Nice reuse, cutting down on waste and cost all at once.

Bruh $500 for a ticket lawyer in Austin? That's wild to me. I paid $300 for one when I got caught doing 85 in a 65 on I-35 and thought that was steep. But if he got it down to nonmoving then your insurance probably didn't take a hit right? My buddy just paid his $250 ticket outright and his premium went up like $40 a month for two years. So that $200 ticket really cost him way more in the long run. You probably came out ahead even if it stung upfront.

Man that sucks, hope your beans turned out okay.

Old timers around here would say you found a box of 100 year old teeth and ask if you want dentures. For real though that's a cool find.

Three inches of swelling at the bottom? That's rough. I had a similar thing happen with a walnut desk leg that sat on a slab for two months before I finished it, the base was about a quarter inch bigger around than the top by the time I got to it. @black.laura, did you ever try putting something like a sheet of plastic or a rubber mat under the base before you start, or is it just one of those things you have to account for in the design?