How long did it take for the color to really show up?

Yeah, 200 board feet sounds huge until you see the stack. The real killer with walnut is the price per board foot, makes every scrap cut sting. Good planning helps, but you always end up with way more off-cuts than you'd like. It's just part of the deal with expensive hardwood.

Yeah, the desert heat will do that. Try cutting it with a bit of Everclear instead, works better out here.