> I have to move on to the Millenium Kitchen & Bath Project, but as
> Arnold said, I'll be back.

Why leave?

Up until about a century ago, when porcelain on steel fixtures became common, wooden sinks were the norm. And guess what. Many of them were made of cedar! Aren't you lucky to have some of this around.

Kitchen counter tops can be made of maple, birch or walnut strips. 3/4 by 3/4 inch strips should work well (rip them from 1 x stock). Just glue up a panel of them with epoxy resin and sand the top smooth. Use short boards if you like, and stagger the joints like you would do when working with bricks. make the ends of your wood strips neat and square so you can make tight, neat butt joints. the bottom can be left rough, but after sanding the top smooth, you can 'finish' it with a few drops of cooking oil rubbed in well.

You can of course use these kitchen skills to convince your wife that the purchase of that expensive random-orbital sander was a truly good idea -- and see -- it isn't just for building boats.

I've worked with several darkroom sinks that were constructed of fiberglass. They were very durable. I suspect the resin used was polyester, but epoxy should work just fine, too.

Since you are creating the sink yourself you are not limited to any given size or shape. (In the days when I dabbled in photography this was the only way to economically obtain a sink that was shallow and 6 to 8 feet long) If you want to maintain the appearance of wood you can use clear resin, but if you want a porcelain look add a white pigment to the resin. (end of part a watch for the next installment)