Canes

[fstepanski]

Here are some images of canes my the Capital Area Woodturners have made. This is our first batch, we have turned out many more since this initial showing.

I made the bat w/ball complete with "USA" vice slugger emblem and the cherry to the far right in top pic.

If anyone is interested in participating the Eagle Cane Project, which is really a national level event you can check out http://www.eowca.com/cane.html

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'll check out the website. Those are very interesting. I have two questions: are the eagle heads individually hand-carved or are they resin castings? Did you use conventional lathes to turn the canes? I have tried to turn one-piece canes without success. Even using a center steady rest, the long slim pieces were just too 'whippy' for turning. At least in my experience. I like what you have done and will be looking at the web site soon.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I took a look at the website. Very interesting. The carvings appear to be duplicated. That would make the whole project more efficient. Resin castings might be another consideration. There really wasn't an explanation of how the actual cane is made except for top dimensions. I think any local club would have to consider using couplers instead of turning as one piece. That's just IMHO. The canes I have made for myself ended up being done with a drawknife. A 30" to 36" slender piece of wood is just too flexible for proper turning. I'll forward the link to the president of my woodturning club. We also have an excellent carving club in the community. If you don't mind, I'm going to put the link on a woodworking forum I belong to as well.

 

[carverken]

The heads are individually carved and the shafts turned. The shafts are one piece. While a member of both the carvers and the turners time constraints have prevented me from participation so far. I am looking to do the carving in the next month.
K

 

[fstepanski]

Yep, each Eagle head is individually carved, a skill I do not have, hence our excellent teaming arrangement with the Woodcarvers..

Turning long and thin was and still is a learning curve for me.. I initially started at the head stock with the top of the cane, working my way to the bottom and the tail stock. Have discovered starting at the tail stock, with the cane top and working my towards the headstock provides a more stable situation. SHARP tools, I sharpen a bit more often, turn with a combination of roughing/Continental spindle gouge and a diamond honed skew. Works out pretty good. We have one member who can turn an entire cane without use of a steady rest.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by fstepanski
<br />Yep, each Eagle head is individually carved, a skill I do not have, hence our excellent teaming arrangement with the Woodcarvers..

Turning long and thin was and still is a learning curve for me.. I initially started at the head stock with the top of the cane, working my way to the bottom and the tail stock. Have discovered starting at the tail stock, with the cane top and working my towards the headstock provides a more stable situation. SHARP tools, I sharpen a bit more often, turn with a combination of roughing/Continental spindle gouge and a diamond honed skew. Works out pretty good. We have one member who can turn an entire cane without use of a steady rest.

A tip of the hat to those who can turn a cane. My wood was hickory, which is kinda flexible and 'whippy'. I can identify two there, maple and walnut that might not be as flexy. I'll have to revist this challenge. Although, I want my personal canes (don't need yet, planning ahead) to be very strong, like hickory or Osage Orange provide. Still a challenge to turn.

 

[underdog]

Frank,

Any wood when you get it out that long and thin is "flexible and whippy". Pretty much need a steady rest of some sort for this kind of work...

Nice canes.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by underdog
<br />Frank,

Any wood when you get it out that long and thin is "flexible and whippy". Pretty much need a steady rest of some sort for this kind of work...

Nice canes.

As I said in my first post, even with a center steady, I didn't have success. Hickory is the only wood I have tried for this type of project. It is kinda fibrous and is very flexy. Maybe a tighter grain, less flexy wood would turn better. But hickory is strong and that is what I want for my personal canes. Maybe I should explain. As a senior gent, I'm determined to not be a crime victim. At least not without a fight. My 'New Orleans' cane, as I call it, is almost 1" diameter hickory with a solid brass horse harness hame at the end. Very stout and potentially very damaging if applied with force to the skull or other parts of the anatomy. I want to make another from Osage Orange but haven't found a long, straight section of OO yet to do that with.