# Mesquite walking stick drying questions



## whittlingtribe45 (7 mo ago)

So I'm new the the site. I've just cut a mesquite branch of a 3 inch diameter that tapers to about a 2 inch diameter. I've shaved off all of the top bark with a draw knife and lightly sanded it along with the few knots, then coated the whole stick in soy wax and dipped the ends and knots with a bit more wax. I've got it sitting up on a shelf now in the house with a 67-70 degrees temp in the house. Will it still crack or split?


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Too me it sounds like it will not dry if it's been coated or dipped in wax. 
Rich would probably know. I think he's in mesquite territory 
Good Luck walking sticks are fun make


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Mesquite is rather heavy wood and 3" diameter seems rather large for a walking stick. Shaving it down might help reduce the chance of cracking or splitting.

As Aj2 said the wax will seal the wood and greatly slow down any drying process but if it is going to crack it will be hard to stop in the long run. The cracking usually occurs because the surface drys out and the interior is still wet creating stress in the wood.

A walking stick it too long to put in a microwave oven but that is one way to drive the interior moisture out of wood. If I were going to do a lot of these I would try a steam box. Essentially a steam kiln often used commercially to speed up wood drying by forcing the interior moisture out with heat while keeping the surface damp there by reducing the stress. ,


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

As I was reading the original post I was thinking the same thing as Aj2 regarding the wax. As far as whether it will split, no one can say. If it were me, I'd remove the wax and let it acclimate. If it cracks, deal with it. Something like epoxy putty will fill it nicely.


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

Three inch in diameter will take probably take three years to get down to 12 % internal moisture (general rule of thumb). Mesquite is a "desert" wood, so it may have less moisture than the general wood. The wax will help it to dry slowly, so the inner and outer layers will adjust. You don't mention where you are, but with mesquite, probably somewhere in the SW where the climate is usually dry. Being in the house with A/C on will lower the humidity and increase the chances of cracking or splitting. If the outside humidity is very low, putting it outside won't help. If you start weighing the stick once a week, and keeping track, you can see when it finally dries to ambient as it will no longer decrease in weight from week to week.

Claude


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## whittlingtribe45 (7 mo ago)

Hey all thanks for the input! I'm
In south Texas where outside temps have reached 98 at the highest so far this year although the heat index is expected to be at 113 today. To clarify the outside diameter is 3 inches but the heart wood diameter is about 1 1/2 inches at the thicker end. So I plan to shave it down to the heart wood but though maybe leaving the yellow wood on and waxing it may help reduce cracking while the heart wood has a chance to dry and level out. Pictures for reference, I've shaved a bit off of the thickest end for visuals but will probably cut it down to make it shorter for myself.


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## whittlingtribe45 (7 mo ago)




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