Multi-Function Walking Stick - Converts to a Chair

Wouldn't it be nice if your walking stick served double duty as a chair?  This walking stick functions just as well as a stationary resting device as well as it does as a mobility enabler. 

Trying to find a place to rest on the trail can be a challenge; especially when the woods are wet.
Carrying a camp chair in your pack seems like an unnecessary luxury, however, if the hiking stick you were planning on carrying anyway could serve as a lounge chair, you just might want to indulge.

This Instructable describes the steps for making a convertible walking stick with an accessory seat.  At a height of 6 feet when fully assembled, the walking stick is really more of a Hiking Staff however, the 3 piece design makes it easy to transport and allows it to convert into a seat.

 But there's more...

This is the first in a series of Instructables demonstrating the versatility of this Hiking Staff.  Subscribe if you don't want to miss the next two sequel Instructables:

- Decorative and functional copper shod finial staff ends with storage

- Staff-top provision for an illuminating torch

Step 1: Staff Size

Walking Stick Material:
(3) 1” diameter hard wood dowels (each 2 feet in length).  I used oak for this project.

1: Cut  (3) three dowels 24 inches long.  These will be referred to as the Upper Section, Lower Section & Middle Section. 

Most of the new high tech walking sticks on the market today are the short (Trek) ski pole variety. Personally, I prefer a taller staff when hiking.  For me, the trail challenge is not so much the uphill incline, as it is the descent; especially while carrying a pack.

A grip near the top of a taller staff allows it to extend well downhill while the body remains upright during a descent.

The only negative I have found with a Hiking Staff is the inevitable accusation of sheep herding or the resemblance to Moses (which happens despite the lack of beard credentials) .

Step 2: Add the Copper Connectors

Connector Materials:
(2) 3/4" diameter sweat fitting to 1/2" threaded male copper plumbing fitting
(2) 3/4" diameter sweat fitting to 1/2" threaded female copper plumbing fitting

The outer diameter of the 3/4" sweat fitting matches the 1" diameter of the wood dowel. This creates a nice flush transition at the wood to copper interface.
(Be sure to use  3/4" sweat to 1/2" threaded reducer fitting.  The diameter of 3/4" sweat to 3/4" threaded fitting will be too large to fit through the ring used to assemble the seat.)

(1) Package of two part epoxy adhesive 
      - Brandname “JB Weld Epoxy” adhesive holds well on metal.
      -  Make sure to use the original JB Weld that requires 24 hours to cure.
      - Do not use the quick cure (15 minute or less epoxies - including JB Weld Quick) as these
        do not hold as well to metal


1: Use sand paper (or chisel, pocket knife, lath or beaver teeth)  to reduce the diameter on one end of the Upper Section and Lower Section dowels to match the inside contour of the female copper fittings. The dowel ends should insert to the bottom of the threads on the female fittings. 

Both ends of the Middle Section dowel should be reduced to fit the male copper fitting. This dowel should insert all the way to the end of the male cooper fittings. (The male fitting requires the dowel to have two step diameter reduction in order for the dowel to fit flush to the end of the fitting.)

Reference the last photo in this series.

2: Test fit the dowel in the copper fittings several times as you are reducing the dowel diameter. The dowel needs to press tightly into the fitting. Use a mallet to force the fittings on (be careful to not damage the threads.)

Note: The fitting will ultimately have to be removed to apply the adhesive. This is where the wrench flats on the fitting come in handy. Use them to twist off the fitting.

3: Remove the fittings and “roughen-up” the inside of the fitting with something sharp (like the bent point of a nail or a file.) The deeper the gouges / scores on the inside of the fitting the better the adhesive has something to grip onto.

4: Similarly,“roughen-up” the end of the wood dowel by making grooves to hold the adhesive.

5: Mix the adhesive per the package instructions. Protect the threads on the fitting with tape. Apply adhesive to the inside of the fittings, and the ends of the dowels. - Make sure adhesive does not get on the threads.

6: Pound the fittings on the dowel ends and clean-up any adhesive that oozes out. Again, make sure the threads are free of adhesive.

Step 3: Drill Seat Pin Holes

Drill holes in the end of the dowels.  This is required to accept the pins on the canvas seat.

1. Drill a 3/16" hole  2" deep into the center of the dowels at the fittings on the Upper Section and Lower Section .

2. Drill a hole in only one end of the Middle Section.   

Step 4: Add Pivot Notches

Pivot Material:
(1) 2" inner diameter welded chrome ring.  (Typically found in the hardware store near the chains.)

This is the Pivot Ring  (reference the last photo in this series) it holds the center of the dowel sections allowing them to flare out. 

Two notches are required In the center of each dowel section to accept the Pivot Ring.

1. Make the the first notch perpendicular, straight across the dowel.  (I used a file to make the notch)

2. File the second notch at a 30 degree angle.

The notches should be about 1/4" wide and 3/8" deep.

the perpendicular notch is for the initial positioning of the dowels when they are loaded into the Pivot Ring.  The angled notch accommodates the splayed position of the legs when forming a tripod.

Step 5: Sew the Canvas Seat

Seat Materials:
(2) Pieces heavy canvas (approximately 14"x14") 
Heavy duty Polyester thread


1: Cut two pieces of canvas into triangles  (14" per side)
2: Sew the two pieces together along the three sides.  Stop the sew lines about 2 inches short on each end
3: Turn the sewn together pieces of fabric inside-out through one of the openings at a corner of the triangle .
4: Fold over each edge of the triangle to a width of about 3/4 inch and sew.  This will form a "sleeve" along each side of the triangle.

Step 6: Thread the Cable

Reinforcement Material:
1/8" Stainless Steel Cable (Approximately 24" in length)
(1) 1/8" Aluminum double Ferrule (reference last photo in this series)
(3) 2" long Stainless Steel Cotter Pins

1: Thread the cable through the "sleeves" in the seat fabric.  The cable holds the top of the dowel sections in position preventing them from over splaying.

2: insert the ends of the cable into the ferrule and crimp.  A 5lb sledge hammer worked well to compress the ferrule.

3: Open the three cotter pins and load over the cable at the tree corners of the triangle.  These are the Seat Pins used to attach the seat fabric to the dowel sections.
(The open legs of the pin act like a spring to hold them in the dowel holes.)

 

Step 7: Assemble the Seat

Load the Upper Section, Lower Section and Middle Section through the Pivot Ring.

Make sure the ring is in the notch of each section as the next section is loaded.

Step 8: Form the Tripod

Rotate each dowel section in the same direction so that the Pivot ring aligns with the 30 degree notch in each dowel section.

The splayed dowels will form tripod legs.  

Step 9: Insert the Seat Pins

 Insert each of the three Seat Pins into the holes in the dowel sections

Step 10: Seat Complete

 This is the seat  fully assembled, and ready to go...actually ready to stay.


I created a logo for our Boy Scout Troop using a graphics program and printed it out on iron-on transfer paper.  (this paper is readily available at any office supply store.)  It bonded well to the cotton canvas fabric.  (Remember that any iron-on transfer needs to be printed in reverse.)

Step 11: Seat in Action

 The seat is sturdy enough to hold a decent sized adult.  It is as comfortable as any tripod camp stool can be, but it serves its purpose well for a trail side break.


Now if only it reclined and had a foot rest....


Below you can see the Hiking Staff Seat in conjunction with the light weight Backpacking Table described in the following Instructable:  http://www.instructables.com/id/Camp-Table-for-Backpacking/

Comments

[TterraggarretT]

Could pvc be used to make this? I don't know if it would be strong enough but it would be lighter.

[bstullis]

So I am larger by far than most people (6'7" 280#) and was thinking of a larger diameter dowel for the legs. I was wondering if anyone else would know if the 1 1/4 diameter legs would fit in the 2" id ring, if not, would cutting the nitches deeper (1/4" to 5/8") would allow the ring to work or if any one knows of a larger ring (HD didn't have anything larger). I also plan on making the whole thing closer to 30-34" folded length giving me a taller staff and taller stool.

I thought I would throw it out to the community at large

Thanks
BenT

[ninja of suburbia]

Same problem here, not as tall (6' even, 230lbs) but yes, I would use a larger dowel. I would say, having done some tweaking-ish things like this before, that our pest possible option is to scale it up precisely. If you use a 2" dowel, use a 4" ring, or whatever in between. I would probably use a 1 1/2" dowel with a 3" ring. As to finding the ring, Ebay is a wonderful place for random fiddly things like that.
Regards, the Ninja of Suburbia

[xrocool]

Excellent

[locospud]

would you be able to sell one to me ?? [e-mail] ill pay ya for one

[AF_Caveman]

Many thanks for your post, albeit a couple years ago. This solved a problem I couldn't figure out. After making a Sassafras hiking staff, it was requested it be able to break down to fit into luggage. The hammer-in and screw-in threaded anchors with a threaded bolt weren't machined closely enough to prevent wobble. This should definitely do the trick.
"ThisIsIt" -- you are also correct. I too, noticed the gap, but it was before I even left the hardware store and the guy helping me explained the same thing you did. I, however, did not think about the coupler to cover the gap. Awesome idea! Thanks a ton!

[jsawyer]

This is Brilliant! I was thinking of using spliced 7/64" amsteel instead of the cable to keep it light and strong...

I was thinking bamboo for the poles, but that would prevent the ring keeper notches from being used. I love the Copper fittings!

[jerwhite]

I've been using this for some time now. Stays in the car. It's sturdy and comfortable enough on a long hike. Also has multiple uses or maybe even endless.

[AluminumFoilMaster]

AWESOME!!!!!!!! I used to be a boy scout in troop 10 which is on the theodore roosevelt council but my mom didn't let me stay because of all the work in 6th grade.

[eklein1]

Oh my god yes.
I'm going camping/backpacking in a few weeks and this is PERFECT.
Great 'ible, soon my grandparents and all their hiking friends will be using these too.
So much better than just a boring old hiking staff.

[pro pyro]

thanks this walking stick is going to be in a boy scout contest

[kingzilla]

needs to glow in the dark

[freakyqwerty]

Yes.

[wawhosed]

I tried a 2" ring and it wouldnt fit around all three dowels. Ideas?

[mslaynie]

Was the 2" for the outer measurement or the inner? If it's a 2" outer diameter, it won't fit. You need the inside diameter to be 2".

(Wow, can I write 2" any more in this post??)

[jerwhite]

Update. OK, so I got this thing together finally. I have some thoughts and changes that I made. 1. The seat. I didn't/don't find it too small for a seat used for hiking. It isn't a lounge chair. However instead of using the complicated method of the cable, cotter pins, and drilling holes, I used a sewing needle(well my wife did:)). Actually I cut my triangle to about 1" bigger then it would wind up. I purchased material adhesive and sprayed this onto the material. I then folded over a 1" edge on the whole triangle. It doesn't have to be perfect but close. Then I cut three pieces each in a triangle to match the three corners of the seat. The three pieces were also cut bigger and then folded over on the edges. This will give double support later on. Then my wife sewed the pieces onto the bottom of the seat material on two sides of each triangle. The idea once finished is you just slip each pole into the triangle of the seat bottoms. This causes the seat to stick up on the poles a little but it's still functional. 2. I still used two part epoxy but I took extra precaution. After you get everything set on the poles with the epoxy this is an easy addition. I drilled through each copper fitting perpendicular to the wooden sticks(Don't remember drill bit size). Then I used a bigger bit to bevel the edge a little. I purchased a piece of brass rod(actually my father-in-law had a piece). Cut a piece of brass a little longer then the width of the copper fitting. You might have to experiment a little with the length. Put the cut piece in the hole and hammer it over a hard surface. I used the edge of my vice. An anvil would be perfect. Also if you have a ball-peen hammer or jewelers hammer it would work better. The brass fills in the bevel and creates a head on it. This should prevent it from backing out once you hammer both sides a little.

[shadow123456]

AWSOME!!!!!

[Devrimm]

Hi !!

I love it! It is more than good for a farmer and a sheppard(?) like me !
I made a chair like this some years ago but it was only able to sit on it. That was it.

This is REALLY good. Thank you.

[jerwhite]

Would using copper all the way through instead of the wood work? Would it weigh less or more? That way you could potentially use the inside of the tube for storage.

[facklere]

Should the 24" cable length specification say 42"? You said to make the sides of the triangles 14", and 14x3=42.

[facklere]

Never mind, I didn't take into consideration the loss during sewing.

[jbrecken]

If you traded one of the male fittings on the middle section for the female on the bottom section, you'd be able to make a short stick from just the top and bottom pieces.

[Wazzupdoc]

Troop 5 is one lucky outfit! Love all three episodes. I did a variation on the traction end. I drilled a hole to accommodate the business end of an aluminum arrow shaft. I then was able to thread in a field point for icy conditions and to get the point across ;) Great ibble

[Data643]

The seat is too small. I weigh 70 pounds and it's too small for me.

[Data643]

Mine works fine with the 3/4" - 3/4" pieces. I just have to insert the piece with the male ends first.

[jrossetti]

The sections, when screwed together, don't screw flush; there is some threading exposed, correct?

[ThisIsIt]

That's what it looks like in all the photos I've seen, and further down this page someone else says theirs is like that too. I think as long as you pay attention when fitting the couplers to the wood you should be able to avoid that. If not, just have to file down the couplers till they mate flush, and then fit the wood.

[ThisIsIt]

Upon finally finding some of the fittings to take a look at, there is no way to get them to not have a gap when screwed together. The threads on the fittings are NPT, national pipe thread, which means they taper from smaller to larger as you thread the fitting in. The gap can not be helped... However, you can sweat a piece of 1" copper pipe on to the fitting to cover the threads that are left exposed. Make a simple pattern on it and it should look great. You can even size this cover so that when the two rods are threaded together, the flat spots on the fittings (where the wrench would go) line up with each other and look even better.

[ThisIsIt]

Correction, you can't fit 1" pipe over 3/4" threaded fittings. You can use a piece of a 1" coupler to cover the exposed threads. I would probably sweat it on to the female portion, it mates up nicely.

[ducttapehamster]

I think that a 16x16x16 triangle world work better because mine seems kinda small and hurts when you sit on it...

[hpstoutharrow]

Just have to mind the splay angles of the legs. Given the 2' length of each segment a larger seat triangle would result in a splay angle greater than 30 degrees. The larger angle will transfer the load on the legs from less of a compressive load along the axis while increasing the bending stress on the legs at the ring. Not saying it won't work but without compensating with longer segments the seat height would be lower and the legs may fail at the ring.

[LoisLynn56]

I ran into 2 little problems.  First, my cable was not long enough to go around my triangle.  Second, I am not able to figure out how to put 3 1" dowels into a 2" diameter ring.  My kindly neighbor tried to help me with this project.  After I went and got a longer cable, I'm still not able to get the 3 dowels into that 2" ring.  And the only rings I could find were brassed colored steel ones that I got at Hobby Lobby.  I don't trust them to hold any weitght.  I still think it's a really cool idea, and I'd love to finish this project.  Thanks!

[Terrapathic]

I had similar problems, my long time hiking partner told me to just buy a Stikstool. If I can't get it to work I may buy one. I don't give up easily and I have a friend that may be able to fabricate a ring for me. I may check with Tractor Supply for a ring.

[LoisLynn56]

Funny you reply today.  Actually, my neighbor gave me back the completed thing yesterday.  He weighs 190 and it holds him.  The friend that sent me the link for the thing in the first place went to her Lowe's and got the ring with no trouble.  She lives in Everett, WA.  He put off crimping the cable because he hadn't read the instructions.  It says to hammer the cable, not the connector.  But, all is well.  I've got the thing smack dab in the middle of the living room, admiring it.  LOL.  Lynn

[hpstoutharrow]

 The notches in the center of each segment allow for all three dowels to fit into the 2" inner diameter ring.  

Make sure you use a ring that has the ends welded together or, as you suspect, it won't hold enough weight.

Load the first dowel through the ring.  Align the ring in the notch.  Load the second dowel and make sure the ring is aligned in both notches.  Next load the third dowel.  
Per the pictures below I tipped the third dowel up to allow the flared end of the fitting to pass through the ring.  (make sure the female fitting is the last one through the ring - it has a smaller flare on the end).

If you are still having trouble, try making the notches deeper in each dowel.  You also can file down the flare on the female fitting so it doesn't have to be "levered" through the ring.

Hope this helps.

Post a photo when you are done. I would like to see how it turns out. Especially the cloth seat part.  I am not skilled at sewing and I'd like to see what someone with sewing talent can do.

[LoisLynn56]

Thank you ever so much.  Don't we all just hate a project that gets shelved?
I hope Kindly Neighbor and I can finish this.  What a hoot that would be.  Thanks again. 

[Argon27]

 Super Awesome! Just got me an Alps Denali aluminium frame backpack for backpacking this summer. I plan on making one of these as soon as possible! A+ :)

[Duber]

ive noticed that you made two other staffs


is there a way to combine the funtions of all 3 staffs into one staff

and still have it be portable/easy to break down

[hpstoutharrow]

 Its only one staff!   It just has different finial toppers (storage vs torch).

[PastTheVoid]

Are you camera shy?