"59 years old (very soon to be 60, nice round number) Just ordered my first cane. Next project is a mulberry cane, but as I have learned on other threads, now is not the time to cut a limb. Winter time project. After that I plan to work on some black locust. Tree is already down.
I do a fair amount of rough carving of sticks but nothing fine. What does the collective wisdom of THR recommend for tools/lathe?
Jim"
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I never do any carving on my sticks. I don't think it's a good idea on a stick that may be used for defense. I have the worry that any lines or groves may induce a stress point for it to break under an impact. Since most of my own made canes are made from local hornbeam, the surface is not really good for carving anyways due to the marked natural ridges in the wood that gives it its other name "musslewood." Hornbeam is crooked and full of charter on it's own, and I don't even take the bark off. The hornbeam bark is thick, and has a very thick under layer that is tough to get off. So I tree it like blackthorn and just polish up the bark with 0000 steel wool, and just satin it and seal it when I finish the stick. The only thing that gets a real polish and fine finish is the root knob handle that looks like fine pipe brier when highly polished.
I think peeling the bark off hornbeam is a mistake, and due to the thickness of the bark may even weaken it. I noticed that when Bill Moran made hornbeam sticks, he experimented with bark on and bark off, and decided it was a mistake to remove the bark. Bill was way smarter than me, so that was good enough for me to go by.
I notice that when looking at websites with sticks, like Lollysmoith and others, they all have the sticks with bark on, and no carving in the wood.
Carl.