Ep 114: Lignum Vitae Beethoven

• Jess makes his glorious comeback after getting knocked down by heat exhaustion that turned into full exorcist mode puking for 24 hours plus dealing with a plumbing leak that delayed recording because Florida construction never goes according to plan

• Sushi talk gets deep with grocery store Publix five dollar Wednesday deals and the eternal debate about cream cheese in sushi rolls while Ross admits he goes for the over the top dynamite and firecracker rolls instead of simple sashimi

• Colton shares the heartwarming yet heartbreaking story of his grandfather passing away peacefully at 87 after one final FaceTime call where he got to show off all the inherited tools in his shop including that dangerous old radial arm saw with zero safety features

• The cornhole board saga continues with a California customer who wanted changes mid project forcing Colton to pour resin directly on the CNC machine and cut into cured resin which sounds like a nightmare but somehow worked out perfectly

• Butcher block restoration becomes an epic adventure when Colton fixes a cracked Paduk board that was bleeding red dust into the maple strips and learns that alcohol wipes solve the cross contamination problem way better than more sanding

• Jess upgrades his life with a monster 24 foot charcoal gray trailer that matches his truck perfectly plus negotiates a sweet one year contract that guarantees steady income while his daughter moves to Tampa for college and independence

• Home renovation horror story unfolds when Jess discovers copper pipes buried directly in concrete which is a big no no because concrete eats copper over time so cue the Makita jackhammer rental and careful concrete surgery around live plumbing lines

• Ross inherits a 500 pound solid maple butcher block table from a customer that required two strong guys and 17 stairs worth of creative problem solving before he could router sled the whole top flat and refinish it with walrus oil

• Indoor plumbing history lesson reveals that Romans had it figured out 4000 years ago with aqueducts and lead pipes but Europe forgot how to poop properly for centuries until London got so stinky in 1858 that parliament had to stop meeting

• Whiskey wisdom flows as Ross explains how British Navy trade routes spread whiskey and rum around the world using ballast bricks and barrel charring techniques that accidentally invented aged spirits during those long ocean crossings to the Caribbean and back