Knobsticks are popular among country walkers and also walking stick users who find it more comfortable to hold a ball shape handle instead of a grip handle. We have rustic ball topped sticks made from one piece of wood with the bark still attached. We also have more finished ball topper canes with acrylic or resin handles on turned and varnished or painted shafts.
We stock both tall and standard height walking sticks with ball shaped handles. Please also see the one piece walking sticks page for all sticks made from just a single piece of wood, the pistol grip walking canes page for the complete collection and the root ball topped sticks for sticks grown upside down with the rootball for the handle.
The stick has be grown upside down, usually in a hedgerow or on a coppices blackthorn shrub. There is a great art to shaping the handle so that it is comfortable to the hand. The handle part is prone to splitting, so it is common to see small splits that have been filled with wood filler. This is unavoidable sometimes and doesn't warrant loosing an otherwise perfect stick and we believe it adds some character. The handle and shaft are varnished and a hardwearing metal ferrule added to the tip. Click on the following link to see all of the blackthorn walking sticks we have on offer
A close relative of the blackthorn stick is the blackthorn shillelagh, which is about 16 inches long and generally has a large, heavier head than a walking stick. By popular tradition, Irish giants carry shillelaghs. Every Irish pub is said to have one of these behind the bar, to help keep order if required. It is featured in this section because of the ball shaped handle.