Ep 131: Blue Osage Cult

STEP RIGHT UP FOLKS FOR EPISODE 131 OF BEAT AROUND THE BENCHThats right ladies and gentlemen we got your hosts Jess Colton and Ross serving up the finest woodworking podcast this side of the Mississippi and theyre diving deep into Osage orange wood like you never heard before. Blue Osage Cult baby because nothing says rock and roll like dense hardwood that weighs more than your anvil.You want vegetables with that? Course you do. These boys are talking broccoli preparation brussels sprouts cooked in bacon grease with pancetta and balsamic glaze sweet potatoes done up right and grilled asparagus that pairs perfect with a thick steak. Pro tip right here folks soak them brussels sprouts in cold salt water first gets rid of all that bitterness. Hot honey red pepper flakes lemon butter you name it theyre covering it all while the saw dust flies.But wait theres more. Jess is building drawers for his big cabinet project using hand tools because sometimes you just gotta feel that wood under your fingers. Coltons got himself a Veritas dovetail saw and hes singing its praises louder than a Saturday night gospel choir. Tool reviews dont get better than this woodworking friends.Now heres where it gets wild. Osage orange wood discussion that goes on longer than a Thanksgiving dinner argument. This woods got more nicknames than a career criminal hedge apple bodark monkey brain horse apple you name it. Native to Texas Arkansas Oklahoma but now its growing everywhere from New York to Nebraska. The wood itself is orange as a sunset denser than a brick harder than saying no to free pizza and itll dull your tools faster than you can say Blue Oyster Cult.They talk sourcing this legendary lumber where to find it how to work it why your planer blades are crying. Jess shares his Osage experience Colton drops knowledge about wood movement and Ross keeps the whole show rolling smoother than a freshly waxed table saw top.You get shop safety nuggets too because nearly getting brained by falling PVC dust collection pipes aint no joke. Ross almost caught his death when his dust collection system decided gravity was still a thing. The fix? Drive screws through those PVC joints folks. Tape aint enough when you got ten feet of six inch pipe hanging over your dome.Dust collection talk runs deep with tips on magnets to catch metal shavings before they spark up your whole operation static electricity problems and the eternal struggle of keeping that shop air clean while youre making fine furniture.Workshop wisdom flows like cheap beer at a county fair. Take your time on joinery layout. Check your dust collection rigging regular. Ground your system if the static is driving you bonkers. Get yourself a Sams Club MasterCard for that 5 percent cash back on gas if youre hauling lumber around.Tool talk includes Rockler boom arms for dust collection benchtop planers that sound like angry hornets festool products that cost more than some folks cars and the eternal debate about which tools are worth the investment versus which ones are just pretty to look at in the catalog.These three woodworkers keep it real keep it funny and keep the knowledge flowing faster than sawdust through a cyclone separator. From vegetable cooking tips to exotic hardwood properties from hand tool techniques to power tool reviews its all here in one spectacular episode.The chemistry between hosts is tighter than a well cut dovetail joint. They joke they teach they share war stories from the workshop trenches and they remind everyone that woodworking is supposed to be fun even when youre wrestling with wood that fights back harder than Osage orange on a bad day.So tune in subscribe share it with your woodworking buddies and whatever you do dont fear the reaper when that Osage orange dust starts flying. This is Beat Around the Bench Episode 131 where the wood is hard the laughs are easy and the knowledge is free for the taking.