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I just finished this one this morning. It's a one piece cane made out of an alder sapling with the root as the handle. I added a leather lanyard with a couple home made matching alder beads. Not a lot of wood working in this one. Basically just a little file and sandpaper work to clean up the cuts. I think the hardest part of making this kind of cane is finding the right sapling then waiting for it to cure. Still, it's a fun style to make.
It's finished with several coats of Tung oil and buffed with paste wax.
Thanks for looking,
Rodney

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Another great cane! I like the strap and beads. Your hardest part is my easiest part - I grow the saplings in the size and shape I want. My hardest part is waiting for them to cure. I currently have 30 on my drying rack, hoping to get a start on them this summer. How long do you keep yours on the drying rack before you start working them?

Thanks for posting.
 

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I aim for a year but am rarely successful. The rule of thumb is a year per inch of thickness but everyone's conditions are different so that can vary. This one was picked last fall so it got about 6 or 7 months of drying time. I really underestimated how many I need for this year. I'll most likely run out before the end of the year and certainly will before any new ones are ready. I'm going to harvest a lot more than I have in the past this year so I can build up a good stock of dry ones.

How do you shape the saplings?
Rodney
 

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Very well done. I am still hoping for a decade or so before I actually need one though.
 

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I shape my saplings using techniques adapted from bonsai, topiary, and espalier techniques - bending shaping and pruning to get them to grow in the desired shape. Patience is a virtue. LOL

Take care,

John
 

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I don't have the room to grow my own but the almost total control you have must be fun and interesting. Have you looked at makhilas(sp?)? They're a type of walking stick with a spear tip inside made by the Basques IIRC. They will scar the bark in decorative patterns while the saplings they make them from are growing.

Patience is one virtue I have a short supply of. Just waiting for my sticks to cure is bad enough.

Thanks for all the kind words guys.
Rodney
 
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