...Several years ago, a lady called me and asked if I might be interested in buying some violin making wood. It seems her mom was getting her home of over 40 years ready to sell, when the workmen discovered four sets of violin plate wood hidden in an interior wall of her house. Her mom remembered years ago that the builder of the home had told her husband that if they "ever tore the house down, they would find some violin making wood in the wall'. ...That was all they knew about the mystery wood; however the story intrigued me and I purchased three sets of the wood from them, along with the violin mold and one neck block. This wood had been aging in the wall of this house for over 50 years!

...The top and back plates in finished outside condition. Notice how shiny the surface is. There is no finish applied yet, this is sanded in 16 steps up to # 12,000 paper.

...As the violin was nearing completion, my violin instructor Ron Kilde (of Salem, Oregon) suggested that the newspaper might think this a worthy human interest story. ...Their first article announced the free debut concert Ron offered to play at the Cascade Bakery Company in Salem, Oregon on a Saturday. ...Because of the Statesman Journal newspaper coverage, about 70 people showed up to hear this violin played in public for the first time. ...I believe most thought the tone was excellent and Ron's playing enjoyable.

...Rick and Loren were 5 and 6 when they cut out this wood (under their dad's supervision)!

...Thia with her new birds-eye maple violin: 'just what I had been looking for'.