Walking cane for grandmother, homemade preferred

eyeeatingfish

eyeeatingfish

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Dec 9, 2003
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My grandma is 80 something and should probably need a cane soon. I though rather than buying one I could make her one for her birthday. I see various ones with various handles. I don't know whether I would design the shaft only and put a pre made handle on top or design the whole thing myself.
Any one here have experience? I just don't want to get her one of those aluminum shafts with some cheap looking wrap or paint job.

Since a cane shaft is long and skinny some nice woods wouldn't look so nice in cane form because the traits of the wood would not come out in a thin piece. My first thought was something like the curly maple shafts people use on tomahawks. Not sure where to get a 3-4- foot section of nice curly maple.
Any suggestions on woods that would be nice on a long skinny shaft?

I did a search but haven't found anything quite along the lines of my question.
 
If you are looking for a nice piece of wood, talk with Mark (BurlSource). He can more than likely find you somthing really nice or provide some insight as to where to find it. As far as suggestions, Redwood Burl is really nice, so is curly Koa, desert ironwood is great, and white oak burl.
 
I have made a few canes. I don't use fancy woods as I am more concerned with strength than appearance. I found that some of the highly figured, twisted gnarly stuff I like split and broke when the cane was dropped or knocked over.

The most sturdy and well received cane I made was for my father, and I used a handle for a pickaxe that I picked out at the hardware store. Cured hickory, some good coloring, but plenty of length and hard, solid wood to work with. Cut and sanded it down until the shaft was about 1' square, then lag screwed a "t" style handle I hand carved onto the end. I carved the "t" out of a piece of white oak I had, and of course used a sharp knife to put in finger depressions for a better grip. I left a flat spot on the end of the "t", and went down tohte local trophy/engraving shop and had a small brass crest made with his initials on it. Screwed that crest plate on, added some furniture wax and gave it to him.

My Dad loved that cane and used it until he went to a walker. He was really proud of it as he had a custom piece of woodwork that folks commented on wherever we went.

The only real cost I had in the cane was the cost of the pickaxe handle, and a few hours working the hand grip on the handle. Well worth the effort. He used that cane for about 12 years.

Robert
 
I was always found of the Irish Shillelagh that uses the root ball for the head of the stick. Just a thought, been meaning to try and make one myself
 
rosewood is strong and would probably look pretty good. I think as far as the head it depends on how much she is going to NEED it, from the couple of people I've known who used canes for real support those ergonomic heads were more comfortable. If it were me I'd compromise comfort for something that looked good. If you're making it ahead of time you'll need to make it long and then after she's fitted you can cut it to length (don't ask me how the right length is determined, I don't know, but that's the reason aluminum canes are adjustable). I think it's an awesome idea, I'd sport a cane now if I didn't think I'd get harassed continuously for it.

depending on where you live you may be able to get a cold steel sword cane, then she's got some backup too!

Red
 
I would recommend looking into anti-shock walking sticks for design tips. Instead of making a solid wood cane as having the anti shock springs will be much more comfortable than a solid piece of wood, as it gives a little.
 
Dago Red said:
rosewood is strong and would probably look pretty good. I think as far as the head it depends on how much she is going to NEED it, from the couple of people I've known who used canes for real support those ergonomic heads were more comfortable. If it were me I'd compromise comfort for something that looked good. If you're making it ahead of time you'll need to make it long and then after she's fitted you can cut it to length (don't ask me how the right length is determined, I don't know, but that's the reason aluminum canes are adjustable).
Click to expand...

I agree with the ergonomic aspect. When I carved the handle for Dad's cane, I arched it slightly and fitted the grip to his hand. As for the correct length, I followed the instructions I got from the medical supply store.

I had my dad stand in his regular shoes as straight up and down as he could. I had him hold the palm of his hand parallel to the ground with his right arm ( he was right handed ) at his side. I measured the distance from the ground to the inside palm of his hand and added 1/2 inch. To make walking more comfortable, I added a big cushy tip (from the same medical supply store) on the end of it, making the cane overall about 1" longer than the actual measurement of his palm to ground measure.

He owned several canes, and he found this one to be the easiest to walk with by a long stroke. He tried adjustable canes of different types, and also had a couple "cut to fit" based on different ideas given by cane sellers. The medical supply guy was right; Dad found his custom fit cane just right. Plus, if the rubber tip ever lost its "cush" it was easy enough for me to go over and buy him a new one.

He never wanted on that was too fancy, or one that looked better than it worked. All he wanted was something sturdy and comfortable to walk with, so your mileage may vary depending on your grandmother's needs.

Hope this helps - good luck.

Robert
 
Well my grandmother passed away a couple weeks ago a little bit unexpectedly. I never got around to making the cane but I thank you guys for the help.
 
gregorio said:
I was always found of the Irish Shillelagh that uses the root ball for the head of the stick. Just a thought, been meaning to try and make one myself
Click to expand...

A blackthorn root. Traditonal irish walking stick that came into being after the shorter version was outlawed by the english?
 
My back and both legs are messed up. I need a decent cane, full-time. A knobtop makes a poor support cane. A crooktop is much better. An ergonomic handle or a t-handle is best.

eyeeatingfish, my condolences on your grandmother's passing. May she rest in peace.
 
I brother makes custom hard wood canes from fruit wood trees. If you'd like I can give you his contact information.
 
My heart goes out to you brother, my granma and I are pretty close, as close as anybody can be to the cranky old lady :D and I just found out she has a sore in her mouth after going through mouth cancer with her two years ago and her not stopping the smoking. it's hard, I'm sorry you lost yours.
 
Sorry to hear about your grandma. I'm sure she would have appreciated a handmade cane.

I just bought one in African blackwood that I absolutely love. I use it in the outdoors: perfect for parting the way to check for snakes and also great for defense and relaxing on if I need it if I'm tired. I'm perfectly healthy, but it's still nice to have.
 
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