Lantern hanging staff

Note: This can NOT be shipped full length...it has to be cut and glued back together. If you visit my website done-well.com and click on the "gallery" I have three pics with captions on how I recommend gluing a scarf joint. If you have other ideas I will entertain them as well. Please realize I need your feedback on where to locate the splice. It can be put towards the bottom or where your gripping range is, then you can conceal it with a material of some sort. This staff is birch with a nice "ball" lump around it along with a nice crook that would go around the lantern shape. Please excuse my gallon jug of peanut oil...it is only shown to represent a lantern size. The shaft on this one varies from 1-1/4" to 2" in diameter. Currently it stands 83-1/2" tall and the hanging branch is 80" off the ground. This one has to ship in a 9" x 9" by 72" (or shorter) which is the size limit for priority. UPDATE: I will price it as a 55" box. The neat root "ball" on this one is made up of small root nodes, but they aren't sharp like on some. It is about 4" in diameter and 2" high. There is still a lot of cleaning and sanding to be done, all I did was strip it with a drawknife and use a wire wheel on the ball to remove some cambium but it is well adhered. This was literally harvested and stripped today, 10/12/211(for reference) and it weighs 5# 6ozs. It'll lose at least a third of this weight (I'm guessing) when it fully dries out...just don't seal it until it does. (uls5) Update: this is well seasoned