Stick

Sticks are created by placing two wooden planks in a crafting square, one above the other. This means sticks can be created without the need for a workbench.

Uses
Sticks are used primarily as the handles for tools, torches, and weapons. They can also be used as the shaft of arrows, the post for signs, or the inner bar of minecart tracks. Sticks are the only building material required to craft a fence or ladder.

Sticks can also be used as a fuel source for furnaces. Though they are renewable, sticks are a less efficient fuel than wooden planks, and require 2 sticks to be burned per furnace operation. Sticks are recommended for short jobs, like cooking pork, or if just a little more fuel is required to complete the current operation, and it would not complete otherwise.

Trivia

 * Sticks were one of the first craftable items available in Minecraft. Their only use was forming the handle of a pick, axe or shovel.

Stock