Naturally Twisted Walking Stick, Elk Antler Top Handle

Update: This walking stick was sold on 6-16-2008 and is headed to Lexington, SC.

Cane Serial Number #2008-05
Height: 43.25”

I don’t know if I will ever find a similar twisted stick like this again to making a walking stick out of, but if you would like something built for you, please email me at:

mark@decoustudio.com

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Project Story
I was walking the Marion Kansas State Water Reservoir (big water shed lake for Kansas) looking for cool looking rocks about 10 years ago, and I unexpectedly stumbled onto a cute little piece of drift wood floating near the edge of the water. That is the sort of thing that stops a woodworking junkie in his tracks. I waded into the water a little, and picked out the stick and was so thrilled, it took me 10 years to do anything with it.

So Make that #5,289: “You might be a lumberjock if you are willing to get your leather shoes wet, and take the ribbing from your wife about your wet pant legs, all to get a cool looking stick out of the water.”

And, #5,290: “You have unfinished projects and materials sitting around for at least 10 years.”

I let the little stick sit up in my barn for all of these years, and then about 8 weeks ago got the idea to make it into a walking stick to take with me when I take the kids on nature hikes. Normally, I’ve just been using a scrap stick from the shop, or one of the kid’s walking sticks, but I finally had the idea to make my own, AND took the time to do it.

Afterall, I’ve built 95 walking canes/sticks, surely I could keep one of them, right?

Well, since I don’t eat unless I work, this walking stick is for sale.

Since the stick was drift wood, I have no idea what species of tree it is from. A vine apparently wrapped around it at a young age, and squeezed in the twisted pattern as the little tree tried to grow. When I found it the color of the wood was a bleached-out looking white color.

For the top knob, I used a fork from a naturally shed Kansas elk antler.

To make the stick long enough for a walking stick, I bore drilled a deep hole in the bottom end, and epoxied a long 3/4” dowel and covered it with a brass tube with a rubber tip on the bottom. I had to do a little creative carving to get the long tapered look just right on the bottom, and then added the elk knob on top.

I decided to try some creative painting techniques to make it look similar to an old style European blackthorn, with a deep black/reddish tint.

The total length is 43-1/4” tall.

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Thanks for looking,
Mark DeCou
www.decoustudio.com

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If you like Walking Sticks & Canes, here are few more posted at lumberjocks:

Folk Art Face Carved Canes
1) Sculpted Wood Spirit Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/268
2) Folk Art Mountain Man Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7172
3) Shamrock Wood Spirit Irish-Theme Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7278
4) Walnut Wood Spirit with Antler & Turquoise: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7321
5) Collection of Face Canes: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/29

Natural Tree/Limb Canes/Sticks
6) Naturally Twisted Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/243
7) Naturally Twisted Walking Stick: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7146
8) Shepherd’s Crook Hiking Stick: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7175

Hand Carved Canes/Sticks
9) Amazing Grace Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/1132
10) Lady’s Carved Rose Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/5808
11) Prairie Fire Hiking Sticks: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7147
12) Folk Art Albatross Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7165

Barley Twist Style Dress Canes
13) White Oak Barley Twist Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7174
14) Osage Orange Barley Twist Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7177
15) Walnut & Figured Maple Barley Twist cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7180
16) Black Walnut and Spalted Sycamore Barley Twist: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7313
17) Red Oak Barley Twist with Black Lacquer: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7316
18) Red Oak Barley Twist with Walnut Handle: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7314
19) Bryan’s Cane, The Start of my Cane Journey: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7343

Various Dress/Opera Style Canes
20) Walnut & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7167
21) White Birch & Buffalo Horn Twisted Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7168
22) Walnut Cane with Chrome Ball: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7169
23) Walnut & Buffalo Horn Dress Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7170
24) Bird’s Eye Maple Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7178
25) Spalted Sycamore Walking Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7179
26) Walnut Tall Knob Top Opera Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7301
27) Zebrawood & Walnut Knob Top Opera Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7304

Scrimshaw Artwork Canes
28) Walnut & Curly Maple Cane with Scrimshaw: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7274
29) Scrimshaw Art Walnut Cane (Cone Flower): http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7305
30) Fancy Barley Twist with Scrimshaw: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7342

Native American Theme Canes
31) Folk Art Native American Face Cane Set: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7181
32) Apache Chief Cochise Folk-Art Face Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7315
33) Folk Art Carved Cane of Shoshone Chief: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7323
34) Indian Guides Chief Big Red Cloud Stick: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7507
35) Apache Chief Cochise #2 Folk-Art Face Cane: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7673

My Website page with Canes:
http://www.decoustudio.com/canes.html

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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.

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

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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I have a few canes in stock at:

• Hatman Jack’s store in Wichita, KS (316)-264-4881.
• Hutchinson Art Center in Hutchinson, KS (620)-663-1081.

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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(The text, photos, and project design are protected by copyright, M.A. DeCou 4-30-2008, all rights reserved)

-- Mark DeCou - Kansas Flinthill's Artisan