for. You'll need 4-6 coats and that month or so of drying time, though.)

Boiled Linseed Oil is a good choice too, and cheaper, but it does tend to yellow over time if that's a factor.

Thanks guys. I really should not have called it a walking stick, it will see minimal usage as such. Its primary purpose will be as a driving stick, making a cow turn her head and go in the direction I want her to go, tapping her on the rear end to ease her along, etc. Light but strong, weather and insect resistant are of primary concern.

I kinda figured that BLO or Tung oil would be the two recommended finishes but it is good to have more experienced guys let me know I was on the right track

I have used Watco oil on several pieces of furniture with real good results, it lets the natural grain of the wood show tru, not shiny, I made our dining room table out of maple butcher block counter top, I put on several coats of Watco oil letting it dry between coats (usually a day or two between coats, the finish has held up well for over 25 years, of birthday parties, school projects, my wife’s sewing projects, and just every day use.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
FWIW, cedar is a very soft wood probably not the best wood for a walking stick.
Nevertheless, if you want to keep the natural look to a Tung oil finish.

Cedar works fine, you just have to make it thicker than if the stick was hickory or something.

Cedar seems to be the preferred wood in central Texas for random handmade wood objects including walking sticks, there are tons of them around. They need to be about broomstick thickness (real broomsticks - I don't know, 1.5"?) or a bit thicker but cedar is so light it isn't a problem.

I think the reason for the cedar preference is that it is very easy to work and it polishes up beautifully, better than almost anything else. Also there's a hell of a lot of it in central Texas.

My choice would also be BLO and would recommend giving it a few coats. After that I'd simply rub it down with BLO every six months or so depending on usage. Fairly spendy but you can find BLO that is 100 percent naturally made, that is without chemical driers added. Expensive because the method to make it is fairly complex and dangerous. The advantage is you can wipe it on with your hands without fear of the chemical driers in the commercial stuff. It does take longer to dry.

Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil. Safe, thin coats dry quickly, durable enough for gun stocks, should handle the stick.

Tru-oil is another excellent choice. I believe it contains linseed and tung oil, and varnishes. Not the cheapest, but produces a dang fine finish. Then, if it's too glossy, easily cuts down with their Stock Conditioner.

I think I am going to go with tung oil. Hope's 100% pure tung oil to be precise. Should I cut it with mineral sprits for the first coat or two or just apply the straight oil?

Typically tung oil is cut with at a 1:1 ratio with a solvent for the first application as the solvent helps the oil penetrate the wood and decreases drying time. Subsequent applications can be strait oil.

Polyurethane will protect it best, just get the flat not the gloss or semi gloss. Smooth it over with some steel wool