Need Purpose Built Walking Cane

Ditto on the hickory escrima sticks and hickory as an excellent wood. My sticks are also hickory and are much preferred to bamboo. (by me)

Jim

Get you a Shillelagh...[ She-Lay-Lee ] made of Blackthorn wood. Its an old Irish walking stick and has a large knob on the end. If you don't frequent airports...drill a hole in the end and add a little lead. These are some badass sticks.

Jaxondog said:

Get you a Shillelagh...[ She-Lay-Lee ] made of Blackthorn wood. Its an old Irish walking stick and has a large knob on the end. If you don't frequent airports...drill a hole in the end and add a little lead. These are some badass sticks.

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Adding Lead will get him in Trouble.

MICHAEL T said:

Oak Stockmans cane Mine is 1 1/8" hook cane and cost with shipping about 20 bucks . I don't want hit with it.

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The story is told of the guy in Illinois that tried to relieve my Gramps of his wallet. In less than a minute he was on the ground with a stock cane on his chest wondering how on earth an elderly man managed to disarm (knife) so quickly and effectively.

One thing about Ebony, not to do with canes as such. It is dense, not too heavy, but really hard.

In the 60s, actually 1960 to 1965, I was a part time Bouncer in Liverpool UK, 4 years at The Cavern Club, of Beatle fame, and a year at The Blue Angel, a night club on Seal St, on the edge of a not so good area.

Some times the fights were wee riots, multiple upset would be patrons, that we would not let in. For those times, we would have some items hanging around, in my case, an Ebony ruler, I think from a Bank. This was a round smooth 1" rod, 18" long.
The reason it was used as a ruler, using a pen nib, if you wanted to draw a line, under line etc. A flat ruler would blot! The round one, not.

Anyhow, it was in my family for years, I drilled a hole in it, around 5" from the end, and used a leather boot lace as a thumb hold.

Only used it a few times (Riots were not a nightly experience!) but strikes to hands and arms, were incredibly effective. A young guy, pushing his left hand forward in a boxing stance? Whack! Down or up, either way, cast on the next day, and no one wanted to punch with that left fist any more!

It fitted up the right jacket sleeve.

This plus 10^^^^^^^

People always vastly over estimate how little impact it takes to break some of the phalanges and metacarpal bones in the hand. A light fast stick can disable an attacker in a ridiculous way. Hands cannot take impacts well at all.

I have been using a hickory stockman's cane for several years and have whacked it as hard as I can multiple times with no fractures. It barely dents on hard surfaces.It will break bones with no ease. I can't imagine it needing to be any tougher than it is. It is 1 1/8th in. dia. and fairly heavy and does not need additional weight added to it. Rural King stores sell them. Made in Missouri from very good hickory. Only costs about $10. Cut it down to length and reshape the handle and finish with a coat of varnish. I love the fact that I can take it through airport security, courthouses, police stations. It's always there and cannot be legally confiscated due to the American Disabilities Act although the TSA will take it and X ray it and then return it to you.

You should also be aware that there are standard canes that are made out of steel tubing for heavy people. They look the same as the collapsible aluminum ones but are more heavy duty. Those would raise no questions.

Starting to sound easier to pick out a pistol than a cane.

Yes I got about 14 canes.

I make one cane a month. I give most away to old vets, but I keep 4 or 5 on hand.

My walk around the neighborhood staff was a sapling cut 30 years ago during a camping trip. It sat in the corner of my barn for 20 years before I decided to do someting with it. I sanded it and put a few light coats of polyurethane on it and a rubber tip. The hard maple color looks wonderful. I get compliments on it all the time. The reason I use it walking is mostly to run off dogs that may become agressive. I do not feel unarmed with that stick. It is about 5 feet in length, very hard , and would put a hurtin' on someone or some thing easily. I look like Moses walking around the neighborhood with it, but I don't really care. That staff has been on many miles of trail hiking for years before I refinshed it.

I have used and still use a Cold Steel City Stick. I was luck enough to get one with the original pistol grip, It's smooth I the hand, provides excellent support, and it's heavy. The cane itself is fiberglass, and I honestly have no idea what it would take to break one, but it would take a swing harder than mine (which is significant.) It provides all the support I needed when I weighed over 700 pounds, and it's still strong and elegant enough for me to use every day while I walk to school.

A note on the handle, I think you might want to look at a "Derby" style handle, or even better a "Fritz" style one. Both are good at taking my whole weight, the fritz one was the best. I could put almost all my weight on the cane and have very good balance with a Fritz handle.

Cane

Ash is very tough, slightly flexible, and tends to be relatively dry (low water content) while green, so it can be cut and worked into a cane and finished without a prolonged seasoning (drying out) process. Also very bland wood, not irritating like oak, and does not splinter readily. Hickory is also quite similar, and as we all know, is favored for tool handles for these same properties. Oak splits too easily especially if the piece is not made following the natural grain pattern, this is why thin spindles in chairs are hand split and lightly shaved, otherwise will split in use. I have seen quite a few older gentlemen w/ canes lately and most are not limping. I think we have a real expert woodworker/chair maker on this forum if he wants to weigh in on this.

A city stick is on my to get list.

My City Stick came with a SS Knob, too heavy! Got the Micarta one, fast.

Certain parts of the body, give maximum pain transfer! The front of the shin!
Slide up between the legs! All these strikes need speed, not power!

Bayonet strikes to the sternum, the reason you do not want to strike for the head and neck, too my mind, you are now in grab area!

When you slash/strike, maximum speed! That is why you do not need weight, slows down hit speed, hard to re cock.

Wild Scottish scream as you hit.

I been using my TSC stock canes most of the time. I tend to customize them.

Tagging....having some foot issues which will hopefully resolve, but good info to have a look at before it's needed....

ETA: Only problem with the City Stick (& similar designs) for me is that I found when I NEEDED a cane to help get around for a bit, I really needed something with a handle.

Feed and Stock stores handle hickory and oak stock canes and they are plenty tough.

WOW! I don't remember where I saw the post exactly (it was on this forum) - about the UHMW Polyethelene rods .... I ordered one 1" diameter, 3' long rod from Amazon, then I saw a Fritz handle (brass) there and ordered that instead of the suggested hame. I went to walkingcaneco.com (DIY cane parts), ordered a 1 in. brass collar and a 1" brass tip to match. Expecting them in sometime this week or next, with shipping, it is running me about $65, but I will have one bad ass mean walking stick with all the best features of looks and functionality. Once I make it, I'll post some pictures.

Chilltech500 -

You're closer to me than SamCade is. Hope you'll consider going down to the 2015 AKTA throw next May. Would love to introduce you to the sport - maybe get you to try out knife and tomahawk throwing, shooting blowguns and using slingshots!

Lets get fancy ... Pick your choice of wood ...

Walking cane shafts: http://www.walkingcaneco.com/walking-canes/Walking-Cane-Shafts/Walking-Cane-Shafts.asp

Handles: http://www.walkingcaneco.com/walking-canes/Walking-Cane-Handles/Walking-Cane-Handles.asp

Fancy Tips: http://www.walkingcaneco.com/walkin...e-Tips/Brass-and-Silver-Walking-Cane-Tips.asp

Collars (hiding the handle / shaft joint): http://www.walkingcaneco.com/walking-canes/Walking-Cane-Collars/Walking-Cane-Collars.asp

The brass parts came in. Had to use paint stripper to get the yellow lacquer off the Fritz brass handle. Cleaned up nicely. Very happy so far. The UHMW PE rod has been shipped. Hoping it will be in soon. The contrast of the black against brass is going to look amazing!. Thinking of antiquing the Fritz handle detailing (grip).