Page 23 - CMA PROfiles Spring 2020

FEATURED SHOP: GLENN POPE WOODWORKING
interesting,” he says. Much of the shop’s business has come via
word-of-mouth, especially from local contractors.
For Pope, complexity makes a project attractive. “Some projects
bring interesting challenges, and that makes it fun,” he says. A
recent private wine cellar project involved complicated prob-
lem-solving related to earthquake protection measures.

“There was a lot of new engineering involved,” Pope says.
“There were beams and other factors in the client’s basement
that required a lot of tricky fitting. To get the clearances, we
used these special new hinges that you have to route in; they’re
fun to work with.
“The clients wanted to keep the wine from falling out in case
there was an earthquake, and we worked through all sorts of
options, including putting fishing line in front of the bottles,”
he recalls. “We settled on doors with woven wire panels that
protected the wine but still allowed you to see it.”
The challenges that Pope relishes come in many forms.

“Right now we have a project where we’re using walnut lumber
that the clients milled for their kitchen,” he says. “It’s always fun
to try to figure out the details — how to use the material and
have it come out the nicest. It’s rough lumber that’s not kiln- “It’s nice to have something you’ve made that looks good
dried, so there’s a lot of tension in it sometimes, and it can warp. and works well, and that people appreciate,” Pope says.
I enjoy taking on that kind of project.” A BIG MOVE

Along with the many large-scale projects that Glenn Pope Glenn Pope Woodworking has operated out of its third location
Woodworking has taken on over the years, there have also been on Washington Street for 30 years, and after such a long time,
small, but memorable assignments. you might assume the business was settled in for good.

“They have a wine auction here every year, and they used to ask But in fact, Pope is gearing up for a big move in 2020, the
people to make special boxes to hold the wine that they would company’s 44th year in business. While the Washington Street
auction off,” he recalls. “We’d put a lot of care into the details, space has been a great home, he doesn’t own the land where
such as hand dovetails or other tricky stuff.” it’s located and has decided to build a shop on property he does
own in nearby Santa Rosa. The new space will be bigger – 5,000
That tradition fell by the wayside, which is a shame, Pope says,
adding that he now wishes he had made two of each and kept square feet — but Glenn Pope Woodworking will continue
one for himself. to use just 3,000 square feet of the new location, renting out
the remainder.
Glenn Pope Woodworking carried out another unique
assignment for the historic Bale Grist Mill just down the road. They will move as soon as the building is complete, kicking off
Now the centerpiece of a state park, the water-powered mill a new era. It will be a big change for Pope, who has enjoyed
was built in 1846, meaning that maintenance and repairs are not
straightforward. The park staff ran into a problem when the
wooden “teeth” on one of its gears needed to be replaced, and “It’s nice to have something
Pope was able to figure out how to make new ones. Thinking
ahead, he even made extra ones so the park would be prepared you’ve made that looks good
for the next round of repairs.
The work that’s come in over the decades has evolved, of and works well, and that people
course, and sometimes in ways that are disappointing. “We don’t
get handwork much anymore, unfortunately,” he notes. “No appreciate.” — Glenn Pope
hand dovetails, for instance.”

But the payoff of the work has not changed.

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