And the primary wood is pretty special. New Zealand Kauri is about as big around as a house and still grows there. This kauri was harvested from a tree that fell over, and into a peat bog, about 50,000 years...

Laotian flamewood is one of the hardest, most beautiful, and nastiest of the rosewood species on the planet. There are aspects of this build that look like they were done by a six year old, owing to the...

Burls, when found growing on the sides of trees, or within a tree’s root system, are an interesting anomaly for any variety. They are nothing more than a wart, and look and behave without regard for any...

Huangana Negra remains one of my favorite tone woods in building flutes. This started out tuned to F#m, but became a Gm after adding the stylized snake tuning hole at the far end. Amboyna burl, old growth redwood burl,...

Poplar F#m, 20.5” in length, 7/8” bore diameter. This material is excited to become a flute, instead of the predictable destiny of becoming a cardboard box. It is not one of my favorite tone woods, because it...

Here at the tail end of the Covid Collection, I have a G#m flute built from Mesquite. Also known as the "Trash Tree of Texas", it is living proof that Mother Nature has a sense of humor. Not being a sought after wood...

I find this instrument interesting, in that the majority of the three woods used, are referenced since the beginning of recorded history, and both are protected as a result. Specifically, Cedar of Lebanon, and...

“Creative thought by artists, craftsmen, and scientists involves the subconscious reception of ideas from the future, which literally create themselves”.- Dr. Jack Sarfatti, physicist. Holy Cow. It’s been SIXTEEN MONTHS since the last Querencia Woodwinds Occasional...