Acquiring a practice caber

**Alan H** · 25th March 09, 03:25 PM

This can be a significant challenge.....here's how I solved it.

I called up a couple of local tree service companies, told them what I am doing, and asked them if they were taking out any straight under-50-foot evergreens in the near future. I scored on my third phone call.... perfect timing.

Now at home, one aaalllmost-12 foot, probably 60-65 pounder, cut three days ago so it's really wet. The branches are trimmed off, and it has a nice taper....will make a great womens or novice learning caber. When it's barked, smoothed and dried out it will probably be about 50-55 pounds...

Waiting for me up the hill at the end of the driveway when I can get a buddy with a roof rack on his truck is a 16 foot...perfectly straight but for one little kink in the middle...nicely tapered, 85 pounder. When barked, smoothed and dried that will be 65-70 pounds, a good Masters caber.

Total cost? Nothing Zero...zilch. I shook hands with the owner of the company, took 20 of his cards to display at our demo table at Tartan Day, and I'm stylin'.

Try calling Arborist and tree service companies.

**be da veva** · 25th March 09, 03:33 PM

Nice...

**Alan H** · 25th March 09, 03:49 PM

I'll bark it on sunday and square off the ends and smooth off the branch nubs. Then paint it with motor oil and wait for a few weeks.... paint again with motor oil. I expect that by late May it'll probably be ready to use, and I'll round off the little end so it doesn't chew up our hands.

Around midsummer when it's really dried out, I'll either paint the caber with "paint"...or put a coat of clear polyurethane on it.

Hmmm... maybe I'll paint the little one, pink.

**Panache** · 25th March 09, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by Alan H

Hmmm... maybe I'll paint the little one, pink.

The "Pink Panache Projectile" ?

Hmm... I don't know the P3 has a ring to it...

Cheers

Jamie

**Alan H** · 25th March 09, 05:21 PM

If you stand under it when TimC throws it, it will add an entirely new meaning to "Pink Death".

**JolyStNicholas** · 25th March 09, 05:35 PM

Now there stands "ONE SERIOUS LAD"!

**Piper** · 26th March 09, 05:57 AM

Alan, why the coats of motor oil? I've run Highland Games (recreational level) at some of the Black Powder Rendezvous that I attend for several years now. I generally cut my own cabers for the events. I've always just painted the ends to keep them from checking too badly while they dry, but I've never treated the body of the caber itself.
I would think that the oil would interfere with the adhesion of any paint or varnish used later, although I could see where it would help "weather proof" the caber. A long time back, farmers used to soak their axe handles and such in coal oil for a period before putting them to use. Reportedly the absorbed oil helped strengthen the wood and keep it from breaking under stress by lubricating the wood fibers (don't know if there is any scientific verification of that). Would that be one of the functions of the oil?
On a related note, several years ago I was at a small Scottish/Irish festival where they had a heavy athletics demonstration. I was in the front of the crowd watching the caber toss. When the caber hit the ground, I heard it crack. When they came to retrieve it, I said "Hey guy, you broke your stick". At first they didn't believe me, till they went to pick it up. It was cracked perpendicularly, about 1/4 of the way through, roughly 3 feet from the bottom. The crack then ran longitudinally about 1 foot each way. At that point (and I actually witnessed this), they tried to duct tape it. I warned my son-in-law to move the grandkids back, figuring things might get ugly. Fortunately, the first pick proved to them that they had to go get the other caber off the van. I guess if it worked, the duct tape company could have had one heck of an ad.

**Alan H** · 27th March 09, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Piper

Alan, why the coats of motor oil? I've run Highland Games (recreational level) at some of the Black Powder Rendezvous that I attend for several years now. I generally cut my own cabers for the events. I've always just painted the ends to keep them from checking too badly while they dry, but I've never treated the body of the caber itself.
I would think that the oil would interfere with the adhesion of any paint or varnish used later, although I could see where it would help "weather proof" the caber. A long time back, farmers used to soak their axe handles and such in coal oil for a period before putting them to use. Reportedly the absorbed oil helped strengthen the wood and keep it from breaking under stress by lubricating the wood fibers (don't know if there is any scientific verification of that). Would that be one of the functions of the oil?
On a related note, several years ago I was at a small Scottish/Irish festival where they had a heavy athletics demonstration. I was in the front of the crowd watching the caber toss. When the caber hit the ground, I heard it crack. When they came to retrieve it, I said "Hey guy, you broke your stick". At first they didn't believe me, till they went to pick it up. It was cracked perpendicularly, about 1/4 of the way through, roughly 3 feet from the bottom. The crack then ran longitudinally about 1 foot each way. At that point (and I actually witnessed this), they tried to duct tape it. I warned my son-in-law to move the grandkids back, figuring things might get ugly. Fortunately, the first pick proved to them that they had to go get the other caber off the van. I guess if it worked, the duct tape company could have had one heck of an ad.

Honestly, I have no idea why the motor oil. I just read it somewhere! Hmmm...maybe I DON'T need the motor oil. Honestly, if these sticks make it through one season, I'm jazzed. If they last through this season of practice I'll give them to my local Association and they'll add them to the "arsenal".

Regarding the duct tape. At the Ventura Games we were throwing on a hardpan dirt parking lot. There was also about 30-40 mph of wind across the lot, but that's another story. ANY-way the hardpan wrought havoc with the cabers and the 60+ Masters / Novice stick cracked, halfway through the Novice event. I had 13 Novices to try to get through and I really wanted them to have the experience of turning a caber, since I well remember how frustrating it was to go an entire season and not turn a stick. I duct taped the heck out of it, and it survived for the rest of the day.....but I sure hope they got another "little" stick mighty soon!

**jgorley** · 27th March 09, 10:55 AM

I have been a part of many a Duct Tape Caber. Usually it is when the stick starts to split length wise. Unfortunately when the crack is perpendicular it is pretty much over. As for the motor oil, I would not personally use it. We use a mix of Turpentine and Linseed Oil. (ok, lets face it, my spelling is awful!) We have a novice caber that has lasted for several years now. And yes it has tape on it and some of the minor cracks have been filled with Gorilla Glue.

James

**Detroitpete** · 27th March 09, 11:38 AM

Is this the place where I admit that one of my practice cabers has "1 by" braces with bolts through it to keep it together--plus the benefit of adding weight?

Man--am I cheap or what?