Oak Walking Stick Cane

[Jaxe Pen Kits]

So I started an oak walking stick or cane project using my own parts. I am limited in my tools so for starters basically just using a Buck to whittle away a space for the collar. I started with a 1" dowell from Lowes selecting the best one I could for grain

First I marked it 2" in from one end, 1" for the collar, and 1" for the knob. I cut around the line lightly with a razor saw to the depth of abut 1/16" to give me a starting point and began whittling away. Then I fit the collar on and started lightly chipping away at the high points so I have a snug fit

The dowell is just enough oversize I should be able to sand it all down flush

 

[Jaxe Pen Kits]

I wll be using one of my knob ends for the top and a damascus steel ferrule at the bottom

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Looking forward to seeing the progress....Oak is a great wood to work with, although I've only made a few handles with it, but I definitely will do more.

 

[Jaxe Pen Kits]

change of plan when i matched up the knob and collar I didnt like the look. I thought of maybe a spacer in between, some crushed stone or somethinf, but decided just to use the knob alone. I think the spacer would be nice under a carved handle but here it was just too much damascus

I whittled it down to a peg to match the knob now just need to refine it some to center it, epoxy it in, then sand the shaft down to match

 

[Jaxe Pen Kits]

So I glued up the knob with JB Weld poxy and am sanding down the shaft to fit. I should get a smooth transition but it has the result of sanding away the pattern on the damascus. It is still there of coure, it is part of the metal, but just no where near as visible. So after I get the shaft properly sanded I will resand the knob down to 1000 grit and etch with ferric chloride to bring the pattern back out.

Now as any chemist will tell you ferric chloride is just another name for iron chloride and as iron chloride reacts with the tannic acid in oak to stain it an aged blackish gray I plan to treat the shaft with ferric chloride as well. This should get me that aged black look that really old oak gets over time. Then I will rub in a few coats (ok a lot of coats) of boiled linseed oil as a finish