How to Build a Hockey Stick

Building your own hockey stick for ice hockey play will give you a much better understanding of how this piece of sports equipment functions and will prepare you to play the game with more confidence. The length of ice hockey sticks depends on the height of the player using it. Professional players must use very specific regulations for stick construction, which you can emulate for a guiding pattern, but the home-built wooden hockey stick is more appropriate, and less expensive, for local, friendly games than the higher tech creations used in the "big leagues".

Things You'll Need

  • Skates
  • Tape measure
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Poplar or birch wood (at least two inches wide)
  • Tape
  • Band saw
  • Sandpaper
  • Outdoor varnish
  • Paint brush
  • Equipment tape
  • Protective goggles and gloves
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put on your skates. Measure the length from the bottom of your foot in its skate to your mouth with the tape measure.

    • 2

      Draw a hockey stick shape, or trace an existing stick, on a large piece of paper. Adjust the length to match the measurement from Step 1. Add the "L"-shaped piece at the bottom at the length that you want to use for the curving blade. The blade of the hockey stick is usually 13 inches long for regular players and 15 inches long for goalies. The width of the blade ranges from 2 to 3 inches for regular players and 3 1/2 to 4 inches for goalies.

    • 3

      Cut out the pattern. Attach the pattern to your piece of wood with tape. Put on protective goggles and gloves. Cut out the shape of the stick with the band saw.

    • 4

      Smooth down the entire cut-out stick with sandpaper, being careful not to take off too much mass. Make sure that you smooth and sand down the curves of the hockey stick.

    • 5

      Lacquer the stick with a heavy-duty outdoor varnish. Let the coat dry, and then repeat at least twice more.

    • 6

      Wrap the handle in tape if you feel it gives you a better grip.