People are going nuts for an Ohio woodworker’s latest creation: A bar that caters to neighborhood squirrels.
Michael Dutko, a 35-year-old hobbyist, has been creating art and household items from wood for most of his life and even chronicles it on his YouTube channel Duke Harmon Woodworking. But it’s his fun twist on a squirrel feeder that’s made him internet famous.
“The Nutty Bar,” which is attached to his backyard fence in Hilliard, looks just like a real bar, and even has a range of nuts on tap.
Dutko said he built it to help his neighbor with her bird-watching hobby.
“The whole reason I even started to make this is because my neighbor bird watches with her daughter and told me all of the squirrels keep getting in her way,” Dutko told CNN. “I didn’t even tell her what I was going to do, I just built it and put it back there and when she saw it, she just started cracking up.”
Lucky squirrels that find their way to the bar get to choose from seven different nuts named after beers: Cashew Dunkel, Peanut Pilsner, Almond Ale, Walnut Stout, Sunflower Saison, Pecan Porter, and Pistachio Pale Ale.
Dutko’s favorite part of the bar is its quirky bathroom sign: “Nuts” and “No Nuts.”
The project, which measures about 25 inches wide and 16 inches tall, took him eight hours to design and build.
After posting a video on YouTube showing the build process, Dutko said he was “overwhelmed” with comments and requests to purchase the bar. He immediately applied for a design patent and is now planning to launch a business to sell The Nutty Bar for about US$175 to US$200.
“It’s surreal to me that I was able to make such an impact by doing something so little with something I love so much,” Dutko said.
“I’m so amazed. People have been so kind and positive. And my kids definitely love it too, they’re always watching the squirrels stuff their faces with nuts and they think it’s just so cute,” he said.
Dutko is excited for what’s to come but says nuttin' will ever beat The Nutty Bar.
