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YES! I do have another order for a Spinal Cane.
This one has been ordered by Doctor Ledger's wife for her dad. He is a retired Chiropractor and I was told he saw the first two and really liked the idea. His daughter told me he also has rheumatoid arthritis in his hands so I know what it's going to take to make this usable. The first two were for more decorative use, but this one will be used for walking assistance. Brett still hasn't picked up his gift of the Spinal Tap Staff so I have a model to go by even though this one will be much smaller scale. Watch the process if you missed the first ones to see how I do.
If you want you can reply to my email directly by useing the comment box at the bottom of this page.
It is Friday the 6th of January and the orders are really piling up. I now have one cane to finish. One for the doctor. A movie poster marquee, and today another frame for displaying a cap collection.
I am going to finish the structure of the toy box, but it is slow going cause each piece has to be hand fitted and doweled as I am not using any screws or nails to assemble the box. Once the box is solid I will put it aside for a while to catch up on some smaller projects. The diagram is what I am going to be carving into the raised areas on the front. I am starting the Ledger's Cane on January 12. If you wold like to share this link click on the icon at the bottom.
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Again I start with a piece of Cherry Stock from Shorty's Shop lumber yard. I choose the cherry because of the strength and beauty of the finished wood. The grain is a very tight closed grain material and can handle the small detail without cracking.
As pictured above the end of the log has a crack in it. This is common from the drying process. The Florida Sun does my drying for me, and when I am ready to use a piece I have to eliminate or work around
the natures curing process. In this case I use the electric chain saw to round out, and eliminate the cracked section.
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I have removed parts of the log with my chain saw thus creating the spinal column and jaw line. I say I don't use patterns and cut outs, but I do use the appropriate tool for the job.
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The deepest features are initiated first to give me reference points to work around and so I can develope the rough shape.
The eye sockets, nose cavity and temporal lobes are my initial features. I have to create these points so I can develop the
3 dimentional flow in the sculpture. The human skull is the mirror image from left to right so once I create the features on one
side I will balance it out on the right side. Hopefully!! As you can see my left hand on the skull I am showing the scale and placement of the grip. My left hand has only three fingers and my thumb, but I still span 91/2 inches. By the time I feature the right side the skull will be a little smaller and the grip will be more comfortable. Nicole has asked me to make something that her father can grip with his arthritis; not too small as it is hard to squeeze tightly. With my rheumatoid fingers I can relate and use my own hand to make sure it is feasible. The eye socketts will make a good grip.
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It's Sunday morning and I now have the skull roughed in.
This skull is almost 1/2 the size of the first(Spinal Tap)
but it will be proportionate to use as the cane that was ordered.
The spine is next! The cane is needed to be 34" in height and used like a regular walking assist.
Maybe someone will be able to see my work if it is actually used in public.
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I have been doing a bunch of chores today, but found time to fuse some vertebrae and rupture dome disks. At least the first seven that make up the neck. Actually the first three will be the last ones I do to make sure the mass at the skull is strong enough to take the mallet and chisel on the jaw. The next 13 vertebrae that make up the theoretic section of the spine are a little different than the neck bones. The last five are all together different than the center. Thats why I do this to create some semblance of real life spine. Wait till you see me do some brain surgery.
To the right I am showing the log is gone and just the cane stock is remaining. Nicole said her dad's cane is 34" so I am making the working stock 36",
and will have him fitted just to make sure I don't give him the SHORT end of the stick!
That's supposed to be a pun! I still have a lot to do before I can even say it's roughed in.
Below I introduced him to his bigger cousin and it put a smile on his face!! I am sorry but I am tired and I get silly when I am hurting, and tired.
I still have a lot to do, but I feel a sense of fulfilment when I get to this stage. It's starting to look like a winner.
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Did Ya ever get a stabbing pain in the middle of your back?
I took a break from the ranch hand work and went to play in my shop.
I only worked for 3 hours, but felt like I accomplished something. It is finally taking shape and turning out like I hoped for.
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Now I have a stiff Sacroiliac!!!
To the far right is the Ledger Spine cane roughed in. That means that I have all the components laid out and I am satisfied where they have ended up.
That DOESN"T mean they are biologically correct! I guarantee they are not, but at-least some one like me can tell it's supposed to be a spine from
a human form. Ha-ha a Small human. I am waiting to hear from Nicole to answer some questions about her dad, and the situation that this is being given to him.
I would really love for him to feel the cane right now and get feedback on the comfort of handling.
I can always make it smaller, but only Joseph's carpenter apprentice could make wood bigger.
I have just met Reg (Doc)
He is a very special man and it is even more important than ever for me to do this cane right.
DOC has advanced Rheumatoid Arthritis cause by; Agent Orange, another nightmare from our past.
I will make some adjustments in my skull; (You know what I mean), and start the detail finishing asap.
I just hope I can make him a useful walking aide.
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Above is MY hand grabbing on to the skull as it will be used by "DOC" as I am told his friends call him.
I had Doc grab the cane and I marked the position and the angles the openings have to be to fit him comfortably.
I even went into town using the cane to see what angles and depth of the openings have to be. I also carved DOC into the shaft of the can and then began the final tapering of the shaft. You notice the cut away for the brass tip looks off center. I eye the center of the shaft and shape the end to receive the brass. That gives me the lines to make a smooth and tapered core for the tail piece. with my mini plane that use to be one of my grandfathers tools. Irreplaceable!
Right now I am letting the stain on the shaft dry. I will apply clear brush on lacquer to everything afterwards. About 4 coats of lacquer
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To the left you see the thumb hole in the back of the scull. No it isn't like the biology class skull you saw in High School, but more like a bowling ball down at the lanes.
If you look at the picture above with my hand on the head that's how it will look when Doc uses it. Remember his hand is smaller and the arthritis has his fingers knotted up.
This will fit only him and I will make adjustments when finished to make sure it is comfortable, just like Jeremy does at his office in Hommosassa.
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EL Finnea
What ever!! It is done finished and delivered. I hope this fits "DOC's" hand like a glove. That was the whole idea behind this particular cane. Just to fit a man who has Arthritic hands so he doesn't have to grasp and hold on. It's more like a bowling ball, and once all of his fingers are in place the stiff fingers will actually hold the cane without effort. He may want to style a nylon hangman's noose to tie on to his writs so he won't drop it when going through a check out stand or just opening his car.
I will not do ANY more Spine canes for a while!! I really don't want to get into a rut.
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While I am watching paint dryin this 100% humidity I have removed the face from the Toy Box and I will carve the design I have created to make a 3D emblem on the raised section of the panel. ALS is my granddaughters initials; not her name. Who would name a baby girl AL ??
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I have removed the face of the box and will carve the emblem in relief I have designed in the raised center section. Because of the wavy contour front panel it should give the emblem, and her initials a more artsy look. I hope!! I have never done a project like this and I am not sure of the final outcome, but in my mind it seems like a cool idea. My mind is a strange and scary place!
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This native Black Oak I am useing is almost like carving stone. It is very hard and the grain is so strong it is taking all of the concentration I can muster to make sure I don't tear the grain of the wood but slice it. Instead of cutting the out line of the figure with chisels and gouges, I am using a "Dremel" tool to cut the shape as not to tear the fiber of the wood when gougeing out the unwanted material. It sounds complicated, but all I need to say is "I havtoo be vewy, vewy careful! "
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Face Off. No! It's not the TV show. What they do is easy. I have taken the face of the toy box off so I can carve the emblem for ALS toy box. Below it is roughed in and once I assemble the bottom and fasten the face permanently I will start at least 10 hours of sanding.This Black Oak is very hard wood, but I will have to go through 3 stages of sand paper in-order to eliminate all of the abrasion scratches.
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