wrote:

I was planning to make my own Richard, but I wasn't going to use
exotic wood. Plain old Poplar, stained to whatever hue would be fine
with me.

Pick up a chunk of Honduras Mahogany. It'll only run you a few dollars more, it
carves like a dream, and you don't have to stain it. Just apply a few coats of
varnish and you're done. Much easier to work with than poplar or walnut.

George Patterson
None of us is as dumb as all of us.