Callery Pear Trees & Wood
This episode airs in the spring time here in Iowa and the Bradford pear trees are in bloom. Stinky, stinky blooms. We've also had a our share of severe weather. Bradford pears are a type of Callery pear that were popular for suburban developments. Unfortunately, these trees are agressive invasive species.
During this episode, we discuss possible ways that this problem tree could turn into a friend(ly) wood for woodworkers. Our lack of knowledge leads to more speculation than solid answers. But Logan is now on the case and we'll keep covering this in future episodes.
Project Updates
In the meantime, here are several items mentioned in the show:
Logan made another version of this small, wall cabinet for PopWood.
The "accessory box" that will be featured in an upcoming Woodsmith Shop episode.
Here is the Maloof-style spindle that Collin made for is Mid-mod nightstand project.
Transcript
00:00:01 [music] >> ShopNotes [music] Podcast number 268. Welcome everybody. It's time for an all new episode. I'm Phil, joined by Logan and John. And on today's episode, we're going to talk about invasive species. We'll also be taking a deep dive into the questions, comments, and smart remarks that we get from >> [music] >> listeners and viewers. And a little update on what's going on here at Woodsmith and Popular Woodworking. We're going to light this candle and get it
00:00:39 started. As always, you can join in the conversation. The best way is by [music] subscribing to the ShopNotes Podcast on our YouTube channel, ShopNotes Podcast, where you can uh chime in with your own questions, comments, smart remarks. We respond to and read pretty much all of them that we get there. Uh you can also email us woodsmith@woodsmith.com. [music] Uh always great to hear from our listeners. When you're working on a project in the shop, you put in hours of effort. The last thing you want is for it to come
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00:01:52 Order yours today at gorillatough.com/shopnotes. That's gorillatough.com/shopnotes. We also uh I think probably the best way to start off this podcast is acknowledging the fact that uh Logan and I will be going to Denmark and Sweden this fall for our tour, and this tour has been confirmed. We reached our threshold. We've also discovered the unlimited power of the ShopNotes Podcast in the fact that we were able to convince slash shame uh Puppy Doc Bob into coming on the podcast. Uh he finally signed up for it.
00:02:44 We found that out. So, Puppy Doc's coming, John Nast is coming. We need to turn this tour into basically a ShopNotes Podcast meetup in another continent. So. >> need more people than those six people. Right. So, if you have suggestions on regular listeners who we could encourage to come on the tour, you want to put those in the comments there. Are we looking at Harold McDonald? Maybe. Maybe that's who we're looking at next is to get try and get him on uh uh I hear there's lots of saunas in
00:03:28 Scandinavia. >> Right. Yep. Right. Scandinavia is kind of the birthplace of sauna culture. So, I feel like And I'm not going, so I can stay back and take care of the farm. So. >> [laughter] >> That's That's just a service I'll provide. Right. Yep. Yep. As Don Peschke used to say, we want to surround our customers with service. That's right. Yep. John'll remember that. Yep. All right. Uh speaking of listeners and viewers, we're going to dig into last
00:04:02 episode's questions, comments, uh NL Gordon says, "I am also a deep fan of the sweet and savory oatmeal. My go-to is butter, Kerrygold of course, maple syrup, the real stuff, and Jimmy Dean pre-cooked sausage crumbles. I microwave it with the sausage in, and the mix mix turns out great. I do it for breakfast with eggs and sausage links on top for weekends, or just on its own if I'm in a hurry. Uh years ago, I built a bed for my wife and I out of 2x12 Douglas fir. Sought out boards that had the pith running
00:04:38 through the center, and then split them in half, giving me two nearly perfect quarter-sawn boards. Then after jointing and planing down, I laminated them together into nearly 3-in thick timbers as my starting point. I've made made quite a few things out of quarter-sawn Douglas fir, and I've always enjoyed it. I like that. Yeah. We were I think that's when we were talking about our workbench wall-mounted workbench, yeah. Mhm. And which I have to say has been a lovely, lovely addition here in the studio.
00:05:15 Partially because I feel like it's the one dedicated flat surface that we can pile stuff on and not feel like we end up having to move it later. Yeah. Uh BotDad says, "I had one overloaded 15-amp circuit running to my garage and would pop the breaker all the time, especially with my planer. Out of frustration, I finally ran two new 20-amp circuits out there, and it's been great. I can even run a space heater when it's really cold. My advice would be if you're going to run one line, might as well run two or
00:05:49 more. It's not that much work to run multiples if your panel can handle it." That's the big key is if your panel can handle it. Right. Right. Uh DP Meyer, the original questioner on this, he says the garage is 15 amps, but I can also run an extension cord from the house, about 30 ft away. The panel is in the basement of our 100-year-old-plus house. The lights dim when I start the band saw or the table saw. Lights and radios are on as well. I would like to put a panel in the garage and add more outlets.
00:06:25 Eventually, I would like a bigger band saw. Luckily, I do a lot of hand work, or we could move. Thanks for the advice. Your complimentary piece of intarsia art made on a ShopSmith is IN THE MAIL." >> [laughter] >> IT'S LIKE A REWARD. YEAH. I'm kind of hoping that it's a big ShopSmith logo Oh god. Intarsia. >> Yeah. Yeah. I feel his pain though, cuz my shop garage is all on one circuit. And it's a little bit like that part in Apollo 13 where they're trying to like
00:07:03 restart the module by plugging in and turning on stuff in the exactly the right order. Mhm. You just have to have one of the kids just hold the breaker so it doesn't trip. Right. [laughter] Yeah. While you're working. Yeah. Uh as much as it's a pain to run a separate cable from your present box service box to your shop, you may be able to do it even in conduit on the outside of the building. Just need a sub service in your shop, and it needs to be at least a 100-amp service. Sounds like overkill, but
00:07:35 you'll never regret regret having the capacity and the extra space in the sub service box. I will say I will say in my basement shop, I had 60 amps, and that was plenty. I had a 60-amp sub breaker or sub panel in there. Um and it was plenty. I I never wish I had more, but it was a small basement shop. So, I'm running like dust collector and one tool. Right. You know. So. Or Is that one of those Is that one of those things where you'd have like the lights on one circuit, and then like two
00:08:11 extra circuits for tools? Yep. I had um Oh man, I'd have to go in and look. I feel like lights are on one, 220s are on another, and then 110s are on a third. Okay. So. >> Or turn off your Stevie Nicks and woodwork with your radio off. Yep. Just sing a cappella. >> [laughter] >> Uh Terrell Jones says, "Happy Easter to you guys, John, Phil, Logan. Uh Proud of you guys so much in your show. Keep up the awesome work." All right. Well, right back at you, Terrell. Mhm.
00:08:56 Uh Bonnie Board Woodshop says, "In terms of running multiple circuits, depending on how far away the neighbors are, you can just run a big extension cord from their house." Probably fine. >> ad I'm not advocating that. I'm just saying that it is a possibility. Uh Rick B here says, "Great to see you again, Logan, last week in Saratoga, and enjoyed your presentation. Saratoga is definitely upstate New York." >> [laughter] >> Oh, you're a nervous nurse stuck struck
00:09:27 there. Yeah. Pen turning booth at showcases always a huge draw for our show. Sorry, Phil, that I didn't find your brace and bit extension. Guess Logan beat me to it. True story. Michael Thompson says, "As someone who grew up in the Buffalo, New York area, I'll have to second Rick's comment. Anything north of Albany is upstate. Now you just have to come up to western New York." I do like western New York. I had aunt and uncle that lived in Lockport for a long time, and that was lovely part of
00:09:56 the state. I've spent some time in Rochester and the Canandaigua area of Finger Lakes and it is nice. It's very nice. Yeah. And Elvida says a square hole in the center for a drive shaft. Oh, #logansplaining. Which apparently is turning into a thing. I didn't realize why we how we got onto that. I don't know. Yeah. Anyway, always appreciate hearing from people who are listening. Like I said, there was one other comment on there from Puppy Doc letting us know that the pressure campaign was working. So
00:10:44 Good. There you go. All right. One thing that I want to talk about. This one is going to be especially for Logan. Over on the popular woodworking website you have had uh Shay Alexander contributing as a writer Mhm. more frequently recently. Yep. And I was I don't remember if he had I think he had mentioned it once on one of your posts and then also on his Substack was talking about trying to find uses for uh what we would call around here tree of heaven. Yeah. Which I don't know it's like Ailanthus
00:11:31 or Eleanthus or something something something. It's a weed is what it is. Right, but it's one of those trees that especially in suburban semi-rural areas finds a place and a home and doesn't often get pulled out and then turns into something that's relatively sizeable. Mhm. Which because of that article and then the time of year and a recent post that I saw uh from my sister-in-law on Facebook, I was wondering about callery pears. They're the like Cleveland pear tree or whatever that people plant and have been
00:12:22 have turned into kind of a nuisance aggressive invasive tree. >> Okay. uh Huh. I'm I'm looking them up right now. I've never seen them. Okay, they're in bloom like right now. >> Yeah, they're white. And they stink. Do they? >> blossoms stink to high heaven. Yeah. Okay. That's like all like Ankeny is just all up and down the main roads. That's what's what's planted in Is that is that why it's called Skankeny? Yeah. Yep, that's where it comes from.
00:12:55 Okay. That's a That's a >> [laughter] >> um of trees. Well, I mean the trees and what the trees are wearing, come on. Right. >> uh Yeah. So my Go ahead. No, I was going to say I maybe I've seen it in the past like in log form. The problem is with a lot of the arborist, there is like it's a pear tree. And they it's not like oh, it's this type of pear tree. It's more like it's just a pear tree. Um or like it's an apple tree. Well, no, that's a crabapple
00:13:25 tree like it's not what I'm looking for. Um >> [laughter] >> So >> Here's my question. So I'm looking for not only from So maybe you can do a little research on it. We'll get back to it next week, but anybody else out there because uh for example, my sister-in-law lives in Southeast Missouri. The greater Cape Girardeau area. And when we travel down there, there's huge old farm fields that haven't been developed yet and they're basically all these pear trees. They're supposed to be
00:14:00 not reproducing, but they do. Mhm. uh So it's a little bit like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. I was saying >> Life finds a way. Yeah, it finds a way. To quote a famous scientist. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> uh So they're all over down there and then uh the Missouri Department uh Missouri DNR, I believe is offering free seedlings if you take a photo of a stump of these trees cut down on your property. >> [laughter] >> So it's like a bounty for these pear trees.
00:14:37 And what I'm wondering and again, I'm putting this out there for anybody who's listening is can you use this for anything? Like it's a pear, so it's a fruit wood, but is it like I mean it's probably nowhere near like Swiss pear James Krenov kind of stuff, but >> not. And I know that a lot of the trees in our area and I think you can back me up on this, John, is when big storms come through, these trees have a tendency to fail catastrophically. Yeah. They they yeah, they usually top off or
00:15:13 split or but yeah, I can't say that I've seen a big enough pear that you could do anything with, but that's just in town, so. Yeah. Cuz like my neighborhood most of the houses were built in the '50s on. So the trees that are around that I see that remain standing, they're they can be up to 8 in plus in diameter. You know, obviously that's not necessarily making case goods per se, but can you do boxes or spoons or Yeah. you know, chair pieces? Yeah, I suppose you could do small
00:16:01 things, but Mhm. So this You just went and cut one down? Right. [laughter] Well, I mean [clears throat] if there's if there's a bounty on them, you got to bring in their tail to the courthouse, right? That's how you get your money. This is a pear log. Um And I'm looking at the bark on those Cleveland pears and I don't know if that's what this is. Mhm. So this is now fascinating to me because I don't know. Which is really all I needed to do because once Logan gets something going
00:16:45 here, now all of a sudden we'll do kind of a deep dive on it next week. >> Yeah, I I can't let something go. Like this that's the log I just held up. Like this little bowl, got the lighting here. Oh yeah, bowl turning. Like see that? That's what I'm wondering. Like what can we what can we do if these are invasive or aggressive in their spreading as woodworkers, can we turn a problem into a friend I think so. and do something with it to help out? So the question is do they actually
00:17:15 fruit? >> [snorts] >> uh I've I've never seen fruit on them. But >> But they have to spread somehow. Yeah, maybe it's like a little Okay, so crabapple-y type type thing. >> Yes, so I'm wondering I mean they have to be in the same along the same lines as a Bradford pear then, right? Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. This is one of our other strengths on the ShopNotes podcast is that we do a really good job of talking for minutes on end about stuff we know very little
00:17:48 about. >> Yeah, well >> We're not here to bring answers. We have only questions. That's right. >> [laughter] >> That's right. We're furthering the discussion. Yeah, what I'm thinking of is like it's just like a little like kind of crabapple-y like berry type thing that grows on them. It's not like a Okay, so I don't >> I'm just I'm just remembering walking through the neighborhoods as like these are blooming and have the little fruits on
00:18:15 them and I just grab a handful and I'm like chucking them at my kids and stuff like that. the little blueberry sized like kind of apple-y thing. So Yeah. there might be some kind of seed in there, but yeah. So I don't know how yeah, our our birds eat them or >> they're not really a home for any kind of wildlife. You know, that they just and they crowd out other plants because of how aggressive they are in spreading. uh This goes along the same lines as uh I think I brought this up few weeks ago
00:18:55 with uh Eastern red cedar. Yeah. Which is actually a juniper. Yep. And here in Iowa and especially quite a few places in some of the prairie states they are very aggressive even though they're a native it's an aggressive species that because there aren't wildfires like there used to be that they spread really quickly and can take over outside of their normal habitat. a lot of water. They degrade pasture land. uh Crowd out other species so that they could create basically this juniper
00:19:36 grove that essentially nothing else is living in there. Mhm. [clears throat] uh Except deer. Deer love to hide in those. Right. I've pushed so many deer out of little cedar thickets cuz they like to lay in there. Yeah. Now I'm so I like I hate you guys cuz now I'm just like hyper fixated on this. >> Yeah, you're down Yeah. down the rabbit >> So turning that's a good example. I was didn't think of turning. So you could do bowls or I wonder like tool handles or
00:20:07 knobs, you know? >> Well, yeah. So like pear So this I know this one was a fruiting pear. So if these Cleveland pears they're it seems to be that the Cleveland pear and the Bradford pear are kind of maybe the same thing but not necessarily. But when you like search invasive pear, Bradford pear is the one that shows up. So like I wonder if it's like I wonder if it's like, you know, we call them walleye, they call them pickerel and stuff like that, you know what I mean? So uh So I know that this one was a fruiting
00:20:40 pear. Like this was truly a fruit tree. Um but Bradford pear I know turns very well. This pear turned absolutely beautifully. It's like super clean turning. Um and I love it cuz it has like that stark Oh, yeah. >> sapwood heartwood contrast. Um So when I was cutting this one up, I cut I have actually a bunch of logs of this still outside. But I started cutting stuff into like blanks for hand planes and stuff like that cuz I'm like I don't know what I'm going to do with this but cuz it's not
00:21:14 huge like, you know, this this little bowl is maybe what 3 in in diameter and it came out of this log that was 4 in or so 5 in. Yeah. So like yeah, you don't get real big stuff. There's absolutely stuff you can do with it. Um turning would be one. Uh carving I'm sure it carves nicely. It's super fine grained. So it would hold detail really well, I think. Right. What but without being super hard either. >> Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I don't know. Hm. I'm just saying
00:21:49 you know, that woodworkers can be part of the solution. Woodworkers unite. >> Usually I Usually I'm just told I'm the problem. >> [laughter] >> All right. So like I said, anybody else out there who has either some experience with this or familiarity or has done something with this kind of pear or has run across other opportunities would love to know more about it. Uh we also welcome wild speculation, too. Uh All right. Next topic uh we're working on a TV show episode oddly enough here the last few
00:22:38 days and uh it was the project the project is on veneer. So we built Chris Fitch's uh veneer press from ShopNotes, which was actually a lot of fun to do. And then we wanted something to do with the veneer press. So we made a panel and then did this accessory box. I'll put a photo in the show notes page. Um it was from like Woodsmith 108 or something like that. And it's a design that I really like the look of. It's got subtle curves in it. Uh veneered lid. They had dividers and all
00:23:22 whatnot for on the inside and a mirror that they put in there. But I just liked the look of it. Had always wanted to build it, never really had the chance to. So we did for the show and it was like I said, just a lot of fun to do. It's um goes together with dados and grooves and rabbits. Even the lid is a stub tenon and groove joint. So we stay away from miters. All the best parts of boxes. Mhm. So. And got to use walnut, which is also fun. Yeah, it's my fave. >> [laughter] >> I'm I'm acclimating to it. I'm getting
00:24:03 better. Are you? Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's not as bad as it used It's it's his walnut challenge. He has to take a little bit of sawdust on the tip of his tongue every day. Yep. >> Yep. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Perfect. All right, Logan, what do you got going on? So I had Colin down last week um with our new designer Pop Wood John Hughes out of Ohio. Um so kind of spent the week doing some stuff um in the office kind of filming um and then started shooting up We shot a project in my shop on Wednesday,
00:24:39 Thursday. Uh that little wall cabinet back there. We built another one of those. Uh that one now has paper in the door just cuz I want to see how it looked when I actually finished it. So I finished it. Um but before we recorded this, I got the back installed on it. It is a shiplap back. Um now the only thing left to do is to install the door. Um the door is just a A frame and panel isn't the right term for it. It's just two rails and two styles with a domino holding all the parts together.
00:25:17 And then a rabbit around the inside for the the panel, the the rice paper. Um but I went ahead and uh cut a rabbit on the top and bottom edge that it slides into the track. So you can actually take the door out. Um however, I decided I don't have a quarter inch rabbit bit. So quarter inch shank rabbit bit. Oh, okay. >> And my router table is set up for something else right now and I don't really want to tear it down. So Amazon the bad boy overnight. So I should have a rabbit bit tomorrow so I
00:25:53 can finish up that project. Um But yeah, it wasn't it wasn't necessarily a project that I was planning on including in the magazine. Um this was just a like build it because I wanted a cabinet in here um for like my tea and tea and coffee cups and stuff. Um but I was like, you know what? That it turned out pretty nice. There's a few subtle changes I made on it on this new one. Um mainly to do with the positioning of the through tenons. Um but yeah, other than that, it was it was pretty quick. We built it in two days.
00:26:31 Um and that was with me um messing up the finger joints on the first one. So I had to remill all the parts. So. All right. But I usually end up with something on a TV show episode build where about 36 seconds after I think, this is really going well, that I end up noticing that I have either dorked something up or I am about to. Yep. Yeah. Um mine was not necessarily I mean I I I own that mistake. I'm not going to say it wasn't me. Um but I was cutting the finger joints with the Shaper Origin and bench pilot. Um I
00:27:20 have a finger joint module in there. And there's a few settings that just If if you have Origin, you know, like you can you can go in the box joint module and it will design box joints on the tool, finger joints on the tool. Um but then there's the cut screen and the cut screen has different parameters than the finger joint. And you would think that those two would talk together but they didn't talk they don't talk together. So it was one of those things like, oh, that just started doing that
00:27:48 in the wrong spot and because of XYZ. So I I own it. I figured out the issue and figured out my steps to to do it correctly but um also it was like, oh, this is why you know, this is why it happened. So. All right. Yeah. Well, that's cool. Yeah, I got to see Colin's uh side tables, I guess. >> yeah, those are those are in the next issue. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I they turned out really I thought they turned out really good for Yeah. Somebody that I say I don't like mid-century furniture. There are some
00:28:31 mid-century things that I really do like. Um I thought they turned out really nice. Um Yeah. And they have some interesting techniques to like make the slats and stuff like that. They're a they're kind of these cantilever you [snorts] know, side tables that have kind of bent leg not bent legs but like angled legs and stuff. But then the there's a a book holder or magazine rack on on the bottom side of the table. And it uses these slats that are um shaped on the drill press. And they're they're kind of like a
00:29:06 Maloof style slat where they're cross section they're kind of flat Ah, Phil has one. Yeah. So they they are kind of they're tapered in the cross section but then they have a dowel like a dowel tenon on the end, a round tenon on the ends. Um Originally when Colin had it modeled, he's like, oh, I'm just going to do dowels. Like I that's cool but that's kind of dumb. Like let's make something funky. Yeah. And he was it was more so like he didn't know how like I think he knew
00:29:37 what he wanted. He just didn't know exactly how we were going to do it. And I was like, you know what I have? I have these sweet tenon cutters that we sell from a company called Lumberjack Tools. Oh, right. That create tenons on the ends of logs to make like cabin style furniture. I was like, I bet you we could put them SOBs on the drill press. Clamp them to the table, flip the table 90 degrees so it's standing straight up and down, put a fence on it, clamp the part to the fence, and then chuck this
00:30:10 giant cutter in the drill press, and basically use it like a giant pencil sharpener. And that's what we did. And it worked great. Um lots of lots of messing around to get everything kind of plumb and square. Um and they're not perfect, but they're close. So. Yeah. Yeah, so that worked out really nicely. So, that's going to going to be in the next issue of Pop Wood as is this cabinet. Um I have a carved red oak box from Shay Alexander. Um yeah, I have a carving article that goes with that.
00:30:44 Um also have an article on pneumatic fasteners. So, differences between um talking about differences between like pin nails, brad nails, 15-gauge nails, narrow-crown staples, when you'd use each, what some of the uh nuances are of those. Um so, yeah, it'll be a it'll be fun little issue. Okay. So, love it. Yeah. And it's the first issue that John's helping put together, which not this John, other John. Uh And it's just great that I don't have to put the dang thing together again like I
00:31:19 did last time. So, hopefully we have captions that match. We had a had a article in the last issue that uh prepress was helping us do some of the final stuff on it, and somehow a old version got pulled. So, we have a Colonial Williamsburg article that talks about putting uh tools in a shipping container in the photo captions. Oops. So. That just shows people that this is this product is handmade by humans. >> That's right. >> Right. Not >> That's right. This is not an AI product.
00:31:54 So. Yeah. I got that message this weekend. I'm like, man, way to ruin my weekend, whoever sent me that message first. At least people are reading it. Yeah. >> Yeah, that's true. Uh so. I mean, now I'm going to have to leave this uh parallel sitting in the office cuz Goose is using it like a scratching post. Oh, there you go. >> go. So. Finding more uses all the time. That's right. Although, it makes me kind of think, maybe I should go out and see if I can find a like a walnut tree that I
00:32:32 could cut off to exactly the height of this shop, and then stand it up in the corner so he had like a climbing post. >> Oh. >> It'd be kind of sweet. That would be kind of sweet. Then I'd have a tree in my in my uh shop. Great. So, you just need to make some kind of like crazy cat climbing sculpture all over in there then. >> I know. I know. Or we just wrap the dust collection dust collection ductwork with carpet. Mhm. Is there any that would dissipate any static charge, right? You don't want the
00:33:12 cat to get >> so. I would think so. a mic. Or just have all of its fur just standing on end. It would just look like this pipe cleaner cat. Yeah. I will say every time I vacuum my shop, every time, the stupid big crescent bandsaw shocks me every time I vacuum the shop. The static electricity. I don't know what about it. I went through I rewired the the VFD in it. That thing is grounded as grounded can be. Okay. >> Like it is grounded. But that's the only tool that when I'm vacuuming, I know as soon
00:33:49 as I get close to it, it's going to zap me. And it gives you a good thump. >> [laughter] >> So, it's almost like one of those things that it's almost better just to get get the shock once and then hold on to the bandsaw as you're vacuuming cuz then it just you don't get the zap. All right. Or connect like a jumper wire to the vacuum from the bandsaw all the time. Yep. All right. Good stuff. Mhm. Any updates on the outfeed table? No, the uh this little wall cabinet kind
00:34:27 of took precedence over that. Yeah. Uh that's what I thought. >> So, yeah, it was and it was just one of those things. It's like, okay, let's just uh it was more so that I wanted a project here that we could shoot kind of start to finish with John here so he could kind of just see how we how we put stuff together. Um he came from Lincoln Electric. So, um not not necessarily uh living in the woodworking world like we are. So, um I thought this was a good little little project. I didn't need a real
00:34:55 long project for the uh Right. for the magazine. So, um nope, once once this is done, then it is to finish the the next step is to finish the outfeed table. So, currently I have three of those bends glued up with panels in them. I just need to finish putting it together, and I want to paint it before I do the final glue up because I don't want to have to climb inside of it. So, John has a weird-looking cat. It's a dog. Have you asked it if it's a dog? Look, look, there's mine. Wow. All right.
00:35:34 So, we're doing this. Bring your pet to the podcast day today. Yeah. Luna is at my house. All right, John, what about you? What do you got working on? Um like you mentioned earlier, we just finished up uh episode with the veneer press and box, and then we're going to get started on the uh ultimate clamp cart. So, we probably talked about that um the that clamp cart on the podcast not too long ago cuz it's fairly recent project that's I think it's just going to be going out in shop notes here
00:36:16 in the next couple weeks. So, Yeah. Um it's the mashup of the shop organizer and clamp cart that we've had in the studio. So, it's got a little bit of everything. Clamp storage, drawers, uh work space, um tool storage, a little bit of everything. So, it should be a fun project, and it's all um plywood. So, those are usually pretty easy to go to go together. You just start up cutting up piece of plywood and do uh uh joinery and screw it together, and it's good to go. So, Yeah. it should be
00:36:55 that should be a fun one. I don't know what we're going to do with two of those clamp carts in the shop, but we'll figure something out, but I will say that the clamp cart has been a really nice addition. I do like that. I hate to say it because it is another flat surf actually it's two flat surfaces that we can put stuff on, but it is nice having kind of that staging area where you could keep stuff off of your bench. Yeah. And I don't know what it's but it's pretty much the same size as the clamp
00:37:27 cart we've had be in the um that we've had in the in the past. And it it for some reason it feels like it moves around better. I don't know if I put bigger casters on it or it's just uh it's more balanced weight-wise or but to me it just seems like it it moves around a little bit better, but Yeah. Maybe that's just me. Right. So. But so that's what we got going on next there, and then um design-wise uh I think my assignment is it's called a Great Lakes What did What did Chris call it? Great
00:38:04 Lakes like traveling bookcase? >> bookcase, yeah. So, ba- it's based on something he saw that uh in the Great Lakes region um they would have like these traveling libraries for lighthouses or something. So, but to me it kind of just seems like uh kind of like a campaign chest style furniture where, you know, it box it up and you can move it around, and so, that's that's the direction I'm going with it. So, Okay. I have to I have to ask this. Campaign furniture or something like
00:38:45 that. People aren't using them anymore, right? I wouldn't think so. So, like is it what like it Like this is I'm and I'm just asking the question as somebody who really likes and would love to build period furniture pieces for no reason other than just to build them. Is that I mean, is that the appeal to campaign furniture, you think, is that it's just different? Yeah. I think just I think it's visually appealing with the hardware. And it I mean, I think it invokes that like that
00:39:20 period of of type of travel where that was I don't know, kind of a luxury, I guess. I don't know what the what the appeal is, but When when your man servant picked up all your books and your put them in the bookcase, your butler. >> [laughter] >> Yeah. And you just go on campaigns. >> Not indentured servants, like the the paid help. >> Yeah, yeah, this is 2026. Come on. Yeah, the paid help. So. But. I mean because like I like I do like the looks like campaign furniture.
00:39:55 Right. But practicality wise in the modern world, I don't know that it. It's there unless you're just doing it for the aesthetics, which is completely invalid and cool and you know, whatever. >> Right. Um. But I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. Sure. I think there's probably an element of. Practicality that I think could fit for some people. Now where you have people that move around a lot or aren't necessarily. Homeowners, so they're going to be living in different apartments or maybe
00:40:35 even different states depending on what their job is doing. You know, do you want something that can be easily transported like other historic types of furniture don't move well. You know, I think that could be but I think it's probably mostly for the aesthetic of it. Sure. Yeah. Yeah, I was I was like um the examples that Chris showed me are just kind of a a box that would travel around but. I'm definitely planning on. Uh designing like an optional stand for it. So it would be. Kind of just a small
00:41:11 bookcase that like you know, if you're in an apartment it would fit great and then if you had to move you'd have you could break it down into a couple pieces and move it and. It's not like some huge entertainment center or. Bookcase that that's harder to. To move out of apartments or. Right. Small living quarters. And I mean quite obviously we've said this forever like just cuz it's called a bookcase doesn't mean that people have to put books on it. They could put. Right. You know, display items on it or
00:41:40 whatever. So especially if you had like a stand on it it'd be you know, make a nice display for your collection of shot glasses or whatever you had. Right. Yeah, the way like I I guess I'm thinking of the way I'm going to design it it's like you could use it for a small liquor cabinet or display cabinet or any of that kind of thing. So. We'll see. I guess we'll see when we get it done and how um. How we prop it for photography. So. Yeah. >> [clears throat] >> Cool.
00:42:12 Yeah. Yeah. That's actually how I'm propping this. Cabinet like I did it for tea in here but I'm throwing. Whiskey in it and a couple whiskey glasses and stuff and. >> [clears throat] >> We're going to call it whiskey cabinet just uh. Just for the SEO. >> [laughter] [gasps] >> But it's whatever you want it to be. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Speaking of Great Lakes a friend of mine recently got some maps of the old maps of the Great Lakes and wants me to build some frames for them for his cabin. So.
00:42:50 I will be working on those. He has his dad ran a sawmill long ago. So it has some oak pieces that I'll be making the frames from. So I have kind of a Craftsman design. From an old American Woodworker. Plans that we have in our archive here. That'll be kind of fun to adapt. To scale up a little bit. Um. And do those. So I'll post a couple of pictures of the maps on the show notes page and then the oak that I'm working with here. I don't even know what kind I'm going to have to bring in a piece of it and have
00:43:27 Logan look at it see what he thinks. Stupid oaks. Yeah. Oh I went through this whole thing last week. I this this new cabinet I built to red oak. I thought it was white oak when I pulled it out of the rack. Nope, it's red. >> [laughter] >> That's the best part. Ind- indeterminate oak. Yep. So. Anyway, that's what I'm working on and. Uh. Yeah, like I said. Lots of stuff going on around here. I think that wraps up another episode of Shop Notes podcast. Special shout out to Nate Gruca. He's
00:44:08 the one that makes the podcast work. He's our editor [music] and recording expert. So thank you to Nate. For this and all the other episodes >> [music] >> and we'll see you next week everybody. Bye.
