[00:00:00]

Misha: And then about a week later I'm sitting in my living room and I hear like spring. Oh. That's the best imitation of the sound I can

Larissa: do.

Misha: And I look back at my desk has gone totally wonky.

Larissa: What?

Misha: Yeah. It's so much so that it broke the screw, one of the screws that was attaching it to the base, snapped it clean in half.

[00:00:22] Introduction

Misha:  Hello EEPers. Welcome to another episode of Extra English Podcast with Misha-

Larissa: And Larissa ... we're two Canadian English teachers talking about life in Canada, our lives, and anything else that might interest us and hopefully will interest you too.

Misha: So join us for another conversation.

[00:00:44] Misha's Cherry Wood Desk

Misha: Today we're going to talk about things we have made out of wood.

Larissa: Wood.

Misha: Very specific topic.

Larissa: Yes.

Misha: But we have lots to say.

Larissa: We do. We are not a carp- I'm not a carpenter.

Misha: No, no, me neither.

Larissa: Or a woodworker- I think- ... but you might. You might

Misha: border. I'm a hobby... I mean, I couldn't... Most things I make, I get help from my brother, who is a professional cabinet maker.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: So on my own, I'm not sure I could do much.

Larissa: But you do have some impressive projects.

Misha: Yes. Tell us. My house has a lot of things made by me-

Larissa: Mm-hmm ...

Misha: with help, including this desk. If you're watching us, which you can do on YouTube, you can see this desk.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: If not, it's just a solid wood top.

Larissa: Yep.

Misha: It's made of cherry wood.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Uh-huh. But it, it's been a real journey, this desk. First, I- my father got some wood from his neighbor.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: My parents live out in the country, so everybody's farmers and they have wood laying around. I don't know. Well,

Larissa: I mean, they cut down a tree.

Misha: A- absolutely. It's, they cut down trees on their property, and then they turn the wood into planks, and it sits in the barn for 40 years.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: So they gave me, my parents' neighbors, some wood that we all thought was cherry-

Larissa: Mm-hmm ...

Misha: which is a common hardwood here It's got a beautiful color, like a orangey, pinky, gorgeous color. So I made my desk. I laminated planks together. My brother has a full wood shop, so I, I did it there. I put a bunch of boards together.

I sanded it. I clear-coated it, which means I put a clear finish on it, and I bought a base made of metal-

Larissa: Mm-hmm ...

Misha: that can go up and down so I can stand or sit.

Larissa: Oh, very good.

Misha: Very convenient. And I was like, "Great, this is great. I love it."

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: And then about a week later, I'm sitting in my living room, and I hear like spring.

Oh. That's the best imitation of the sound I

Larissa: can do.

Misha: And I look back, and my desk has gone totally wonky.

Larissa: What?

Misha: Yeah. It... So much so that it broke the screw. One of the screws that was attaching it to the base snapped it clean in half-

Larissa: Wow ...

Misha: and cracked right down, like, one side.

Larissa: No warning, just all of a sudden spring.

Misha: I mean, I think it had... I think I'd seen the crack- Okay ... a little of the starting. Okay. And I thought, "Oh, I'm gonna have to do something about that." And then, yeah, I think it was like the screw was holding on for dear life-

Larissa: Wow ...

Misha: and then eventually it, it gave up.

Larissa: Amazing. Yeah. Okay, so that is obviously not this tabletop.

[00:03:18] The Beech Wood Disaster

Misha: So I told my dad and brother this, and then we figured out that the wood I had been using was not cherry.

Larissa: Oh.

Misha: You know, it was in a barn. It was dusty and dirty, and it had been sitting there for decades. Yeah. So people just confused it. It was actually a, a wood called beech. Beech wood,

Larissa: okay.

Misha: And if you google beech wood, everything will tell you, "Do not make a tabletop out of beech wood."

That's what everything on Google- Yeah ... it's the first thing every source will say, "Don't make a tabletop."

Larissa: Because it will disas- dis- disconnect itself from the

Misha: base. Yeah. Yeah. It's rebellious. Beech wood is just prone to warping, which is the word we use for when wood-

Larissa: Mm ...

Misha: change, like twists and- Mm-hmm

changes shape.

Larissa: So what is beech wood used for?

Misha: I think you can use it for anything where you're not gluing multiple planks together.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: So if you were using it... I mean, I think maybe it's not a very popular wood for, for furniture.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: But if it is, it would be more like... So I recycled my desk top- Mm-hmm

into shelves.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: So I cut the planks back apart-

Larissa: Yes ...

Misha: and used individual pieces- Okay ... for shelves, and it works great for that. Okay.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: So my bathroom shelves, these, these shelves in my living room are all my old desk.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: And then we went back to the barn.

Larissa: Uh-huh.

Misha: We found actual cherry. Confirmed.

And I made it again. How did you

Larissa: confirm it?

Misha: I mean, I don't know. There are people who know more than me- Yeah ... and they say they're sure, and I believe them.

Larissa: Yes. Okay.

Misha: Also, this color, actually, I could show you a picture of the old desk. It didn't have this brilliant color that this one has. Mm. But you don't, I couldn't see that until I planed the boards, until I cleaned them up.

Larissa: Okay. Well, it is beautiful. Thank

Misha: you.

Larissa: It's a beautiful desk.

Misha: I do love it.

Larissa: And I would never know that it's multiple pieces put together.

Misha: Yeah. You can see a little bit, like where those two are such different colors-

Larissa: Oh, I see ...

Misha: in some spots.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: But anyway. Yeah. But-

Larissa: I love it ...

Misha: that is a, I do think it's one of the harder things to do in woodworking, to make a really even tabletop.

Larissa: Ah.

Misha: I mean, it's not as hard as a drawer. But it's, like, it's a complicated, you have to be a little, you have to have some skill. And mine's not perfect. I'm getting better with every project.

Larissa: Well, it looks perfect to me. Thank you.

Misha: I mean, it's serving a purpose. It holds a microphone well.

Larissa: And it has a great story with it.

Misha: Yeah, it does. Mm-hmm.

Larissa: Oh, I love that.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: Uh,

[00:05:36] Larissa's Pallet Garden Bed

Larissa: I have never made something as spectacular or useful as this.

Misha: Uh.

Larissa: Um, but I did make a garden bed.

Misha: Oh. Well, that seems very useful.

Larissa: Oh, it is very useful. Yes. It's just, it's not beautiful or elegant.

Misha: Spectacular.

Larissa: No. I used a pallet for it.

Misha: Oh, interesting.

Larissa: So a pallet is- What is it?

It's what, what companies will put heavy things on to move them.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Um, how would you describe a pallet?

Misha: Yeah. It's a wooden thing meant to keep products off the ground, I assume. Yeah. And to make them easy to move.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: So I think you can order a pallet of, like that's also- Yes ... a measurement-

Larissa: Yeah ...

Misha: for certain products.

Larissa: 'Cause like wood- Slats ... or slats, like kinda crisscrossed.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: So anyway, I found a free pallet, because people are often getting rid of pallets.

Misha: Yeah, there are things online about like how to use a pallet to make a- Yeah ... whatever.

Larissa: To make all sorts of things- Yeah ... you can with it. So I, I saw those things online and I thought, "I want to make something with wood."

Yeah. "And pallets are free, and I can do this." So I got a pallet from the side of the road. Oh. I don't have tools.

Misha: I'm so curious.

Larissa: So

[00:06:47] The Library of Things

Larissa: I had to go to my local library of things.

Misha: Oh, this is... I should utilize them more- Mm ... and we should talk about it in another episode in more detail. But tell us a little bit, what is a library of things?

Larissa: It's, it's like a library where, that has books, except instead of books it has tools and camping equipment- Mm-hmm ... and small, um, uh-

Misha: Appliances ...

Larissa: appliances, small machines, and there's a subscription fee.

Misha: Okay.

Larissa: But it's quite minimal, it's quite affordable. Mm-hmm. You pay once and then you have access to everything in the library for a full year.

Misha: Love

Larissa: it. Uh, so I went and I requested a jigsaw. Okay. So I went to pick up my jigsaw- Uh-huh ... and the very, very helpful man there says, "What is, what project are you working on?" And I explained to him, and he said, "Hmm, can I suggest you get a Skilsaw instead?"

Misha: Yes,

Larissa: that sounds better. And he showed me a Skilsaw, and I said, "Oh, no, that looks very scary."

"I don't know how I'm at... Will a, a jigsaw work?" And he said, "Probably."

Misha: This is so interesting, 'cause I think of a jig- a jigsaw as moving independent. Uh-huh. That seems much more dangerous to me than a

Larissa: Yeah. I, I felt intimidated by the jigsaw- Yeah, fair enough. Fair enough ... 'cause I didn't know how to work it.

It's

Misha: got a big blade.

Larissa: He also said, "Can I also suggest some protective gear?" So I also signed out some safety goggles- Mm-hmm ... and gloves, and a number of, of other things. I'm so glad that he was helpful

Misha: like that. That is, that's a good person to have at a library of things.

Larissa: Yes. So I brought them home, and I started working away, cutting the, the padlet.

Pad- padlet. The pallet apart. Uh, and it was much harder than I thought it would be, probably because I was using the wrong tool.

Misha: I'm trying to picture it, and I'm like...

Larissa: I ended up breaking one and bending another of the blades.

Misha: Oh, yeah.

Larissa: So then I went and purchased new ones. Sure. And when I brought it back I said, "Sorry, I broke it and I bought new ones."

And he said, "Oh, you didn't have to replace them." Cool. And I was like, "What? What, what kind of amazing magical library is this? I can just use things and break them." Anyway, in the end, I got a little bit of help, and we got it apart. Great. And then I just, um, screwed it together with a, like, an electric drill.

Yep. And filled it, I lined it with some, some special kind of, of, like, gardening fabric.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Put some soil in there, and I put it in my driveway

Misha: In your driveway?

Larissa: Yeah, 'cause that's where I have the most sunshine.

Misha: That's why you needed a box. Yeah. There's no dirt there otherwise. Yeah. Oh, and did it, did the plants thrive?

Larissa: Yeah, so the first year I planted tomatoes, and they grew beautiful- Mm ... big tomato plants. Not very many tomatoes, not much fruit.

Misha: Okay.

Larissa: So I've tried different things. Um, I can do some greens there. Yeah. I'm trying rhubarb this year. It's getting thick, but not tall. Okay. So again, not ideal, but it's, it's working.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: And I think I'm transitioning now to raspberries.

Misha: Oh, I think that's a great idea. 'Cause that- It might take a couple years to-

Larissa: This is the second year. Okay,

Misha: okay.

Larissa: So I have a couple of stalks that I'm hoping will get fruit.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Raspberries don't need as much sun, and also- Mm ... they spread like crazy.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: And so being in a box keeps them nice and contained.

Misha: I love

Larissa: it. They can't go. Like, there's pavement under them.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: They can't

Misha: spread. They're stuck. She's trapped the raspberries. Well done.

Larissa: If I get a harvest, I will definitely let you know.

Misha: Yes. I'll

Larissa: send you some.

Misha: I want some of these driveway raspberries.

Larissa: They're the best kind. Not true. Foraged raspberries are the best.

Misha: Well,

[00:10:26] Berry Foraging Tangent

Misha: I was gonna say, I don't think we've ever gone raspberry foraging together. Oh. Foraging is when you just go out in the world and try to find the berry.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: Uh, and there's a great... I love black raspberries.

Larissa: Yes, there are a couple good patches in

Misha: the

Larissa: city.

Misha: Yes, and they're kind of hard. I don't know why they're not cultivated as much. Because- Like, you can't buy them ...

Larissa: I think it's because they are so painful. Like, the- Oh ... they have such, such, um, uh, sta- like, prickles on them.

Misha: Mm.

Larissa: And I always get my arms all cut up.

Misha: Oh, more so than a red raspberry?

Larissa: I think.

Misha: Interesting.

Larissa: But also, if they cultivated them, they would just breed that out.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Yeah, I don't know why.

Misha: Maybe the red are more brilliant looking in jams and pies?

Larissa: Maybe.

Misha: But a dark blackberry is, like, a purple.

Larissa: Also, why don't they cultivate, like, so many amazing things?

Misha: Well, also, there's a white... Have you ever had a white raspberry?

No. Oh, yeah. When I was a teenager, we helped, my mom and I helped an elderly neighbor care for his garden.

Larissa: Yes?

Misha: And he had white raspberries. Wow. They're the sweetest- Cool ... of all three kinds, and they're big and juicy. They're kind of... Like, they start out white, and they get kind of golden colored by the time- Oh

they're so good.

Larissa: I know about white mulberries.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: And they turn a little bit yellow also. Mm-hmm.

Misha: Um,

Larissa: and they are just as sweet as the red ones.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Oh.

Misha: Anyway, we've gone off topic, but berries.

Larissa: We're talking about a little bit, it always comes back

Misha: to berries. It's still spring.

Larissa: It

Misha: is. Anything else can

Larissa: happen.

Misha: So

[00:11:52] The Failed Drawer Project

Misha: I mentioned that my brother's a cabinetmaker.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: So he is ... We're very different personalities, first of all, but he's very precise.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Which you have to be as a cabinetmaker. Yes. It's a very precision-oriented job.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Uh, I'm not. Nope. And I don't really feel motivated to be. So I don't put a lot of effort into it.

Larissa: I 100% understand. Remember, I don't even wanna use a pattern when I'm sewing. Yes.

Misha: It's a

Larissa: similar- No precision. No measuring.

Misha: And in sewing, like, it's somewhat problematic sometimes, but not really. But in carpentry- Mm-hmm ... cabinetmaking specifically- Mm-hmm ... drawer making specifically, you need to be very precise.

Larissa: What do they say? Measure twice, cut once.

Misha: Yes. Yeah. And my brother, when he talks about measuring, like when he's helped me, he'll look at, like, oh, this is 1/32nd of an inch off, and I'm like, "What?" Ooh. "What are you even talking about?"

Larissa: That's a fraction?

Misha: It is. It's within an inch, I feel great about it. That's not, that's not how you need to be.

Larissa: Nope.

Misha: So one day, I don't, I don't always like to bother him, 'cause he's busy, he has a business, he has a family. So I was trying to make something by myself. Mm-hmm. With yet another piece of found cherry.

Larissa: Actual cherry?

Misha: This was actual cherry, and it was in his shop, but we both thought I had likely bought it at one point-

Larissa: Okay

Misha: and stored it there and forgot about it.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Anyway, so I was like, I can do it. Like, I'm gonna make a small kind of console table, which is a low small table, meant to put a TV or something on. Mm-hmm. Uh, and I, I'll put one drawer in the middle.

Larissa: Okay. And

Misha: I had this beautiful piece of walnut for the drawer front.

Anyways, really excited about it. So I'm in the shop, and I'm telling my brother my plans, and he's like, you know ... I was using scraps. Oh. So this old wood that had been used for the drawer box. He, and he was skeptical. But I'm like, I can do it. It's just one drawer. It's simple. You know, I have the slides, it's gonna be fine.

So I spent all day making this, probably more than, I don't remember, a couple of days. I make what they call the carcass, which is the part that goes around the drawers.

Larissa: The carcass. Yeah.

Misha: Like a dresser without drawers is a carcass.

Larissa: Wow. That's also the word we use for the bones of an animal.

Misha: Yeah, a dead animal.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: I know, it's very weird.

Larissa: Like that you put the carcass of the turkey in to make soup.

Misha: Yes.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Yep, same thing.

Larissa: Hmm.

Misha: I don't know. That's not a word that, that's not an English word that the average English speaker would know.

Larissa: Nope.

Misha: I only learned it in my brother's shop.

Larissa: Hmm.

Misha: So I make the outside part.

Mm-hmm. And then I make the drawer. And then I put the slides in, and I go to try to open and close the drawer. No. It's not happening. Because- It

Larissa: got in, though.

Misha: I think I could, I could get the drawer in but not out, or maybe I couldn't even get it to go in. Mm. I can't remember. Mm. Whatever it was, it was a complete failure.

So it wasn't like, oh, it's a little... You have to put a little effort. No.

Larissa: No.

Misha: It didn't work.

Larissa: No go.

Misha: And my brother goes to measure it, and of course, like, in order to make a drawer, it has to be perfectly square.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: Perfect right angles at all four corners. It was nowhere close. But in my mind, I'm like, "I'm just gonna cram it.

It's just gonna work." It doesn't work. It doesn't work in woodworking to do that.

Larissa: So did he help you with the second one?

Misha: No. I threw the drawer out. I kept the drawer front, which was the beautiful piece of walnut. I think it's still in my closet. Oh. My lumber closet. Uh, and I removed the drawer slides, and it's just a cabinet without drawers.

So it's in my son's room now. We put books on it. It's great.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: It's a beautiful little-

Larissa: A cabinet without drawers is a shelf.

Misha: Yeah, I guess. I don't think you call it a carcass if it's not meant to have drawers.

Larissa: Oh.

Misha: I don't really know. But yeah. It's like a shelf. But it's low to the ground.

Larissa: Oh, yeah.

Misha: You know what I mean?

It's only one... Would you call that a shelf?

Larissa: Maybe a table.

Misha: Yeah. Like a coffee table almost.

Larissa: Maybe.

Misha: Anyway, whatever it is- ... it's looks lovely. The piece of cherry on top is beautiful. It stores books. But it's drawer-less. It's sadly drawer-less. Yeah.

Larissa: Did you learn a lesson?

Misha: I mean, probably not, to be honest.

Larissa: Maybe the lesson is- No, not ever.

Misha: I think, I think the lesson is if I want to make something with drawers, I probably need help. That's probably the lesson.

Larissa: That's what I was gonna say, but I didn't want to say

Misha: it. And I get that. It's very nice of you to spare my feelings. I can say it.

I haven't made anything with drawers since.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: Uh, I am impressed that you even attempted- ... the drawers. Oh,

Misha: thank you. I

Larissa: think that's amazing. I tried. Yes. Good job. Uh,

[00:16:46] Framing Larissa's Embroidery

Larissa: I have something- Mm-hmm ... at my house that you made.

Misha: Oh, true. Uh,

Larissa: I, I love to work with my hands. Mm-hmm. But like Misha, I don't like to measure or be precise.

And so I prefer more freestyle activities or, or, or crafts and hobbies. So I love to embroider. Mm-hmm. You do too, but- Yes ... this is my story.

Misha: Yeah. Also, she's very good at it. You have to see some of her work. It looks great.

Larissa: Uh- But also- You are incredible- ... at embroidery. We're

Misha: both amazing at

Larissa: either. We are so wonderful.

Misha: Well, sometimes we like to do crafts together, and that's the most fun.

Larissa: It is really a lot of fun. Mm-hmm. So anyway, um, I used to live in the Middle East, and specifically in Qatar, and when I was there, I thought, "Oh, I know what I want to do as a souvenir. I want to make myself, um, an embroidery in the Palestinian embroidery style"-

Misha: Mm-hmm

Larissa: uh, to take home. So I made a wall hanging. It has my last name but trans- transliterated into Arabic.

Misha: Mm-hmm.

Larissa: So when Arabic speakers see it, they don't know what the word is, 'cause it's not an Arabic word. It's, it's an English word- Right ... but I've just written in Arabic letters. It's kinda weird, but it's meaningful to me.

Misha: Yeah, and it looks beautiful.

Larissa: And around I put a beautiful border with a Palestinian embroidery motif. Anyway, I had it for a long time, and it was just, it was just a, a piece. I didn't know what to do with it, and I, like, I was thinking about it, and I mentioned it to you one time. Mm-hmm. And you were like, "I can frame that."

Misha: Yeah.

Larissa: I was like, "You can frame that?" And so I gave it to you, and I think it was like months

Misha: Yeah, probably ...

Larissa: months and months.

Misha: Yeah, sorry.

Larissa: No, totally fine. It was years that I had it. And then one day she comes over. Knock, knock, knock. Here you go. It's my embroidery, framed. Mm-hmm.

Misha: It, it looks so beautiful, and it deserves to be on a wall.

Larissa: It, well, it's so great. Mm-hmm. So do you remember the process of making that?

Misha: Yes. I've done this a lot.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: You don't have to be as precise- ... when you're just making a little frame. But as Larissa said, I also like to embroider. I have many of my embroideries in my house. So I've made dozens of, we call them stretchers.

This is the term. It's also used in painting- Mm ... when you're stretching a piece of canvas or fabric around a wooden frame. That wooden frame is called a stretcher. So it's not a, you can't see what I made. It's, it's, the fabric is wrapped around it. Um, so I don't know. It's not that hard to make. I remember I saved it for a time when I was doing some of my own.

Larissa: Yes.

Misha: So then I just kind of did a whole- Yeah ... batch at once.

Larissa: But you stretched it- Mm-hmm ... on a wooden frame, and then you also put a wooden frame around it.

Misha: Oh, did I make a wooden frame around it? Yeah, you

Larissa: did.

Misha: Oh, I'd forgotten that part. Oh, I have to see a picture. Sure. '

Larissa: Cause the, the stretching part, so I often will just buy- Yes

a canvas-

Misha: Right ...

Larissa: from, from the store, like a painting canvas- Uh-huh ... and then staple my embroideries to it- Yes ... 'cause I don't have to do the woodworking part. Um, no, you made the frame, and then you made- Oh ... an out- outer frame- I framed it ... and put little pieces in to hold it in place.

Misha: Yes. It's

Larissa: very unique.

Misha: Oh, yes, so this is the method, which I think my brother and I figured out.

I made him a big painting at one point, and so I make a wooden frame with mitered corners, which are corners where the wood is cut on an angle.

Larissa: That's also a, a quilting term.

Misha: Yes, it is. Same thing with fabric, angled corners.

Larissa: I don't know how to do that yet.

Misha: It's a little bit hard in sewing, actually. I'm gonna learn.

And in woodworking. Um, anyways, and then to hold it in place, because you don't wanna damage the fabric, so my method is I make little, you could just, little wooden blocks, thin little pieces of wood to pop in between the stretcher and the frame around all the edges at equal spaces to kind of hold it in place with tension.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: So it's a nice way to do it. It's not complicated. I don't know if anybody else does it this way. We just made it up.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: But I think it looks nice.

Larissa: It, it is really- Yeah ... it, it has a unique look. I like that about it.

Misha: Mm-hmm. I'd totally forgotten that I framed it also. That's cool.

Larissa: You did.

Misha: Nice. So it's

Larissa: double thank you.

Misha: You're double welcome. Fun. Okay.

Larissa: Uh, dresser that we're doing I'm not moving. I'm staying where I am.

Misha: All right. I will tell you since I've told you about two failures. One success, so we end on a nice note.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: So

[00:21:19] Misha's Maple Dresser

Misha: my biggest, like, thing I will keep all of my life that I love that I've made out of wood is my dresser-

Larissa: Oh

that holds my

Misha: clothes. Whoa,

Larissa: whoa, whoa.

Misha: Does

Larissa: it have drawers?

Misha: It has nine drawers. But listen, it, it was a success because my brother, but more so my dad helped me- Okay ... at, at every step.

Larissa: Okay. Yeah. Good.

Misha: So, and it was a many weeks project.

Larissa: Hmm.

Misha: I used, uh, maple wood, which is very Canadian.

Larissa: Very.

Misha: And it's called rustic maple, which means- Oh

it has some like holes in it from where people drilled for maple syrup.

Larissa: Oh.

Misha: It has like imperfections that are... Probably I paid extra for those imperfections. Oh. Uh-huh. It's a really beautiful wood. And then the drawer fronts, which is the part of the drawer you can see, is made out of a spalted maple.

Spalted wood is when a mold gets in the wood-

Larissa: Oh ...

Misha: and the mold is killed during the drying process. Okay. So it's not, there's not currently mold, but it makes these beautiful black, um, like streaks in the wood. Oh. It's also something you might pay extra for.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: So it really, it's damaged, but in a way that makes the wood more beautiful.

Larissa: Okay. Can we just stop- What? ... and acknowledge how beautiful that is? Yeah. That there has been some- You said damage, but also like the imperfection- Yeah ... the trouble, the, the, the problem that this tree had have become something beautiful- Yeah ... and makes it more valuable.

Misha: A feature.

Larissa: Ooh, I love that. Yeah.

Misha: I know, I love that too.

Also, on that note, I like to leave a little bit of the tool marks on my- Ooh. So for example, on this dresser you can find some of the sawmill marks, which is the saw that originally would've cut the plank, which my brother doesn't like, 'cause to him that's like I- You haven't- ... just haven't done a good enough job Yeah.

Yes. But I like to see the process- Yeah ... the wood has gone through.

Larissa: Well, and that's also a- that adds to the rustic charm.

Misha: Totally.

Larissa: Rustic. When I think of rustic, I think of like a farmhouse- Mm-hmm ... or something kind of well, imperfect.

Misha: Imperfect, exactly. Mm-hmm.

Larissa: Mm.

Misha: Anyway, so this dresser, first of all, it's so heavy.

'Cause it is all solid wood. So the drawer boxes are put together with a dovetail joint- Ooh ... where the wood is cut so you can slide it together, which I only mention because I put them all, the drawer boxes together one day when my brother wasn't there, and then he came and he's like the, the dovetail joints weren't perfectly flush.

Oh. So one side stuck out a little bit- Yeah ... on all of them. Uh-huh.

Larissa: And

Misha: he was so unimpressed. And he made me take them all apart and redo it. But this is why I have a, a dresser- Yeah ... that works at the end.

Larissa: I, correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like this, this kind of method of attaching wood without screws or nails, I feel like that, that feels very Mennonite to me.

Misha: I don't know if it is. I think it's definitely like a long-standing technique- Okay ... that's been around for a long time. M- Mennonites are sort of known for their woodwork.

Larissa: Mm-hmm.

Misha: Like, you can in certain parts of the States, I don't know, around here probably too, buy like- Yeah ... Mennonite wood furniture.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Yeah, so I actually I don't know.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Yeah. I think it's a common thing in general.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: Is it also common in Mennonite tradition?

Larissa: But for, for people who are good at the craft.

Misha: Yes. It's like a skilled thing to do. Yeah. That's right. Um, yeah, so I will tell you one part that made me so proud is- Mm ... so I made the drawer boxes, and then you make the face, which is an extra piece that goes on the front.

That was my spalted maple. And I put all the faces on one day while my brother wasn't there.

Larissa: Okay.

Misha: And when he came back, he said, "Wow, you did this? It looks great." He was so complimentary, and I was thrilled.

Larissa: Ooh, that's a big compliment.

Misha: It was a big compliment. Oh. Especially after I'd messed many things up along the way.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: So I felt really good about the fact that he was impressed. Aah.

Larissa: Yeah. Look at you redeeming yourself.

Misha: That's right. Give me enough chances, and I will get it right. Anyway, it's finished. I use it every day. Mm. It's beautiful. I'll post a picture on our Instagram. We'll post a picture of... So it's finished now.

I use it every day. I love it so much. It's also something I think will always remind me of that time spent with my dad- Yes ... building it, so it's a great keepsake.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Um, we'll post a picture of it. We'll post a picture of all of our wood projects.

Larissa: Absolutely. I think everyone should see my incredible handiwork in my driveway.

Done

Misha: with a jigsaw, keep in mind. Makes it more impressive.

Larissa: It's functional.

Misha: Absolutely. And

Larissa: I am proud

Misha: of it. And it was a success. You should be. I am. You were doing that with no knowledge on your own. Good job.

Larissa: I also should have gotten more knowledge before I started.

Misha: You have to start somewhere. So we'll put those pictures up on our Instagram.

Mm-hmm. Go check it out.

Larissa: Yeah.

Misha: Um, yeah.

Larissa: And if you are a woodworker, would you be willing to share with us some of the things that you have made? I'd love to hear about it. Oh,

Misha: my gosh, I would love

Larissa: that.

Misha: Mm-hmm. I'm so sure that so many of you are much, much more skilled than us. So please tell us about your projects.

[00:26:33] Outro

Larissa: Thanks for listening to another episode. Find us on Instagram or YouTube to join the

conversation.