how to draw a spiral on a walking stick

[SeaLeveler]

I just use masking tape.Use 1/2", 3/4", 1" or 2"tape,depends on the width of spirals you want.I adjust the angle of the tape until it runs around the cane and leaves a 1/16 space between the tape.
Tony

[sashadoc]

Thanks Watereerat.
The nice thing about this forum is reading about someone else's questions and finding numerous solutions to your own "unasked" questions. I use spirals a lot and the answers you received will make my layouts easier!

Tim

[watereerat]

For all those who helped, here's a pic of the cane with the spirals. As you can see, the wood in this stick is fairly plain and very light in color. It was given to me by a friend after I returned from Townsend with my first "curly stick" cane. I was working on the bearhead handle by then and it fit nicely on this stick, but I felt the stick needed dressing up a little. Since I'm new to woodcarving and really new to canes, I felt comfortable experimenting on yet another project that will reside in my closet.

I finally ended up making my spirals with copper foil tape I had on hand (designed for use with stained glass). It probably took longer to lay out than using paper, but the tape stuck to the wood nicely and also peeled off nicely after I marked the lines. It was easier to use than painter's tape because copper foil tape has a paper backing I could just remove as I worked my way down the cane. The tape is also very narrow, which allows for tight turns. Obviously, I didn't do any exact measuring so my spirals are not on an exact straight line. I was told by an art instructor long ago, "there are no straight lines in Nature," so I'm excusing my oversight with that pearl of wisdom.

You can't see it in the pic, but this stick has a knot about 3/4s of the way down and a fairly sharp bend after the knot. The tape wrapped nicely around that joint; I wasn't sure paper would make the turn as well.

Because I'm truly lazy, I considered buying some scrapbooking tape with double lines, but that would mean driving 30 miles to the nearest town. Fortunately, my crafts closet is full of goodies I use for all sorts of stuff that most of it was not specifically designed for (sorry about the dangling participle, Sis).

Next time, though, I'll try the paper route. Maybe.

Thanks again for all the help with this question. Y'all are the BEST!
Jacki

[toycarver]

It came together very well. Nice job!