Twisted Snake Cane

Lightningbolt · #1 04-03-2005, 03:50 PM

I recently finished this walking cane with a "swamp-thang" snake protruding out of it's hole in search of some human flesh! I started with a hefty piece of red maple which had a short 10" section that had a severely twisted section which had fallen victim to the heavy encroachment of honeysuckle vine so prevalent here in the south.

I've carved a few snakes-on-a-stick in the past but with only a 10" section of twisted wood I just couldn't figure out what to do with it until a friend at work said, "Just have it coming out of a hole". "Well Duhhhhh!!", I said in reply on a Friday afternoon. By Monday I had quite a piece to show off.

I'd say that 90 percent of what I carve is woodspirit and Indian walking sticks so this snake cane was a welcomed change. It stands just a hair over 36" tall and I cut off a 9" section of the same stick just above the twisted area which I shaped into the handle, carving two human fingers in the front, finger grooves on the bottom, and finally a four leaf clover on the back for GOOD LUCK because the user is gonna need some since I named the cane "snakebite"!

When the handle is griped the users thumb fits just perfectly into the mouth of the snake, then the two carved fingers blend in with the rest of the hand just perfectly... thus the name snakebite. I then attached the handle by drilling three triangularly spaced holes, applying a bit of Titebond, then screwing in three 3" dry wall screws, and finally capping the holes with dowel rod plugs. Seems pretty darn strong.

Unfortunately, there is a big flaw with the stick which I challenge some of you animal experts to figure out... a really obvious mistake which I still continue to kick myself over, and to make matters worse it was one of my students in woodshop class that had to point it out for me!!!! Oh, well.

One question: As previously mentioned I carve mostly walking sticks which are usually around 58" tall and I've never put one of those rubber crutch tips on the bottom, just prefering to leave them plain. Now I seem to have entered upon a new category with the shorter canes w/handles and it seems that all of these do have the rubber tips. Does anyone here put these on their sticks and where do you get them?

Hope y'all enjoy.

Carvity_Carve · #2 04-03-2005, 04:14 PM

Unnervingly fun! Though the scales seem to be going the wrong way. Is that the mistake?

Lightningbolt · #3 04-03-2005, 05:34 PM

You are the winner of the grand prize, Carvity: one snakebite kit!

Yep, I burnt those scales on backasswards! But then again, I've never been an anatomically correct carver nor do I want to be. I've always wanted my carving to be a reflection of me and this one REALLY (and literally) hit the nail on the head!!

AlArchie · #4 04-03-2005, 06:15 PM

Nice idea, and nicely done! I'll have to keep that in mind if I find another one of these......they are not too common around here. We're a mite short of vines in the north!

Maybe that's one of those "back-winders" that doesn't care where he's goin', as long as he can see where he's been! (scales on backwards)

Al

Kenny_S · #5 04-03-2005, 06:32 PM

I have found the rubber tips at WallyWorld(Wal-Mart) and lowes in their chair sections. Comes in different sizes and as big as 1 and 1/2" diameter. White, black, brown ones!

Sometimes one gets caught up in the producing and forgets how scales or what have you goes. Mistakes sometimes are what makes the carving or cane. Still a find looking cane for sure. I like it!

Hugh · #6 04-03-2005, 08:15 PM

Thats a neat stick for sure. But I would never feel comfortable putting my finger in that snakes mouth. I don't care if his scales are going the wrong way, that snake looks mean.!!!

carver6 · #7 04-03-2005, 09:25 PM

I'm with you Hugh. It is a neat looking cane but don't really care for snakes. Guess that stems from my Mom and Grandparents attitude of "the only good snake is a dead one". My grandkids play with garter snakes and other harmless ones but they know better than bring one around me. Just can't seem to keep my feet still.

jax · #8 04-03-2005, 10:01 PM

Tips for canes can be found in any pharmacy store or the pharmacy section of any of the "box stores" sizes from 1" up; there are also tips that are made for winter use on icy sidewalks, etc.

Jax.

Lightningbolt · #9 04-04-2005, 05:31 PM

Thanks for all the comments and especially those referring to sources for those rubber cane tips. Can't believe that I've never seen them before in all those stores that I visit on a regular basis, but I've never looked for them before either. I believe they will make my canes more complete.

As for those backward scales (just can't let it go!) ...I recall from my coin collecting years as a kid that the coins which had the worst mint mistakes were the most sought after and sometimes worth tens of thousands of dollars, soooooooooo... just maybe some unkown owner of this stick will profit very handsomely during the 2095 Antiques Road Show! :-)

By the way, my own mother has some of the same eerie feelings about a slithery looking snake on a walking cane and refused to touch it while just barely stealing a glance. And she wasn't even joking around while maintaining her classic stubborn stance as though she were dealing with the real thing! My brother and I still got a good laugh out of her response.

Hugh · #10 04-04-2005, 05:48 PM

My wife, just about 1/2 my size, came at me one day with a huge snake in her hand, it was wrapping around her arm. Well I'll tell ya, when she kept coming, thinking that she was going to make me run. I think I would have decked her if she had put that snake on me. Not really, but I didn't want to run, and in the end she put it down. And still kids me about that big garter snake. And I agree, with the scales put on backward, will definitely make it unique to a collector some day. Very nice stick. No mention of the fingers carved on the stick, there great. The stick is an inspiration. Thanks for posting.