Last Christmas, 10-year-old Hutch Robertson knew he wanted to give something special to his granddads on both sides of his family. He didn’t want it to be something bought in a store or that was manufactured in a factory. But what would that be?
Throughout his young life, Hutch had spent many hours and days outside on his family’s farm. And then it dawned on him that he should make something for his granddads that would both share his love for them and his love for the outdoors.
He decided to make them walking sticks. With guidance from his dad, Hutch learned to use a drawknife, which has a large blade and two handles that you hold and pull down to shave the wood.
“Then we used a sander to sand it to get it real smooth,” Hutch said. “Then we polyurethaned it to protect it and give it a little bit more vibrant color.”
That Christmas, Hutch was excited to give his handmade gifts to his unsuspecting family members. He said they were very curious about what they were getting.
“They they didn’t really know what it was,” Hutch said. “They probably expected a t-shirt, or something. They got something that was completely wrapped that just looked like a pole. They didn’t really know what to expect. It was kind of weird, their reaction. They didn’t know what they were really getting.”
And, to some degree, Hutch didn’t realize he was discovering something he would enjoy doing so much. Enough so that he has continued to make walking sticks and now sells them at the Mebane Makers Market alongside his family’s produce stand.
“My dad, he was like, ‘Maybe you could sell them and get a nice bit of profit out of them.’ I thought about it and I decided maybe I could, and it really helped when we went to the farmers market, especially the Makers Market. Last month was my first time selling them. It’s very fun, and I like doing it.”
Hutch sells his walking sticks for about $15 each, and he’s sold about four of them.
Hutch, who will start the sixth grade in the fall, said he’s made six or seven walking sticks. He said he’s honing his skills and, if he’s not in a rush, could probably make eight of them in a week. He uses sweet gum or tulip poplar wood for the sticks, which he and his dad collect from their property. He said he looks for sticks that have knots that will fit people’s hands.
“I think it looks very pretty and it gives it a bit more of a grip, and it helps it to stand out more.”
In his free time, Hutch likes working with Legos, riding his four-wheeler, and playing with the animals on his family’s farm. He has an older sister who sometimes helps with making the walking sticks, and while he appreciates her assistance, Hutch admitted he wasn’t sure of her motives, especially when she declined his offer to cut her in on his profits.
“I’ve been telling her I will give her $1 for everything I sell, and she’s always, like, ‘No, no, no.’ It’s really weird because me and her argue a lot, and I get a little nervous when she tries to help me. I get kind of scared.”
Hutch said he plans to continue making walking sticks, and expects that as his skills improve, he may add carvings to them. He said he will continue selling at markets, but may add an online component.
“I might like kind of branch out and make like little wooden swords or little wooden guns for little kids to play with,” he said. “And maybe make sculptures out of blocks of wood.”
