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| Posted: Mon Mar 14th, 2011 02:04 am |
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1st Post |
W C Greene
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From the outset, I know that there will be just a few freerailers who will want to make saguaro cactus plants. I have wanted a bunch of these majestic cacti (cactusses?) for a long time and have looked at and spent money on "scale replicas" that failed to melt my butter and ideas to make them have taken an inordinate amount of Muj's and my time, we have thought of and tried several methods to make the plant. Making wire armatures with plaster covering, clay models used as masters for rubber molds..all time consuming and still not quite "right". Well, while I was watching "3:10 to Yuma" the other night, I got an idea...why not carve the things from balsa sticks which I had a bunch of stashed away. So, here it is. It takes longer to explain than to make.
A balsa stick is carved into a tapered dowel (roughly) and a coarse Xacto saw blade (or other) is dragged lengthwise to simulate the "ribs" in the trunk.
Here, an "arm" is being carved from a stick. This will be rounded and the saw will be run lengthwise also. Be sure to use a fresh #11 blade to do the carving.
The "arm" is glued in a small pocket made in the trunk. Peach Head is not amused as I use medium CA to glue the part on.
Here is a "finished" cactus. I inserted a small piece of wire in the bottom to help when I "plant" the cactus. I see the old man has moved, I must be bothering him. You can add "arms" where you want but it helps to look at photos of real saguaros and don't make them all look alike.
Here's an old cactus which looks like a bunch of sticks standing vertically. I made this one by really attacking the balsa with the saw...it has that dead look now.
And here's the saguaro cactus "forest" I am working on. these are not glued down and I will mess with the ground cover some more to get the "look". I didn't spend much time making all these, just some nice sittin' and whittlin' in the sun. I painted them in various greens and gray, none are alike. Now it's time for some more.
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14th, 2011 08:11 pm |
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2nd Post |
Sullivan
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| Joined: | Mon Aug 4th, 2008 |
| Location: | Garland, TX |
| Posts: | 622 |
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Very nice tutorial, Mr. Greene...
They look really nice in the 'flesh', too.
"And that's all I've got to say about that."
- Forest Gump
Last edited on Mon Mar 14th, 2011 08:52 pm by Sullivan
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James Sullivan
Move along...nothing to see here...
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14th, 2011 09:02 pm |
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3rd Post |
Herb Kephart
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Have no idea what a real one looks like, so will have to go along with the experts.
What are you going to use for leaves?
Herbie 
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14th, 2011 09:12 pm |
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4th Post |
Sullivan
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Herb Kephart wrote: What are you going to use for leaves?
 .....uuuuuhh.....
Durn troublemakers!
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James Sullivan
Move along...nothing to see here...
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 02:14 pm |
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5th Post |
wclm
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Great looking Woodie. Doesn't look like they need much water so the leaves should
not be a problem. First time I have ever seen tongue and mortise on cacti though.
 Clif K
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 02:59 pm |
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6th Post |
W C Greene
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Well, I seem to have satisfied my "craving" for these cacti, something I have wanted for quite a while. The leaves? Saguaroes have millions of tiny spikes that have the same function as leaves so that's the botany lesson. On the models, the act of carving and scritching the balsa causes tiny fuzz and that represents the leaves or spikes. That's my story. I am going to make these in a spring setting with some flowers (when I figure that out) and a few birds sitting on the tops.
Clif-the morticed arm joint is easier to glue together, the soft balsa gets squished and fitted before I do the glue so the nicely cut attachment point is pretty much hidden and then with some glue here & there, it is gone. Making these things is really fairly relaxing and now I may have the problem of making more than I really need, unlike when I used to make trees...never enough!
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 03:47 pm |
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7th Post |
| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 04:38 pm |
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8th Post |
W C Greene
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http://phoenix.about.com/od/arizonapicturesandphotos/ig/Saguaro-Cactus/
Here's a link to some more cactus stuff. Some of these saguaros are really outlandish and I think that I will go outside now and carve up a couple of more. I noted that in these "forests", there were many "young un's" which didn't have any arms, just look like trunks coming up 10-15 feet or so. That close up of the spines is a good one, I don't know if I will do spines, I got fuzz already.
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 06:33 pm |
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9th Post |
Stickboy
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Your cacti look great!
I seem to recall a nugget of information along the lines of the saguaro cactus does not get it's first "arm" until it is about 100 years old. I know they are protected, and damaging them is a serious offence. Good work!
Phil
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Phil
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| Posted: Tue Mar 15th, 2011 06:43 pm |
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10th Post |
W C Greene
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Phil-you are correct..they are protected in Arizona. If they catch you digging one up to take home, the authorities may send you to Gitmo or some other high security prison. You can drink a beer in a bar with your sidearm holstered but if you touch a saguaro...well..."git a rope"...
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It doesn't matter if you win or lose, its' how you rig the game.
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