I find I am rather addicted to carving Diamond Willow as of late. I love the way it carves and the way it looks once you do. Plus, after the first snake shillelagh I completed, I went back to my old man’s place and stole all the rough Diamond Willow he had –- which turned out to be one. I needed more.
The search was on for more at the local wood shops and across the interwebs. You can find it on eBay or even Amazon for about $20 for a 55” rough blank. I’d even be willing to pay that for the pleasure of working with it again, but I can’t help wondering if there’s something I’m missing.
What’s really funny is I don’t prefer the nice, super-straight ones that make perfect canes; I like the ones that look like they’re rejects from a haunted forest of some sort. They just look like they have more character to me and would be better for carving strange things into them. So really what I’m trying to sort out is: What would be a good, cheap place to get some really knurly Diamond Willow rough blanks — any ideas? Let us know in comments.