So my dad pruned an oak branch and gave it to me figuring it could be some kind of LARP wizard staff. It sounded like a fun project so I shaved the bark off with my pocket knife. A couple times I shaved deeper into this spongy sort of wood. Not sure that was a smart idea. My plan is to sand it down, maybe do some engravings with Dremel and some pyrography for designs, then shellac it and put a cap on it. My question is, should I remove that layer right under the bark too? With knife or with sandpaper? And what's a good way to dry it? My dad suggested my old car that's dead and sits in the sun (gotta get rid of that thing end of summer but it could work for now to dry out the wood).

Also just general advice on this project. I don't want to mess it up.

Puc unrelated. I can post a pic of the staff when I get home if you want.

>>2923043 (OP)
Get a few more bits of oak from the tree, you will make mistakes so practice
Also, pen knife is a great way to slice into a finger, guess how I know
When it comes to works like this with carving etc, take it slow and steady. You will make small mistakes, learn and move on. Ultimately when small enough only you will know it's a mistake and most people will think it's a part of the design
The car will be a hot box but I'm not sure how well that will treat the wood, wait for a more knowledgeable anon

>>2923082
Yeah it's a regular pocketknife but not like a pen knife idk. But I'm being quite cautious. I'll use a Dremel for the actual carving which I do have experience with.

Here's the actual pic of the staff. You can see where I shaved off into the next layer of wood. Don't know if that's bad or not. Don't know if I should shave more off, or just sand it down. I have some large grit sandpaper and I was gonna hand sand it. It'll take a while but I love handsnding.

>>2923101
At least for where your hands will be keep shaving it down to the white part of the wood. That spongy layer will splinter as it dries and generally be uncomfortable to use as a grip.

>>2923276
How thick does that layer tend to be?

>>2923043 (OP)
Shave it but if it’s wet enough you may be able to tear it all off. Sharp kitchen knife works but something long you can draw towards you safely works best. Cheese grater if you must. You want to get to the actual wood, that layer of sapwood disintegrates over time and soaks up any finish like a sponge, and it looks better. Long strips of sandpaper can be used to get it smooth all around. Sapwood can be up to an inch and half but for small branches closer to 1/4. It should be visible on the cut end.

Carve with a carving knife, it’s more fun than with a dremel, a full starter set including strop is like $20. Oak is not very nice to carve details in with a dremel or knife

Don’t dry it in your car, it should get as much moving air (wind) over it as possible. Don’t use shellac if you’re going to use it to cast spells or strike balrogs or whatever because it will wear off, use poly if you’re keeping it outdoors.

>>2923310
Alright thanks. Any advice how to dry it? Was thinking on the patio on some bricks. But it's been raining a lot where I am. And i don't know if I'll remember to take it inside every time it does. How long should I dry it for before working on it more?

>>2923043 (OP)
Don't use shellac. Don't use poly. Don't use anything. Oak is a pretty resistant species. It doesn't need a film of plastic on top of it.
About drying: they say that wood dries to a depth of one inch per year. In my opinion, it should dry as slowly as possible to avoid cracking.
I also know that the drying process is different for different species. Some have an increased tendency to crack, while others don't

>>2923705
So should I just sand it down then?

>>2923675
Just put it in the corner of some room. If you debarked it early it should be fine. Massage it with vegetable oil once a day. I did that method for 2 walking sticks and didn't crack at all.

Use ash, birch or oak. Just sandpaper it down till you hit p400. Then apply oil or whatever you prefer.

>>2923781
You can just sand it down. You can also do what the anon above said. Rub it with oil. I'd use linseed oil though as it doesn't go rancid.
The oil makes it dry slower which is good for the cracking.

>>2923043 (OP)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5RHeeMpUaXnwhumMKK2T_8suOdG0XKvB

A trick I learned is you leave the stick to dry out properly over say a year, then you soak it in water so that the bark layer absorbs it and you can just flake off the bark.