Customizing Options

What sets me apart from other commercial bo staff makers is the level of customization that is available to you. This way you can personalize your staff to your needs and make it an extension of you.

Length | Diameter | Taper | Weight & Wood Type | Lamination

LENGTH: Length is the first consideration. There is no agreement on correct length. Recommended lengths vary as much as the weather… from two inches below the chin to four inches over the head. You, your instructor and/or tournament rules will have to decide/dictate a comfortable personal length suitable to your discipline and your individual style. Please be specific. I can make your stick as close to your measurement as humanly possible, certainly within 1/4 inch. I am set up to build lengths ranging from 48 inches to 108 inches.

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DIAMETER: Any weapon must fit comfortably in your hand to provide you with optimum control. If you already own a favorite bo staff, measure the center diameter accurately. If you do not have a bo staff, borrow one or grab some cylindrical object and measure that. Please do not guess. Measure the diameter with calipers, a micrometer, a square or an other form of accurate tool. An alternative is to measure the circumference of the center. Remember to send the unit of measurement (ie. inches, or thousandths, or metric). Usual range is ¾ inch to 2 inches.

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TAPER: Taper refers to the difference in diameter between the center and the tips. I can build any degree of taper into a bo staff. Zero taper means you are buying a dowel - the same diameter from end to end. The taper can run in a straight line to the tips like a sharpened pencil. Or the taper can follow a gentle convex curve like a very, very skinny football. 3/8 inch tips look good and are reliably strong, but the range includes no taper down to ¼ inch tips.

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WEIGHT & WOOD TYPE: At this point the customization issue becomes a dizzying array of possibilities. It can get a bit confusing but try to persevere and enjoy being creative. I will try to guide you through the decision making process for wood species in relation to: color of the wood and weight.

The weight issue is best described as a compromise. Such is life. Weight is important since it relates to two factors: 1). speed and effort during use and 2). surface durability. Wood is not included in the Bill of Rights. All wood is NOT created equal. The weight of the staff directly reflects the density of the wood. The heavier the wood, the more densely packed the wood fibers, yielding a tougher outer surface on the staff. The heavy weights like the African exotics, white oak, red oak and hickory will not show the surface nicks and dings from normal use (abuse?) as do the softer woods. Contrarily, the softer woods like poplar, basswood and cedar dent and scratch easier. This is no way affects the life expectancy of the bo staff, but it does affect the appearance and the feel. However, bo staffs built from these lighter, softer woods can be spun so fast that they look like a blur and will actually hum in the air! The two extreme examples so far are a 68 inch cedar staff weighing in at a mere 7 ounces contrasting a 65 inch white oak staff tipping the scales at hefty 22 ounces! Consider a cedar bo staff to be limited to forms and tournament use whereas the heavy woods serve well for everyday rough use.

The middle of the road staffs weigh 14 to 16 ounces. Black cherry, maple, ash and black walnut fit nicely into this group of mid-weight woods. The wood holds up well to normal use and provides a compromise between the heavy and lightweights.

I prefer not to stain wood for the simple reason that any dents or dings in the surface show through the surface stain coloration and stick out like the proverbial sore thumb. The natural color of wood is beautiful in and of itself and comes in a variety of colors. Wood color ranges from black to nearly white and includes purple, red and yellow.

The following list depicts the relative density of the wood species in order from the heaviest listed at the top to the lightest on the bottom, an attempt at verbal color description and the approximate weight of a 65 inch bo staff with a one inch center diameter tapered to 3/8 tips.

An interesting alternative (maybe the best of both worlds) is the HOLLOW option. For an additional charge to cover the extra labor steps involved, I can hollow the staff. Expect about 20 percent reduction in weight. Thus a standard 15 ounce staff would become a 12 ounce hollowed staff of equal dimensions and similar wood type.

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LAMINATION: The color contrast laminations look sharp and tend to flash better to catch the eye of the judges and spectators. Thick and thin alternating laminations, strips glued to a core, and various patterns of lamination are available. Let me know what you have in mind and I will do my best to build what you want. Be creative.

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DUPLICATION: All the dimensions of every bo staff I make are recorded. This allows me to duplicate any of my bo staffs from record as well as any other bo staff if you provide the measurements. You can request an identical bo staff or make alterations as you wish. Duplication service is available at the standard price for no additional cost.