A Walking Cane With a Twist

This is my first instructable so be nice to me!

So you want to make a cane with a twist to elevate your pimp game or elevate your grandma and keep her vertical, good for you, let's do this!

Step 1: Choose Your Stock

You want to start with a board that's a over 1'' thick

Cut your stock to 37''

This is a beast of walnut 2'' thick 9 ½'' wide but you can take 2x 1'' thick boards and glue them together

Step 2: Cut It to Size

I don't have pictures for the next few steps but don't worry you can do this, I have faith in you!

Go to the bandsaw and rip it to 1 ¾'' wide

Go to the jointer and square up 1 face and 1 side and mark them

Plane the board to 1 ¼'' thick (put your face mark on the table)

Go back to the bandsaw and rip it to 1 ¼'' wide (put your side mark on the fence)

So now you should have a board that's 1 ¼'' squared by 37'' long

Step 3: Find the Center

6: Find the center and mark it on both ends

Step 4: Mount It on the Lathe

Mount it on the lathe

Be safe and wear protective goggles because wood chips will start flying soon

You will need a thickness guage set to 1'', it will become your best friend

You will also need a 7/8'' roughing gouge and a 1/4'' strait guage

Do yourself a favor and get a jig to support the center of the cane on the lathe because at 37'' it will start to wiggle like a spaghetti. If you don't have one and still want to do this then you're a rebel and I like the cut of your jib, let's be friend and have a drink.

Start the lathe and act like you want to pet a tiger: be gentle, go slow, no sudden movement. Keep your gouge sharp, do one pass to make it round and sharpen it again before your 2nd pass. Check your thickness guage often, it's your best friend remember?

Step 5: Tracing

You should now have a round cane with squared ends, use them for stability and trace a line all the way across the cane on the 4 sides

Step 6: Divisions

Divide those lines to mark your twists

Those were protoptypes I made, the one on the far right was divided every 3 inches and I tought it looked to barbershop like, next to it I divided it every 1'' and alltough it look better I think (don't judge me!) they're a little too close together for my taste.

I finally decided to go with 1 ¾'' divisions which you can see on the far left

Step 7: Mark the Twist

Use electrical tape to join the division and make a twist

When satisfied with the look, trace the twist with a pensil using the thickness of the tape to guide you.

Step 8: Cut the Ends

Go to the scroll saw and cut the squared ends

Step 9: Plunge Router

Take a plunge router (I used a hydrolic one), make a fixed base so it's elevated and secured, use a ¼'' spiral bit and set it so it makes a 1/8'' depth cut. It does'nt look like much but you're going to make 4 passes (1 on each side) so you'll want a little meat left in the center, you would'nt want it to break under the weight of your granny right?

Step 10: Make a Jig

Make a jig so the cane will fit snug but leave just enough room so you can push and twist it under the router

Center the jig and make one pass, GO SLOW and be precise because if you deviate from the line it will affect the thickness of the ridges. When you're a little over the halfway mark, stop and start from the other end, you should join the groove you just made. If it's not perfect, just say it's an artistic desicion and that's exactly how you wanted it to look. Who are they to judge your flair and taste?

Step 11: Sanding

Next comes the fun part, sanding the groove PERFECTLY by hand! It will become the master groove on which the others will be based on. I used a random orbit sander pad 100 grit.

Step 12: Make the Other Grooves

On your jig, add a dowel centered with the router bit that is out just enough so the groove you made will fit in. You can use that as a track to make the 3 other passes. So if you didn't sand it like I told you, all the nicks and bumps will repeat on the other grooves which means more sanding for you!

Step 13: Sanding (again)

Sand the 3 grooves you just made, it should be easier because you did it like I said the last time, right? If you think you sanded enough, sand again, i'm not about to let you give your grandma a cane that is not perfect, not on my watch.

When all the grooves are sanded perfectly, sand some more: 120 then 150 then180 and finally 220 grit

You're done for now, let's move on to the handle.

Step 14: Drawing the Design

Trace your ideas on a piece of paper until you find a design that you like you can make a test on a piece of scrap wood or mdf to test how it feels.

Step 15: Make a Tracing Jig

Transfer your design on a piece of 1/4'' masonite that will become your tracing jig

Step 16: Preparing the Stock

Prepare your stock by glueing or cutting a piece of wood to size (ideally 1 1/8'' thick so it's confortable when rounded)

I used Walnut and Tiger Maple that I found in the shop trash, can you believe that?

Step 17: Cut the Shape

Cut the shape on the scroll saw

Step 18: Sanding (again...)

Sand the handle perfectly because we're going to the router next. I used a spindle sander

Step 19: Router

Make yourself a jig to hold your handle on both sides (length wise) so your hands don't come close to the router bit. Take the fence away leaving only the bit exposed.

Turn off your dust collector, it eate 2 previous handles!

Use a 1/4'' round bit and make at least 3 passes inside and outside and turn it over before each new pass.

Now everything should be round except where the jig was.

Back to sanding!

Step 20: Sanding (yet Again)

Sand the unrounded parts to match the rest.

Sand the handle perfectly (you should've expected that...) 120, 150, 180, 220 grit.

Step 21: Drill the Hole

At the drill press, using a 1/2'' inch fostner bit drill the handle about 1/2'' deep

Then with a 5/8'' fostner bit, drill about 1/8'' deep

I used a piece of wood to elevate the handle so it's parrallel

Step 22: The Ring

I used a copper joint 3/4'' to 1/2''
one end will go inside the handle and the other outside the cane.
polish it until you can see yourself in it. if you look good, stop!

Step 23: Fitting the Ring

Insert the ring 1/2'' part into the handle and sand so the handle match the girth of the ring

Step 24: Assembly

Put a screw inside the handle so the epoxy has something to hold onto.

Put epoxy outside the 1/2'' copper and inside the handle

fill the handle with epoxy and insert the cane

Make sure the epoxy fills the joint completely (use a seringe if you have to)

Let Dry!

Step 25: Finishing

I used glossy spray finish and put 3 coats

Step 26: Voilà!

Now you should have a beautiful and unique cane that's gonna turn heads.

Be proud of youself, that's about 15 hours of work putting the cane at about 400$

Rock on!