jon,

I've made plenty of knife handles and walking sticks out of oak.  It's a good, solid, open-grained hardwood.  For a walking staff, it's just fine.

I recommend you treat it by sanding to about 220 grit.  Then coat it with a mixture of 1/3 turpentine and 2/3 boiled linseed oil, heated in a double boiler.  It's an old wood-finishing technique which I prefer to any kind of varnish or polyurethane.  The heat of the mixture and the turpentine both serve to open the wood's grain and allow the linseed oil to penetrate deeper into the wood.  As the wood cools and the turpentine evaporates, the grain closes again.  Rub with steel wool and repeat the process a few times.

Use something to cap the bottom of your stick- brass or copper end-cap from a plumbing store, or a rubber cap from drug store work well enough.  That keeps the bottom of your stick from getting worn and mushrooming.

I can't speak on the virtues of lilac wood.  I've never worked with it.

I always liked mine to be long enough that when I was gripping the top in my hand, my elbow would form a 90 degree angle.  I would recommend trying several lengths (start long, you can always cut it down) untill you find something that works comfortably for you.

Nah, not rustic enough , I´m actually working on a hiking stick right now, making it out of an ash shovel handle. Interesting tip on the finishing Panday, I don´t have equipment to heat such a mixture, but I assume that ´s not that critical. Could you use white spirit instead of turpentine?

I was a forester in a previous incarnation, so wood properties are something I understand.  At a density of .8 g per cubic centimeter, lilac is a bit 'heavier' than oak with a density of .69 g/cm3  But the structure of lilac is more irregular and open and so it won't stand as much sideways stress - smacking the stick against a big rock - as oak with it's longer fibers and tighter construction.

Whichever you choose, capping the ends with copper,brass or iron pipe caps will help keep it from splintering on the ends.  I would peel the stave now and let it dry most of the winter, then cap the ends in spring.

Yer right PJ - the source I quoted had the units wrong.  I fixed my previous mesage.  Should have been .69 and .80 grams per cubic centimeter

Wel, the whole heating turpentine thing still seems a bit iffy for me, think I ´ll go for the cold mix. That is to say after I've done the fancy wittling I´m planning (fancy on paper at least, see how it turns out)

A couple of people have mentioned concerns about the double boiler with the turpentine-linseed oil I mentioned.  Just to clarify things here, I don't bring the mixture to a boil, I just warm it.  After all, if it were boiling the mixture, I couldn't exactly dip a rag and apply it by hand.

I also have a little portable burner which I use, instead of doing it in the kitchen.  I heat and apply this mixture on the concrete floor of my garage workshop.  Better ventilation outside and if it spills, I'm not worried about the floor.

Staffslinger: I like your idea of a pvc soak tank.  I have a steel quench tank which I use for knives- I can't believe I never thought of your idea before.  That'll be a soon-to-come addition to my shop.