How Many are Now Carrying a Cane?

collinleon, how did you attach that t to the cane? Is it threaded together, how did you start the thread on the wood? I really like that and if you buy the caps you could keep a few things inside like matches or some tinder or whatever you decided to stuff in there.

Now since there seems to be some people that know these things in this thread I have a question. How do you decide on the length of a cane, or is it just a matter of personal preference?

shiftyer1 said:

collinleon, how did you attach that t to the cane? Is it threaded together, how did you start the thread on the wood? I really like that and if you buy the caps you could keep a few things inside like matches or some tinder or whatever you decided to stuff in there.

Now since there seems to be some people that know these things in this thread I have a question. How do you decide on the length of a cane, or is it just a matter of personal preference?

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Length is going to depend upon your height if you primarily need it for walking. You want to be able to keep your arm straight and not bent. If the cane is a bit long, you can tilt it at an angle to make up the difference, but that won't work if it is too long.

For my current cane, I started with a hickory maul handle that was 36" long and then smoothed it down so that it was basically round (instead of basically oval as it came from the manufacturer) and gave it just enough of a gradual taper so that I could put a rubber tip on the end.

In my case, I just screwed the T-fitting onto the shaft of the cane. Since NPT threads are tapered, I had to taper that end of the cane too. The threads are a bit too fine and not deep enough in my opinion for use in wood, even though I have not had it come loose yet. A very course deep thread would be better, so if you happen to know a machinist that could recut them for you, that would be great. As it is, I have a feeling if you started beating on someone with the head of the cane, it would eventually loosen... Probably not until after you had caved his skull end though... Ultimately, I want to get a piece of 1" steel pipe about 3-4 inches long and weld it to the bottom of the T-fitting. The 1" steel pipe would have a bit smaller inside diameter than the shaft of my cane, so it would need to be hammered down on it which should keep it fairly well attached.

With it already being threaded on the stick maybe it would be cheaper to drill a hole and pin it just to make it a little more secure? Although if I just caved in somebodies skull with it i'd probably want a new stick So it wouldn't matter if it loosened.

shiftyer1 said:

With it already being threaded on the stick maybe it would be cheaper to drill a hole and pin it just to make it a little more secure? Although if I just caved in somebodies skull with it i'd probably want a new stick So it wouldn't matter if it loosened.

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I had thought about something like that at one time... I was going to drill a few holes just slightly smaller than an 1/8th of an inch and then hammer a piece of brass brazing rod through each hole. I would leave enough sticking out both sides that I could hammer the ends down and basically make a long rivet out of it. I was going to do this on the piece of pipe that I was wanting to weld to the T-fitting.

You are 100% keerect! I've had ladies from Kentucky (back when I was young) use honey/sugar as a regular matter of fact. The South is still unique; besieged but unique.

We will soon have some war hammers canes to show off. I just got to wait till payday! Cheerleading is breaking the bank at my house.

CollinLeon said:

I had thought about something like that at one time... I was going to drill a few holes just slightly smaller than an 1/8th of an inch and then hammer a piece of brass brazing rod through each hole. I would leave enough sticking out both sides that I could hammer the ends down and basically make a long rivet out of it. I was going to do this on the piece of pipe that I was wanting to weld to the T-fitting.

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Use some expoxy and then pin it then it might Break off but not loosen up.

deltaboy do you have a group photo of canes you've made?

Also what would be the legalities of carrying your war hammer cane? I understand theres a disability act and no laws about canes but I would think that would only carry you so far. I'm not saying don't make one, make 2 or 12, just curious if a cane head like that would get ya a free ride downtown.

I'm 32, fit, and I look like it. I'd like to take a cane if I fly an airline, but I can't help but think I will draw attention to myself if I did that.

I used to just carry a pocket knife when I flew... These days, I carry a hickory club... errr... cane...

shiftyer1 said:

deltaboy do you have a group photo of canes you've made?

Also what would be the legalities of carrying your war hammer cane? I understand theres a disability act and no laws about canes but I would think that would only carry you so far. I'm not saying don't make one, make 2 or 12, just curious if a cane head like that would get ya a free ride downtown.

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It's going to depend upon how leftist the place you live might be, I suspect... Does your locale have rules concerning the carrying of axes or sledge hammers? We're talking about something a bit less menacing than that... Plus, even in draconian societies like that, it's going to depend upon how well you design your cane. With the right sort of engraving along the edges, it could make the head look less just a weapon:



I think that with a bit of grinding, a brick hammer's head would work as a practical cane head while also doubling as an effective weapon in a pinch.

As someone who has carried a cane because of need for many years (due to one too many motorcycle wrecks), I have to say that they are very useful at times. If I need to redirect the air-conditioning vent on the passenger side of my pickup, I don't have to reach over there, all I have to do is grab the cane and readjust it with the tip of the cane. If I need to push the passenger side mirror out after it has been folded in for getting in a tight space, I just lower the window on that side of my truck via the electrical switch and then use the cane to push the mirror back to the normal position. If I'm trying to catch an elevator and the door is closing, I just swipe the cane through the door opening and interrupt the optical sensors and the door reopens -- yeah, you can do that with your hand also, but if it doesn't work, you'll probably lose your arm (plus, doing it with the cane is quicker). It's also good for reaching top shelf items in stores or items that are on the far back of the shelves.

shiftyer1 said:

deltaboy do you have a group photo of canes you've made?

Also what would be the legalities of carrying your war hammer cane? I understand theres a disability act and no laws about canes but I would think that would only carry you so far. I'm not saying don't make one, make 2 or 12, just curious if a cane head like that would get ya a free ride downtown.

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I plan on cutting the brick cracking edge back till it is about 3/8 to 1/4 inch thick and I am rounding the square hammer head. I also going to try and heat the cracking edge round it more. We will get some pics made when I get time to build it.

My gear shift 8 ball

Old Brass plumbing cap



Cold Steel Blackthorn My solid brass Hame headed cane and a standard Stock Cane from the feed store.

Thats kinda ironic....I just picked up a stock cane in a feed store and it's the same one in your pic.

I've had cattle break the standard feed store canes, so when I built my replacement cane, I make it out of a replacement handle for a maul / sledgehammer... They're made out of hickory and make for a lot of abuse. Close to the right length and reasonably priced... Just a bit of trimming to get the profile a bit more appropriate for a cane... Other than a couple of loose heads that I've had to re-epoxy or whatever over the last 20 years and numerous replacement rubber tips, it has survived a lot of abuse and still is in great shape. I recently did a quick refinish of it by wiping it down with acetone and a light sanding with a sanding sponge, followed by a couple of coats of tung oil. Still looks good, especially for a piece of wood that is over 25 years old.

Now, if you are really into metal working, you could probably take a sledge hammer's head and grind / cut / melt-and-hammer it down to whatever shape cane head you might possibly desire as long as you left a good portion of the center portion for the original head as a support structure. The traditional slot with wedge design for attachment of the heads to the handles has worked well over the years for a tool that I'm sure gets more abuse than even a cane would when used as a defensive device. That would be a lot of grinding though... More than I would probably want to subject my poor little grinder to...

Well I didn't find a Brick hammer head for the price point I wanted so I went with a old styled Fuller 16 oz hammer I spent most of Saturday trimming and shaping the Sledgehammer handle so the Hammer head would attach properly. I sanded and filed the hammer head to round off any courners then primed it and painted it Desert Camo Tan. I have 2 coats of Finishing oil on the well sanded sledge handle. I should finish it some times this week and have pics up soon.

Deltaboy said:

Well I didn't find a Brick hammer head for the price point I wanted so I went with a old styled Fuller 16 oz hammer I spent most of Saturday trimming and shaping the Sledgehammer handle so the Hammer head would attach properly. I sanded and filed the hammer head to round off any courners then primed it and painted it Desert Camo Tan. I have 2 coats of Finishing oil on the well sanded sledge handle. I should finish it some times this week and have pics up soon.

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From what I've gathered, Fuller has made quite a few different types of hammers over the years... Are you talking about a claw, ball peen, cross peen, or what type of hammer? If a claw type hammer, are you closing the claw, welding it shut, and then grinding it so that it looks like a single piece? I suspect that would work in a pinch if you can't find a brick hammer... Personally, I don't think I would go with paint on it... I would take an angle grinder with a steel wire brush to it (or sandblast it) in order to get down to the bare metal and then put either a clear epoxy over it or just some tung oil.

I wonder if dipping it in molten tin might be an option...

If the cutting down of the sledgehammer handle ends up with too much cut off of it, another option might be to expand the hole in the hammer's head instead. If you heat the entire head up to the point where it is red hot (or hotter) and then drive a tapered steel rod through it, you can expand the head without losing any metal (as you would if you just filed a larger hole in it). That's the way that blacksmiths used to make holes in metal pieces.

It is a Claw hammer and it fit my hand really well. I painted it because of the surface damage I could not remove. I have been using all hand tools no electric!

Would sandblasting smooth out the damage? How about just heating it up with a oxy-fuel torch and letting the metal flow a bit?

Didn't have axcess to those types of Items. So here she is my Hammer head cane with a full sized Hickory Sledgehammer handle.

Interesting... I think a hammer head with a claw that was not quite as curved would have made a more ergonomic cane handle though...

Something more like this:



instead of this:

It might I do all my canes by feel and that pre ww2 Fuller hammer head fit my hand quite well. I wrap my fingers around the head and the curved claw fills the palm of my hand.

This has ... morphed into a much more interesting thread since I was here last.

I do occasionally, two titanium/cobalt steel hips, bad knees, and a bad shoulder... I am 41... I cant be 41, I only think I am 20... geesh. Anyhow, for 3 years I couldn't walk without two canes, I can now walk short distances w/o a cane, I plan on getting a nice wood cane, like the ones the people who show cattle use. I understand they are inexpensive and quite strong. I am a little unusual in that I suffer from an unusual medical condition, so all of my joints are wearing prematurely... so a cane would seem quite natural for me to carry... but I don't want to carry one all of the time, having had to use two for a long time... I am in no hurry to return to using one.

Johnny google or go to a good Farm Store and get yourself a cane. I started making them just for kicks.