# Cactus Wood



## YellowKnife (Dec 18, 2012)

Heres a peice of Cholla cactus from Arizona with a blade of coastal plains from S.W. Ga.


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## pine nut (Dec 18, 2012)

That's neat!


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## shakey gizzard (Dec 18, 2012)

Thats awesome!


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## Nugefan (Dec 19, 2012)

thats a cool handle ....

   I shoulda tried to trade you out of it ...


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## Swamp Devil (Dec 19, 2012)

That's a beauty! Now, you'll have me searching for my piece of Cardon wood. It's gotta be around here somewhere...I made a stool & a lamp fixture from some larger pieces I had. It's another giant cactus from Baja ecologically similar to the Saguaro. The "skeleton" or wood is virtually indestructable and really cool looking as you've shown in your work. This forum is awesome...I've learned a lot of neat stuff...


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## tim scott (Dec 19, 2012)

yellowknife,
i don't mean to take away from your work.... it's wonderful. but i hope you treat the cholla wood with something... most of the time it's loaded with bugs, larva and eggs. there's termites, tiny little ants that bite and little tiny wasps that sting the heck out of you and a hundred other little nasty things.... for the most part they are dormant but when they get good and hot they come out. good thing is they are easy to kill. two ways i've used that work good are "raid ant and roach spray" spray the pieces good as some as you get them, seal them in a black plastic bag and put it in the hot sun for a week.... other way is if they will fit.... dip the pieces in water and microwave them for a minute or two... both ways also work on wood bores.
keep up the nice work,
tim


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## dmedd (Dec 19, 2012)

That's a nice looking knife.

I like using cholla cactus as well. Here's a knife I made last year with a cholla handle and flint river chert blade.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Dec 19, 2012)

YellowKnife said:


> Heres a peice of Cholla cactus from Arizona with a blade of coastal plains from S.W. Ga.



Very cool. I see you're right down the road a mile or two from me. How do you feel about teaching someone how to knap?


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## YellowKnife (Dec 20, 2012)

Miguel Cervantes said:


> Very cool. I see you're right down the road a mile or two from me. How do you feel about teaching someone how to knap?[/QUOTE
> Be glad to, won't take long to teach you what little I know.
> We have a knap-in at my place every year with some of the best knappers from across the state and the southeast. usally last bout 4 days sometime in the late spring, thats the best time to really learn or shoot me a line , i knapp most every evening.


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## YellowKnife (Dec 20, 2012)

dmedd said:


> That's a nice looking knife.
> 
> I like using cholla cactus as well. Here's a knife I made last year with a cholla handle and flint river chert blade.



Thanks d. I like that color,  is your blade raw?
I enjoy piddling with different handle material too. Where you getting your cholla if you don't mind.


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## YellowKnife (Dec 20, 2012)

tim scott said:


> yellowknife,
> i don't mean to take away from your work.... it's wonderful. but i hope you treat the cholla wood with something... most of the time it's loaded with bugs, larva and eggs. there's termites, tiny little ants that bite and little tiny wasps that sting the heck out of you and a hundred other little nasty things.... for the most part they are dormant but when they get good and hot they come out. good thing is they are easy to kill. two ways i've used that work good are "raid ant and roach spray" spray the pieces good as some as you get them, seal them in a black plastic bag and put it in the hot sun for a week.... other way is if they will fit.... dip the pieces in water and microwave them for a minute or two... both ways also work on wood bores.
> keep up the nice work,
> tim



Thanks for the heads up, mine has been cleaned when I get it.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Dec 20, 2012)

YellowKnife said:


> Be glad to, won't take long to teach you what little I know.
> We have a knap-in at my place every year with some of the best knappers from across the state and the southeast. usally last bout 4 days sometime in the late spring, thats the best time to really learn or shoot me a line , i knapp most every evening.


Preciate it, sent you a PM.


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## dmedd (Dec 21, 2012)

YellowKnife said:


> Thanks d. I like that color,  is your blade raw?
> I enjoy piddling with different handle material too. Where you getting your cholla if you don't mind.



That blade is raw. I think I got that piece of cholla from a guy on Ebay.


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## tim scott (Dec 22, 2012)

yellowknife,
yeah buying it is the best thing to do... i used to go out and gather my own.  also would get desert iron wood, screw bean mesquite, cats claw locust... all fantastic to work with. i say used to, last time out i had to stop and question my sanity for doing such things.... found a really remote spot that had no sign of ever having been collected. i found out why.... every clump of cactus and every scrub tree had rattle snake dens under them... ended up with snakes running everywhere.
tim


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## YellowKnife (Dec 22, 2012)

dmedd said:


> That blade is raw. I think I got that piece of cholla from a guy on Ebay.



Sometimes you can find it at hobby lobby but is about 1.5 to 2 inches in dia. You ever fool with marble, onyx or soapstone for handles. Be glad to send you a peice if you have a way to shape and polish. 
YK


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## YellowKnife (Dec 22, 2012)

Swamp Devil said:


> That's a beauty! Now, you'll have me searching for my piece of Cardon wood. It's gotta be around here somewhere...I made a stool & a lamp fixture from some larger pieces I had. It's another giant cactus from Baja ecologically similar to the Saguaro. The "skeleton" or wood is virtually indestructable and really cool looking as you've shown in your work. This forum is awesome...I've learned a lot of neat stuff...



Thanks SD, the stool is nice. You gotta post pics of your lamp too. Hope the one you are lookin fer is smaller , I'd hate to hafta beat out a blade fer one like the stool.


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## dmedd (Dec 23, 2012)

YellowKnife said:


> Sometimes you can find it at hobby lobby but is about 1.5 to 2 inches in dia. You ever fool with marble, onyx or soapstone for handles. Be glad to send you a peice if you have a way to shape and polish.
> YK



Yeah I've seen those big pieces at Hobby Lobby. I haven't ever worked with any of those other materials but I would like to try it. Yes sir, I do have a way to shape them. Thanks for the offer.


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## YellowKnife (Dec 24, 2012)

PM me your addy an I'll send you some blanks.


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