David Weaver
...the really highly figured stuff over here seems to go to instruments and veneer. I've always thought that the veneer people were my enemy in trying to find good solid lumber (they probably are).

Yesterday, I read an account of trouble on the page of a figured sycamore dealer's age that the veneer people were complaining that luthiers were buying veneer logs to cut musical lumber from and "ruining" the ability to get some of the logs for veneer.

This is a picture I just posted in separate comment here of a guitar that I bought last year - used. It would be difficult to get this kind of wood into a furniture project tastefully except maybe in spindles or turned elements.

(the whole thing is like this except the top is dead straight spruce, dead quartered)

I've noticed that many of the sellers of quartered wood here show really spectacular lumber, and the projects made with it are really plain - sometimes thrown together looking. Giant slab looking furniture or window sills where the lumber is forced to stand on its own as far as style goes.

I've got materials to build a guitar like this (a couple, I guess), but I"m afraid to start yet as they're beyond my pay grade - not structurally, but getting a result that nobody would spot any part that looks like it was done by an amateur.

The virtue of living now is that there are books published to make guitars like this so that a dummy can be told what's essential (so that you don't make a very pretty looking dead sounding paperweight).

One made by the george that I always talk about. He's self taught as far as guitars go (formally trained in classical design, though) and said he'd followed a book (more or less) - no need to lubricate the secrets out of someone who may not be as good as they think they are.

http://www.cybozone.com/fg/wilson3.html

At any rate, if the movement of stuffing woods like this in plain furniture is kind of over, I think that's to the benefit of most.