Clifton Rambin: Walking canes and wood carving

Clifton Rambin of Pelican is a multitasker, and his favorite two things to do at one time are carve wood and talk.
“I like to talk to people as they come by and explain what I do,” Rambin, a wood carver and cane maker, said. “That’s the main reason I go to festivals.”
Rambin will be chiseling and chatting at the Experience Louisiana Festival Oct 17-18 at the LSU- Eunice campus.
Rambin has carved wood since he was a child, and he started out making axe and hammer handles for his family. These days, Rambin carves mostly angels and crosses, but he is open to carving whatever a customer requests.
“It has evolved into what it is now over the years,” he said. “I carve whatever pops into my head. I had a guy who wanted me to carve him a wild pig awhile back, so I did that.”
Rambin mostly uses hard woods for his pieces, carves the occasional cypress stump and had to give up one of his other mediums due to a slight medical condition.
“I used to decorate gourds from time to time, but I’m allergic to them so I don’t fool with them anymore,” he said.
The carver is currently mentoring a younger family member on the craft of wood work, and he hopes the relation will stick with the art form.
“Most people don’t have the patience to fool with it,” Rambin said.