misterpatrick wrote:
There is an interesting story behind the acquisition of the maple in my set. Came from a farmer in Oregon back in the 80's and has been aging since.
To be honest, It's not entirely clear that this is the wood that Hubbert got from me in the early '80s. It's the same species and quality, and looks to me like the same stuff, but with the intervening decades and a couple of moves Michael cannot recall if this is in fact the same piece. The curly big-leaf maple he got from me was sourced from a gentleman named "Burl" Cheatle in Sequim, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula, who was a wood supplier to Gibson Guitars. It was part of a large pile of chainsaw-rough chunks which he tossed out the second-story window of a barn where it had been stored, and sold to me for a pittance and a promise to make Mr. Cheatle a curly maple toilet seat. I divided the haul with my traveling companion Willie Sears, whose workshop burned not long after. The remainder, which varied widely in quality, has been made into an assortment of instruments, boxes, and tools, including the stand for my table saw, which I use daily. I've made quite a few tool handles from it too. I still have three 1" planks of the same quality as Patrick's set, and there's a possibility Hubbert might make a bass regulator for him out of this material some day.
