About two hours more work (for two handles) mostly with a spokeshave and a knife, but also with some rasp work and a pencil to mark what I want to do at each step, as it’s easy to lose track of what I’m doing otherwise.
I am taking both handles along to today’s Eldorado Farmers Market to see which the guy prefers. The one pictured here has a slight waist in the middle when viewed from the top, which makes a bigger difference in how it feels than I expected. The pencil will go along as well, so I can mark the correct length on the shaft that goes with the handle he picks.
P.s. The granadillo layer on this handle has the grain running perpendicular to the grain of the handle. I don’t think it’ll make any difference in strength, but the appearance of the two will differ a little. I’ll see if anyone notices…
Since I’m drawboring the shaft into the handle, the granadillo may help a little with keeping the shoulder from compressing, but mostly it’s about the looks, Nathan.
Greg looked at the two handles, and picked this one. We marked two spots on the side of the handle where it needs to be a little thinner, and I marked the shaft for length. Next week, I hope to have an almost-done cane for him with maybe another trim to the shaft (I’ll be within 2 inches of the correct length, but fine tuning that last bit is always interesting - my own cane is almost a full 2 inches longer than “recommended,” but it works well for me, especially on uneven ground.
Tomorrow will probably be more handle shaping, and maybe I’ll start carving on the shaft. I’ve got a few ideas in my brain, but I need to pencil them onto the shaft and see how they work “in the round.”
That handle design looks comfy. I see people using the handles to knock on doors and potentially ward off villians. The ash should be plenty durable for those uses as well.
Dies your customer want any name or other identification on there as well?
Not that he’s mentioned so far, Splint. As for the design, yeah, I went to a store when I was making mine in 2016 and tried all the different styles of cane handles, and settled on this one as the best for my big paws. The guy getting it has smaller hands than I do, but he’s still a big guy, and “durable” is one of the design goals. I would hate to have it break on him, even if he “abuses” it across some villain’s noggin.
