Project by knottysticks | posted 02-10-2010 06:42 AM | 5401 views | 0 times favorited | 8 comments | ![]() |
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I just have a for love diamond willow you never know just what you will find under the bark. [what is Diamond willow ?] If you can find a old dead piece you just can’t lose with it. And should you find a piece of DW just in a early stage of rot all the outer sap wood rots first [and easily cleaned out] leaving behind the hard, heart wood intact. It can be straightened easily, and is ok to carve on. I find while shaping it , the diamonds [growths] are always different and present different challenges. Aswell I don’t try to hide tell tale signs of insects. The handle is antler from a White Tailed Deer tine [or a point] mounted to the shaft. This cane has a leather hanging strap and the bottom is brass tipped. Sold
Materials;
White Tailed Deer antler
Wood – Diamond Willow
Brass tipped bottom
Leather strap
Finish – Wipe-on Polyurethane
Thanks for the interest, sorry about the picture quality.
Sold
-- Everyday above ground is a good day.
8 comments so far
a1Jim
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118333 posts in 5067 days
#1 posted 02-10-2010 06:44 AM
Rustic splender well done.
-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos
mmh
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#2 posted 02-10-2010 07:29 AM
Interesting forms and nice rosey hues of the Diamond Willow. Do you hunt for your own? I don’t believe I’m in an area that grows them, but I understand it takes a lot of walking and hunting to find good ones.
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
crosseyedcarver
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228 posts in 4527 days
#3 posted 02-10-2010 02:29 PM
Really nice form to this stick. Great choice of accent peices
-- Tim, Tallahasse FL
richgreer
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4541 posts in 4565 days
#4 posted 02-10-2010 02:56 PM
Very nice. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some diamond willow that a friend brought back from Alaska. It’s a fascinating wood. I have never seen an opportunity to buy any. However, I still have one piece in the garage from a friend. I can’t decide what to do with it.
-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.
Mark A. DeCou
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#5 posted 02-10-2010 06:25 PM
I like the leather thong detail.
-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com
knottysticks
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297 posts in 4520 days
#6 posted 02-14-2010 05:23 AM
mmh – yes I sure do ‘hunt’ for my own DW . I am lucky that my job requires that I drive roughly 200-300 km a day in the country side. But it helps to know where to look. DW likes to be at the waters edge , so look for it at the edge of rivers, lakes, sloughs or dugouts. Anywhere it can keep it’s roots wet but it’s bark at it’s base will dry out. But here’s the problem, according to Bob Gander, there are 100 species of willow in North America [ http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol2Issue2/BobGander/DiamondWillow.html ] and only a few species develop diamonds, and not all of those 3 or so species become infected by the attack of fugus Valsa sordida [ or possibly more types of fungus].
And of those 3 willow species or so, you ‘have’ to walk up to each clump of willow to look for the diamonds under the bark, because one clump of willow may have diamonds but the clumps on all 4 sides of it may have no diamonds at all ! The willow you should watch for is a bush 8-12 feet high, and it’s stem [shaft] is fairly straight with space between the stems with in it’s clump. Willow grows in clumps about 3 feet around with maybe a foot or two space between clumps. Other willow may have lesser diamonds, or none. but is shorter 5-8 feet tall but more twisted and tangled, and thier wood tends to be softer. From a distance this years new growth tends to be reddish in colour at it’s tips. If you wish I could take a few pictures of what willow looks like for you, just let me know or here a few links to check out-
http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol3Issue3/BobGander/WillowJewelry.html
http://homepage.usask.ca/~reg772/
http://www.sticksite.com/find_sticks/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_willow
-- Everyday above ground is a good day.
brimstone
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10 posts in 4658 days
#7 posted 03-01-2010 07:36 PM
I have the twin to this cane!
I bought three diamond willow sticks in Alaska.
-- Keep your fingers where the knife blade aint.
toddhelmkamp
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50 posts in 4561 days
#8 posted 03-05-2010 09:30 PM
Very nice!
-- Todd Helmkamp, http://www.thornhillknifeworks.com
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