First 100% neander

[Marc Casebolt]

This cane, and another just like it are my first total hand tool projects. these two cane were made for my father for Xmas, and my father in law for his 90th birthday. They are as close to identicle as I could make them, except one is 1 inch shorter for the shorter guy.

Handle is curly cherry, shaft is tiger maple, and the wedges are ebony. The black spot was a worm hole that I filled with an ebony/epoxy mix. Finish is a mixture of tung oil, spar varnish, and turpentine wiped on, about 10 coats, then buffed with wax and 000 steel wool. The cane pictured has been used daily for about 4 months, and the finish is holding up very well so far. The tips are from Lee Valley, and could be better designed, but are working out OK.

Thanks for looking,

Marc

[Marc Casebolt]

one more picture.

Marc

dadscane 010.jpg

[Chris Padilla]

Hi Marc...great looking canes...they look VERY comfortable to hold!

Tell us about the various handtools used! Really...No tails?!

[Marc Casebolt]

Hey Chris,

Yup, no 'lectricity 'cept the lights. For most of the folks on this page this is no great shakes, but I'm happy with the outcome. (I forgot to take pics when I made them, and this is the first I've seen one since then, so that is why the delay in posting pics)

The through mortice was nerve wracking. I just snuck up on the fit till it seemed good. Stuck it together with epoxy.

The shaping of the handle was a trial and error thing where I roughed out the general shape (prior to gluing), and then perfected the final shape by holding it, and marking with chalk any places where I needed to remove material. It was roughly done with a rasp, and then finer files, then sand paper.

The shaft was shaped into the final taper using spoke shaves, and rasps.

All told they didn't take too much time, and it was a great learning experience.

Marc

[Steve Beadle]

Great job on the canes, Marc! I have made but one cane so far (I'm the user), and it works well enough, but I should have worked a little harder on the finish. I've got another one in the works, too. I used myrtlewood for the handle and mahogany for the shaft. Except for rough-cutting with a bandsaw, all the shaping was also done with hand tools. I used a spokeshave, but even more, a block plane and strips of sandpaper. Thanks for the inspiration!

[John Schreiber]

Those are beautiful. Thanks for the extra picture of the joint. I was going to ask about that. The finish is holding up beautifully. There's a certain extra satisfaction about avoiding those electrons.

I agree about the Lee Valley cane tips. I've used two of their styles and they aren't optimal for regular use. (I walk with a stick and put a lot of force into it. ) It's just hard to get durability and elegance out of something which has to be used in all conditions and all circumstances. I'm experimenting with using that model tip and reinforcing it with Shoe Goo. I also have their smaller tip on my "dress" stick and the only good way for me to use it is to put a hardware store chair tip over it.

[Phillip Pattee]

Nice project. You did an excellent job keeping the pole round. Rasps really are wonderful tools. Did you cut the through mortice before you shaped the handle, or after?

[Zahid Naqvi]

Nice work. I have been meaning to make some but never get around to it.

[Marc Casebolt]

Thanks for the comments,

John, I looked around quite a bit before buying the Lee Valley tips, and will keep looking if I ever make another cane. My FIL really leans on his cane, and the tip just rolls over then tears. I bought 10 extra rubber ends and sent them each 5 for future repairs. There is probably a good product out there, and if I find one I'll let you know.

Phillip, the through mortice was made when the handle was still square. It actually steps down in size inside the handle. In other words the shaft is larger where it enters the handle, and smaller where it shows on top with the wedges. That transition is just past the point where the shaft enters the handle. I did this so that I would have more freedom to shape the handle without making the exposed mortice end look goofy. The shoulder of the tennon is actually inside the joint. once all that fit I shaped the bottom part of the handle where they meet, and glued it up. I have never seen this type of joint before, it just kind of came to me, and it worked just fine.

Marc

[David Keller NC]

Guys - I've a suggestion. I've never used a cane (only crutches - the ugly, institutional kind), so I don't have a good feel for the user's requirements for this, but I've an idea. I made a couple of canes as part of Halloween costume request a few years back and (as would be expected for a woodworker), they were way overdone for the purpose. These canes were made of hickory, and the tip was a bronze-tube reinforced wooden tip. Because end-grain hickory is very, very hard, and the bronze sleeve prevents splitting, I would suspect these canes would stand up to quite a bit of abuse.

However, if a softer tip is desired for use, you might consider going to the auto parts store and getting a urethane bushing. These come in a bunch of different sizes and thicknesses, and are often substituted for rubber bushings in the performance/hot-rod market because they're considerably harder and longer-wearing than rubber. Perhaps these would be a good compromise between a wooden end-grain tip and a rubber tip that falls apart too quickly?

[John Schreiber]

However, if a softer tip is desired for use, you might consider going to the auto parts store and getting a urethane bushing. These come in a bunch of different sizes and thicknesses, and are often substituted for rubber bushings in the performance/hot-rod market because they're considerably harder and longer-wearing than rubber. Perhaps these would be a good compromise between a wooden end-grain tip and a rubber tip that falls apart too quickly?

An idea worth exploring.

I'll start another thread on walking stick/cane tips rather than hijack this any further.