Were you on the NS forums? I went by “Scythe” back in those days.

I would say unless you have a specific problem that is fixed by the new firmware I would keep your system the way it is.

I liked the thorough explanation of the decision process, but I think universal approval is a paralysing requirement. This risks stagnation.

Most timber that includes the heart, or core, of the tree will eventually split/check like that.

I think it still looks awesome though. Please post the final result when you’re done!