Twisted Wood?

[wartec]

I have seen a few walking sticks where the wooden blank was actually twisted to form a unique grain flow. These were later turned on a lathe to complete the project. My question is; does anyone know of any whereabouts for a type of jig to do this on and what would be the best wood to do it with. Any info at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[AlArchie]

Lehman's Harware of Kidron, Ohio sells some twisted walking sticks made by Amish craftsmen in the area. They are said to be made on a specially designed jig. I believe Sears sells a jig that attaches to a router that wuld turn out similar results. The router rides on a double track along the long axis of the stick. As it does, cables attached to the carriage rotate the stick. This lets the router blade cut a spiral path along the stick. Probably wouldn'd be too difficult to make a similar jig large enough to handle walking sticks.

Al

[squbrigg]

Don't know about a jig, but with enough steam, and heat, you can bend just about any wood. Some will take longer and wouldn't bend as much, but others, like Beech, and Mahogany, will bend like spagetti.

I use a guide line of 3 min per 1/32" thickness. Soaking in warm water will work for some but not as well, and though others sweat by using amonia....stay clear of it, it makes no difference to bending, except to your lungs!

Bob