> Example: many people have admired my cutting
> block. It is made of a portion of a sycamore tree. Still has the bark
> on. Would be too expensive to ship far. Required years of seasoning
> before being smoothed and fitted with legs.
>
That is a perfect example of what I was refering to. (By the bye, it is
sycamore wood that I am working this morning). It has a use, come hell or
high
water or what may, people use cutting blocks.
Those boutiques with the twig furniture --- the ghastly high prices are in
part due to the markup. It is true that shipping a cutting block would run a
bit, but since you are pocketing some of that markup and the buyer is saving
the
rest, the shipping is offset by the direct sale.
A cutting block is something that a cook, even an aficionado, would gladly
pay plenty to get a good one. </HTML>