LumberJocks

Osage Orange Barley Twisted Walking Cane with Walnut Handle

Project by Mark DeCou posted 126 days ago 458 views 0 times favorited 3 comments Add to Favorites
View Mark DeCou's profile

Mark DeCou

1264 posts in 848 days


Embed This Project

LumberJocks Code

HTML Code

URL/IMG Code

Preview this project card

Osage Orange Barley Twisted Walking Cane with Walnut Handle Osage Orange Barley Twisted Walking Cane with Walnut Handle No-picture-s Click the pictures to enlarge them

This cane has been “Sold”

If you would like to custom order something similiar, please email me at:
mark@decoustudio.com

- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -

This is a cane I built from Osage Orange, a wonderfully hard, and dense wood, but with a look unlike any other. The twist style is called a Barley Twist.

This wood is interesting, in that when it is first milled, it is a bright, almost flourescent, looking yellowish color. If you set the cane in a window and let it absorb some sunlight for a few days, a wonderfully rich amber color develops. I like them both ways, and they seem to sell quickly.

The handle is Kansas Black Walnut

There is a brass tube tip, with a replaceable rubber tip.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

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

Folk Art Face Carved Canes
  1. Sculpted Wood Spirit Face Cane
  2. Folk Art Mountain Man Face Cane
  3. Shamrock Wood Spirit Irish-Theme Face Cane
  4. Walnut Wood Spirit Face Cane with Antler & Turquoise
  5. Collection of Face Carved Canes
  6. Moses-Inspired Face Carved Cane w/ Antler & Turquoise
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
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
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

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

Natural Tree/Limb Canes/Sticks
  1. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Cane
  2. Naturally Twisted Tree Sapling Walking Stick
  3. Shepherd's Crook Hiking Stick
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
Various 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

My Website page with Canes

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

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.”

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

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.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

(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 Flinthill's Artisan


3 comments so far

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

1595 posts in 520 days


posted 126 days ago

wow…that is amazing mark!!! I would love to see the amber color…do you have any scraps that you could do this and show us??? either way…another beautiful piece of art…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...177 days to sanity...

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

8490 posts in 264 days


posted 126 days ago

This is a very unusual wood. I have always viewed osage orange as a nuisance tree. But after seeing posts such as this that have been put up here I have developed a new found respect for the wood. I have not seen this color before in the wood. Very unusual. I am guessing that it will fade to the more traditional amber color as it ages.

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

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

2579 posts in 422 days


posted 124 days ago

Hi mark;

Very nice cane.

I’ve never worked with osage orange.

How is it to work?

Lee

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

You must be signed in to post the comments.

Your Online Shop - Your Support Is Greatly Appreciated - Your Woodworking Showcase - 3 Ways To Help, Financially - Your Woodworking Community

Woodworking StoreApparel StoreMake a Donation
Bookmark And Share This Page
  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

DISCLAIMER: All views and comments posted by members are not necessarily those of LumberJocks.com or of those working on the site.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase