Take your woodworking skills for a walk! Complete project guide to creating a variety of walking sticks, staffs, and canes 15 stunning projects with step-by-step instructions, helpful sidebar tips, and full-color photographs Range of difficulty, from a simple pine staff to a sophisticated brass-adorned turned cane Stickmaking basics, including wood options, tools and hardware, and techniques for constructing, shaping, turning, and finishing 25 original patterns for cane heads from renowned artist and wood carver Lora Irish Inspiring gallery of Albert LeCoff's Tribute Cane Collection from the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia Inside Make Your Own Walking Sticks, woodworker and author Charlie Self shows you how to craft more than a dozen different staffs! Whether you're looking for something simple and practical or looking to make a statement, you'll find everything you need to know inside this fun and easy-to-follow project book for woodworkers, woodcarvers, and woodturners. Including a brief overview on the history of walking sticks and reasons to make your own, the first part covers what woods to use, safety tips, the wood carving tools and hardware you'll need, and basic construction and finishing techniques. The second part is devoted to 15 projects with step-by-step directions, detailed patterns, and in-depth coverage of shaping, turning, and finishing techniques. Projects include flat, bark-on, willow, turned, and laminated canes, and range from a simple pine branch cane for the beginner to a brass-handled and stylishly turned two-piece cane for the advanced lathe craftsman. Also provided is a helpful guide to several North American woods—from white oak and sycamore to mesquite and cherry wood. The included 25 original cane topper woodcarving patterns from renowned artist Lora S. Irish feature dragons, green men, snakes, fish, owls, hawks and more. An inspiring gallery of canes and walking sticks from the private collection of Albert LeCoff, the executive director of the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia, is packed with gorgeous full-color photos sure to encourage your cane-making creativity. From rustic walking sticks to fancy staves, with Make Your Own Walking Sticks, you'll learn everything you need to know to start making your own beautiful handmade canes!