Thanks Fred, Yes I would like to see that plan sometime, if possible.
Well, I have no patience, so I went looking for some of the wood that I will need. Several months ago I had resawn some white cedar tops, but I was not completely satisfied with them. So I had this big log laying outside. It is hollow, but has 8" of good wood on one side. So I cut off a 22" long section and split out a billet with a perfectly quartered edge. Then I trued it up a bit.
I used this cool Grandfors Swedish carving axe that Kevin from Winnipeg gave me when he was down to build the canoe. I have coveted this axe for a long time in the Lee Valley catalog, but never could quite muster up the balls to pay the price. I almost fell over when he gave me this very axe that had been his for years...means way more to me than if I had bought it.
Another shot of the billet
And a view of the end showing the quartering
I took it down to the bandsaw and ran it through a few times until I had the face well cleaned up, then slabbed off a few slices
A couple of these should make a fine top, very uniform close grain lines.
And here is the African blackwood that I am thinking of using for the back
A few small checks that will need to be CA'ed, but that is not unusual for AB
On another note, here is the back that I am thinking of using for the size 2 Martin copy
If you would rather I use something more mundane, just say so
And any other suggestions are always welcome. I will put this wood on the "to build with" shelf and wait another 3 or 4 weeks for the cedar to dry.
G