• (1) 7-1/4″ x 24″ x 1/4″ hardwood hobby board
• (1) *small wood plaque
• *1-1/4″ hand drive finish nails
• *1/16″ drill bit
• *wood glue
• *masking tape
• *jigsaw
• *cordless drill
• optional: table saw

1. The first step is to print and cut out your paper template. You can download the one I used here. I printed off three copies at the original size (10″ x 10″). I cut out two of the template and left the third for later. To give the arms of my cactus some variety, I cut the arms off one template and spread them apart and taped them in place.

2. I cut up the third template and used it to extend the the trunk of the first two. I added about 3″ in length and taped it in place.

3. I used a few pieces of folded over masking tape to hold the templates to the board. It is a tight fit, but both cacti should fit on one board.

4. At this point I got friendly with my jigsaw. I’ll be honest, the jigsaw has never been my favorite tool, but I don’t have a scroll saw and a jigsaw with a fine blade worked fine. I set the saw on the slowest speed and worked carefully around the curves, but I did have some casualties. Luckily, broken arms can be glued back in place.

5. Next, I measured exactly 1/2 the length of cactus and drew a 1/4″ wide track (on the top end of one and the bottom end of the other). Then, I used a 1/4″ drill bit and made a hole at the end of the track. Using the jigsaw again, I cut out the track down the center and squared up the end.

6. At this point I decided where I wanted my spikes and earring holes. I discovered a 1/16″ drill bit is the perfect size for my stud type earrings.

I hammered a few 1-1/4″ finish nails through some of the holes, creating “spikes” that I could hang necklaces from.

7. Instead of buying a wood plaque, I used a piece of scrap and made my own. I chose to cut perpendicular grooves on the top face to hold the cactus in place. This is totally optional! You could simply glue your cactus to the top of your plaque and hold it in place with tape while it dries.

I was going to paint the cactus silhouette but like I did with my rice knife block, I fell in love with the poplar grain and decided to leave it natural.

I kinda want to make a second one to hang my keys on.