Cane Topper Woodcarving E-Book

Lora S. Irish

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 146

Beschreibung

Discover how to create unique and beautiful canes that will be treasured as useful works of art! Legendary carving artist Lora S. Irish introduces you to all of the essential components and techniques of cane topper carving in this comprehensive guide. Chock full of important tips and tricks, Cane Topper Woodcarving will teach you how to take full advantage of this fun and rewarding carving genre. With step-by-step projects, ready-to-use patterns, and beautiful color photographs, Lora provides expert advice on sourcing, carving, joinery, finishing, customization, and more.Inside Cane Topper Woodcarving you'll find:- Expert advice on carving expressive cane toppers from basswood blocks.- Guide to basic cane construction techniques.- 4 detailed step-by-step tutorials for creating expressive canes.- 6 joinery methods for strong and durable joints between cane topper and staff.- How to source and prepare staffs from found wood.- Tips for adding joint covers, hand grips, and custom features.

Leseprobe

Acknowledgements

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to Chris Reggio, Bud Sperry, Colleen Dorsey, and Christopher Morrison for their excellent work in the creation, development, and refinement of this manuscript. As an author, it is a wonderful experience to be working with such a well-skilled team.

© 2018 by Lora S. Irish and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Cane Topper Woodcarving is an original work, first published in 2018 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc. The patterns contained herein are copyrighted by the author. Readers may make copies of these patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law.

INFORMATION: All rights reserved. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied.

WARNING: Due to the components used in these crafts, children should not have access to materials or supplies without adult supervision. Under rare circumstances components of products could cause serious or fatal injury. Please read all safety warnings for the products being used. Neither Fox Chapel Publishing, the product manufacturer, or the supplier is responsible.

NOTE: The use of products and trademark names is for informational purposes only, with no intention of infringement upon those trademarks.

Print ISBN 978-1-56523-959-3eISBN 978-1-60765-534-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Irish, Lora S., author.

Title: Cane topper woodcarving / Lora S. Irish.

Description: Mount Joy : Fox Chapel Publishing, 2018. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018031758 | ISBN 9781565239593 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Wood-carving. | Staffs (Sticks, canes, etc.)

Classification: LCC TT199.7 .I7447 2018 | DDC 736/.4--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018031758

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free

800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

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For a printable PDF of the patterns used in this book, please contact Fox Chapel Publishing at [email protected], with 9781565239593 and Cane Topper Woodcarving in the subject line.

Introduction

I love woodcarving. I love the feel of the wood in my hands and the movement of a crisply sharp tool working through the grain. Woodcarving is a hobby that encompasses all forms of designs, themes, and art styles.

But as an avid crafter and hobbyist, I also want an art form that does not take me away from my family. The carving projects that I work are primarily designs that I can create in my home, at my studio table, or in my lap during the evening hours as I join my family around the TV, watching a favorite movie.

Working a decorative carving directly into a 5-foot (155cm)–long walking stick means that I need a large, open space in which to move, turn, and twist the staff. By dividing the cane into small sections—the cane topper, the joint, the joint cover, and the staff—I can carve and construct a cane anywhere and in just about any space, including in the living room or on my back porch.

Working in sections also lets me mix different woods with different assets in one design. I can carve the decorative topper in basswood, which is a fine-grained, white-colored wood that carves easily, and then attach that carving to a hardwood walnut dowel, which will give my stick the strength it needs to act as a hiking stick.

For all these reasons, cane toppers truly give me everything that I want as a woodcarver—the choice of any theme that I can imagine, the ability to work in any location that I want, and the option to incorporate the strongest assets of the woods available to me.

Throughout this book, you will learn how you, too, can take advantage of this fun and rewarding carving genre. I have no doubt that there will be many cozy carving evenings in your future.

Disclaimer

Hand-carved canes, walking sticks, and hiking sticks are meant to be used; they are far more than just decorative items. Throughout this book, we will work together to create our walking sticks with as strong and durable a joint between the cane topper and the staff as possible, which will allow the finished canes to bring decades of joy to their owners.

However, the projects and teachings in this book are not meant in any manner to be a substitute for or to represent a medically necessary walking-assistance device. Anyone who needs a cane for physical support should consult his or her doctor and follow the doctor’s recommendations for the specific type and style of cane needed.

Contents

Chapter 1: Staffs

Harvesting Staffs

Common Tree Species

Preparing a Staff

Chapter 2: Joinery

Joinery Basics

Hardware Joint Options

Working with Bamboo

Easy Tape Clamp

Chapter 3: Joint Covers

Wrapping Basics

Simple Leather Grip Wrapping

Cord Wrapping

Lanyard Wrapping

More Joint Ideas

Chapter 4: Extras

“What If” Bags

Pipes

Additional Wood

Wire Elements

Cane Tips

Personalized Grips

Chapter 5: Topper Carving Basics

Getting Started

Knives

Basic Cuts

Wood Grain Direction

Finishing

Planning Your Cane

Chapter 6: Projects

GI Joe Mushroom Topper: Carving the Planes of the Face

Wood Spirit Topper

Tiki Topper

Twistie Snake Topper

Bonus Projects

Chapter 7: Patterns

Project Patterns

Additional Patterns

About the Author

Chapter 1: Staffs

You may not actually carve it, but the staff portion of any cane or walking stick is a very important aspect of the piece. A beautiful, expertly done topper carving doesn’t do much good if it isn’t serving as the top of something useful! In this section, we will explore the best ways to source and prepare staffs, the various kinds of wood to consider harvesting for staffs, and the many ways you can treat staffs. You’ll soon see that there is a world of possibilities out there just to do with staffs.

Harvesting Staffs

Autumn is my favorite time to harvest the year’s crop of walking stick wood. The leaves are changing and beginning to fall, which makes finding and identifying the different tree species easier. The sap in the trunks has begun to drop, so the drying time is less than it would be for a spring-cut sapling. But you can harvest at any time during the year, especially if there are downed trees because of storm damage or if you are doing yard work and pruning. Let’s look at some tips and ideas for how to harvest, store, and dry walking stick wood.

Harvesting from Your Landscaped Yard

• If you have a landscaped yard, you may have several tree and shrub species that will work wonderfully for walking sticks and canes. Maple, oak, and elm are common landscaping trees that can provide long, straight branches. Winged euonymus (burning bush), rhododendron, crepe myrtle, and bamboo are common yard cultivars that provide great stick material.

• If you are taking prunings, learn how to properly cut the branch and seal the wound to prevent damage and disease to your trees. There are many books and online articles on this subject.

• Storm damage can provide a vast amount of walking stick material, but please make sure you are safe from downed electrical wires before cutting any branches.

• Your local county may have an area set aside for dumping landscaping trimmings at the local landfill. Often you can find great branches there that have been discarded by other homeowners and which are free for the taking.

Harvesting in the Wild/on Others’ Property

• Before you begin harvesting along any roadside, open field, or wooded lot, get the permission of the landowner before entering the property. Even if the tree saplings that you want to harvest are on the road side of a fence line, the landowner’s property rights extend to the centerline of the road in many jurisdictions. You can avoid a lot of problems by simply asking permission before you cut.

• When you speak with landowners, tell them what you intend to do with the sticks, how many you hope to harvest, and what particular types of trees you want to harvest. I ask the owners for suggestions as to where I might cut on their land and which areas they want me to avoid. Some property owners will allow you to cut specific species but want to protect others from harvest—they may allow you to cut oak, maple, and black locust but not want you to cut any sassafras or dogwood, for example.

• If you harvest wood from someone’s lot where you have not cut before, you might want to take along a finished stick as a gift to the owner. A stick in hand is worth 25 or more small saplings, and happy, satisfied landowners will let you harvest on their land year after year.

• Always let someone know where you will be harvesting. Map out the territory and give a time estimate of when you will be returning home. Take your cell phone with you. Accidents can happen, so be prepared!

• Take a small camp shovel with you to dig out the root systems for briar roses, sassafras, and dogwoods. The bulbous root nodes make wonderful stick handles. Remember to backfill any hole that you dig.

• Take along a folding camp saw for branch harvesting. They are lighter to carry than large pruners. Small hand clippers and a good pocketknife are excellent for cleaning the side branches from the main walking stick. Lightweight nylon cord can be used to bundle your sticks and to make a carrying handle to get your harvest back to your car.

• Know the sport hunting laws and timetables for your region. I never harvest after November 1, because in my area that is deer hunting season, which includes bow, black powder, and shotgun. Late September through October 30 is when I do my stick harvesting.

Storage and Drying

When it comes to storage and drying, walking stick carvers tend to have their own personal techniques. If you belong to a carving club or have access to online message boards for your region, take the time to ask your local carvers what works best for them. They know your climate and your tree species, so their advice is well worth discovering.

As a general rule of thumb, fresh-cut wood is dried for one year for each 1" (2.5cm) of thickness. This means that a 4" (10cm) slab of newly cut wood will take about four years to properly dry for woodworking. But since we are working with cut branches that are usually 2" (5cm) or less in diameter, most cut sticks only need about six weeks before they are ready to work as green wood sticks. Because we are cutting our staffs in the fall and winter seasons, the sap content tends to be lower in the tree than it would be during warm weather. Your fall-cut sticks have less sap and moisture that needs to escape from the wood. The moisture also has less wood surface from which to escape, so small-width sticks dry to a working moisture level quicker than larger, thicker sticks. Walking stick saplings cut in the early fall are well ready to work by the beginning of the new year. These green wood–worked sticks will continue to dry over time after you have created your walking stick without affecting your connecting joints.

I bundle my sticks in groups of 10 to 12 using¼" (0.5cm) nylon rope. The rope is looped around the wide end—the root end—of the stick, with the rope ends tied into a hanging loop. The group is then hung from the rafters of an unheated shed or under the outside roof overhang of the shed. I allow about 6" (15cm) to 8" (20.5cm) of space between groups for air circulation. This keeps the sticks out of direct sunlight and rain.

Common Tree Species

Autumn is the traditional time of the year to harvest tree saplings, branches, and twistie sticks for cane and walking stick carving. As the leaves change color and begin to drop, the branches and trunks of the available saplings become more visible. The sap in the tree’s vascular system is dropping, which aids in drying. During one morning’s walk through my yard, I found thirteen favorite tree saplings and cultivar branches that could be used in walking stick woodcarving.

Hickory(Carya tomentosa)

This extremely dense hardwood is perfect for small walking sticks and canes. It is commonly used for tool handles, wheel spokes, golf club shafts, and canoe paddles because of its strength. Hickory grows in the eastern half of North America, and is often found in association with oak and maple forests. The sample shown here is actually Carya cordiformis, commonly called bitternut hickory, swamp hickory, or pecan hickory. Hickory is a major food source for the luna moth.

Hickory has a medium-gray coloring with light texture. Pale white and light green spotting is common in the older growth areas of the bark. Look along the edge of the wood line and forest for this particular tree.

Black Walnut(Juglans nigra)

Traditionally this hardwood is used for gun stocks, furniture, and flooring, and its nuts are also edible. Walnut hulls have been used to create writing ink and dyes. Growing from the east coast through Midwestern sections of the United States, it was introduced to Europe as a cultivated species in 1629. It is a pioneer species, along with black cherry and silver maple, populating open fields and wetlands in advance of larger forest growth.

Often called weed trees, black walnuts grow quickly. A two-year-old seedling can stand 6 feet (1.8m) to 8 feet (2.4m) tall and have a base diameter of 1 ½" (3.8cm), the perfect size for a cane stick. The sample shown here is an eastern black walnut, whose highly textured back has a reddish-brown coloration.

English Walnut(Juglans regia)

Also called Persian walnut, white walnut, Old World walnut, and California walnut, these trees are native to the Balkans, eastward into the Himalayas, and in southwest China. Its wide distribution throughout the world is due to its easy cultivation and harvest for its nuts. In the fourth century, English walnut was introduced to Macedonia by Alexander the Great. It has a very smooth, pale gray bark and can attain heights of up to 100 feet (30m). It is used for gun stocks, furniture, guitars, and veneer.

Oak(Quercus sp.)

There are approximately 600 extant species of oak, which is a common tree in most of the northern hemisphere. The United States has nearly 90 native species, which are commonly found in large forest stands and in home landscaping. This is major furniture wood and is used in timber-framed buildings and ship construction. Oak bark, rich in tannin, is used in tanning leathers.

The sample shown here is a species of white oak, and happens to be the state tree of Maryland. White oak has a medium-gray coloration with large white spottings. Lichen and moss are often found growing on the branches. The texture of oak changes dramatically depending on the age of the branch. All oak bark has some rough texture, and as the tree ages, the bark develops troughs and ridges that can be up to ½" (1.5cm) in depth.

Oak is an extremely dense hardwood, which gives it the strength needed for quality walking sticks. However, because oak tends to branch quickly and at a young age, you seldom find long, straight trunks. Note in the sample photo that this four- to five-year-old sapling already has several angles in its main trunk.

Red Cedar(Juniperus virginiana)

Red cedar is not a true cedar, even though that is its common name. Eastern red cedar, pencil cedar, and aromatic cedar are all part of the juniper family. This slow-growing hardwood prefers poor, dry soil conditions and is found throughout the eastern United States. It is a pioneer species, taking root in open fields and surrounding abandoned buildings.

Because of its purple-red heartwood, cedar is often used for decorative woodworking and furniture, such as in cedar chests or cedar closets. At one time, this species was a common fence post wood. Cedar can have a high sap content and may need extra drying time before use.

My list of favorite staff species is based on trees and hardy shrubs that grow on the East Coast of the United States. Some of these may not be available in your area. For ideas and suggestions for common tree species in your area, I suggest that you explore the website for your local Agriculture Extension Office or Department of Forestry, or do an Internet search for native trees in your location.

Sassafras(Sassafras albidum)

This small deciduous tree, which grows 30 feet (9m) to 50 feet (15m) tall, is native to eastern North America and eastern Asia. The bark of the new branches has a smooth, mid-gray colored texture during its early growth, with the trunk and older branches having a deeply furrowed, red-brown colored bark.

Because of the small size of this tree, it is not a common furniture or woodworking wood. Instead, it is used in creating essential oils for perfume and soaps, as well as acting as the primary ingredient in root beer.