Greetings, @corey1!
As far as witchy tools of the trade go, there have been several discussions about besoms (broomsticks) 
, wands 
, and athames 
, but not too much talk about staffs. High time to change that! 
As someone who studied Naginata in university, I am also really interested in staffwork and how this tool could be used to help channel magick! 
In terms of making and consecrating a staff, I would imagine it could be done in the same way a wand is consecrated:
How to Make and Consecrate a Witch Wand
As for usage, I think there is something unique and special about staffwork, as a staff can bridge the gap between wand invoking and athame evoking.
The wand is normally used to evoke, that is, peacefully invite benign spirits and forces to join our ritual and we ask for their help on our spellwork. The athame, on the other hand, is a more aggresive tool, that can invoke, that is, command or order a certain spirit to do what we want. In this way, the athame involves a more assertive approach
[From Spells8 Witch Wands]
Looking at a staff, it has the graceful appearance of a long wand while also having the ability to be handled as a weapon (both offensive and in self-defense) in the same way as an athame dagger. This is to say: a staff takes both of these properties as a happy middle ground- a staff is an ideal tool for both invoking and evoking.
Aside from being really cool, staffs have their benefits- but it must be said that they may not be well-suited for a witch practicing in a confined space 
Good luck with your staff work, Corey! Blessed be 