Aaaahhrrrgg...they're MULTIPLYING!!!

A while ago, I bought a walnut tree.

This particular tree was really pretty, as you can see. Someone had conveniently cut it up into thin slices for me. So, once in a bluish moon, I pull out a board and decide to build something. Smoke a peace pipe and make an offering to the spirit of the tree. Blow smoke to the east. To the west.

North and south can take care of themselves.

1. Holy Mother of Curly Walnut — Grab a hand plane and shave off a thin layer of sawmarks to expose the grain and figure patterns. Create lots of curly plane shavings. Get a blister on my palm and build shoulder muscles.

2. Pick a position — It's a large board. How to maximize the beauty of the instrument and minimize the wood used? Beautiful wood like this is very difficult to find, so conservation is always foreground. I'm seeking explosive grain and figure for the instrument I have in mind. Wipe the board with a damp rag to bring out the grain and chalk out the body outlines.

3. Field of Orchids — A few steps later and the blank is built. Curly walnut top, pattern-grade mahogany back, cocobolo center strip. The curly maple blank on the left of course is Halie's soon-to-be-purple bass. Both blanks have been wiped with a damp rag to bring out figure for the camera.

Alright, so what am I planning here?

I love the Orchid design so much, I've decided to build a guitar version. Ebony fretboard. Curly maple stacked-laminate neck-into-body. Curly walnut, mahogany, cocobolo body (with cocobolo accents on headstock). Hardware to be determined...I've got a few ideas.

Who is it for? It's not promised to anyone yet. Heh.