Custom Fancy Ladies Cane #051: Manzanita Burl, Tiger/Flame Maple & Purpleheart

mmh, Nice work. Do you have something to add strenght where the three woods meet? You don’t just glue end grains, do you?

BTW, You have a puncuation mark on the end of the first link causing it not to work.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Thanks I fixed the links and added info on the dowels.

Between using the hardwoods, dowels and epoxy, this should keep everything together for a few generations.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

Nice looking cane mmh.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

Another elegant, graceful and beautiful cane. Thanks for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

Absolutely Elegant, mmh!

-- FritzFratz, 'Boji, IA

That looks VERY comfortable to hold in the hand. I like the color combination of the woods and it is an overall striking piece. I get envious of some of the wood you are working with, wanna share your source?? :-)

Beautiful! I love the wood combination.

-- Dennis Zongker

Another gorgeous, functional work of art!

Does the grain, in burl, become so entwined that there is plenty of strength even though it appears to be running the “wrong” way? I have never made anything from burled wood so, to me, the vertical appearance of the grain- in the handle- would seem to be opposite to the “standard” direction.

Lew

Another beautiful cane, nice

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Lew: Yes, the grain in burl is “entwined” and there is no one direction to follow, giving it superior strength to straight grained woods. Also, Manzanita is a hard, very dense wood. The grain is very fine and makes working with it a pleasure as although it’s a hardwood, there’s less friction from the grain. Compared to the coarse grain of oak, there is less friction as you change direction. I do spend time filling the gaps and voids, but this is the nature of the wood that I’m willing to deal with.

Depending on the type of wood and the pattern of the burl does also determine the workability and durability. You need to keep to a dense, hard wood and grain. Sometimes a piece can pop off if it is weak and shallow. Some Maple Burl can sometimes be too soft and porous but saturating/penetrating it with glue can help. I stay away from something that weak.

The Madrone cane, #046 is more porous of a burl, but it still has good strength. I also made this handle quite hefty to match the wood’s characteristics.

I have a nice little stash of woods so I can select from various color, grain, hardness and the combinations right now are endless. I hunt around for anything unusual that I could use and grab it when I see it. I found a nice piece of quarter sawn Bocote at the woodworkers show in Chantilly, VA. . It has an interesting, fine pattern that makes it almost look like a textile.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

I get my woods from all over. Write me a note as to which one you’re looking at and I’ll research the source. I have purchased some really nice woods from Spacitywoods, they are advertising here. Most of his woods are green but he has a nice selection of exotics and also has sales.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe