How Many are Now Carrying a Cane?

[AStone]

Or, Johnny, consider a nice knob stick. Lighter than a cane, easy to carry -
I carry mine everywhere I go when I'm not on my bike. (I do not own a car.) Love it.

 

[JohnnyOrygun]

Delta thats what I was thinking of doing, we have the farmers coop in town and I can almost guarantee they have wooden canes. I will have to check it out. Nematocyst, I was thinking of "knob stick", I just am not sure about the cost and where to get one... I prefer to feel before I buy, any good recommendations?

Thanks all

 

[AStone]

JohnnyO, can't help you with the "feel" part.
I ordered mine on line.

But I did get to "see" mine before I bought.
Shop owner sent me pics of the ones he had in stock.
He also sent me knob and length dimensions
so that I could calculate whether they were right for me.

It was easy for me since I knew the height and diameter
of my other stick, so I knew that the new one would be right.

PM me if you want to know where I got it from.

 

[Grousefeather]

Canes

I have two blackthorne sticks. One I am looking at replacing the tip with one of those stanless steel spike tips. I carry it flyfishing and squirrel hunting. Nice to keep from falling over a stone wall.

 

[AStone]

Nice to keep from falling over a stone wall.

I totally agree.

Today, while exploring a wood in Maine,
on the warmest day since early December,
I walked on one of those New England stone walls
between deep drifts. Had I fallen, I'd have fallen into snow.

But because I carried a stick, which stabilized me,
I walked the entire 30m distance on TOP of the wall.

Long live the walking stick, even if it's called a cane.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Want a knob cane go to the farm store buy a Post maul handle and a 4 way wood rasp and a couple of 3M sanding blocks. Then pick up some tung oil use the rasp to round off the maul head and sand it till it fits your hand. Then wipe it down and start rubbing in the tung oil and let it dry. Put on about 5-8 coats (over 3-5 days)and you will have a knobheaded cane. Buy 1 1/8 Rubber feet to slip on the bottom to keep it from slipping.

 

[AStone]

^ That's a great idea.

Only problem for me is, I want 39" or longer.

Post mall handles appear to be 36".

 

[Grousefeather]

Walking canes

Nematocyst, thats exactly what I mean. Typical New Eng terrain. Can't recall how many times I ended up "looking up", due to a misplaced step. Almost damaged one of my doubles once, but I kept it high and I took the hit. I find i take it with me on some mushroom hunts also.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

You need axcess to a 4 foot wood lathe then.

 

[Tom Hudson]

I carved mine a little. Gives me a little better grip.

 

[AStone]

^ Beautiful!

 

[CollinLeon]

^ That's a great idea.

Only problem for me is, I want 39" or longer.

Post mall handles appear to be 36".

http://www.tennesseehickory.com/products.shtml

Various tools have various handle lengths... Looks like the "#3500 Straight Grub Hoe" would work for you... If you need something even longer, you could try the handles for post hole diggers or for wheelbarrows. A lathe is going to help make an even shape out of it, but you can get a pretty good approximation with just a block plane and a sanding block (although with a lot more work on your part).

 

[AStone]

Looks like the "#3500 Straight Grub Hoe" would work for you

I agree. Thanks for that link.

 

[hso]

I'm a fan of crook top canes over straight or "L"-top canes.

I've found the ability to use the crook to hook and pull things to me (or help pull me to things) to be very handy. Too many ankle and knee injuries have given me too much practical experience along these lines.

While advanced techniques, the defensive use of the crook for trapping and hooking/throwing are impressive.

 

[AStone]

I'm a fan of crook top canes
over straight or "L"-top canes.

Mikey likes it.

 

[CollinLeon]

I'm a fan of crook top canes over straight or "L"-top canes.

I've found the ability to use the crook to hook and pull things to me (or help pull me to things) to be very handy. Too many ankle and knee injuries have given me too much practical experience along these lines.

While advanced techniques, the defensive use of the crook for trapping and hooking/throwing are impressive.

Having some sort of bent end on it is nice from a practicality standpoint instead of just a knob type end since it does allow you to pull things to you more easily. Things like items from upper shelves or just things from very deep shelves in grocery stores. When the old knees don't like bending in order to pick things up off the ground, you'll find that for many things, you can hook them with your cane and pick them up that way. For the unskilled though, a knob type end probably makes a better defensive weapon.

 

[AStone]

For the unskilled though, a knob type end
probably makes a better defensive weapon.

I love my knob stick.

So fast, so hard is that knob end.

 

[DeTerminator]

I agree with hso about the crook top canes, even though other canes are nice, too.

Crook tops are VERY handy for pulling things, and also provide a comfortable grip.

I really like my blackthorn, but prolonged use of it can make my hand sore from the pressure of leaning on the knob.

Try 'em both, see what you like!

Kerry

 

[Flintknapper]

^^^^^^^^

+1 on crook top canes (all of mine are).

I love the looks of many of the walking sticks, some are even works of art, but its hard for me to give up the extra defensive dimension the crook provides.

In recent years there has been a lot interest generated for the cane.

In fact, one of largest seminars we've had (in terms of attendance) was a level 1 cane seminar (2 day). I was surprised to see a good mix of age groups (and gender) as well, not just a bunch of old folks (like me).

We almost didn't have enough instructors to go around.

 

[hso]

I recently received a dozen hickory stock canes and have experimented with the angle of cut and how much to cut off of the crook. Since my Sifu wanted a couple for a new form he's studying I got to vary some of my cuts. I cut one too short right off the bat and went on to match a couple with just enough removed to open the crook while still have an inward pointing crook.

I started looking at the cane I'd cut too much from the crook thinking what I might do with it. Handling it I decided I liked the slightly outward pointing crook and could see it making hooks and traps easier, but I'm not too sure about throws.

 

[Flintknapper]

hso,


Here is what I settled on:



I like for the crook to be fairly open, it allows you to quickly hook, but also lets you easily disengage. This crook is too deep for a “training” cane (would not be safe), but is more than adequate for normal hooking AND throws.

-------------------------------------------------------------

I put some grooves in the other end of this livestock cane (1” hickory cane), the purpose for them is twofold.

First, it makes a good grip when you reach out the full length of the cane to hook something.

Second the grooves “bite” into the skin…when choking up on the cane for techniques such as a Figure Four on the arm or a combination F4/throat take down.




-------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, the bevel you see at the end of the crook is a useful feature too.

Besides helping to guide objects into the crook, it is covertly a “pointed end” that is used to apply pressure to areas like the clavicle or ribcage of the back.

Some tactical/defensive canes have very aggressive (and obvious) points. With these….you run the risk of having the cane “confiscated until needed” certain places such as Airplanes.

Mine is easily explained away as a space saving storage feature. When placed upon a counter/table top, the bevel directs the cane underneath….keeping it out of the way, but leaving it readily accessible.

 

[AStone]

^ That's really nice.

 

[hso]

Flintknapper,

Interesting, that's about where I cut the one I'm playing around with. Perhaps a tiny bit more open. I'll try to get a picture later today and put it up.

 

[cordell]

Hello all,
I have a bum knee that sometimes cripples me during bad weather. If I had to pick one out of the umbrella stand as my favorite it would be my blackthorne. I have a CCP, but should I ever need something to swing you certainly would not want to be on the receiving end of this rascal. BTW what a great bunch of canes on this thread, and some great ideas along with them.....Take care and God bless....cordell

 

[Flintknapper]

hso wrote:

Flintknapper,

Interesting, that's about where I cut the one I'm playing around with. Perhaps a tiny bit more open.

Perfect!

I actually had to boil mine in water to open it up about 3/4", then cut the crook to the depth I wanted.

Yours looks just right. It might be a little tight for neck hooking (girth of peoples necks vary widely), but should work on most folks.

For hooking limbs (arms/legs)...if you make it your habit to twist the cane as you hook, it will help hold whatever you are after (you probably already know).

Although the cane is not the easiest of sticks to wield, it is still one of my favorites. You can maintain distance with a cane...and generate a lot of power out on the end.

The down side of the cane is that you need to know retention techniques. If I could only carry one stick, it would have to be a single Escrima cut to 26".