Help me find sticks!

March 26, 2019 7:42 AM

Craft sticks, actually. I am remaking some wood and paper sconces for our living room due to my old ones getting faded. However, I am having trouble finding sticks to use for the frame. The old ones used bamboo, but it's in poor shape and too short, so it can't be reused for this project. So off to Michael's, where I found bamboo sticks, but in a very small diameter (about a quarter of an inch at most). These are a bit too bendy and also a bit anemic looking for the scale of the sconces. I would prefer them around 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter., like my old ones. Then, looking online, I found some that might work, but they are expensive and vendors don't always list the thickness. I also looked for alternatives such as birch sticks or some other tree source of cured, straight, sticks. I came up pretty frustrated.

So, what I need: about 8 sticks at least 48" long with at least 30" of that length straight, and at about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter through the same 30". Beyond the 30" straight section, there could be forking or some other distinctive branch features. I would probably prefer tree sticks to bamboo, but I don't know how feasible it will be to find them straight and strong enough. So, I'll take almost any suggestions that you may have.

I should mention that I am not so interested in using dowel rods, as the aesthetic of the sconces is paper, leather, and branches, and a dowel rod is too 'sterile' or manufactured looking, I guess.

Also, as an example of the online experience, I found this good candidate for bamboo: https://www.amazon.com/Bond-Manufacturing-Packaged-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00MTI7PRW/ref=sr_1_43_sspa?keywords=bamboo+sticks&qid=1553609940&s=gateway&sr=8-43-spons&psc=1

However, three of the four reviewers said the sticks were thinner than described!

Thanks for you help.

posted by Don_K to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

I suppose it depends on where you live, but I can think of at least five locations near me where I could collect as much bamboo as I can fit in my car. People plant it as a barrier, for which it becomes very effective, but it soon becomes an overgrown mess unless they pay attention to it. In my cases, I could easily grab the bamboo that has fallen over into public land. If that makes you apprehensive, you could always ask for permission to grab some of the overgrowth.
posted by sydnius at 7:47 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Bamboo garden stakes?
posted by Capn at 7:48 AM on March 26, 2019 [4 favorites]

I've had some crafting luck with some sturdy wooden kebab skewers I had.
posted by beccaj at 7:51 AM on March 26, 2019

Agreed: bamboo garden stakes. Sometimes it's hard to find ones that haven't been dyed green, but I'd say hit all your local garden centers (local stores first, then chain hardware stores with garden centers) and see if they have any.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:16 AM on March 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

Fence posts - Lowe's. Bamboo stakes. Searched bamboo garden craft. Tiki torches show up at Goodwill, party shops have them, Walmart might. Buy Nothing or freecycle can be great for stuff like this.
posted by theora55 at 6:05 PM on March 26, 2019

Depending on how much time and effort you’re putting into this, you could sculpt on top of dowels with paper clay and paint the results
posted by itesser at 2:07 PM on March 27, 2019

Response by poster: Update: The garden section of my local hardware store had exactly the proper length and diameter bamboo rods. Thanks for the advice!
posted by Don_K at 5:24 AM on April 18, 2019