Marri walking stick

**grainspeaks** · 27th October 2009, 12:17 PM

Hi there. I posted a while back when I had just started really getting into woodwork. Since then lots of stuff has gone on to keep me from being very social, online, but I have managed to make some progress in my work. I've more or less completed about a dozen pieces. My first attempts were very organic and discovery-oriented, but I quickly saw wisdom in the main piece advice I took from this group: that I needed to impose form onto wood if I wanted to understand it.

So, I'm currently in Western Australia acquiring, preparing, and storing green timber and doing some practicing since I have ample wood supply, space, and tools, here. I've been doing very simple pieces and am still finding them to be quite challenging, but I'm excited to also be learning so much in the process. So I had this branch from this redgum and as I wanted to see how green timber worked I decided to make a simple walking stick. I used the carbide arbortech cutter on an angle grinder to freehand cut a somewhat straight stick. I used a little rotary pneumatic sander and then hand sanding. I'm still building strength and control so that was another point of this excersize. Also, I really tried not to be too obsessive (I'm sure that someday I'll get around to posting this double helix that I spend eons working.) and actually just get the job done.

I took these pics a few days ago. These are not of it finished, but since it is drying now, I think I can probably add them later in the thread? If not, I guess I'll figure something out. Anyway, I was just happy to get these pics since I have no cheap digital and I'm usually unwilling to use my DSLR in my active shop. I've been really trying to do more documenting, so please bear with this imperfect attempt at a WIP (since it is more like a work-in-final-stages).

The wood is a little wet with water, here, and I didn't bother going for a macro but I'll illustrate the detail I managed when I update later today.

**Whittling** · 27th October 2009, 01:07 PM

I like the free flowing form mate. Nice. You said it was still green but you had sanded it? How did that work out?

You said it wasn't finished. What more are you going to do with it? (or do I just have to wait and see

)

Another thought... In my experience, cured sticks have richer colour. If you are going to use power to shape them anyway, why not just start with a dead stick?

Good luck with it anyway. I'll look forward to seeing it finished. Walking sticks are a passion of mine

.

**grainspeaks** · 27th October 2009, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by Whittling

I like the free flowing form mate. Nice. You said it was still green but you had sanded it? How did that work out?

You said it wasn't finished. What more are you going to do with it? (or do I just have to wait and see

)

Another thought... In my experience, cured sticks have richer colour. If you are going to use power to shape them anyway, why not just start with a dead stick?

Good luck with it anyway. I'll look forward to seeing it finished. Walking sticks are a passion of mine

.

Thanks

Well, yeah. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm learning, and practicing, and trying out different techniques, so I don't know how it is going to turn out in the end.... but, yeah, I had no problem sanding it. Redgum dries /really/ quickly and since I've had my works crackup the wazoo, I've been putting significant effort into seasoning me some the "right way" (the other stuff I used was firewood). Anyway, so most of it went in the dam and some of it got painted with kero/parafin/beeswax and stored and some of it became destined for me to practice on. I really loved cutting into the green wood and yeah, I had no problem sanding it.

It is almost done drying...

Oh, and when you say "cured sticks have richer color" ... don't ya reckon it still "cures" after you cut it? I know that it shrinks and warps... I've had "dry" redgum change into interesting shapes. Usually pretty cool effects though... appart from the cracking and splitting, of course

I tried to design it not to crack. We will see.

**Iggy** · 27th October 2009, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by grainspeaks

Usually pretty cool effects though... appart from the cracking and splitting, of course

I have seen some great use made of random splits and cracks, there is a Vic carver (whose name escapes me) uses a brightly coloured epoxy resin to fill large splits in his work and it looks magnificent.

**grainspeaks** · 27th October 2009, 04:35 PM

I mean, i'll probably put another coat on it but it is done for now, and i don't want to overcoat the green wood. I'm pretty happy with it... I know the color is subtle, but it really is pretty to look at closely

**grainspeaks** · 27th October 2009, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by Iggy

I have seen some great use made of random splits and cracks, there is a Vic carver (whose name escapes me) uses a brightly coloured epoxy resin to fill large splits in his work and it looks magnificent.

I've been experimenting making a filler out of redgum sap dissolved in a little acetone, mixed with various things.

**Whittling** · 27th October 2009, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by grainspeaks

Oh, and when you say "cured sticks have richer color" ... don't ya reckon it still "cures" after you cut it?

For some reason it doesn't seem to get those same rich colour tones if you carve it green, no matter how long you cure it for. I don't know why this is, but in my experience wood cut and carved green, never gets those colours that wood dead and cured in situ or on the ground does.

I've attached a photo of two sticks cut from the same tree at the same time. The one on the left was part of a branch that had been dead for while, the one on the right was green. Both sticks were carved and finished in the same way within a couple of weeks of each other. The one on the right will always stay that light colour no matter how long it cures for while the one on the left was that darker colour from the first day I cut it.

**grainspeaks** · 27th October 2009, 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by Whittling

For some reason it doesn't seem to get those same rich colour tones if you carve it green, no matter how long you cure it for. I don't know why this is, but in my experience wood cut and carved green, never gets those colours that wood dead and cured in situ or on the ground does.

I've attached a photo of two sticks cut from the same tree at the same time. The one on the left was part of a branch that had been dead for while, the one on the right was green. Both sticks were carved and finished in the same way within a couple of weeks of each other. The one on the right will always stay that light colour no matter how long it cures for while the one on the left was that darker colour from the first day I cut it.

Hey, thanks for posting those pics. That's really interesting. And potentially useful. I wonder how jarrah responds... because I've been getting these really gorgeous many toned results out of young-middle aged jarrah, but it is a) sooooo much work and b) darkens even with just wipe-on poly, reducing the overall contrast. Not necc a bad thing, I guess. It would be neat to see if I could retain the "brightness" of the pink ribbons in the jarrah ... could potentially then use an oil finish to richen it up? I wonder...

**Whittling** · 27th October 2009, 11:03 PM

Can't say about Jarrah. Only jarrah I've ever worked with was recycled floor joists. Very 'seasoned'.

**artme** · 28th October 2009, 04:43 AM

Thought it was a Cobra!!!

Neat looking stick>

**Iggy** · 29th October 2009, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by Whittling

Can't say about Jarrah. Only jarrah I've ever worked with was recycled floor joists. Very 'seasoned'.

I'm working on it , the piece is all packaged, I just need to convince the local PO that its only a little over length

**Whittling** · 29th October 2009, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by Iggy

I'm working on it , the piece is all packaged, I just need to convince the local PO that its only a little over length

Iggy... Does this mean you've just finished a Jarrah piece? Any photos?

**Iggy** · 31st October 2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by Whittling

Iggy... Does this mean you've just finished a Jarrah piece? Any photos?

nope just means Im getting Jarrah confused with Blackwood

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Marri walking stick

Pretty much finished.

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