Make Your Own Walking Sticks

Charles Self is the director of the National Association of Home and Workshop Writers. His articles have been featured in numerous publications, including Popular Woodworking, Remodeling News and Woodworker's Journal. He is the author of Cabinets and Countertops, The Insider's Guide to Buying Tools, and Making Fancy Birdhouse Feeders.

• INTRODUCTION: A FEW GOOD STICKS.....viii GALLERY: ALBERT LeCOFF'S RACK OF CANES.......1 PART 1: GETTING STARTED.......11 Woods for Walking Sticks, Canes, and Staffs...13 Wood species...14 Purchasing wood...15 Using found wood...15 Harvesting roots...15 A Stick Maker's Guide to Hardwoods...16 Storing wood...24 Bending wood...24 Sizing walking sticks and canes...25 Adhesives, Hardware, and Fasteners...27 Clamps...31 Mechanical fasteners...34 Tools for Walking Sticks, Canes, and Staffs...41 Measuring tools...42 Hand tools...44 Power tools...50 Eye, hearing and lung safety...55 Finishes for Walking Sticks, canes, and Staffs...57 The finishing process...58 PART 2: WALKING STICK, CANE AND STAFF PROJECTS.....65 Flat Walking Sticks...67 Flat Walking Stick in White Oak...68 Flat Walking Stick in Sycamore...70 Flat Walking Stick in Sycamore with Hame Ball...72 Flat Walking Stick in Mesquite...74 Bark-On Sticks and Canes...77 Pine Branch Cane...78 Maple Stick...80 Sumac Stick...82 Willow Sticks...85 Willow Stick with Natural Hoof Handle...86 Willow Stick with Ball Handle...90 Patterns for Carved sticks, Canes and Staffs...93 Turned Walking Sticks...109 Cherry Walking Stick and Camera Stand...110 Two-Piece Cherry Cane...116 Cherry and Rosewood-Handled Cane...122 Sassafras and Mesquite Two-Piece Cane...126 Sassafras Cane with One-Piece Shaft...130 Laminated Canes...135 Laminated Cherry and Oak Cane...136 INDEX AND RESOURCES...141

Large, clear photos are linked to excellent explanatory text in this beautiful book on walking sticks, canes and staffs. Fifteen individual projects are described step by step, from a simple pine branch to flat walking sticks to carved patterns from Lora S. Irish. Directions are also given for a laminated, bent-handled cane. Self describes sevral different kinds of screw fasteners for joining canes and staffs made in sections, and covers what hardware is available, from screw-on handles to hame knobs. He even suggests decorative hardware from found items such as upholstery tacks or brass jacket buttons. Many of the canes represented are lathe-turned, but others are made from sticks with bark remaining, or root pieces selected for bent handles. The author goes into detail about tools needed for shaping and sanding, and is careful to discuss tools, adhesives, and safety-related issues. One section is devoted to sample color swatches of forty different hardwoods with their range of availability, relative cost, and workability. It would be nice to know you can acquire a wood locally, look it up in Mr. Self's list to see its grain and color patterns, then read about its durability and how well is stands up to drying and carving. A great feature of this book is a gallery presentation of the cane collection of Albert LeCoff, founder of The Woodturning Center in Philadelphia. The canes were gifts from accomplished woodturners, in appreciation of Mr. LeCoff's contribution to the field. Many are quite imaginative, and an inspiration to lead into the various projects.