DIY Handles, Heads and Horns (2024)

DIY blanks ONLINE price list

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Hardwood handle blanks (for horn handles go HERE)

We don't carry ready cut blanks as we cut them to order (to save wasting time & wood).

All the wood is either kiln dried or air dried and the blanks are cut on a band saw to the right profile and the edges taken off to get you started. Simple tools and a bit of work will soon have your handles ready to fit to a suitable shank. I use a traditional peg and socket joint but some people use threaded rod (studding).

We stock a variety of wood types but can't guarantee to have what you want every time. If you wish to choose a type you can do so on the order form (Technical Instructions) and I'll send the nearest to it if I don't have exactly what you want. No Burr wood at present. Wood is a natural material and therefore may have small knots. cracks and other slightly imperfect areas. I will never send anything with major defects and certainly nothing I wouldn't be prepared to use myself.

Pictures are NOT to scale and show a variety of wood types and are for illustration only.

ORDER THESE BELOW: To order more than one of any item simply change the number in the quantity (Qty) box

Handle blanks are cut from timber 1" MINIMUM thickness, up to 1 1/4" (25 mm to 32 mm) thick for you to finish down to fit your shanks. If you need a specific colour you can indicate it in the "Technical Instructions" box when you add an item to the shopping cart - but you may have to wait longer while we obtain it for you, otherwise we'll just send what we have in stock.

Hardwood "carving crook" blank with extra wood left on the nose so you can carve a thistle, acorn or maybe an animal on it.

Hardwood "carving crook" blank

Picture below shows FINISHED crook for information purposes only and shows you what can be acheived.

Hardwood Squirrel crook blank

Blank needs edges rounding out with knife and/or rasp then sanding smooth. Squirrel needs carving using knife and chisels - or power carver.

Hardwood Knob Handle blank

These are turned on a lathe by a local woodturner so vary in exact shape and size but are pretty much the size and shape shown in the picture. The 'neck' tapers to around 23 - 25mm (an inch or less) at the base. Normally made of ash, oak, beech, sycamore - others sometimes available. If you need a wider base then cut the neck higher up the taper.

Carving blanks

Cut from blocks of good quality carving wood - usually Lime, sycamore, poplar or cherry - which are fairly soft and can be cut easily with a sharp knife or woodcarving chisels.

These blanks are cut in profile and then have the square edges taken off to get you started, but you still have to do the bulk of the carving! Birds and animals come in different shapes and sizes even within a type. This is especially so with dog breeds so if ordering a dog head blank it will help me to cut the right blank for you if you let me know any specifications you want including. Ther's a text box for this purpose on the ordering page, after you add something to the cart.

The necks of the blanks are left oversize for you to finish down to the size of the shank - please don't ask us to fit them to shanks as we simply don't have the time!

Apart from the fish and the full body owl, all these blanks are for the head only.

We've listed the most common blanks below - with the eye types we think most suited to each blank. If you wish to order different types of eye then use the separate "Glass eyes" section below the blanks.

NB I've been shown a lot of sticks by my customers where they have done no real carving and basically just sanded the edges off the blanks and then painted them. Although they look "OK" - if that's all you are doing then you are missing out on so much detail that you can't really say they are "carved" sticks!

If you need good photographs to help with carvings of birds and animals then take a look in my LINKS page. You can see my own carved sticks using these blanks HERE

THESE ARE ALL CUT TO ORDER

I also have a template with beak straight down the neck - just specify that in the request section.

Hare's head blank that can be made into a thumbstick if you widen the gap between the ears enough. The grain runs from the chin right up to the tips of the ears for maximum strength.

I HAVE TEMPLATES FOR LOTS OF OTHER BIRDS AND ANIMALS SO PLEASE USE EMAIL TO DISCUSS IT AND SEE IF I CAN CUT A BLANK FOR YOU.

Plain black eyes - sperical eyes that can be left all black or have coloured irises painted on yourself

Brown eyes with black pupils, as in this Mallard Drake

Cock Pheasant - orange eyes with black pupil

Blue eyes in this Siamese cat

Glass eyes (sold in pairs)

Best quality glass eyes for use with your carved stick heads. These eyes come in pairs on wire so you can't mix them up! When you're ready to fit them, snap off the wire where it joins the back of the eye, or snip the wire with pliers, leaving a short length as a pin which will help to hold them in place while your glue sets - either way will work. Use epoxy for this - see below!

I stock only the most popular colours and sizes, but others can be ordered if you give me a couple of weeks notice. Many need ordering in packs of 10 pairs though.

Plain black: sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 mm at £1.20 per pair. These are most suitable for small birds, otters, badgers, horses etc where a coloured iris is not usually visible.

Brown eyes: sizes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 mm at £2.35 per pair. Suitable for gamebirds, waterfowl, birds of prey, dogs etc.

Coloured eyes: I'm only stocking the plain orange for cock pheasants (use brown for hen pheasant), yellow (herons and some other birds), amber (fox) and some pale blue eyes which are useful for some cats or other projects you may have. We also now stock some colourless ones with black pupils - clean the backs with meths to degrease then paint with acrylic or enamel paints to get any colour you need. Other colours may be stocked from time to time so you can email me if you wish to discuss this.

TO ORDER EYES, ADD A NUMBER IN THE QUANTITY BOX FOR ANY THAT YOU WANT THEN CLICK ON THE "ADD TO CART" BUTTON BELOW THE CAT PICTURE.
YOU CAN ORDER SEVERAL TYPES AT ONCE THAT WAY!

Wood Dowel Rod

For those who want a wooden dowel but find it difficult to carve a peg on a shank - here's your answer! Wooden rod, approx, 112 mm long and 16 mm thick (4.5 x 5/8 inches). Drill a hole in the shank and the handle and use epoxy or wood glue to fix in place. Easier to use than studding - you can trim the wooden rod to shape if your holes are slightly out of line or too tight - and the wood flexes with the stick in a more natural manner.

• NB I now have a video showing how to carve a peg joint on your own stick - search for my name KEITH PICKERING on YouTube!

50p each

Similar to the above but only 12 or 13 mm depending on which supplier has it (roughly 1/2") thick - fine for most sticks that don't need to take a lot of weight or pressure or for shanks less than one inch (25mm) thick. 50p each

Forstner Drill Bit

16 mm drill bit for drilling out 'socket' in handles and heads. Forms a flat-bottomed hole and the bit is steerable so you can correct its direction if it goes out of line while drilling. Use for 16 mm dowel above.

Twist drill 13 mm

Use for 13 mm dowel above.

Abrasive tape. Much longer lasting than sandpaper, used for smoothing shanks, handles, horns and carvings. Sold by the metre

SOLD BY THE METRE

COARSE tape (80 grit) sold per metre

MEDIUM tape (120 grit) sold per metre

FINE tape (240 grit) sold per metre

FOR MORE ABRASIVES, GLUES AND TOOLS PLEASE LOOK AT THE TOOLS PAGE HERE