I thought I'd write more about this Western Red Cedar billet:
I sourced this from the islands off British Columbia. This is from logs that have fallen off commercial lumber booms or barges and become driftwood that would of otherwise rotted in the ocean or on a beach somewhere.
The fella I deal with is a one man operation working off the grid and he has an eye and love for salvaging master grade tonewood. Here is a fun little YouTube of him selecting and hand splitting Cedar billets:
Gerry Chicalo loves this work and takes pride in salvaging and hand processing this wood, carefully selecting out the best for musical instruments. Splitting out this incredibly straight grained cedar by hand ensures the sound boards will be absolutely quartered without any run out.
I've found as I further my commitment to hand building that there are wood suppliers that take this same pride and passion in their work. There are tool makers that raise their passion to art. My goal is to find these individuals and small businesses that align with my goals and passion as a luthier and partner with them.