Some Woodwork

Persimmon
The pattern is from a memory of a small owl's chest that someone I knew from childhood rescued.


Also Persimmon (my preferred wood, very hard, they used to make golf driver heads out of it... still may. You can also add texture with playing with the inner layer of bark. It is readily available in Central FL and a great wood.)
He lives in Wales and paid for the shipping. I have never sold a staff, I give them to friends. The owl was made for a lady I did not know, mother of someone one a site who had knee and hip surgery, she needed it.

Some wands for he and his wife... I used wands to play with details and they said they wanted some, so I made them for them... he and his wife, I mean.
Have made some for others since that are much better, I think.








A cane I modified.


I used to raise scorpions and my son is into dinosaurs.

This one was very complex and is hard to explain... the photos do not do a very good job showing it at all.
It was the only one I ever did for any kind of money. I auctioned a staff, personalized (you told me what you wanted on it when you won) as an auction for someone in need.
He liked wolves and snakes.
The wolf is calling to the moon. The snake is calling to the mouse. There is also a pipe.... they are the first to incorporate carving and burning for me and it is more abstract than my normal carvings. Again, you can't really see it very well in the photos, sorry.















The mouse is in here...

The hardest staff I have ever done... in more ways than one.
This is just the heart of a larger persimmon tree, it is like rock.
It has several layers of stain that have been sanded and then other subtle colors layered on top for texture of the grain to come through very clearly... this, again, does not come through in the photos very well.
Finally, more carving than I have ever tried.
It is based on the idea of the progression of a virus.

http://tinyurl.com/ep8w3

[Happy Monkey]

Very cool. I like the Tiki. What do you finish them with?

When I was in the Scouts I made a couple of staves, but my carving was never very intereresting. I was more interested in shoeing them with copper pipe terminators than in carving (I also had crappy knives due to my habit of losing them). I even cut one in half and made it screw back together, so it could fit in my pack for transport.

My sister recently made one out of Osage Orange - have you ever used that wood? It is a brilliant yellow, and extremely hard and strong. She, instead of sanding, rubbed it down with a stone. It became as smooth as glass.

I have not used Osage Orange, but have used Orange and Grapefruit, live in FL and both are very hard.
Most fruit woods are, especially after a good cure.
It depends on what the staff is going to be used for, usually they are finished with decking sealer only. I like the dull look, more natural and it works great for the long-term water-proofing of the wood.
Most of the woods I use are very hearty.
Sometimes I will poly them after the deck sealer, I they are to be display mostly.
I miss using a knife. I have advanced arthritis, tendinitis and osteoporosis, so this is my kit now.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Nice work, Man.
Osage Orange is beautiful and strong, Indians made bows with it, but heavier than White Oak.

Have you seen these?
They "claim" no vibration.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Nice work, Man.
Osage Orange is beautiful and strong, Indians made bows with it, but heavier than White Oak.

Have you seen these?
They "claim" no vibration.

I have read about it, just never gotten my hands on any.
That looks cool... I saved it for someday when it is whithin my means. Thanks for the tip!

[Griff]

Ah, you answered my question before I asked it. I was wondering what tools you used. I'm thinking of doing one for my Dad as he recovers from his accident. We have a lot of ash here which will be hard enough but the checking may be an issue. I liked working with maple for my timber frame joinery, do you think it would hold up?

Anyway, very cool hobby!

Just have to cut several, put some paraffin on each end and let it sit for about six months in a covered area that is not too dry (not a heated or air conditioned area) and you should be ok with the checking issue with one of them, if not all.

[wolf]

You do very beautiful work! (I especially liked the bit on the wolf staff where you used the natural markings on the wood.)

Thank you very much, but I am not sure what natural markings you are talking about. May I ask?

[wolf]

Post 5, pictures 2 and 7.