The cylindrical clubs I made are really nice to swing, but I cannot use them to do double inner or outer mills. The length causes the clubs to crash into each other. I don't want to make them any shorter, because they would lose some of their wonderful swinging characteristics. I don't particularly like the shape either (rolling pins!), so I decided to make some shorter torpedo-shaped clubs.
I found a branch of grey ironbark (Eucalyptus Paniculata) that had broken off a tree, and used this to make the clubs. This wood has a very high density, so it should be possible to make a club with a reasonable weight, while still maintaining a slim profile. The branch had been lying around for some time. After stripping the bark, I saw borer holes made by the larvae of Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles). I had to dig out some of the grubs, because they were still present in the wood. There were also pin holes left by Lyctidae (powder post beetles). Some sort of fungi had also attacked the wood, and led to a discoloured layer between heartwood and sapwood. The discolouration leads to a very attractive pattern on the shaped club.
I found a branch of grey ironbark (Eucalyptus Paniculata) that had broken off a tree, and used this to make the clubs. This wood has a very high density, so it should be possible to make a club with a reasonable weight, while still maintaining a slim profile. The branch had been lying around for some time. After stripping the bark, I saw borer holes made by the larvae of Cerambycidae (longhorn beetles). I had to dig out some of the grubs, because they were still present in the wood. There were also pin holes left by Lyctidae (powder post beetles). Some sort of fungi had also attacked the wood, and led to a discoloured layer between heartwood and sapwood. The discolouration leads to a very attractive pattern on the shaped club.
The only tools I used to make these clubs were a hacksaw, a chisel, a plane and a file. It took me about 30 hours to make this pair of clubs
In January 2014, I made a pair of small torpedo-shaped clubs out of a coconut palm tree that had to be cut down. So I used the same basic outline to make the bigger clubs. You can see the wonderful patterns caused by staining due to fungus on the bigger clubs. I think the technical term for this is "spalted" timber.
Eucalyptus is notorious for splitting on drying. Moisture evaporates much faster through the ends of the wood than through the sides. The stresses set up by the differential contraction causes cracks. I varnished the ends to seal the wood grain. I don't know whether that is enough to stop the cracks. I can see hairline fissures appearing already.
Eucalyptus is notorious for splitting on drying. Moisture evaporates much faster through the ends of the wood than through the sides. The stresses set up by the differential contraction causes cracks. I varnished the ends to seal the wood grain. I don't know whether that is enough to stop the cracks. I can see hairline fissures appearing already.
The cylindrical clubs weigh 1.3 kg, and are 75 cm in length. The torpedo clubs weigh 1.2 kg, and are 66 cm in length. This is considerably longer than most Indian clubs having the same weight. The exception is the Cobbett and Jenkin style clubs. Their club #1 has the same length and similar weight, but a different weight distribution.
Life is all about compromises. I prefer the swinging action of the cylindrical clubs. I use them at odd moments of the day, just because they are so nice to swing. I use them singly or in pairs. There is no set pattern to the swinging - whatever takes my fancy.
I use the torpedo clubs in a more systematic way. There is a set routine of exercises I try to get through using the torpedo clubs, as well as my other traditional shaped clubs. So you could say that one pair of clubs is for relaxation, while the other is for exercising.
Life is all about compromises. I prefer the swinging action of the cylindrical clubs. I use them at odd moments of the day, just because they are so nice to swing. I use them singly or in pairs. There is no set pattern to the swinging - whatever takes my fancy.
I use the torpedo clubs in a more systematic way. There is a set routine of exercises I try to get through using the torpedo clubs, as well as my other traditional shaped clubs. So you could say that one pair of clubs is for relaxation, while the other is for exercising.
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10 June 2014. This is what the clubs look like after a coat of sanding sealer. I like the smooth matte finish, and will leave them like this.
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23 August 2014. A few days ago, I found a longhorn beetle upstairs. It had probably crawled out of a piece of grey ironbark that I had reserved for a future project.
I asked my friend Bruce Blake to identify it for me. He said it was Phoracantha Semipunctata. It was introduced from Australia. Its preferred host is Eucalyptus species. It is now distributed world wide, and is a major pest of Eucalyptus plantations.
Bruce makes absolutely stunning high resolution close up photos of insects and other invertebrates. Here is the link to his Facebook page, where he displays these photos. Link
Bruce makes absolutely stunning high resolution close up photos of insects and other invertebrates. Here is the link to his Facebook page, where he displays these photos. Link