1 00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:04,933 (cheerful music) (saw swishes) 2 00:00:06,033 --> 00:00:07,233 - Welcome to the "Volunteer Woodworker." 3 00:00:07,233 --> 00:00:09,266 I'm your host, Charles Brock. 4 00:00:09,266 --> 00:00:12,066 Come with me as we drive the back roads, 5 00:00:12,066 --> 00:00:16,900 bringing you the story of America's finest woodworkers. 6 00:00:16,900 --> 00:00:21,866 (cheerful music) (door thuds) 7 00:00:27,033 --> 00:00:30,566 (cheerful music continues) 8 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:37,900 We're on our way to Oak Ridge, Tennessee 9 00:00:37,900 --> 00:00:39,933 to meet Jerry Spady. 10 00:00:39,933 --> 00:00:43,900 Jerry is like no other woodworker I know. 11 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:47,633 Thinking outside the box is ordinary for him. 12 00:00:47,633 --> 00:00:52,233 He spends most of his time exploring new boundaries. 13 00:00:52,233 --> 00:00:57,066 His woodworking projects come from very special visions. 14 00:00:57,066 --> 00:00:59,333 Let's meet Jerry Spady. 15 00:00:59,333 --> 00:01:02,100 (cheerful music) (saw swishes) 16 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:05,633 - [Announcer] "Volunteer Woodworker" is funded in part by... 17 00:01:05,633 --> 00:01:08,200 Since 1970, Whiteside Machine Company 18 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,700 has been producing industrial-grade router bits 19 00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:12,400 in Claremont, North Carolina. 20 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,733 Whiteside makes carbide bits for edge forming, grooving, 21 00:01:15,733 --> 00:01:17,633 and CNC application. 22 00:01:17,633 --> 00:01:20,433 Learn more at whitesiderouterbits.com. 23 00:01:21,566 --> 00:01:24,200 Real Milk Paint Company makes VOC-free, 24 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,900 non-toxic milk paint, available in 56 colors. 25 00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:30,166 Milk Paint creates a matte wood finish 26 00:01:30,166 --> 00:01:32,666 that can be distressed for an antique look. 27 00:01:32,666 --> 00:01:35,433 (gentle music) 28 00:01:35,433 --> 00:01:37,700 Good Wood Nashville designs custom furniture 29 00:01:37,700 --> 00:01:40,300 and is a supplier of vintage hardwoods. 30 00:01:41,466 --> 00:01:43,633 Keri Price with Keller Williams Realty 31 00:01:43,633 --> 00:01:45,933 has been assisting Middle Tennessee home buyers 32 00:01:45,933 --> 00:01:48,700 and sellers since 2013. 33 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:50,266 Mayfield Hardwood Lumber, 34 00:01:51,733 --> 00:01:54,400 supplying Appalachian hardwoods worldwide. 35 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:58,300 Anna's Creative Lens. 36 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:02,300 (gentle music) 37 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:05,033 - Jerry Spady. - Charles Brock. 38 00:02:05,033 --> 00:02:07,566 - Yeah. So nice to be here. 39 00:02:07,566 --> 00:02:11,633 I tell you what, Jerry, this is an amazing place to start 40 00:02:11,633 --> 00:02:16,633 because you can't tell the story of Jerry Spady 41 00:02:17,866 --> 00:02:21,633 without looking into the mind of Jerry Spady. 42 00:02:21,633 --> 00:02:25,666 This is art that is beautiful, 43 00:02:25,666 --> 00:02:29,766 but it needs an explanation that only you can give. 44 00:02:29,766 --> 00:02:32,133 What's this? Tell us the story. 45 00:02:32,133 --> 00:02:34,533 - Well, there is a story behind this. 46 00:02:35,733 --> 00:02:37,166 I live with a Norwegian woman, 47 00:02:37,166 --> 00:02:39,433 and she's introduced me to concepts 48 00:02:39,433 --> 00:02:41,566 that are typical of Norwegian. 49 00:02:41,566 --> 00:02:43,666 And one of them is the idea of Valhalla, 50 00:02:43,666 --> 00:02:45,866 which is the Viking heaven. 51 00:02:45,866 --> 00:02:49,633 And I thought I was running out of room to put my pieces, 52 00:02:49,633 --> 00:02:51,666 and I wanted to build testimonials 53 00:02:51,666 --> 00:02:54,333 to different woodworking friends 54 00:02:54,333 --> 00:02:56,600 and other people in my life that had died. 55 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,133 And so I thought, well, I'll put everything up 56 00:02:59,133 --> 00:03:03,333 in the ceiling, and it'll be my private Valhalla. 57 00:03:03,333 --> 00:03:05,433 So there's a Viking ship up there 58 00:03:05,433 --> 00:03:09,333 that has several people, their cremains in it. 59 00:03:09,333 --> 00:03:14,300 And the trick in my life was trying to figure out 60 00:03:15,733 --> 00:03:17,733 how in the world would the Vikings ever find Valhalla 61 00:03:17,733 --> 00:03:20,566 in the first place, to exploit it. 62 00:03:20,566 --> 00:03:23,266 And so my imagination went a little wild 63 00:03:23,266 --> 00:03:26,466 and I thought, well, I'll try to solve that problem 64 00:03:26,466 --> 00:03:27,500 through a woodworking piece. 65 00:03:27,500 --> 00:03:30,366 So I built this contraption, 66 00:03:30,366 --> 00:03:34,033 and I was envisioning the Vikings of old, 67 00:03:34,033 --> 00:03:37,100 exploring their environments way up north. 68 00:03:37,100 --> 00:03:38,966 And they were following a small river 69 00:03:38,966 --> 00:03:42,900 that emptied into a fairly small lake. 70 00:03:42,900 --> 00:03:45,200 And the difference in this lake 71 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,400 was that it erupted like Old Faithful. 72 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,366 And so, every once in a while, 73 00:03:49,366 --> 00:03:51,600 all the water would go skyward. 74 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,333 And rather than Old Faithful, 75 00:03:53,333 --> 00:03:55,966 where the water falls back down to the ground, 76 00:03:55,966 --> 00:03:59,766 in this case, the water disappeared up in the sky. 77 00:03:59,766 --> 00:04:01,700 Well, of course, Vikings being curious, 78 00:04:01,700 --> 00:04:03,266 you know, and explorers, 79 00:04:03,266 --> 00:04:05,766 they wanted to find out what was going on with this water. 80 00:04:05,766 --> 00:04:08,633 So they built this giant launching thing, 81 00:04:08,633 --> 00:04:12,900 and they could winch a Viking ship up here 82 00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:16,400 and launch it into the geyser just as it was erupting, 83 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:19,966 and it would carry the boat up into the sky. 84 00:04:19,966 --> 00:04:21,566 - Wow. - Then it just disappeared. 85 00:04:21,566 --> 00:04:26,300 And that's how the Vikings, in my head, discovered Valhalla. 86 00:04:27,733 --> 00:04:30,800 - Well, that's an amazing piece. 87 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:35,766 And with the story, it represents it extremely well. 88 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:39,433 I don't think anybody else could think of something 89 00:04:39,433 --> 00:04:42,333 like that and put this together. (chuckles) 90 00:04:42,333 --> 00:04:46,900 It's a great way to start the story of Jerry Spady. 91 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:50,233 We're going to move to a different location, 92 00:04:50,233 --> 00:04:54,266 and we're gonna tell that story to the viewers right now. 93 00:04:54,266 --> 00:04:55,233 - All right. (saw swishes) 94 00:04:55,233 --> 00:04:57,966 (cheerful music) 95 00:05:05,100 --> 00:05:10,000 (cheerful music continues) (saw swishes) 96 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,966 - Jerry, I just loved the concept and the piece, "Valhalla," 97 00:05:17,366 --> 00:05:19,866 but you didn't start out with that. 98 00:05:19,866 --> 00:05:21,633 That wasn't your first piece. 99 00:05:21,633 --> 00:05:24,500 Tell me about young Jerry Spady, 100 00:05:24,500 --> 00:05:27,833 and how did you start this journey 101 00:05:27,833 --> 00:05:29,633 toward what you have today, 102 00:05:29,633 --> 00:05:34,633 like this beautiful retreat that you have here, 103 00:05:35,733 --> 00:05:37,766 where nothing's rectilinear? (chuckles) 104 00:05:37,766 --> 00:05:39,766 How did you get there? 105 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,300 - Well, that's an interesting question, 106 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:45,966 and in part, it has to do with my upbringing. 107 00:05:45,966 --> 00:05:49,066 I was the son of a baker, 108 00:05:49,066 --> 00:05:51,866 so I spent a lot of time in a bakery when I was growing up. 109 00:05:51,866 --> 00:05:54,933 And this is out on the West Coast in Washington state. 110 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,600 And I was attracted, 111 00:05:59,866 --> 00:06:03,466 always attracted, from day one, to science. 112 00:06:03,466 --> 00:06:07,466 And, ultimately, I moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee 113 00:06:07,466 --> 00:06:12,433 to study in a small graduate school at the Biology Division 114 00:06:13,533 --> 00:06:15,900 of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 115 00:06:15,900 --> 00:06:18,100 And I was trained very, very well. 116 00:06:18,100 --> 00:06:19,833 I mean, that's a hell of a place to learn 117 00:06:19,833 --> 00:06:21,133 how to do basic research. 118 00:06:21,133 --> 00:06:22,600 So that was always my bent. 119 00:06:24,033 --> 00:06:26,666 It was always something that I loved to do, 120 00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:31,366 and I never expected to apply it to woodworking. 121 00:06:32,633 --> 00:06:36,533 But eventually, I was with a small company 122 00:06:36,533 --> 00:06:40,600 and in the lab, doing my thing, 123 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,000 and following my nose. 124 00:06:43,066 --> 00:06:45,566 And we had to shut the lab down 125 00:06:45,566 --> 00:06:49,533 for financial reasons. 126 00:06:49,533 --> 00:06:51,500 This is an ongoing company even today, 127 00:06:51,500 --> 00:06:53,933 but at that time we were pretty stretched. 128 00:06:55,266 --> 00:06:57,700 And so I found myself footloose and fancy-free 129 00:06:57,700 --> 00:06:59,266 and out of a job. 130 00:06:59,266 --> 00:07:02,000 And I thought, well, I could maybe go out to the main lab, 131 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:04,800 the national lab, and try to get on, 132 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,866 but I didn't like the idea of following their rules 133 00:07:08,866 --> 00:07:11,833 and regulations, and not being able to wear shorts to work, 134 00:07:11,833 --> 00:07:13,300 and things like that. 135 00:07:13,300 --> 00:07:17,133 So I thought, well, I'll try to become a woodworker. 136 00:07:17,133 --> 00:07:20,166 'Cause I'd kept a serious interest in woodworking, 137 00:07:20,166 --> 00:07:22,433 and it was traditional woodworking. 138 00:07:22,433 --> 00:07:27,400 And about a year into this segue into woodworking, 139 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:33,233 I happened upon a set of conditions 140 00:07:33,233 --> 00:07:36,500 of using veneer that I had on hand, 141 00:07:36,500 --> 00:07:38,900 that I didn't really know how to use, 142 00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:40,566 and I was making plywood out of it. 143 00:07:40,566 --> 00:07:42,833 Well, I made plywood in a different way, 144 00:07:42,833 --> 00:07:47,833 and it was, it came out to be a different material. 145 00:07:49,733 --> 00:07:51,200 And I knew it immediately 146 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,700 because I tried to cut a snowflake out of this material. 147 00:07:54,700 --> 00:07:59,100 And all of the other types of plywood, 148 00:07:59,100 --> 00:08:01,766 homemade plywood that I'd made over the years, 149 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,366 had failed in something that fine. 150 00:08:06,500 --> 00:08:08,633 And so when I tried to make fine, 151 00:08:08,633 --> 00:08:12,200 or tried to make a snowflake out of this new material, 152 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,900 which I didn't realize at the time really was new, 153 00:08:14,900 --> 00:08:17,666 I was successful, and I was stunned. 154 00:08:19,300 --> 00:08:21,900 And eventually, that afternoon, 155 00:08:21,900 --> 00:08:25,500 I made probably 30 snowflakes. (Charles chuckles) 156 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:26,866 And I walked out of the shop, 157 00:08:26,866 --> 00:08:28,366 and this was a true epiphany. 158 00:08:28,366 --> 00:08:30,300 This was a life-changing moment. 159 00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:33,566 I knew I was doing something that was completely out 160 00:08:33,566 --> 00:08:38,300 of my experience, and I'd never seen, never been able to do. 161 00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:42,500 And not too long after that, 162 00:08:42,500 --> 00:08:44,933 I had to make a decision whether or not I needed 163 00:08:44,933 --> 00:08:49,766 to follow up on this observation and pursue it seriously 164 00:08:49,766 --> 00:08:52,800 with the skills that I developed as a basic researcher. 165 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,300 'Cause this really is basic research in woodworking 166 00:08:55,300 --> 00:08:56,300 that I'm doing now. 167 00:08:58,533 --> 00:09:02,533 And I chose that pathway because Cathy Snyder, 168 00:09:02,533 --> 00:09:05,966 my partner all these years, was feeding me, 169 00:09:05,966 --> 00:09:07,633 and I didn't have to worry about making money. 170 00:09:07,633 --> 00:09:09,000 (Charles chuckles) 171 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,100 And that's a very privileged position to be in, 172 00:09:12,100 --> 00:09:14,866 in this world. - It is. 173 00:09:14,866 --> 00:09:16,800 If you're an artist, 174 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:21,366 you've got to be able to still put something on the table 175 00:09:21,366 --> 00:09:23,800 or have somebody do that for you. 176 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:25,100 - I had a patron 177 00:09:25,100 --> 00:09:26,700 that I told you about. - Yeah, wonderful. Yes. 178 00:09:26,700 --> 00:09:29,333 - And she was making pretty good money at the time, 179 00:09:29,333 --> 00:09:30,466 doing her thing. 180 00:09:30,466 --> 00:09:31,733 And so she put food on the table, 181 00:09:31,733 --> 00:09:34,500 and I was free to pursue this. 182 00:09:34,500 --> 00:09:37,200 And so I followed the material 183 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,466 of what I ended up calling fine ply, 184 00:09:41,033 --> 00:09:44,533 down a lot of pathways just to explore 185 00:09:44,533 --> 00:09:46,166 to see what I could do with it. 186 00:09:47,533 --> 00:09:52,466 And one of the things was the "Valhalla" piece. 187 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:57,366 We didn't talk about the base of it very much, 188 00:09:57,366 --> 00:09:59,266 but that's all out of fine ply, 189 00:09:59,266 --> 00:10:02,366 or at least the the structural part is. 190 00:10:02,366 --> 00:10:04,900 And it's pretty delicate looking, 191 00:10:04,900 --> 00:10:07,266 but it is actually pretty strong. 192 00:10:07,266 --> 00:10:11,233 - Well, Jerry, you've got the medium, 193 00:10:11,233 --> 00:10:13,633 the material, the fine ply. 194 00:10:13,633 --> 00:10:16,866 You developed it, but I think you developed it 195 00:10:16,866 --> 00:10:21,300 so you could start executing what was in your mind, 196 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:23,333 the ideas that you have. 197 00:10:23,333 --> 00:10:26,300 How do you come up with ideas 198 00:10:26,300 --> 00:10:29,766 that definitely are way out of the box? 199 00:10:29,766 --> 00:10:33,566 - Well, I remember the opinion 200 00:10:33,566 --> 00:10:36,866 that everybody should have a little irony in their life. 201 00:10:36,866 --> 00:10:38,800 The irony in mine is that, 202 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,300 through high school, I was the nerd. 203 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:44,900 I studied biology, and I studied chemistry and mathematics 204 00:10:44,900 --> 00:10:48,433 and whatever I can get my hands on that was hard science. 205 00:10:48,433 --> 00:10:50,433 And I sneered, literally, 206 00:10:50,433 --> 00:10:53,233 at the people that were taking art. 207 00:10:54,333 --> 00:10:56,300 And now, all these years later, 208 00:10:56,300 --> 00:11:00,433 (chuckles) I find myself perceived as an artist. 209 00:11:00,433 --> 00:11:03,800 And it took a while for me to wrap my head around 210 00:11:04,766 --> 00:11:07,533 that idea that I was an artist, 211 00:11:07,533 --> 00:11:09,800 because I kept thinking, 212 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,033 "Well, I'm a woodworker or I'm a scientist, or..." 213 00:11:13,033 --> 00:11:16,700 But, you know, eventually, even in my mind, 214 00:11:16,700 --> 00:11:20,833 it became clear that I'd segued somehow into the art field. 215 00:11:20,833 --> 00:11:23,966 - So kind of the essence of the lab 216 00:11:23,966 --> 00:11:26,966 or research is, "What if I do this?" 217 00:11:26,966 --> 00:11:29,400 - Because I'm exploring a new material, 218 00:11:30,666 --> 00:11:33,566 I try to figure out something that I think 219 00:11:33,566 --> 00:11:38,033 is maybe impossible to do, and see if I can do it, 220 00:11:38,033 --> 00:11:41,133 something that is impossible to build. 221 00:11:41,133 --> 00:11:42,666 And so, currently, 222 00:11:42,666 --> 00:11:47,600 my work is getting successively finer in detail, 223 00:11:49,133 --> 00:11:51,300 to the point where, if I have to shape a piece of wood, 224 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:53,166 I might not be able to hold it very well. 225 00:11:53,166 --> 00:11:55,266 I have to this tiny little piece 226 00:11:55,266 --> 00:11:58,133 of wood in my hand and shape it. 227 00:11:58,133 --> 00:12:01,500 So there's going to be a limit in that sense. 228 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:06,466 But every time I've tried to stretch this material 229 00:12:07,866 --> 00:12:09,500 and do something that I thought may might not be able 230 00:12:09,500 --> 00:12:14,500 to do it, it has responded to the challenge. 231 00:12:15,433 --> 00:12:16,533 It's really remarkable stuff. 232 00:12:16,533 --> 00:12:19,900 - What project or idea 233 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:25,666 have you got kind of, I guess, fomenting 234 00:12:25,666 --> 00:12:30,033 in Jerry Spady right now, that you just got to do? 235 00:12:31,300 --> 00:12:34,666 - Well, the one that I'm currently working on, 236 00:12:34,666 --> 00:12:35,900 which I call, "Truth." 237 00:12:35,900 --> 00:12:38,533 And it's a sculpture that, some years, 238 00:12:38,533 --> 00:12:41,500 well, not some years ago, but about two years ago, 239 00:12:42,833 --> 00:12:46,366 I thought of something, and I knew it to be true, 240 00:12:46,366 --> 00:12:48,166 or at least I thought it was. 241 00:12:48,166 --> 00:12:51,900 And I wondered at the time, "Well, why do I know that?" 242 00:12:51,900 --> 00:12:55,900 So there's the question of why. 243 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:59,133 And I said, "Maybe I should try to build something 244 00:12:59,133 --> 00:13:03,033 that answers how we know what we know as a species." 245 00:13:04,300 --> 00:13:07,233 Because we know a lot of stuff about our world, 246 00:13:07,233 --> 00:13:11,366 and it's not apparent, at least to me, 247 00:13:11,366 --> 00:13:13,600 how we come to know this stuff. 248 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:15,633 So I took a long view, 249 00:13:15,633 --> 00:13:20,600 and I involved the concept of the Indian mandalas, 250 00:13:21,666 --> 00:13:23,033 or wheels of life, 251 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,533 and the concept of learning from each other, 252 00:13:27,533 --> 00:13:30,600 which was eloquently expressed by Isaac Newton. 253 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:34,700 'Cause he said, famously, "If I've seen further than some, 254 00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:37,100 it's because I've stood on the shoulders of giants," 255 00:13:37,100 --> 00:13:39,433 in which it implies that he learned 256 00:13:39,433 --> 00:13:42,833 from those preceding him, as we all do. 257 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:45,966 And we do that, not only as individuals, 258 00:13:45,966 --> 00:13:49,633 but we do that as societies, and as cultures, 259 00:13:49,633 --> 00:13:50,900 and as groups of people. 260 00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:54,000 We learn something about the world around us, 261 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,666 and then we transfer it to other people. 262 00:13:56,666 --> 00:14:01,533 And if enough people accept this as being true, 263 00:14:02,733 --> 00:14:04,833 then that becomes our perceived truth. 264 00:14:04,833 --> 00:14:06,200 And oftentimes, 265 00:14:07,933 --> 00:14:11,133 it can be verified by independent analysis 266 00:14:11,133 --> 00:14:12,600 from other groups of people. 267 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:17,100 And this is where science really is a good format 268 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,633 for studying the world around you. 269 00:14:20,633 --> 00:14:23,833 But there's also cautionary tales. 270 00:14:23,833 --> 00:14:25,666 In the piece that I'm working on, 271 00:14:27,166 --> 00:14:30,800 to create this vision of, "How do we know what we know," 272 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,400 the tabletop is a flat ocean. 273 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,466 Because, at one time, everybody thought the ocean 274 00:14:39,466 --> 00:14:41,133 and the earth was flat. 275 00:14:41,133 --> 00:14:42,966 And that was perceived wisdom, 276 00:14:42,966 --> 00:14:44,866 and it turned out not to be true. 277 00:14:44,866 --> 00:14:48,166 So the cautionary tale here is that, 278 00:14:48,166 --> 00:14:53,133 even if we think we know something out there that's true, 279 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:55,100 it may not be. 280 00:14:55,100 --> 00:14:59,833 - Well, we're sitting on evidence of the fact 281 00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:04,100 that not all deck boards are rectilinear. 282 00:15:04,100 --> 00:15:06,866 - [Jerry] Yes, that's true. (Charles chuckles) 283 00:15:06,866 --> 00:15:08,500 I plead guilty to the fact 284 00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:12,333 that I've outgrown rectilinear in my life. 285 00:15:12,333 --> 00:15:16,133 - And the railings that we have here are nothing close 286 00:15:16,133 --> 00:15:18,100 to anything I've seen. 287 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:22,266 Maybe "Lord of the Rings"? (chuckles) 288 00:15:22,266 --> 00:15:25,566 - Yeah, you know, that brings to mind, 289 00:15:26,933 --> 00:15:29,233 when I first saw "Lord of the Rings," the movie, 290 00:15:30,566 --> 00:15:32,966 my first thought was, 291 00:15:32,966 --> 00:15:36,066 "God, I wish I'd been a set builder on that movie." 292 00:15:36,066 --> 00:15:37,500 - You'd have been perfect. - Because it just, 293 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:40,233 it fits my vision of how things should be. 294 00:15:41,366 --> 00:15:44,666 But in the natural world, 295 00:15:44,666 --> 00:15:48,266 and I'm not a naturalist, really, but I look around me, 296 00:15:48,266 --> 00:15:51,133 and I think, there aren't any straight lines. 297 00:15:51,133 --> 00:15:54,166 There aren't any right angles in nature. 298 00:15:54,166 --> 00:15:57,366 And that's where we feel most comfortable. 299 00:15:57,366 --> 00:16:00,000 So I've tried, out here in our lake place 300 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,000 that Cathy and I have built for the last 50 years, 301 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,600 I've tried to recreate a sense of comfort 302 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,300 by avoiding rectilinear lines. 303 00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:12,466 And it's working, at least for me. 304 00:16:12,466 --> 00:16:13,733 - Well, I think so 305 00:16:13,733 --> 00:16:17,066 because I don't feel any dissonance 306 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,500 sitting here amongst all of these different shapes. 307 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:26,100 - Yeah, it feels kinda like the woodwork below us 308 00:16:26,100 --> 00:16:28,700 is just sort of flowing over the lawn. 309 00:16:28,700 --> 00:16:30,266 - Jerry, let's go to your shop 310 00:16:30,266 --> 00:16:33,966 and see how you use fine ply 311 00:16:33,966 --> 00:16:36,966 to make some of this beautiful work. 312 00:16:36,966 --> 00:16:38,433 - That sounds good to me. (saw swishes) 313 00:16:38,433 --> 00:16:41,166 (cheerful music) 314 00:16:48,333 --> 00:16:51,900 (cheerful music continues) 315 00:16:57,933 --> 00:17:01,400 (cheerful music continues) 316 00:17:07,166 --> 00:17:10,700 (cheerful music continues) 317 00:17:17,133 --> 00:17:20,733 (cheerful music continues) (saw swishes) 318 00:17:20,733 --> 00:17:25,233 - Well, Jerry, your work is just full of detail. 319 00:17:25,233 --> 00:17:29,333 I mean, how in the world would you be able 320 00:17:29,333 --> 00:17:33,466 to cut this out and manipulate it 321 00:17:33,466 --> 00:17:38,233 and glue it down without it cracking in the short grain, 322 00:17:38,233 --> 00:17:42,266 which is just everywhere on this little guy? 323 00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:46,700 - Well, we can walk through this process. 324 00:17:47,966 --> 00:17:51,166 It starts with my going to the computer, 325 00:17:51,166 --> 00:17:53,833 which I don't spend much time on, 326 00:17:53,833 --> 00:17:57,766 but I've learned how to capture images off the computer. 327 00:17:57,766 --> 00:17:59,833 And, in this case, I was looking 328 00:17:59,833 --> 00:18:02,533 for images from Easter Island, 329 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:08,466 and all of these little critters here were on one boulder. 330 00:18:09,833 --> 00:18:12,633 And they're not the typical Easter Island monoliths 331 00:18:12,633 --> 00:18:14,866 that you associate with that. 332 00:18:14,866 --> 00:18:16,766 They did a lot of other imagery there. 333 00:18:18,433 --> 00:18:20,233 And I thought, "Well, I might be able to make those." 334 00:18:20,233 --> 00:18:25,233 So I printed those images off on a piece of paper. 335 00:18:26,166 --> 00:18:28,000 And then the next step will be 336 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,766 to cut this particular round piece. 337 00:18:30,766 --> 00:18:32,700 We're gonna recreate this guy right here, 338 00:18:32,700 --> 00:18:35,466 which is this fella, 339 00:18:35,466 --> 00:18:38,166 and we'll cut this out, 340 00:18:38,166 --> 00:18:41,400 glue it, or tape it onto a piece of fine ply, 341 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,233 which is the material that I have to use to make this. 342 00:18:45,233 --> 00:18:49,466 And fine ply is a composite material 343 00:18:49,466 --> 00:18:54,466 that's made out of veneer, any type of veneer you want, 344 00:18:55,733 --> 00:18:58,933 and it's infused with epoxy under vacuum. 345 00:19:00,333 --> 00:19:03,566 When it comes out, it's essentially plasticized wood. 346 00:19:03,566 --> 00:19:07,000 No longer behaves like wood, but looks like wood. 347 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:09,566 - And so this fine ply, excuse the pun, 348 00:19:09,566 --> 00:19:11,300 it's at the core of what you do. 349 00:19:11,300 --> 00:19:12,700 - Oh yeah, absolutely. 350 00:19:13,666 --> 00:19:15,200 I've spent the last, 351 00:19:16,866 --> 00:19:21,000 I guess it's 23 years now, pursuing this material, 352 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,866 trying to figure out how to use it best. 353 00:19:22,866 --> 00:19:26,566 And this is the latest iteration of, 354 00:19:26,566 --> 00:19:29,966 I've gotten into some pretty fine detailed work. 355 00:19:29,966 --> 00:19:33,033 I've also used it in larger scale. 356 00:19:33,033 --> 00:19:36,166 So now I've got a piece of fine ply. 357 00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:39,066 This happens to be padauk and maple. 358 00:19:39,066 --> 00:19:43,266 And I've got a contrasting maple in the center, 359 00:19:43,266 --> 00:19:47,333 which adds, when you make a little piece like this 360 00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:49,066 and then shape it, 361 00:19:49,066 --> 00:19:52,133 you see a little edge of white around here. 362 00:19:52,133 --> 00:19:56,433 It's almost like a line inlay around the perimeter 363 00:19:56,433 --> 00:19:57,733 of this little critter. 364 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,333 So the first thing I do, once I have my image, 365 00:20:03,566 --> 00:20:07,066 I take an exacto knife, and I cut this out. 366 00:20:08,633 --> 00:20:10,500 And let's see... 367 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:14,266 Roll around here. 368 00:20:16,966 --> 00:20:19,600 Now, I could cut the snout off of this one, 369 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:23,666 but typically what I do would be to cut around here 370 00:20:23,666 --> 00:20:27,566 so that, when I want to make this guy, 371 00:20:27,566 --> 00:20:30,033 I haven't cut its nose off. 372 00:20:32,133 --> 00:20:37,066 So here I've got the image, 373 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,233 which is, where did this guy go? 374 00:20:41,233 --> 00:20:43,966 Here. That's that. 375 00:20:43,966 --> 00:20:47,266 So we're going to make this guy right here from this image. 376 00:20:47,266 --> 00:20:51,400 This is a two-dimensional image, 377 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:53,733 in black and white in this case, 378 00:20:53,733 --> 00:20:57,066 and I will make it three dimensional in color. 379 00:20:57,066 --> 00:20:59,133 Then I take just plain old, 380 00:20:59,133 --> 00:21:02,333 well, this is gift wrap tape, 381 00:21:02,333 --> 00:21:04,666 which has a little less adhesive on it 382 00:21:05,933 --> 00:21:07,566 than some of the other Scotch tapes. 383 00:21:07,566 --> 00:21:09,966 And that's what I tend to use. 384 00:21:09,966 --> 00:21:13,433 But any kind of transparent tape would work. 385 00:21:14,833 --> 00:21:16,400 And I tape this down. 386 00:21:19,133 --> 00:21:21,066 And that covers there. 387 00:21:21,066 --> 00:21:23,266 Now we'll go over to the saw. 388 00:21:24,866 --> 00:21:29,066 And I've got an Excalibur jigsaw 389 00:21:29,066 --> 00:21:31,333 that I'll just cut this out. 390 00:21:31,333 --> 00:21:34,066 (cheerful music) 391 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,733 (cheerful music continues) 392 00:21:46,633 --> 00:21:51,500 All right, so this is a little tricky getting this cut out 393 00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:53,733 because it's so finely detailed, 394 00:21:53,733 --> 00:21:57,433 but again, the material will hold up under the saw. 395 00:21:57,433 --> 00:21:59,933 (saw whirring) 396 00:22:07,100 --> 00:22:10,466 (saw continues whirring) 397 00:22:17,033 --> 00:22:20,400 (saw continues whirring) 398 00:22:26,966 --> 00:22:30,366 (saw continues whirring) 399 00:22:36,900 --> 00:22:40,266 (saw continues whirring) 400 00:22:46,666 --> 00:22:49,666 So I've cut the image out around the perimeter, 401 00:22:49,666 --> 00:22:53,933 and what's left to do now is to refine the edges 402 00:22:53,933 --> 00:22:57,500 so that the little white strip will show 403 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:00,700 when looking at it from this angle. 404 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,533 And then put an eye in, and then the piece will be complete. 405 00:23:06,533 --> 00:23:07,766 So while we're here, 406 00:23:08,966 --> 00:23:10,766 I'll go ahead and put an eye in there, 407 00:23:10,766 --> 00:23:15,733 which is technically, it's technically difficult. 408 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,833 I take a drill and a bit. 409 00:23:22,033 --> 00:23:25,233 (drill whirs) 410 00:23:25,233 --> 00:23:27,300 And the idea is to locate 411 00:23:29,566 --> 00:23:31,733 at approximately where you want the eye, 412 00:23:31,733 --> 00:23:34,100 and drill through the top layer, 413 00:23:34,100 --> 00:23:38,733 revealing the maple underneath. 414 00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:42,266 So now you've got something 415 00:23:42,266 --> 00:23:46,000 that looks like an eye in the right place. 416 00:23:47,566 --> 00:23:49,433 So the next step is to go over 417 00:23:49,433 --> 00:23:50,933 and file on it a little bit. 418 00:23:52,166 --> 00:23:55,833 So I don't worry too much about it breaking, 419 00:23:55,833 --> 00:23:57,366 although it can break. 420 00:23:57,366 --> 00:24:00,400 And if that happens, then a little bit of CA glue 421 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,800 and a minute of waiting will solve that problem. 422 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:06,833 (file scraping) 423 00:24:06,833 --> 00:24:08,533 And then I just continue filing. 424 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,800 So you should be able to see the white edging appearing. 425 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,533 So here's the finished piece, here's the piece in progress. 426 00:24:19,533 --> 00:24:21,233 And they'll look similar. (saw swishes) 427 00:24:21,233 --> 00:24:26,133 - Jerry, I think that your journey is like a river, 428 00:24:26,133 --> 00:24:28,066 and it flows through- - I like that. 429 00:24:28,066 --> 00:24:32,200 - so many unusual 430 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,133 but beautiful thoughts and visions 431 00:24:35,133 --> 00:24:39,000 that you're able to turn into a sense of reality, 432 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,666 a piece of art to express that. 433 00:24:41,666 --> 00:24:43,233 This has been great. 434 00:24:43,233 --> 00:24:45,200 - Thank you. - Yeah, can't wait- 435 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:46,633 - It's been fun. - Can't wait to see 436 00:24:46,633 --> 00:24:50,666 some more Jerry Spady out of the box. 437 00:24:50,666 --> 00:24:53,900 - Well, I hope there's more in the box to get out of. 438 00:24:53,900 --> 00:24:55,766 (Charles laughs) 439 00:24:55,766 --> 00:24:57,166 (saw swishes) 440 00:24:57,166 --> 00:24:59,400 - I'm gonna be heading down the road to find a story 441 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,866 of another great woodworker. 442 00:25:01,866 --> 00:25:05,966 See you next time on the "Volunteer Woodworker." 443 00:25:05,966 --> 00:25:10,933 (door thuds) (cheerful music) 444 00:25:15,700 --> 00:25:19,266 (cheerful music continues) 445 00:25:24,166 --> 00:25:25,800 (saw swishes) 446 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:28,066 - [Announcer] "Volunteer Woodworker" is funded in part by... 447 00:25:28,066 --> 00:25:30,533 Since 1970, Whiteside Machine Company 448 00:25:30,533 --> 00:25:33,033 has been producing industrial-grade router bits 449 00:25:33,033 --> 00:25:34,766 in Claremont, North Carolina. 450 00:25:34,766 --> 00:25:38,133 Whiteside makes carbide bits for edge forming, grooving, 451 00:25:38,133 --> 00:25:40,033 and CNC application. 452 00:25:40,033 --> 00:25:42,833 Learn more at whitesiderouterbits.com. 453 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,600 Real Milk Paint Company makes VOC-free, 454 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,300 non-toxic milk paint, available in 56 colors. 455 00:25:50,300 --> 00:25:52,533 Milk Paint creates a matte wood finish 456 00:25:52,533 --> 00:25:55,433 that can be distressed for an antique look. 457 00:25:55,433 --> 00:25:57,833 (gentle music) 458 00:25:57,833 --> 00:26:00,066 Good Wood Nashville designs custom furniture 459 00:26:00,066 --> 00:26:02,566 and is a supplier of vintage hardwoods. 460 00:26:03,700 --> 00:26:05,900 Keri Price with Keller Williams Realty 461 00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:08,233 has been assisting Middle Tennessee home buyers 462 00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:11,000 and sellers since 2013. 463 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:12,566 Mayfield Hardwood Lumber, 464 00:26:14,033 --> 00:26:16,700 supplying Appalachian hardwoods worldwide. 465 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:21,266 Anna's creative lens, 466 00:26:21,266 --> 00:26:24,766 crafters of resin-on-wood decorative arts. 467 00:26:24,766 --> 00:26:26,866 Visit charlesbrockchairmaker.com 468 00:26:26,866 --> 00:26:29,266 for all you need to know about woodworking. 469 00:26:30,233 --> 00:26:32,000 If you'd like to learn even more, 470 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,033 free classes in a variety of subjects are available 471 00:26:35,033 --> 00:26:38,766 for streaming from charlesbrockchairmaker.com. 472 00:26:38,933 --> 00:26:41,400 (bright music) 473 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,333 (vibrant music)