Idea on how to shape this piece

[Seanski]

I found this neat stick that I would like to sand and finish as my walking cane.
Do any of you have similar canes that you could post pic's of that give an
idea of what I could do with mine as far as shaping and finishing?
Also, it's a green piece of wood. How long would you leave it before attempting
any work on it? I live in British Columbia, Canada and it's quite humid here.

Thanks,
Sean

[mateo]

I would not "leave it" at all. I would immediately seal the ends and lay it in a rack to dry. or maybe carve it real fast and then seal it. You are right, very neat stick great potential.

[Seanski]

Mateo,

thanks. what would you use to seal it with? I assume dip the cut ends in ...?

[Marvin Little]

Sean, I make a lot of sticks out of sassafras and dogwood that have similar bark. I scrape off the rough outer bark and sand and clearcoat the inner bark. You will need to shape the handle until it is comfortable in your hand. I would not remove all of the bark until you see what the inner bark looks like with a clearcoat on it . It will look altogether different than the natural bark looks. Let us see what you end up with. Leaving some bark on it will also help to hold down cracks. I use clear waterbased polyuruthane.

Marvin

[mateo]

If its your plan to be patient, then dipping the ends in hot paraffin wax, seems to be the old tried and true method. What kind of wood is it do you know?

[Seanski]

thanks guys appreciate the advice. I am not sure of the wood. We have lots of these bushes growing around the rivers behind my house. Could take a pic of them sometime and post if interested. I will seal with the wax.

thanks,
sean

[Waitpinga Whittler]

G'day mate,

Not sure I can help you with the wood species as I live in Australia and don't know many of your Nth American timbers well. From the rings it looks like a fast growing plant, so its probably fairly soft to carve. The bark reminds me of European Cypress but it usually grows quite a bit bigger than a 'bush'.

I take you're point that you don't want to risk loosing this piece because of its unique shape. I don't know enough about the species you're dealing with to know if sealing it is necessary. There is a guy I know in BC who would know. His name is Rick Wiebe and you can email him your photos and ask him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He is a whittler and stick maker of many years. He's the one that got me started. You can get him at rick@woodcarvingbiz.com

As for how to shape this stick when the time comes, I'd use draw knives to get the rough shape. The rest depends on what kind of finish you are planning on using. I prefer to oil wood rather than paint it with clear varnishes or stains. Oil brings out the luster in the grain much better. But if you go this way, you'll need to sand it very smooth first. If you are planning on carving it, you will have to decide whether to carve first and sand later (avoiding the carved area) or sand first and then carve into the sanded finish. A lot depends on what you decide to carve and how extensively it will cover the stick.

I've attached a couple of photos. The first is a single piece stick. The second is actually 3 pieces but the handle is made from a single piece that was found already bent 90 degrees and shaped and fitted to the jarrah shaft.

[Seanski]

thanks very much for the info. I am very new to this and am not sure if I should seal the ends and let it dry or start peeling the bark and start carving it. I am not going to be putting any faces or such on it I am just going to leave it fairly plain but rounded if you follow me?
I will email your friend and many thanks for the link to see what he might think the wood be.

cheers,
Sean

[dnstehly]

You have a nice piece of stock there Sean. The bark resembles that of hackberry. It's the shape I like to use for my Gator design.

[Seanski]

David,

that is a really nice cane! Would love to be able to carve something similar to that with mine. thanks for the pic. I am looking forward to finding out what kind of wood I have here.

sean