Thanks for the compliments and suggestions. The chunk of zebrawood cut from a bowl blank really wasn't a good choice for a prop. Point taken...guess I'll try a chunk of rock! As for the blanks, for those that asked. They all came from CSUSA. Dario is correct, the one is Carribean Swirl, one is Silver Marble and the other is Antique Gold Marble. The wood is "allegedly" a stablized maple burl, but I'm not so sure about that one. It is awfully dark, but then again I've never done anything with maple burl before. Is maple burl normally dark? I have another unused blank that looks very similar. Joe - I saw the prints too late. Another lesson learned. BTW where in MD are you situated? I too live in MD. Regards, Rob