BFDC 02

After changing my mind twice while merely working with bookmarked veneers that I couldn't afford yet, this chestnut burl was what I went with.  I call this sort of grain 'fantastic' not simply as an emphatic synonym for 'good,' but for its root of 'fantasy,' as it's the sort of grain you can stare at for a lifetime and still find new shapes in.  Here it is soaking in veneer softener for ten or fifteen minutes before being clamped between shelves and paper towels.