Читать книгу Woodcarving Illustrated Issue 71 Summer 2015 - Группа авторов - Страница 28

Making Bamboo

Walking

Sticks

Add a carved topper to a

ready-made shaft for an

easy personalized stick

By Lora S. Irish

W

alking sticks are fun and

useful, but the blanks can

be awkward to work, especially

if you like to take your carving

projects on the road. Instead of

carving an entire walking stick in

one shot, it’s easier to carve a topper

from a smaller piece of wood and

then attach it to a shaft. Not only is

the topper more manageable as you

carve, but if you happen to make a

mistake, you haven’t ruined a much

larger piece of wood.

I carve most of my toppers

out of basswood because it’s

widely available, doesn’t have a

visible grain, and is easy to work

with—basically, it’s a wood I’m

comfortable with. I use bamboo for

the shaft because it’s lightweight

and strong, and the hollow sections

make it easy to attach the topper.

If you have a stand of bamboo at

your house, it’s easy to cut a stalk,

allow it to dry for one year per

inch of diameter, and then clean

it up. If you don’t have your own

stand, you can usually find bamboo

at nurseries, garden shops, fence

supply stores, or online.