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Beat Around The Bench Podcast

Beat Around The Bench Podcast

By: Colton Jess and Ross
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About this listen

 This is a maker's Podcast about woodworking, good times and general Jack-Assery. The story of these three dates back to WorkBenchCon 2023 where they met and quickly became bestest friends. Since then, their trials and tribulations have been on display on this very Podcast. Jess hails from Tampa Bay, FL and has been a carpenter for over 15 years. (@Jess_BuildIt) Colton calls Houston, TX home. He makes custom cornhole boards (@ColtCrit) Ross comes from Chicago, IL. He makes custom furniture (@RandCDesigns) #woodworking #makers #furniture #carpentry #jackassery #goodtimes #woodworkColton, Jess and Ross
Episodes
  • Ep 105: Alder In Chains

    Ep 105: Alder In Chains
    May 30 2025
    • The guys kicked things off with an epic potato discussion where Ross shared his genius combo of mashed potatoes with Gruyere cheese and tzatziki sauce while Colton described his wild Aloha Slut Potato creation on the griddle
    • Ross got himself a brand new GMC Sierra 1500 truck and the crew dove deep into vehicle upgrades including tonneau covers bed extenders and roof racks with plenty of practical tips for truck owners
    • Shop organization became a major topic as Ross spent his weekend completely rearranging his workspace for better efficiency and material flow which got everyone talking about the best ways to set up woodworking shops
    • Jess dropped some serious knowledge about the history of screws starting from ancient wooden olive presses all the way to modern Torx heads and explained why NASA has the most expensive screws in the world
    • The sandwich trivia segment was absolutely incredible as Ross proved he really is a sandwich aficionado by nailing questions about everything from Italian porchetta to Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches
    • Colton shared updates on his new house purchase which got complicated when half the land was already sold to someone else but they worked out a deal that saved them around 65 thousand dollars
    • Baby watch continues as Crystal is getting close to her due date with little Charlie expected around July 3rd and the guys shared some hilarious pregnancy stories and advice
    • Ross blew everyone away with whiskey knowledge by revealing the most expensive bottles ever sold including a 2.8 million dollar Bushmills and explaining why aged spirits cost so much money
    • The nuggets section covered cabinet building tricks with Jess explaining how to keep divider panels perfectly square using scrap wood spacers and Ross sharing why drills work better than impact drivers for long structural screws
    • Wedding season is keeping Colton busy while he finishes up his kitchen cabinet project and prepares for the big move to their new property with plans for livestock and maybe an above ground pool setup
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    1 hr and 54 mins
  • Ep 104: Redwood Chili Peppers

    Ep 104: Redwood Chili Peppers
    May 23 2025
    • The gang kicked off with a mouth-watering breakfast food challenge, debating favorites from Waffle House concoctions (Jess's infamous "slop on a plate") to fancy Eggs Benedict, with Ross revealing breakfast restaurants are cash cows due to cheap ingredients and high margins.
    • Colton shared updates on his uncle's DIY sawmill project and his camper shell paint job at his father-in-law's auto body shop, noting surprising similarities between furniture restoration and auto body work.
    • Jess walked us through his current kitchen cabinet installation in a metal-stud condo, ranting about challenging blind corner cabinets and the pros/cons of dark blue cabinet finishes.
    • The Wood of the Week segment featured cottonwood—a surprisingly useful lumber despite being super lightweight (28 pounds per cubic foot) and soft (430 on Janka scale), commonly used for crates, plywood components, and carvings.
    • Ross absolutely crushed Jess in the domestic hardwood trivia challenge, revealing fascinating facts about woods from Puerto Rican mahogany to Florida's bald cypress used in musical instruments.
    • Ross delivered a deep dive on whiskey production costs, breaking down the $1,500 price tag for a 4-year barrel before bottling—including grain costs, barrels ($300 each), labor, warehousing, and the inevitable "angel's share" evaporation.
    • The nugget section featured practical wisdom: invest in a good laser level for installation work, use proper drill press speed settings for different materials, and always wash your hands thoroughly between steps when working with reactive finishes.
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    2 hrs and 6 mins
  • Ep 103: Alien Ash Farm

    Ep 103: Alien Ash Farm
    May 16 2025


    • The Boys dive into their favorite chicken recipes - from beer can chicken with lime juice tricks to perfectly crispy chicken parm - before jumping into their latest woodworking projects and workshop adventures.

    • Ross shares his creative repair solution for a customer's sentimental checkerboard, using wood glue mixed with sawdust and stain to fill gaps while preserving the original character made by the customer's father.

    • The woodworkers debate the best approaches for repairing heirloom furniture pieces, with all agreeing that preserving original character matters more than technical perfection when dealing with sentimental items.

    • Jess recounts his challenging "Shutter Saga" of mounting custom shutters on difficult Coquina walls (seashells embedded in stucco), requiring expensive stainless hardware and creative mounting techniques for waterfront conditions.

    • Colton details his wedding project success creating a custom domino table that guests could carve signatures into, plus his cabinet door paint struggles that were saved by Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer.

    • The podcast reveals professional painting secrets, including using 3/8 microfiber "hot dog" rollers for cabinets and why Zinsser BIN primer (which contains insect secretions!) is the miracle solution for difficult surfaces.

    • Essential woodworking nugget: "Hold it up and mark it" emerged as Jess's top tip for precision, while Ross discovered that simply moving a table saw fence to the opposite side of the blade dramatically improves safety and support.

    • Fascinating woodworking history lesson covers workbench evolution from ancient Rome through Medieval Europe to modern designs, noting how traditional Roubo and Nicholson benches are making a comeback in the hand tool renaissance.

    • Paint technology trivia reveals Sherwin-Williams introduced latex paint in 1941, titanium dioxide provides paint opacity, and acrylic paints were first developed for artists in the 1950s before revolutionizing home painting.

    • The podcast showcases the camaraderie of woodworkers sharing practical shop knowledge with humor and real-world solutions to common woodworking, finishing, and home improvement challenges.
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    1 hr and 34 mins

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