| Project by mmh | posted 12-07-2010 02:15 AM | 5309 views | 3 times favorited | 15 comments |  |
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This is made from an extremely gnarly piece of Arizona ironwood that had some live edge to it. The original rough piece of wood was a scrap that probably would have been tossed in a fire but I was intrigued by the extreme contour of the grain and I could see a formation of an animal head of something that could be prehistoric. It took several weeks to figure out the shape to make it work for a comfortable grip, as I didn’t want to lose too much of the interesting grain when shaping it. A lot of material came off before I finally got the grip to work comfortably for both hands. It’s quite odd looking, but it actually is quite comfortable. The teeth are formed of what’s left of the natural bark and the white area of the mouth was very soft wood so I applied CA glue to stabilize it. The collar is made of Manzanita Burl and Shedua and the shaft is very hard and dense, possibly Bubinga or Macawood, as I think this piece of lumber was mislabeled when I purchased it because it’s more blonde than red, and I have not worked with Bubinga before.
Despite it’s novel design, it’s a very sturdy and tall cane. I make all of my canes ergonomic, so they must be comfortable to hold and very sturdy to lean one’s full weight on.
For more information on my work visit Big Stick Canes.
Comments and inquiries welcome.
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
15 comments so far
Andy
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1713 posts in 4466 days
#1 posted 12-07-2010 02:25 AM
Sweet piece of work, the handle is fantastic, I like how you shaped it around the mouth.
It looks solid enough to use as a self defense weapon!
-- If I can do it, so can you.
dakremer
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2746 posts in 3649 days
#2 posted 12-07-2010 02:40 AM
wow, what a great shape and color pattern of that handle! Great choice! good looking cane!
-- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!!
jockmike2
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10635 posts in 4804 days
#3 posted 12-07-2010 02:51 AM
YOU HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL IMAGINATION MEILIE, IF I COULD BORROW SOME I’D BE VERY GRATEFUL. LOL. VERY BEAUTIFUL CANE HEAD. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH ANY WOOD YOU HAVE.
-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -
lew
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12896 posts in 4313 days
#4 posted 12-07-2010 03:04 AM
A built in bottle opener!!
Nice cane, Meilie!
Lew
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the Universe's finest custom rolling pins.
whitedog
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652 posts in 4015 days
#5 posted 12-07-2010 03:22 AM
A beauty … looks like it has lipstick on
-- Paul , Calfornia
Bearpie
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2601 posts in 3576 days
#6 posted 12-07-2010 03:23 AM
“You’re not in Kansas anymore” as the saying goes when you do something really well! And I think you did, this is my new favorite of your canes!
Erwin, Jacksonville, FL
-- Erwin, Jacksonville, FL
Karson
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35209 posts in 4958 days
#7 posted 12-07-2010 03:32 AM
Fantastic piece of Ironwood. I love the grain of that wood.
-- I've been blessed with a father who liked to tinker in wood, and a wife who lets me tinker in wood. Appomattox Virginia [email protected] †
woodywoodworm
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4 posts in 3354 days
#8 posted 12-07-2010 03:39 AM
Very nice !!!
I also really like the one you have listed in your store here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/57294111/extra-tall-fancy-walking-cane-item-069
-- Making wood chips ~ http://www.woodworkweb.com/
mahadevwood
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415 posts in 3577 days
#9 posted 12-07-2010 08:22 AM
wonderful, no word to say, Masterpiece of art
TopamaxSurvivor
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18735 posts in 4234 days
#10 posted 12-07-2010 12:25 PM
Very unique, nice job on it.
-- Bob in WW ~ "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence
Loucarb
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2388 posts in 4003 days
#11 posted 12-08-2010 02:49 AM
Great save from the fire that is pretty. Well done.
mmh
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3679 posts in 4280 days
#12 posted 12-08-2010 06:35 AM
Thank you for the compliments. I would surely not want to meet up with something like this if it were a living creature. I’m still not quite sure if it would have been an herbivore or omnivore, but with those teeth I think I’ll head the opposite direction . . .
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
ivan
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44 posts in 3692 days
#13 posted 12-08-2010 08:34 AM
Fantastic handle with all that grain that you were able to showcase. I love how you did the natural edge mouth. All your work has been inspiring to me and I want to try my hand at a cane very soon. Keep up the great posts.
-- Ivan, Bay Area, California
Dennis Zongker
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2800 posts in 4150 days
#14 posted 01-01-2011 11:08 PM
I don’t know how I missed this one. Excellent looking Cane. All of your canes are so beautiful. This one is very unique, true art. Thanks for sharing.
-- Dennis Zongker
mtnwild
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3474 posts in 4085 days
#15 posted 01-09-2011 04:11 AM
This is great. Love the natural flow and feel. I love the small amount of wood it takes to make a really good piece. It takes the craftsman’s eye to select the best wood. That one’s great…...............Love the spacers, looks great….................
-- mtnwild (Jack), It's not what you see, it's how you see it.
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