He had given it a rope-wrapped handle and suggested that I may want to craft a better handle at some point.Thank you again Woody!
... and as you know, this will be a very useful tool at our claims. 
I accept the handle challenge and after doing lots of internet research on knife-making I have begun to fabricate a Sugar Maple handle for it.
Bad thing is... I've discovered that the world of knife-making is a whole new creative avenue that I intend to pursue! I'm not a knife freak, but this is fun. Just what I need, another set of irons on the fire (literally).
However, the good thing is that I can combine lapidary with knife building... and even use my minerals from the placer mine. High-end fancy knives often incorporate full stone handles and stone inlays which are polished and shaped to perfection.
There is one famous knife-maker I was researching who has a knife for sale that has a handle made of Unakite (about $2K, not cheap). Link: Unakite Knife Handle
I recall a recent CP Forum thread discussing whether or not Unakite may be lap-able.... definitely YES!
Click around his knives and you'll see other gemstones and minerals that he uses to create beautiful knife works. He is an incredible artist.
Unakite is abundant on my claim.... along with other minerals that would work well for knife handle materials.
Anyway... I still have a LOT to learn before I try to tackle stone handles. A man can dream, right? For now... this is my progress on the Maple handle I'm constructing for the machete. I've also done quite a bit of blade work on it but those pics will have to wait.
