It's great to be here. I explored this site a while ago, and am coming back to it as I have hashed out the basic model for my planned saber out of wood. I'm a medical student, and I've felt a calling towards healing my entire life. My first saber will be a lightsaber designed after the Rod of Asclepius, the staff held by the ancient Greek healing figure, which always had a snake wrapping around it*. The trick for me will be fixing a snake around the hilt, which I've thought of doing with a combination of glue and screws or pins. I've also thought about creating a sort of sheath with the snake around it for a part of the handle, since the snake's body will create ribbing as a grip. I'll see if I can't get some pictures up.

Anywho, I'm currently living in Nebraska, where there isn't nearly as much opportunity for hiking as there was growing up in Colorado. Everyone keeps telling me I went the wrong direction. Thankfully school doesn't leave much time for goofing around.

I look forward to getting more involved with saber-building, but I can't promise I'll have a lot of activity with how busy medical school is. What is likely, though, is that I'll be around here for a while.

Cheers,
Nathan

*Unlike Hermes' staff, the Caduceus, with two snakes and wings.