Tribal Walking Stick

Tommy Nienabar' s passion for his art was less of a calling and more of a form of rehabilitation. A major gas explosion in his apartment left Nienabar with burns over 40 percent of his body, severely affecting his right arm. Doctors told him that he needed to find a way to work his hands and arms on a regular basis in a repetitive way or risk losing the use of them. He had considered himself artistic and decided to try his hand at woodworking. He began carving intricate and beautiful wooden creations, everything from larger than life totem poles to masks and tribal walking sticks and all with a decidedly ethnic flair.

Materials:

4' hickory blank or walking cane
Foredom rotary tool with cyclone cutting bit
rasps
belt sander with 16" 80-grit belt
60-, 100-, 120-, 220-grit sandpaper
5" vise
grinder with wax buffing wheel
ebony stain
soft cloth
wax wheels
respirator
earplugs
face shield
grease pencil

1. Secure a four-foot hickory blank walking stick in the vise. Roughly draw a face design at the top using a grease pencil. Draw spirals all the way down the stick (figure A).

2. Rough out the faces and the lower designs with a rotary tool (figure B).

3. Sand the cheekbones of the face with a belt sander.

4. Fine-tune the face and the spirals with a rotary tool (figure C).

5. Hand sand the entire piece:

• begin with course 60-grit
• 100-grit sandpaper
• 120-grit sandpaper
• fine 220-grit sandpaper

6. Attach a grinder to the rotary tool to create shadowed effects on the spirals (figure D).

7. Dab ebony stain on the face to create shadow effects around the eyes and cheekbones (figure E). Apply it to the remainder of the walking stick. Wipe the stain off with a soft cloth. Let dry.

8. Attach a wax buffing wheel to the table grinder and apply wax (figure F). The wax preserves the tribal walking stick design.

E-mail: tommy@tommyn.com

Website: www.tommyn.com