Irish Stick Making 2 – Real Hardwoods
Picked up a cheap bandsaw and some scraps of various hardwoods to mess around with. I wanted to see how my drawknife and spokeshave handled much harder woods than red oak or white maple. Today I made a short stick out of purpleheart and a longer but thinner stick out of hickory. I started one in bloodwood today but did not complete it.
My intention was to try and make sticks with more of a knob on the end and I wanted a bandsaw to help thin out the blanks. However I don't quite have the saw tuned properly so I did more harm to my materials than not. Either that or the saw is just a POS or I just suck. Had to "redesign" all the sticks I worked on today. 
The bloodwood sadly had to be shortened about 4", which I'm somewhat upset about, but I am a beginner after all.
I rushed the hickory so the knob end is still rough. The shaft is too thin for any serious contact but it will be good for light contact practice. The purple heart stick is very short; kid sized really, but it moves pretty quickly and handles well. I could probably practice tomahawk with it easily.
As prototypes, I learned a lot with these. I like all three woods in fact. I have a bunch more purpleheart, some cocobolo and a bit of mahogany I can play with later.
Bowmaking 2
Tillering - bending the arms of the bow and checking for weak spots and overall symmetry.
Use a string with small pouches on the ends to tension the bow before nocks have been cut. Use a tillering stick clamped to a bench to gradually pull the limbs.
The stick has a channel/platform on one end for the grip of the bow to rest upon and screws or pegs marked out to 28" to catch the string. Start short and gradually add tension to compress the fibers evenly. Use a 12" stick ruler to observe variations in curve. Shave material from flat areas but avoid removing material from spots with already a lot of bend.
Making the nocks - use 1/8" round file (chainsaw file), do not cut across the back surface of the bow to avoid weakening the fibers, cut the nocks deep enough to create a ledge for the string and run the channel down and towards the mid line of the face of the bow to follow the natural placement of the string.
Making the string - 12 strands of dacron, various instructions already online, pair twist at one end to form the loop section, fold over for the loop itself then recombine the strands and pair twist for 3-4 inches, whip or knot the loose ends tightly, evenly twist the remaining length of strands just enough to keep them together, bow string knot on the far end (bend, around the back, over and through like a basic square knot but bend the working end over the top and through the loop again)
Serving the string - (known as whipping everywhere else) string the bow to at least 4" from handle to string, mark 1.5" above center of string with tape, use 12' dental floss doubled over twice and tie securely around string at marked point, take remaining strands and whip tightly and evenly down the string creating an even and smooth covering with no gaps, finish the end by drawing the remaining strands under the whipping and secure both ends with a drop of glue
Final tillering - with the bow strung mark 12", 18" and 24" up each limb from the center, measure from each point to the string and compare both sides for symmetry, place in tillering stick and progressively draw, measuring and comparing the distances from each point to the string as well as using 12" and 8" rulers to check for weak or flat spots in the arc (use the short ruler with the greater curves)
Paracord Belt
Finally took some time to finish off this belt. It's a simple parallel and intertwined cobra knot. How-to found on instructables. It really doesn't take all that long to make. Unfortunately, the belt is too casual in appearance for my purposes, but it was a worthwhile project. I'll likely try and sell it.
Irish Stick Fighting – Doyle Style
So the weekend has come and gone. I kinda miss it even though I was bone weary after the first day. I learned some good stuff and I think this particular style will suit me well. I described the system to someone as having no fluff and no techniques of dubious merit.
Sifu Doyle is generous man and sharp as a tack. He's got a grand sense of humor but he's dead serious about his family art. This level 1 certification is just the tip of the iceberg.
His students were all exceptionally good people as well, and they were a big help to everyone over the weekend. They represented Sifu Glen very well.
It's been a long time since I've taken anyone on as a teacher but there is something about this system that really gets me going and I am very happy that Glen was generous enough to let me come out to play.
Had to wear my Catch Wrestling shirt on the second day tho!
Thanks to Jocelyn Outlaw of Solstice Photography for the pictures!
Personal Stick
I had an Irish stick made for me by local woodworker named Craig Dallen, who supplies most of the sticks used by Glen Doyle. The stick is made out of a very hard wood called granadillo. I'm shocked at how tough this wood is: it would destroy my maple stick with ease and not have a single blemish. Scary.
Since the certification course is tomorrow, I figured I'd add a quick little Turks head knot to my stick to make sure I could identify it from any others. Initially I had tried making a long knot but was unsuccessful so I went back to something I knew how to do.
Next to the stick in the photo is a fid made out of purpleheart that I had Craig turn for me. I used it to help me tighten up the knot. Both are tools I am very proud to own.