Woodspirit Walking Stick

John G

John G

Joined
Jul 4, 2008
Messages
1,514
I carved this walking stick for my girlfriend's mom, we plan to give it to her for Christmas. The stick is pear pruned from a tree in my mom and dad's yard.

Here's the spirit all carved and sanded. I left the bark on the top portion for a grip. I started carving when it was still pretty green.
woodspiritpear.jpg


After letting it dry out for a few weeks, I gave it a few coats of stain and some clear urethane finish. This really filled in the low areas, giving it some color and definition. Not bad for my first woodspirit!
pearstickstained2.jpg


I only sanded lightly. I like my carvings to have a rustic look.
100_1910.jpg


Some detail here. The beard wraps around the staff once.
100_1913.jpg


The tip is a combo metal tip/rubber stopper for on- or off-roading. It's attached with two nails and some Gorilla Glue.
100_1911.jpg


pearstickstained.jpg


Thanks for looking! :)
 
JohnG, excellent work. I think your girlfriend's mother will not be disappointed with the looks, trust me. There is a retired gent who lives about 25 miles from here that makes walking sticks & canes during the summer months. He has about 7 barrels that sit by the roadside & he is always sitting out there every day from early in the morning to dusk. I have bought 4 or 5 walking sticks from him & two canes for my wife (disabled, back injury). Both of these canes have a vine that wraps around the bottom part & the one has an L-shaped handle at the top. He has been featured in a book about the travels along Rt. 50 thru Ohio. Your stick looks as good as any of his. Excellent work.
Be safe.
 
JohnG, I don't read that many posts anymore, but I did yours and I wasn't disappointed. That's excellent work. :thumbup:

Doc
 
DOC-CANADA said:
JohnG, I don't read that many posts anymore, but I did yours and I wasn't disappointed. That's excellent work. :thumbup:

Doc
Click to expand...

Thanks Doc, that's a real compliment. Your posts are on my "must read" list. :thumbup:
 
That is a beaut!

I have been carving on one for a few weeks now (only when I hike with my son). It is a simple walking stick that is carved to fit the hand as if you squeezed a lump of clay. It is not pretty, but it is a lot of fun to do.

I appreciate that you only lightly sanded it. I enjoy the rustic look...it seems to hold a lot more character, and makes it more special. I feel like if it is perfect it starts to look less like a hand made item and more like something a machine helped with.

Thanks for sharing...that really is some fantastic work (especially for your first go).
 
Very nice indeed! I like your style of carving. I too like carving woodspirits. Very good stress reliever. Here's one I'm making for my partners girlfriends son for X-mas. He wanted the spirit painted and for the rest I'll stain.
PICT0224.jpg
 
dingobubba said:
Very nice indeed! I like your style of carving. I too like carving woodspirits. Very good stress reliever. Here's one I'm making for my partners girlfriends son for X-mas. He wanted the spirit painted and for the rest I'll stain.
PICT0224.jpg
Click to expand...

Very nice Dingobubba! I like the prominent nose. :)

Thanks again to everyone for the kind words. This forum has provided lots of support, advice, and encouragement since I joined. I've been looking forward to sharing these pics. :thumbup:
 
Hi John G -

Most excellent carving!

Thanks for the pictures, I am sure your girlfriends mother will be thrilled with the thoughtful gift.

best regards -

mqqn
 
that is FANTASTIC! That is one of those things I would love to learn some day, care to post a step by step on the knife cuts :) :)
 
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