Carving a Box Weave Walking Cane

I have made my own canes for many years, and recently decided to try my hand at carving a box weave pattern. In this Instructable I will show how I came up with the design and carved it.

Because of arthritis, I do my carving with a Dremel rotary tool.

Supplies used:

1. 1 inch hardwood dowel (36 inches long)
2. Small piece of hardwood for the handle
3. Sandpaper
4. Stain & polyurethane (or a finish of your choice)
5. Small piece of copper tubing (optional)
6. 1/4 inch wide tape (optional, but recommended)
7. Cardboard tube
8. Pencil

Tools used:

1. Dremel rotary tool
2. Various carving bits
3. Bandsaw (a manual saw could be used)
4. Carving knife

I first tried to draw the pattern by hand, but that didn't work out very well, so I made a little jig to make it easier. The jig is simply a cardboard tube made in the diameter of the dowel. I made a 45 degree cut on one end of this tube (photo 1).

On the dowel I made a pencil mark at 1.5 inch spacing down the length of the dowel. Slipping the cardboard tube on the dowel, I aligned the "point" of the tube with the first 1.5 inch mark and drew a line from the tip of the point to the bottom of the "V" on the tube. I rotated the tube and moved it down and aligned the tip of the tube with the end of the line I just drew, and drew another line. I continued this process completely down the tube.

For the intersecting lines I used the back side of the cut on the tube, and continued drawing the lines down the dowel.

Once these lines are all drawn, you can either do a new set of lines spaced at the width of your desired basket weave, or you can apply tape (I used 1/4 inch width) aligned with the lines you drew. If you use the tape, the final step in placing the pattern on the dowel requires that you apply the tape along the lines you previously drew, then tracing the edge of the tape. Once this is done, you will have the beginnings of a box weave pattern all down the dowel.

The final part of the pattern is to mark where the basket weave will go over and under the intersecting lines. Hopefully, the photos will help make this less confusing! Photo 4 shows how this pattern will look.

You are now ready to begin carving. I used the bit in photo 2 to outline the weave pattern. I made several passes on the outlining until I had the relief depth I wanted. Next I went back and made relief cuts with the tapered cutter in Photo 3 where the weave went under at all intersecting lines. You will want the relief cuts for the actual weave to be deeper than the relief cuts where the weave passes under -- these relief cuts should be shallow, because you are visually wanting this pattern to look like a traditional weave.

Don't rush this step. Multiple light cuts are easier to control than deep cuts.

At this point the weave begins taking shape, however there is still material that must be removed between the weaves.

The final step in relief cuts is to remove the wood between the weaves. Once this was completed I used a small ball shaped cutter to stipple the area between the weaves. I could have sanded this area, but I chose to stipple it so the stain would darken this area a little more than the weaves, Once finished, lightly sand the entire dowel.

Cut out the hardwood for the handle and stain the dowel and handle. Follow the drying directions based on the stain you used.

If using polyurethane, apply 2-3 coats (observing the recommended drying times).

I fastened the handle to the dowel by drilling a 3/4 inch hole in the handle and reduced the top of the dowel to fit the hole, then assembled it with epoxy.

On my canes I like to add a piece of thin leather on the dowel just beneath the handle and sew it on, but this step is optional. I also like to add a copper clip made from copper tubing, which allows me to hang the cane from my pants pocket when I need to use both hands. This is also optional, but very handy when you need both hands available such as when you're shopping for more supplies! Making the clip is not difficult. Simply cut it out from the tubing, then shape it accordingly. The clip is attached with a wood screw.