The heck with rattan sticks, hardwood mop handles at Lowes $5. You can cut to whatever size you want and usually make two. We’ve been breaking staffs like crazy lately.
The waxwoods are 84" which is 7 feet.
how would you know?! that’s not even metric!!! 
red, It’s because when I was growing up, Canada was in mid switch, so all the kids in my gen know imperial measures and metric measures.
coincidentally, this is teh same generation that is coming to power in the next 10 yrs or so.
Better prepare for the standards to go up a bit.
Isn’t there a 10ft. pole form in WC?
…well, except for the keyboarding and editing thing that is. 
I’ve read that the dragon pole of WC can be up to 13 feet long!
But unweildy in modern practical terms methinks.
red, It’s because when I was growing up, Canada was in mid switch, so all the kids in my gen know imperial measures and metric measures.
LOL! I was just teasin’
You Canadians will NEVER gain control!!! It’s too fukking cold up there for your brains to work properly, the behaviour on this forum proves it beyond a refutable doubt!
The colder a nation is, the more industrious it’s people are.
the hotter a nation is, the more lax it’s people are.
Canada is the second largest in land area on the planet, and yet population wise, we are one of the smallest countries on teh planet.
How do we do it? We are diligent, deteremined and damned if we don’t do work everyday.
Struggle is what makes the air seem fresher, the sun brighter and a kiss from even an ugly girl quite nice.
I read that as Canadians don’t do it enough to have enough people to relax a bit…
Canada is the second largest in land area on the planet
most of it covered in snow and ice!
How do we do it? We are diligent, deteremined and ****ed if we don’t do work everyday.
and you have to stay warm somehow. In minnesota we do it by breeding 
Struggle is what makes the air seem fresher, the sun brighter and a kiss from even an ugly girl quite nice.
and there are tons of those! Ive seen them!
quote:
Struggle is what makes the air seem fresher, the sun brighter and a kiss from even an ugly girl quite nice.
and there are tons of those! Ive seen them!
That’s because you’re american. 
Its not length alone, its width…
Hi,
We use mostly long staves in our training, and its hard to find ones at that length that don’t break, having broken a few and seen numerous others broken over the last 20 years of training, here’s my rant on staves…
Short staves, ones as tall as you or shorter, can be thinner, as they are used differently and the ratio length to width keeps them firm. I like short Rattan staves, cause they are whippy, but we’ve never been able to get one to last.
Medium staves, like those natural ones that are thick at one end, and thin at the other by growth, are pretty good for that style of fighting, but the tips break on foot attacks, and even on big downward attacks.
Long staves, ones longer than your upstretched arm, the kind often called “Fishing Poles” or “Left Handed” poles are usually held at one end only and “Fenced” with. Or additionally, used in masses, like infantry.
30mm diameter staves are nice and flexible, but can simply shatter in your hands with any force. I think most commercial short staves are around 30mm.
We had a 40mm pine staff nicknamed the log, but it broke bouncing it off the ground. It was nice. Lasted the longest so far.
Now we have these just under 50mm staves, and they’re holding up. Made of Tasmanian Oak. - its lighter than English Oak, but you know you’re holding a bloody great staff, no doubt.
It has little flex, but you can use it with no restraint. For the long staff foot/elbow bouncing attack, it has enough “action” to make it work. It is a little much for some of the smaller guys though.
So, I would recommend between 40 and 50mm, depending on how it feels in your hands, and how much muscle you want to put into it.
I know, they seem heavy, and big in the hand, but its good for your training. You ever pick up a regular staff, and you’re faster, more powerful and it seems so easy.
It also makes you strong enough to pick up a shovel, and other natural weapons, should the need ever arise.
Its also fun training with a weight lifting bar, but that’s OT.
Sycamore (sp) has also been recommended.
Hickory has to be a good choice too, but not common here in Oz.
Lumber yards carry a range of “Rods” usually, they are often used as curtain rods, but they also have other commercial uses.
Ours carry them in lengths that need to be cut down, and in widths up to probably 60mm… Get in there and hand pick the best one. A lot cheaper than the commercial option.
Sand them down, give them a hot coat of varnish, sand again and oil.
The hassle of long staves
The reason it’s hard to get long staves is because of the price of shipping in the USA. Once you get past 84", you have to pay extra to ship oversize. That pretty much prices us out of the market. It’s much cheaper to find longer staves locally then to pay for shipping. Sometimes, we actually get shipments of long staves in that we have to cut down to meet shipping requirements. We will sell these for pick up orders, but not for mail - it’s just way too much of a hassle, especially if it needs to be returned for some reason. But every city has a lumber yard, so that’s where you should go.
yea, I figured that was part of it.
already contracted a guy to make me some out of ash. He said he could make me 6 in probably less than 2 hours and just charge me time and materials.
Oso
I`d be interested in getting in on this. Let me know.
I’d planned on it.
Let me get the first 6 done so I can establish a baseline price.
the will be hexagonal, not round…turning something like that down would be really time intensive. i.e. expensive.
but, I’ve been using a hex staff for a while now and i like it just fine.