504: Tentpoles in My Head

Making It · 7 Nov 2025 · 1h 03m

What this episode covers

Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss their current projects and the challenges of daily productivity. Jimmy details his plan to convert two shipping containers into an outdoor workshop and a complex chair project involving welding steel cuffs to walnut wood. Bob shares his experience navigating a building inspector's concerns regarding his new pool house and reflects on his son job-shadowing him. David admits to taking a break due to exhaustion and discusses the mental load of managing his own workflow without a boss.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 51m

    120: Imbue All of the Choices

    Dan Provost of Studio Neat discusses his completed custom Stratocaster-style guitar build, detailing the woodworking, finishing, and hybrid design choices. He and co-host Tom Gerhardt review the ongoing production status of the Keen pen, noting supply chain delays but positive early user feedback. The conversation shifts to Studio Neat's strategic pivot toward a 'new lean' operational model, leveraging AI to maintain product opinion and quality without excessive headcount. Finally, the hosts debate the future of all-in-one computers versus modular setups in an era of ambient computing.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 46m

    18: No Cool Cheap Screwdrivers

    Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss the launch of their new product, The Material Dock, an adjustable charging stand for iPhones and Apple Watches made from walnut and molded cork. They detail the manufacturing challenges, including supplier failures and a lightning strike on their local woodshop, and explain design decisions such as including a screwdriver and using 3D printed internal parts. The episode also covers the creation of a viral marketing video using post-Steve Jobs keynote footage and their strategy for selling directly to consumers.

  • Shop Talk Live · 57m

    STL 105: Why We Build What We Build

    Host Tom McKenna and editors Mike Pekovich and Matthew Kenny discuss their current home shop projects, including Pekovich's drop-front desk and Kenny's sugar bowl, while answering listener questions on tool selection, scraper usage on black acacia, and joinery for tapered legs. The hosts share their all-time favorite tools of the week—Kenny's jam chuck, Pekovich's routing jigs for half-mortise locks, and McKenna's Record block plane—and address wood color changes in cherry and juniper.

  • Thoroughly Considered · 50m

    113: I Wasn’t Expecting Therapy Today

    Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss the production challenges of the Keen safety razor, specifically the assembly of tiny M1.4 screws and the surprising color preference data where orange leads black. They also reveal they have hired Jacob, a junior designer/engineer, to help scale operations, leading to a deep discussion on the psychological dynamics of receiving feedback, the importance of separating personal identity from design work, and the distinction between design as service versus art.

  • Shop Talk Live · 59m

    STL330: Our least favorite questions

    Hosts Ben Strano and Mike Pekovich answer listener questions, discussing the logistics of Fine Woodworking's issue preview live streams and the magazine's illustration process featuring artists like John Tetro and Bob Lapointe. They address common woodworking dilemmas, including the debate over building versus buying CNC machines, referencing a Woodsmith Shop course, and managing shop access for visiting artists. The conversation covers technical topics such as wood movement in table construction, identifying irregular 'cracked ice' lattice patterns, and adapting woodworking techniques for woodworkers with macular degeneration.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Making It. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.