Walking cane info needed please.

[Matt Ranum]

This got a little long so please bear with me.

My folks are getting up there in age, and my mother has been using a cane to help herself around for years now but my dad is another story. He's pushing 80 and very active(until recently) always cutting firewood, on and off tractors, 4 wheelers, etc. but this fall he had such a sudden hip and back pain its laid him up and now he was told just a couple weeks ago its because of cancer. So now after starting treatments he's really having a time getting around and it really pi**es him off. Today he came over and borrowed some wood glue to try and patch up and old cane they had around the house. They live next door.

Now I have been thinking about trying to turn a new cane for my Mom for some time, but feel a sort of an urgency about turning a couple now. I could buy one but my Dad would "cherish" one I made for him. He likes to call me a "master woodworker" and I cringe every time he does it especially when I think of my Uncles and Grandad, but thats just being a proud Dad.

So, having never turned anything thin and long, can I get some advice on designs or jigs needed? Would I need to make a steady rest? Material I have on hand is 4/4 QSWO, 4/4 Maple, some of it curly, and 5/4 Walnut. Any draw backs to these woods? My lathe is an old 10ER Shopsmith with face plates and a spur drive but no chuck, yet anyway.


This stuff is just hitting too close to home. 1/2 mile to the west of me is a neighbor who is battling brain cancer, 1/2 mile to the east is another friend with breast cancer and now my Dad. Makes me wonder if we should stop drinking the water or something.

Sorry for being so long winded.

[Ted Calver]

Matt...very sorry to hear your dad is having to slow down. I haven't turned any canes, but would expect a spindle steady would be important. Those woods should do just fine and you can find reasonably priced exotic cane blanks on the web...Gilmerwood dot comes to mind. In addition to turning a cane you might consider something a little more rustic. I have made several successful rustic canes from sturdy tree branches that had handle shaped side branches. You can strip the bark off in decorative patterns, use a wood burner to texture, add color and generally pimp them out in a creative folk artsy way. Just another thought.

[Baxter Smith]

Sorry about your parents declining health. woodturnerscatalog.com has walking stick kits that you can put together. I made one for my Dad a few years ago. You only have to turn shorter pieces then the sections screw together. The greatest strength would come from the oak, then maple. Try pick a piece with the straightest grain possible then follow the grain along the entire length. Good luck.

[Richard Madison]

Matt,
Only slightly long winded and in a good cause, so no apology needed. Probably any of your 4/4 woods will suffice for the straight portion of a cane, but would favor the oak or maple. Use a straight grained piece with no defects. You will want to build a steady rest. Might want to measure the diameters/taper of cane in present service for reference. Others will follow here with better advice, and especially about the handle to cane joining method. Best wishes for your project and your Dad.

[Matt Ranum]

Appreciate the quick responses and I will check out the links. I had another thought. Is it possible to bend a handle? Rather than a "T" style? The traditional "T" style might be more supportive though.

[Matt Ranum]

Sorry about your parents declining health. woodturnerscatalog.com has walking stick kits that you can put together. I made one for my Dad a few years ago. You only have to turn shorter pieces then the sections screw together. The greatest strength would come from the oak, then maple. Try pick a piece with the straightest grain possible then follow the grain along the entire length. Good luck.

Baxter-
Is this similar to what you made?

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/st...g_sticks?Args=

[Richard Madison]

Matt, Having used a traditional steam bent cane some years ago (broken foot bone), can suggest that the "T" handle might be a better choice. It would place the load more directly over the tip of the cane (easier to use), and more nearly place the handle-to-cane joint in direct compression with minimal bending load (easier on the handle/cane joint).

[Curt Fuller]

Matt, coincidentally, I just turned a cane for my 80 year old mom too. Mine is definitely a first attempt and I learned much in the process for the next go around. I did mine without a steady rest but I think a steady would have helped greatly. I would suggest you work from the right to left, leaving the blank square except for the 6-8" portion you're working on. I rounded the entire blank to start and it took just enough of the stiffness out of the blank to allow it to want to wobble and chatter. That made it almost impossible to get a smooth cut, so I had to sand more than I like to sand. I also turned mine from somewhat green Gambel Oak and it has warped a little since I turned it. It might have even been warping while I was turning it, causing some of the wobble. I found replacement rubber tips in the pharmacy section at Shopko, 7/8" diameter worked well for me.

[Robert McGowen]

Hi, I am sorry to hear about your dad's problems. I happened to have had a total knee replacement last year and being a turner, I made myself a cane before surgery. I also made a friend a cane that had the same surgery just a couple of weeks before me. I ended up making 3 canes total.

The first cane I made was using the kit from Craft Supplies. It was fairly easy to make, but the joint pieces are really small (means the cane was very thin) and the rubber tip was tiny. I was not to sure about it and told my friend to be careful with it. It took about 2 days before it broke clean in half at one of the joints. It went into the garbage.

The second cane was made from a solid piece of wood, plus the handle. It turned out very nice. I just used a simple T-shape with a straight across handle connected to the cane. My friend (290 lbs.) used it with no problems.

The third cane I made that week was for me. It might seem normal making a cane for your father, but try making one for yourself knowing that you will need it in a couple of months, but won't be able to stand up to make yourself one then! By then I had learned a couple of things.

Go to Home Depot or a similar place and get a chair leg tip. You can get them in various diameters, usually 4 to a pack for a couple of bucks. My local store had beige ones and black ones.

Drill a 1/4" hole in the end of your blank. You will use this hole later to screw in a bit of all-thread or a cut-off bolt. Put the tailstock center cone in the hole and use your spur on the opposite end to turn it with. (I used a chuck to grasp it with, but you said that you did not have one.) This way the handle mounting hole will be in the exact center of end. The end with the spur drive marks will have the tip over it, so they will not show. Turn the tip of the cane first and make sure that the tip fits. Then just work your way to the handle end. I wanted the cane really straight and smooth, so I got it close with my gouge. I then got a sandpaper holder that holds a quarter sheet of paper and is designed to sand sheetrock. I ran this up and down the length of the shaft and it worked great getting out any bumps or irregular spots and smoothing things out. You are now finished with the shaft. Take the wood for your handle. Use a forstner bit to drill a shallow hole the diameter of the end of the shaft. Then drill a 1/4" hole in the middle depression left by the forstner bit. (It is a lot easier to do this while your wood is still square.) Turn your handle to whatever shape you desire. I turned half of it round and then reset it a little off-center and then turned the other half, which put a little bend in the handle and made it much more interesting. Screw the all-thread into the cane end and then screw on the handle. I used expoxy on the joint also, as I had mixed some up to use on the rubber tip anyway.

You should have about $3 and some time in a very nice cane this way.

The only bad news is that in my honest opinion, 4/4 is way too small to start with. Your dad sounds like he is really going to use this and probably be pretty rough with it, so I would try to end up around 1 - 1.25" in diameter. If you start with 4/4 wood, you probably are going to end up with 3/4" or less in diameter for the finished product. Some people may think that this is enough, but I actually used the cane for quite a while and I would disagree with them.

You said you had a long post, so here is the long answer. Good luck with your project and with your father!

[Pat Zabrocki]

My parents are both in their early eighties and mom isn't moving around too well. I turned a cane for her a couple years ago. I used the brass fittings from Craft Supply IIRC. The blank was honduran rosewood and it turned out looking great. I thought about ebony but strangely, ebony when done well, is hard to tell that its really wood sometimes. I used a steady rest.

One thing to consider is to make sure that it fits just right. A can is not really a one size (height) fits all. Mom hurt her knee and was going through physical therapy at the time so I was able to get the exact measurement for what was best for her.

Good luck with your project, I'm sure your dad will love it.
Take care,
Pat

[Baxter Smith]

Yes it is. Suggested it because I thought it might be the fastest way. Depending on shipping!

Take Care,
Baxter

[John Keeton]

I have never made a cane, but years ago thought carving one would be fun. I bought a couple of brass harness hames to use, and still have them. Depending on what you do, you may want to consider those for a handle. I always felt they would add some heft to a cane, and may provide a bit of self defense should the need arise!

Plain hame balls are available, as well, and do not have the curve in them.

Not sure of the comfort situation, and that may preclude this idea.
HARNESS HAME.bmp

[Thom Sturgill]

I turned a cane for myself and another for my son. If you look at the craft supplies page (or Lee Valley, or several others) you can also buy just the handle and tip.
I will agree with the oak and maple as the best woods. Walnut tends to be too brittle and you do not want your parents falling because of a broken cane!
The handle kit mentioned above calls for a 1" tenon, so I also agree that the 4/4 lumber may not be quite thick enough, Make sure that whatever you get that the grain runs straight the length of the cane. There are plans available for simple spindle steadies that should not be too hard to build.

I happen to like the tip sold by several vendors over the chair leg grips or cane tips sold at most pharmacies. It includes a spike for walking on ice.

[charlie knighton]

sorry to hear about people's health

i watched a rotation by Allan Batty for canes and bought Bill Bowers book on spirls

my biggest question now is how long, each cane really needs to be customed fitted for lenght for the user.....

upsidedown L shaped handles are difficult to make strong enough, a ball or
T shaped handle is more robust

i used an oak dowel from local big box store, rubber tip found at another big box store

[robert hainstock]

A few years ago I turned several canes. They were made from several differant straight grained hardwoods. All were turned from 4/4 stock WO benefit of a steady rest, (nice but not absolutely necessary. I found through personal use, that the correct length for me was from the floor to the wrist/arm joint. On me that is a 34 1/2 in length. I am six one. Every one is differant, and I'm sure there are other opinions, But this is what works for me. I have had both hip joints replaced, and have personal expierence with canes.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
every one

Bob