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A Lady's Fancy Dress-Up Walking Cane, with Handcarved Red Long-Stem Roses

Project by Mark A. DeCou posted 213 days ago 1516 views 0 times favorited 23 comments Add to Favorites
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Mark A. DeCou

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A Lady's Fancy Dress-Up Walking Cane, with Handcarved Red Long-Stem Roses A Lady's Fancy Dress-Up Walking Cane, with Handcarved Red Long-Stem Roses A Lady's Fancy Dress-Up Walking Cane, with Handcarved Red Long-Stem Roses Click the pictures to enlarge them

This cane has been “SOLD”.

To see more of my canes, go to the bottom of this page, where I have more than 40 links to other Walking Canes listed.

If you would like to custom order something similar, please email me and we can discuss what you would like and the cost.

email: mark@decoustudio.com

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Project Story:

When I make something to show in a gallery, or store, or art show, I make something I like, and hope that others will also. Since I’m a guy, they sort of look like “guy” canes, at least that is what I have been told. There have been a lot of ladies that have purchased them, but I have also found that many other ladies have turned away, thinking that they were too “masculine” looking for their tastes.

A couple of weeks ago a very nice lady called me asking for me to build her a fancy dress up cane, that she could take out with her to events, and social gatherings. She felt that her late-Husband’s aluminum adjustable tube cane would just not work, and after seeing it, I agreed with her.

She was really embarrassed using her husband’s cane, but she didn’t have anything else, couldn’t find anything else, but stumbled onto my canes for sale in the Hatman Jack’s store in Wichita, KS where she frequently buys hats. So, we made an appointment and she told me exactly what she wanted.

She wanted a classy looking Lady’s cane, made to her size, round and narrow, tapered, with a pretty brass tip, a small dainty handle, and long stem roses carved on the side that were painted, but not too brightly. The roses were to show up, but not be overpowering for the appearance.

I have never carved roses before, but told her I thought I could make it work. I actually had a lot of fun figuring what a rose would look like, and how to carve on a narrow little cane, so that it stuck out from the round tapered shaft. To do this, I started with a round cane blank I made 1-1/2” in diameter, and just removed everything that didn’t look like a cane, or a rose. The roses are carved out of the single block of wood along with the round shaft, they are not glued on.

I spent this week working to meet her design parameters. She was so sweet to work with, that I built a little display stand that she could keep by the door to hold her cane.

Just the Facts:
Wood: Black Walnut
Carvings: Long Stem Roses
Finish: Acrylic Paint, Lacquer, Black-tinted Lacquer
Tip: Brass, turned and polished with a replaceable rubber tip.

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More Walking Sticks & Canes:
If you go to my Mark DeCou Website you won’t find very many canes pictured there. I do realize that I need to invest in improving my website, but until that is accomplished, here are few more of my canes posted at lumberjocks, thanks for your patience.

New Cane Designs that are “In the Works”

  1. Dress Walking Cane, Mexican Bocote, Elk Antler, Silver, & Elephant Ivory with Inlays
  2. Walking Thumb Stick made from a Birch Sapling and Antler with Inlay & Scrimshaw
  3. Barak Obama for President 2008, Carved Bust Top Political Figure Collector Cane
  4. Welsh-Inspired Market Crook Stick with Carved Border Collie Herding Dog
  5. Folk-Art Walking Cane with Carved Face of Christ, in Figured Bubinga, Antler Handle
  6. American Eagle Carved Walking Cane for an Injured Iraqi War Air Force Veteran
Finished Folk Art Face Carved Canes
  1. Sculpted Wood Spirit Face Cane
  2. Folk-Art Wood Spirit Cane w/ Elk Antler Handle & Scrimshaw
  3. Folk Art Mountain Man Face Cane
  4. Shamrock Wood Spirit Irish-Theme Face Cane
  5. Walnut Wood Spirit Face Cane with Antler & Turquoise
  6. Collection of Face Carved Canes
  7. Moses-Inspired Face Carved Cane w/ Antler & Turquoise
Finished Native American Theme Canes
  1. Folk Art Native American Face Cane Set
  2. Apache Chief Cochise Folk-Art Face Cane
  3. Folk Art Carved Cane of Shoshone Chief
  4. Indian Guides Chief Big-Red-Cloud Hiking Stick
  5. Apache Chief Cochise #2 Folk-Art Face Cane
Finished Hand Carved Canes/Sticks
  1. Amazing Grace Music Notes Carved Cane
  2. A Lady’s Elegant Red Long-Stem Rose Carved Cane
  3. Prairie Fire Hand-Carved Hiking Thumb Sticks
  4. A Folk-Art Carved Albatross Head & Snake Walnut Cane
  5. Carved Folk-Art Walking Cane; 'The Greatest Story Ever Told' Story Stick with Scrimshaw Artwork
Finished Scrimshaw Artwork Canes
  1. Walnut & Curly Maple Cane with Scrimshaw
  2. Scrimshaw Art Walnut Cane
  3. Fancy Barley Twist with Scrimshaw Cane
  4. Lady's Dress Cane, Red Oak, Walnut, Black Lacquer, & Scrimshaw Artwork of a Purple Cone Flower
Finished Natural Tree/Limb Canes/Sticks
  1. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Cane
  2. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Walking Stick
  3. Shepherd's Crook Hiking Stick
Finished Barley-Twist Style Dress Canes
  1. White Oak Barley Twist Cane
  2. Osage Orange Barley Twist Cane
  3. Walnut & Figured Maple Barley Twist cane
  4. Black Walnut and Spalted Sycamore Barley Twist
  5. Red Oak Barley Twist with Black Lacquer
  6. Red Oak Barley Twist with Walnut Handle
  7. Bryan's Cane, The Start of my Cane Journey
Finished Dress Style Canes
  1. Fancy Walking Cane, Camphor Burl, Maple, Bubinga, Whitetail Deer Antler, Inlays & Silver End Caps
  2. Custom Dress-Up Walking Cane, Walnut shaft with a Camphor Burl Handle
  3. Walnut & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
  4. White Birch & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane
  5. Walnut Bamboo-Style Cane with Chrome Ball Top
  6. Walnut & Buffalo Horn Dress Cane
  7. Bird's Eye Maple Cane
  8. Spalted Sycamore Walking Cane
  9. Walnut Tall Knob Top Opera Cane
  10. Zebrawood & Walnut Knob Top Opera Cane
  11. Dress Cane Set, with several Material Options Shown

What’s Scrimshaw Artwork?:
A Scrimshaw Art Journey: What it is & How to Do it; Five Simple Steps to Success

My Website page with Walking Canes

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I have a few canes in stock at:
  1. Hatman Jack’s Wichita Hat Works in Wichita, KS
  2. Hutchinson Art Center in Hutchinson, KS
  3. Cottonwood Mercantile in Cottonwood Falls, KS

You can contact these gallery stores directly and see what they still have in stock. They will ship to you if you buy something. If you prefer, you can also email me, as I keep fairly current on what is “unsold.”

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Background: My Cane Making Story:

I enjoy sculpting walking canes. Some folks call them Folk-Art Canes, while others call them Artisan Canes, some call them Carved Canes, while others call them Walking Sticks. There is quite a bit of argument about whether something should be called Sculpture or Carving. They could be considered Functional-Art, which is the type of work that I am usually drawn to. No matter what these canes are called, they seem to bring joy to the owners, and I have been asked to make quite a few of them in the past 5-6 years.

I started making canes on the request of a nice married couple I met on a church-building short-term mission trip to Mexico City in the early 1990’s. Several years after our trip, their son-in-law was diagnosed with bone cancer, and so they wanted to get him a specially made cane that he would enjoy using. They had heard from others that I had quit my corporate office job and started doing woodworking full-time. So, they contacted me to make his cane.

Click for details

Sadly, I also built him a casket, another first for me, about a year later

Click for details

Since the time I did that first Cane for Bryan, I have enjoyed the work on the canes that I have been able to make, but more importantly, the people that I have been able to meet and help along the journey. I do make a bunch of unique items and furniture, but without a doubt, I receive more correspondence and thank-you cards from cane customers than any of the other items I make, combined. So, they are fun for me to build, and I look forward to each new person and situation.

To keep a handle on all of the memories, I engrave a small serial number on each brass cane tip, and then I keep a detailed database log of each cane, customer, and situation. The list always brings me warm memories each time I scan it and remember the folks that have supported my work over the years, and vice versa.

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(This text, all photos, project design, and anything else you want to steal, is protected by copyright 2008, M.A.DeCou, all rights reserved and protected, ask permission first! Weblinks to this page are permitted)

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan


23 comments so far

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

8482 posts in 470 days


posted 213 days ago

Mark,

That’s one nice walking stick and a great story.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View dennis mitchell's profile

dennis mitchell

2933 posts in 796 days


posted 213 days ago

View Chris 's profile

Chris

1221 posts in 473 days


posted 213 days ago

wow…. Thanks Mark.

-- Chris

View Roger Strautman's profile

Roger Strautman

499 posts in 615 days


posted 213 days ago

What a classy cane. Nice touch of adding the nice stand. Another quality piece by Mark!! Thanks for sharing.

-- " All Things At First Appear Difficult"

View darryl's profile

darryl

846 posts in 808 days


posted 213 days ago

as always Mark, you do fantastic work.
This cane is beautiful and sounds like it matches exactly what your client is looking for.
excellent photography as well.

as a side note, I’d still be interested to see how you might incorporate the Celtic Knot design that we penturners use in one of your canes.

-- ~ www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.woodworkingdungeon.blogspot.com ~

View Mark A. DeCou's profile

Mark A. DeCou

1305 posts in 887 days


posted 213 days ago

Thanks guys for the compliments. I do appreciate the encouragement. I built 18 canes in January-February, but I shuttled them out to stores so quickly I didn’t get any photos. Something I try not to do very often.

Darryl, I’ve looked pretty intently at pen turning to get ideas on what to use in my canes. I have been reluctant to do canes with multiple pieces just counting on glue to hold it. People lean their body weight on the canes, and they also carry them in all kinds of weather, leaving them in cold cars, and then by the warm fire, etc. So, the life of a cane is pretty harsh. Also, the pens have the brass tube that supports the wood, but even then I have seen older pens that were coming apart, and showing splits, and other problems.

Cane design is an interesting thing. I get quite a few questions and comments about canes from the internet. My goal is to introduce something unique, safe to use, comfortable to use, and a conversation piece. I have seen internet photos of canes that looked like stair ballisters with a handle, and others that folks have turned, or whittled, and I have several books on the subject that also offer inspiration.

Recently a guy asked me about a celtic knot carved down the cane in a spiral, and so I looked at it. The cost was prohibitive to him, but it would make a cool looking cane.

So many cane ideas, so little time,
Mark

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

View Karson's profile

Karson

12889 posts in 882 days


posted 213 days ago

Mark. A great looking cane. I’m glad that you are among the living. I talked to Dusty a week ago and he said that you told him you were under the weather for a month.

God bless you brother.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View Mark A. DeCou's profile

Mark A. DeCou

1305 posts in 887 days


posted 213 days ago

Thanks Karson. I was down for a month with that flu/pneumonia crud going around. Two weeks in bed, and two more weeks just tired and not worth much in the shop.

I feel great now, probably better than 100% of what I was. Why? I cut back on my junk-food and diet soda pop, including M&M’s. I was going to quit the soda pop completely, but I’m back to one can a day now. It is easy to quit soda pop, I’ve quit it hundreds of times.

thanks,
M

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

View Karson's profile

Karson

12889 posts in 882 days


posted 213 days ago

I’m with you on that. Glad that you are better.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

View Tony's profile

Tony

567 posts in 512 days


posted 213 days ago

Nice one Mark!

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

9039 posts in 304 days


posted 213 days ago

Mark,

I agree with the other comments that this a very nice cane. But to me the story behind it is almost as important as the project itself. With these pieces you are are able to follow your dream in life and make a difference in other people’s lives.

This is an inspirational post. Thanks for allowing us to share a small part of your life story.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View Joel Tille's profile

Joel Tille

200 posts in 726 days


posted 213 days ago

Very Elegant Cane Mark – The women should have no problem using this one.

-- Joel Tille

View cajunpen's profile

cajunpen

5348 posts in 547 days


posted 213 days ago

Outstanding.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

3236 posts in 444 days


posted 213 days ago

Mark, that is one dandy walking stick. The lady ought to be proud to show it off.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2026 posts in 250 days


posted 213 days ago

thats a great cane. who ever bought it must show it off to everyone who she sees. i love the rose on it too. keep up the great work.

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

2750 posts in 461 days


posted 211 days ago

Hey Mark;

As usual…

I thought about ending my post right there and save some typing, since there all the same ie.. Great job,
beautiful, fabulous, etc…

But that would be doing you an injustice.

Your cane is beautiful and the carving is very elegant. I hope you remembered to leave the thorns off though.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View Mark A. DeCou's profile

Mark A. DeCou

1305 posts in 887 days


posted 211 days ago

thanks again folks, your encouragement is much appreciate.

No Thorns Lee.

Thanks,
M

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

7604 posts in 356 days


posted 211 days ago

It is wonderful. The rose inlay really makes it special.

-- Maplewood, MN

View PanamaJack's profile

PanamaJack

4452 posts in 559 days


posted 210 days ago

as always Mark, a great artistic job well done!

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

View Mark A. DeCou's profile

Mark A. DeCou

1305 posts in 887 days


posted 210 days ago

Thanks Rikkor. The roses are carved, being raised out of the surface of the round shaft. I start with a block of wood about 1-3/4” x 1-3/4” x 38”, and turn it round and tapered to about 1-1/2” diameter at the point where the roses are. Then, I draw the artwork on the wood, and remove everything that doesn’t look like a rose/stem/leaves, or a round tapered shaft. I use a Legacy Ornamental Lathe machine to do the tapering, and making the tenons for the brass tip and handle. Lots of sanding to get it smooth. It is much quicker to just quickly texture carve the shaft, which I do at times on other canes, but for this dress-up cane, it needed to be smooth to pull off the design. The difference makes a $60-$75 difference in cane pricing, which can be hard for non-woodworkers to understand, since it is hard to see how long it takes to do something like that.

In the process now of working with another customer that wants a Shamrock Spirit/Irish themed cane. I will do this work in the same process as the rose, only carving Shamrocks and a Smiling Wood Spirit style face in place of the roses. I’ll be back with photos of that cane when it is finished.

Thanks PanamaJack, I appreciate your encouragement.

Mark

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flint Hill's Artisan

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

4129 posts in 728 days


posted 208 days ago

Man you always surprise me, you can bang out the most masculine, beautiful objects, then turn around and make something this delicate and petite and just as beautiful. That rose is just stunning on that cane. I can just picture the women you made it for. You’ll always be the man. mike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

5047 posts in 781 days


posted 203 days ago

Hi Mark!

A beautiful cane for a beautiful lady.

A very nice rosebud, Is there one on the other side too?

You’ll be getting a lot of requests for this model.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View mrtrim's profile

mrtrim

1545 posts in 362 days


posted 203 days ago

great job and story , i enjoy your storys almost as much as looking at your work . thanks for posting both

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