Today I saw some 62" rake handles at Home Depot. At closer look they seemed to be made of hickory, most of them with twisting/wavy grain, but some were straight. They have a metal ferrule at the end where the rake has to be attached, and are varnished roughly. Depending on the wood (dryness, grain, sapwood or heartwood) their weight varies by at least 30%.
A 3/4" rubber leg tip, also sold there, can be easily applied onto the ferrule.
It was priced less than $8, a four-pack of leg tips $1.60, and since 'tis the season, I chose one with the best grain (nice light sapwood and incidentally it was the lightest too.)
I was eying some nice and long hickory walking sticks for some time now, but at $30+ price I always postponed the purchase.
Now I have a functional hiking staff, which is long, strong, relatively light and springy. The traditional hickory hiking staffs made of saplings or branches might be somewhat stronger, but this rake handle ain't a weakling either.
