Tips for canes/walking sticks

[John Schreiber]

I've been thinking about the challenges of making a good cane/walking stick tip for a long time and they are many:



Must provide good traction on surfaces from carpet to wood to concrete to dirt to ice
Must be non-marking
Must last a reasonably long time
Must be user replaceable
Must provide the right amount of shock absorption

can't be too noisy on a variety of surfaces
can't absorb too much energy when walking


Should be available in a range of widths from 5/8" to 1"
Shouldn't weigh much
Should look good or at least not distract from appearance
Shouldn't look threatening to security type people
Should be inexpensive or at least replacement part inexpensive
Would be nice if the user could, if necessary, purchase a replacement without going back to the maker

Anybody got any ideas or suggestions? I've tried a couple, but I figure between all the people here, we've tried them all.

[John Callahan]

You've made a good list. I've never made a cane or walking stick but have used them (canes). If there's anything that could be described as "custom", a cane or walking stick would be it. No one style or size fits all- they need to be fitted to the user. Height, handle shape and size etc.. You might talk to a rehab or physical therapist- they might give you some ideas as to what they look for in a cane or walking stick. And talk to people that use them; might be work an idea or two. With most of the wood canes I looked at there was no repeatability; no two were alike. You pretty much had to fish through the selection to find one you liked; there wasn't another like it. If you were going into production it would be nice to have stock styles in various lengths someone could order again. I ended up with one of Dad's -we were about the same physical size...... still have it though thankfully I don't need it too often anymore.

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have at least a half dozen walking sticks, ranging from poplar, to juniper, to aluminum. I cut them when I am camping, and still have one that I cut from a brush pile at the Philmont Scout reservation, 20 years ago. I prefer that they be about 5' tall, with a place for your hand to fit it. It is a very personal thing to decide how tall or short you want for a walking stick.

Most commercial canes have rubber tips. Most commercial walking sticks, including the adjustable aluminum one that I have, have metal tips. I once threaded a lag bolt into the bottom end of one of my walking sticks to help it wear better. All it really did was split the end of the stick.

Most of my patients use the aluminum quad canes, so I am doubtful that you would be interested in replicating those!

Doc

[Steve Beadle]

John, I made a cane recently and for the tip I simply purchased a box (2 tips) of replacement rubber tips that fit on the 3/4" diameter metal end of an adjustable cane. It might not fit one of your criteria (looking good), but it fits the others. I do like being able to pop into a local department store and pick up a box any time I need one. I only need to replace the tip about every 12 - 18 months. I think they only cost a coupla bucks--so they're certainly cheap enough. They're not too good for chasing down and killing spiders, though! The concentric rings on the bottom sometimes provide a spider-saving cavity. :)

[Mike Null]

I've made a few walking sticks and a couple of canes. For canes the rubber tips are safer but don't look very good. For walking sticks try the pads that you tack onto chair legs. They're nearly invisible and still provide some resistance.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

I don not have experience how ever I always stop at the Cane section in the Lee Valley catalogue. This may give you some ideas.

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/Search.aspx?c=2&action=a&ap=1#start

Greg

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

For my .02.
I have made three walking sticks for myself. I've given one away to a gentleman who obviously needed one.

I have had good luck with white plastic chair gliders. Now too slippery, un-abtrusive, easy to install, too. Might not be good for you, but they work for me.

Bruce

[Mark Versprille]

The one walking stick I made used an anti-skid chair foot pad I got at the Borg. Brown, soft plastic thingy with a tack embedded in it. Came four to a pack for about a buck. Pretty much the same as Bruce did.

[David Keller NC]

John - Besides the urethane auto bushings I mentioned on the Neader section thread, I thought of something else that might hold up better than rubber but still be non-marring to surfaces like wooden floors - UMHW. You can buy this in a buch of different diameters from material suppliers like MSC and McMaster Carr.

If it's finished smooth, UMHW is slick - probably too slick. However, if roughed up it should provide a decent grip, at least equal to wood end-grain, and once used a few times outdoors, a bit of dirt and grit will get embedded that should improve the grip further.

[John Schreiber]

I don not have experience how ever I always stop at the Cane section in the Lee Valley catalogue. This may give you some ideas.

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/Search.aspx?c=2&action=a&ap=1#start

Greg
Here's a link direct to the page. http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=43733&cat=3,48759&ap=2
I use a lot of Lee Valley products and I really like the way their tips look. I'd like something better though. The rubber part of the smaller tip bottoms out for me when it's new and the medium size one only lasts a month or two. If I made them to sell, I'd have to include quite a few spare tips and/or a way for my customer to order them direct from Lee Valley.

The tips for medical canes work pretty well, but they are ugly. I've found some chair leg tips which aren't too ugly with some styles of stick. There are some nice looking traditional style brass/steel tips, but they really can't be used on a hard surface like concrete or a wood floor.