Check this out

Ozfly, yes it is beautiful. But the manufacturer states that the platter is "...made from exotic hardwoods and generously loaded with lead shot." I think that most wives, after seeing the price tag of over 6 grand, would "generously load their spouse with lead shot!" Besides, that money would be much wiser spent on a diamond tennis bracelet!!!

LOL, twice, Fatparrot. One could, of course, spend that same amount on something that looks like it came out of a Star Wars plastic factory. Could you aim that gun a little higher please?

In addition to the 4-way (or maybe 6-way?) grain variation, Teres saturates each piece of wood in an epoxy bath before assembling them. The W.E.S.T. process Tom referred to. I'd love to watch them make these too.

Doug, I really should have said multi-directional laminating.

Again, I am not questioning the performance of the Teres tables, as I have heard them and they sound great. I do, however, have some concerns for 5-10 years down the road with respect to the platter. Sincerest wishes to all users that my concerns are unfounded.

I would agree with several others above who have expressed their scepticism about the stability of a wood base over time. Wood is notoriously uneven in density and swells and shrinks tremendously with changes in humidity. In the Northeast, the average home is drier than the Sahara in the winter. Even if treated with chemicals, I don't think you can make wood perfectly stable. Woodworkers who make carved bowls often soak the wood in a chemical called PEG which replaces the water in the cell structure and limits the wood movement but even that can't eliminate it 100%. So why build a base from solid hardwood? It's just marketing hype IMHO. Acrylic or MDF with a pretty wood veneer would be better.