48 Hour Class

Instructor:
Bill Robertson, Artisan

Course:
Advanced Lathe Works Wood & Metal

Project: Gadget Walking Sticks and Cane

(class is FULL)

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Course Description:
In a past era no properly dressed gentleman and in some cases ladies of a certain class would dare leave home without a walking stick or cane. But what was the cane for? Not everyone needed help walking. A fancy cane could also serve as a carrier for personal items or tools of a trade. There are thousands of different types of canes, known as “System Sticks.” Over 1500 of them have been patented. These canes held everything from cigarette holders, swords, opera glasses, paint sets, umbrellas, musical instruments, and even a complete bicycle.

In this class students will make a number and variety of canes, depending on each student’s skill level. This is a fairly advanced class so it is assumed that all students will know how to prepare stock for turning. All materials will be pre-turned to fit into collets in order to save hours of class time. Boxwood, African blackwood, and other woods will be used along with various metals and a little ivory trim to make the canes visually striking. But, the real fun begins when you show off what each cane does. Some of the canes include: a walking stick that upon turning the handle, goes limp and folds into smaller sections; a ladies sewing cane with ivory thread spools, needle box, and thimble; a gardener’s cane with a pruning saw fitted into its side; and a “shooting stick” where the handle opens to form a seat and a disc attaches to the tip to keep it from sinking into the ground so a hunter could take a rest. Also planned is a horse measuring cane in which a caliper, graduated in hands, telescopes out of the handle and unfolds to take a measurement. A similar stick was used by coffin makers to take measurements of the deceased.

Some of the canes will have simple handles, but there will be extra details to challenge the most advanced students. A student could carve an ornate ivory horse for the handle of the horse measuring cane, creating the extreme gentleman’s accessory. The techniques used in this class will include deep hole drilling, making tiny pivots and working joints, threading, turning, and much, much more. This class permits students to work at a relaxed pace or push as hard as they can, depending on the complexity and number of canes they wish to create.

Time: 48 hours. Completion is likely.

Power Tools: lathe, moto tool, drill press, diamond lap

Skill Level: Intermediate and advanced. This project is more advanced than most of the classes taught by this instructor in recent years. It involves some fine turning and drilling #80 or smaller holes—so good hand-eye coordination is a must. Familiarity with a Taig, Sherline or Unimat lathe would be very helpful. The higher the mechanical aptitude, the more creativity that can be applied to the projects.

Materials Fee: $145 to be collected at school.

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