Yeah, I know. A shillelagh should be hard and dense and heavy, the better to beat the scunners about the head and shoulders. This one is only called a shillelagh because of its shape.
It's actually fairly light and somewhat soft, but solid and stiff enough for some heavy weight to be put on it should you want.
I just finished smoothing and sanding last night and thought I'd add some pictures of it. Next will be oiling with tung oil or linseed. I'll have to see what I've got. That should really bring out the beautiful grain up near the handle. I shaped the head of the cane fairly extensively in order for it to fit my hand. Mostly this was done with rasps and some trimming with a small chisel.
For the knots, I ended up using some rasp work to get it down to a manageable level, then I used a very sharp knife, a high-carbon Opinel which I picked up when we visited the French alps last year. It's wicked sharp and was great for getting the small areas of tear-out from the rasp. Then I could sand down the edges of the cut areas.
I'll post pictures when I get it finished and put a tip on it. Still thinking maybe a copper end.
Yeah, I know. A shillelagh should be hard and dense and heavy, the better to beat the scunners about the head and shoulders. This one is only called a shillelagh because of its shape.
It's actually fairly light and somewhat soft, but solid and stiff enough for some heavy weight to be put on it should you want.
I just finished smoothing and sanding last night and thought I'd add some pictures of it. Next will be oiling with tung oil or linseed. I'll have to see what I've got. That should really bring out the beautiful grain up near the handle. I shaped the head of the cane fairly extensively in order for it to fit my hand. Mostly this was done with rasps and some trimming with a small chisel.
For the knots, I ended up using some rasp work to get it down to a manageable level, then I used a very sharp knife, a high-carbon Opinel which I picked up when we visited the French alps last year. It's wicked sharp and was great for getting the small areas of tear-out from the rasp. Then I could sand down the edges of the cut areas.
I'll post pictures when I get it finished and put a tip on it. Still thinking maybe a copper end.
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