I bought a caber

[Alan H]

I went to the local lumber emporium and selected an older (read: drier, not cracked, and lighter) 16 foot doug fir 6 x 6. It probably weighs about 85-90 pounds.

I had a foot lopped off for ease of getting it on my truck, so now it's 15 feet. It's being delivered to my house.

I will cut off the corners with a circular saw, turning it into an octagon in cross-section, rather than a square. I'll then rent a power planer and round off those remaining corners and taper the bottom 6 feet. At that point I'll have a 15 foot, 70-75 pound caber which is smallish but in the range of what we throw in competition.

I think I'll also re-do my 12-footer with more taper so that if feels more like the "real thing" even though it's short.

The lumber itself didn't cost that much...$70 for the 6 x 6 but delivery was *ouch*. Don't ask.

[ccga3359]

Shoulda got balsa wood it would be easier on the back.

[Panache]

Alan,

Well that is one way to clear a fifteen foot long path to the front of the beer stand at the DCB!

I'm sure you and your fifteen foot chunk of wood will be very happy together!

In all seriousness it sounds like a cool project and I hope you post a few pictures of the process for other Highland Thrower DIYers.

Cheers

Jamie

[Yaish]

Excellent!

Don't skimp on preparation though, or your caber might not last a practice session. After the caber is shaped to the way you want it fill any cracks and the grain with a good wood glue. After it's dried sand and seal the whole thing.

In Arizona they've been fiberglassing their cabers and that works really well, but adds quite a bit of weight and cost. On the plus side it gives them a pretty bulletproof caber that will stand up to even the worst throws on bad ground without cracking.

If you can, please post pics of the process once you get started.

[Highland Logan]

I got a bit lost reading this. So let me get this straight... you guys in the 'States, re-use your cabers and modify them?

Frank

[Dirk Skene]

I went to the local lumber emporium and selected an older (read: drier, not cracked, and lighter) 16 foot doug fir 6 x 6..............

Why does this not suprise me

[TimC]

Awesome - let me help you out with the delivery cost.

-Tim

[Alan H]

Excellent!

Don't skimp on preparation though, or your caber might not last a practice session. After the caber is shaped to the way you want it fill any cracks and the grain with a good wood glue. After it's dried sand and seal the whole thing.

In Arizona they've been fiberglassing their cabers and that works really well, but adds quite a bit of weight and cost. On the plus side it gives them a pretty bulletproof caber that will stand up to even the worst throws on bad ground without cracking.

If you can, please post pics of the process once you get started.

I got lucky (or smart) and this thing has no significant cracks! I'm going to inspect if pretty carefully once I start shaping, though and if any show up, I will pour carpenters glue in there. Sanding the whole thing after it's shaped is definitely on the schedule, though sanding a 15 foot long stick is a rather time-consuming project. I'll oil it, too I think, but fiberglassing! no way. I've been building a fiberglass emergency rudder for my boat and I'm sick of epoxy!

Sure, I'll take pictures along the way!

I figure if it lasts three seasons, I'm happy.

[Alan H]

I got a bit lost reading this. So let me get this straight... you guys in the 'States, re-use your cabers and modify them?

Frank

Our Heavy Athletics association has about a dozen cabers, from a few small, old and cracked practice sticks, to some 11 foot, 45 pound womens cabers...up to a 19-20 foot, 140 pound monster. What us regular guys wind up throwing mostly is one of several in the 14-16 foot range, from 70 - 90 pounds. These are all cut-down trees, barked, sanded and finished. Several of them have "names"...such as "Cranky Boy" and "The Toad".

We also have one ALUMINUM caber. That's right, aluminum. We call it the "cyber-caber". TimC is th eonly guy I know who's turned it. It's a tapered aluminum pole about 14 feet long and weighs about 80 pounds. It's utterly indestructable, so they use it for the Class C guys a lot, so the beginners don't destroy a "real" caber in a bad drop, or ditch after a failed pick.

Interestingly enough, buying an actual "cut down tree" here in the San Francisco Bay area isn't so easy. Incredibly, the only pace I can find to buy one is a hour and a half drive away, and they want $250 for one.

I could drive up to the Sierra Nevada in a big pickup with a rack on top and drive 15 miles of trailhead roads and find four or five good sticks that were cut down for road maintenance to bring back, but then I'd have to schmooze a couple of guys to go up there, find the pickup truck and borrow it, and then pay for 300 miles worth of gas. Oh, and there's 6 feet of snow up there right now, at the altitudes I'd be looking at. I'd have to wait until June.

OR.....I can go to the local lumber emporium and buy a well dried 6 x 6 bit of lumber for $70 and spend a long Saturday shaping it into a tapered pole.

If this one breaks within a few feet of one end, then yes I would probably recycle it into a small practice pole or womens caber.

[Arizona Scot]

What a great idea, I have been tossing around the same idea, so that I will have a practice caber. I have already picked up some stones from the local quarry, the only thing I am having problems with is the 56# weight. Found on online but it was over a $100.00