# Root ball sweetgum cane



## RandyL476 (Aug 24, 2014)

This cane could be used a a club,with that root ball i had to trim down its made from sweetgum I love how the colors turned after I put boiled linseed oil and finished with a high gloss tung oil finish.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

looks a nice cane ,nice finish on it .you certainly lifted the colour out


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

Wow! That is some beautiful coloring! Great shape on the knob too!


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

Yeah, that's a nice one Randy. How long is it?


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## RandyL476 (Aug 24, 2014)

LilysDad said:


> Yeah, that's a nice one Randy. How long is it?


I think it's about 36 37 inches long


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## Stickie (Mar 28, 2016)

Perhaps a sensitive question by why don't you lads ever straighten your shanks?


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## RandyL476 (Aug 24, 2014)

Stickie said:


> Perhaps a sensitive question by why don't you lads ever straighten your shanks?


Good question I for one like the rustic look of the stick if it has a little crook or bend,another thing is this is Alabama and the south and people here just like the more rustic look to their canes and walking sticks.


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

That one looks like it's pretty straight already.

Great looking stick Randy! That would be a keeper to me.

I do straighten mine sometimes. It depends on the stick and what I'm trying to achieve with it. It also depends on how successful I am at straightening them.

It's just a matter of style I think. British makers seem to prefer a more refined stick while American makers seem to go for a more rustic appearance. I like both in the right settings.

Rodney


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

Someone once stated that people who say that they don't like to straighten their sticks just don't know how. I'll straighten a stick if the stick calls for it, but as long as the bends and kinks don't interfere then I prefer to leave them.


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## Gloops (Jan 23, 2015)

Great looking stick, beautiful grain in the knob,


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

You know if you want a straight stick, you can get an oak dowel at the box stores.


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## Stickie (Mar 28, 2016)

I dont think that was a very useful comment Lilysdad. but if its the only way you can get a straight shank so be it


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

There's two problems with using dowels. Unless the grain runs continuously from one end to the other they will be weaker than a natural stick.

The other problem is they look like dowels. A tapered stick looks better to me.

I've had some success at steaming sticks to straighten them but it's been somewhat spotty. I need to refine my steam setup and my technique. One problem is I don't think I'm patient enough. Could be I'm using the wrong sticks too. I am becoming more selective in what I drag home.

Rodney


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Stick straightening seems a bit of a odd one for the Americans its like there toppers folk art its typical of American art , not very popular here .

I do ponder on some sticks whether there suitable for there intended purpose , particularly if it is dog legged .

I got to admit I don't like the use of dowel it just doesn't seem natural , but then again we don't strip the bark of most of our shanks

A few carve some toppers which do seem to work, whilst most carved toppers here are usually some form of wildlife .

Wonder how the traditional stick maker here consider a alternative design

But there's little doubt in my mind that the rams horn sticks are outstanding and the British do it very well

Suppose its a matter of taste and how our upbringing has moulded us


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

Maybe we should get back on topic and save this conversation for another thread? It is an awesome stick by the way.


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## RandyL476 (Aug 24, 2014)

Looks like I started something, but it all comes down to what you and what other people prefer I had more people want the stick I make that are a little crooked than than straight shaft.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Its a controversial thing no wrong no right .its like the water colourist saying you shouldn't use white paint .its just attitude like should you paint wood a lot of people don't like it .if your using a exotic wood with a nice grain should it be painted ? Another thing like the gun law cause strong issues.

but its down to the maker. .My preference is it should be straight ,


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

Stickie said:


> I dont think that was a very useful comment . . .


 No, it isn't useful. It simply reflects an ideal. The difference between England and America is we have existed apart long enough to have developed different cultures. The culture in England holds aloft the ideal of the refined classic stick that has been produced for centuries. While we in America can admire the beauty and skill that it takes to produce such a piece, few here would buy and carry one.

Here in America, the ideal reflects our primitive, rural beginnings. While most of us could not live very long as our ancestors did, we like to imagine we could. As that applies to our sticks and carvings, we appreciate those that display traces of rustic, rural ruggedness. ( As an aside, for my carving, I prefer ones that have not been sanded. Ones that still show the tool marks such as the Norwegian style carvings. I appreciate that it shows being hand carved.)

Any road, it would be a poor world if we could not have and share our unique differences.


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I Like that we have the diversity of ideas in design and thoughts. Gives us something to talk about and a place to learn new thing. Where else could people from all around the globe communicate, in almost real time, about sticks and canes. That old saying " If we thought alike all the time one of us would not be necessary.".


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