Chicken Catcher

I spent some time down in my workshop today and finished up my chicken catcher. It's about six and a half feet tall. To recap, here are the steps I followed to make it.

1. Cut down a small maple sapling that the goats had girdled.

2. Stripped off the bark and cut off branches.
3. Let dry for a couple of days.
4. Filed off all the rough spots (especially on the handle) and sanded the whole thing.
5. Bent a piece of brace wire (10 gauge, if I recall correctly) into the right shape.
6. Drilled a hole the same diameter as the brace wire into the end of the staff.
7. With the help of some linseed oil, inserted the wire the full length of the hole.
8. Rubbed a thin covering of linseed oil over the whole staff to slow drying and prevent cracking.
   

I'll continue adding layers of linseed oil as the wood dries, and eventually it will build up into a nice finish.