[Cob] cobber's thumbs

[Clint Popetz]

On Tue, May 03, 2005 at 10:02:00AM -0700, Shannon C. Dealy wrote:
> 
> I'm not sure about this whole concept of "making" cobber's thumbs,
> personally, when I need one (and my thumbs won't do), I just grab the
> nearest stick (usually dead fall from nearby trees, or remnants from
> clearing the building site) that's about 1" in diameter, whack off about a
> one foot length with a machette, grab it in the middle, and start using
> it. every once in a while when it starts looking kind of pointy (the cob
> will grind it into a pointed tip over time), I grab the machette whack off
> the tip and keep using it (you really want a blunt tip so that the straw
> fibers will get pushed into the layer below, a pointed tip will be more
> likely to go between the fibers without really interlocking the layers).
> When the stick gets to short, I find another one.

I would have agreed until I read this thread, as your description
matches my approach up until now.  But I've often had an aching right
hand after day of holding the "broken stick cobbers thumb," due to the
way you have to grasp it (sort of like holding a pencil _really_ tight
for too long.)  So I think I'll try the snowshovel handle (or in my
case, old pitchfork handle) approach, because it seems more ergonomic.
Anything that makes me hurt a little less but doesn't hurt the earth
is an improvement to me :)

			-Clint