The Storyteller's Tavern

For our first story, we had the pleasure of sitting down once again with the incredible Jimmy DiResta and, for the first time, the talented Derek from Malden. Jimmy’s influence on the Maker Community is nothing short of legendary. His dedication and passion have shaped the culture and inspired countless people to create and grow. Derek, a craftsman and content creator, is known for his beautifully...

Leigh and Mush sit down to talk about what they're most excited for for this year's Maker Camp, reflect on Maker Camps of years past, and share their love for the Maker community at large. This is a great episode for newbies or those who were on the fence about attending this year. Can't wait to see everyone soon!

WORKBENCHCon weekend, as with all weekends, had to eventually draw to a close, but Leigh and I were so fortunate to be able to get to sit down with Xyla Foxlin, who has (among other fantastic things) created a YouTube channel to showcase her love of engineering challenges, problem solving, and teaching. The three of us got a chance to talk more about Xyla's move from making strictly educationa...

There are some faces you see when you go to a Maker Event as a newbie and you just know are the ones who will welcome you in. Alma of Pink Soul Studios and Steph of Uncommon Outpost are two of those people who we had seen all over the place but had never gotten the pleasure and privilege of getting to know - until this year's WORKBENCHCon. Leigh and Mush got to sit down with them and catch up...

Tom Bodett (@tombodett1123), an iconic voice and beloved spokesperson, is a treasured figure in American culture, and woodworker of thirty plus years. Leigh and Mush had a wonderful experience of learning more about Tom, his history, and how he's ended up serving the community of Brattleboro, Vermont by co-founding Hatchspace (@hatchspacevt), plus how he came to be hitchhiking to and living in...

Hadeel and Firas from Four Rivers Studio are a husband and wife duo based out of Chicago's west suburbs. By day, Firas is a historian and Hadeel is a nurse, and together they started a woodworking business out of their garage. Leigh and Mush talked with them right before they presented their second session at WORKBENCHcon this year, and got a chance to speak about empowering diversity in Maker...

JPaulTheCarpenter (@JPaulTheCarpenter) is a singer/songwriter turned builder, raised in the hustling streets of Dallas TX, who then moved to the creative hub of ATL. Leigh and Mush talked with JPaul at WORKBENCHcon (@workbenchconference) about his journey from working on military aircraft to getting nominated for Grammys; the mentors who first believed in and thereby empowered him, and how that gu...

Mike Marazzo, or MarazzoWoodworking, is an avid DIY-er and woodworker, often specializing in custom wood flags based out of Elgin, IL. Brandon Silveira, aka Full House Woodworking, is a maker based in Hollister, CA. Both Mike and Brandon are police officers, Mike having recently retired, and together they host the Handcuffs and Sawdust podcast. Leigh and I sat down with them both, kicking off Work...

Eric Schimelphenig ( @ericschimel ) has an intense passion for digital fabrication and Making. He uses and teaches 3D printing and CNC fabrication, and has helped design and build digitally fabricated homes, geodesic domes, and many other cutting edge projects. Eric is a regular columnist for Kitchen & Bath Design News and MAKE Magazine, teaches Sketchup nationally, and speaks on emerging tech...

Brooke and Michael, from Maker's Workshop, got their start via a serendipitous confluence of artistic burnout and budding makerspace potential. Based just outside of Boston, they run the Maker's Workshop, both as a physical shop, and as the name of their presences online. Patrick Gensel (@patrickgensel), from Pennsylvania, will tell you that he is a "maker of things," which can c...

Leigh & Mush catch up on the goings-ons of the last few months and get hyped for WorkbenchCON 024

Andrew Stanfield is a freelance media producer and Student Success Coach based in Albany, Oregon, who also dabbles in making stuff. Mark Adams, whose gorgeous black and white photos you've Definitely Seen, is a freelance photographer, splitting time between Cleveland OH and Portland OR. Mark loves photographing people and motorcycles, but loves being able to hear everyone's the most. Leigh...

Emmett Newsome, or Deadrise Woodcraft as he's known online, is based out of Pittsburgh, and is a self taught wood turner and life long maker - you may recognize his turned treescapes, which Ethan praises at length during this episode. Speaking of Ethan, Ethan Carter, or Ethan Carter Designs, is known for his innovative approach to leather working and woodworking. His journey from tinkering to...

Leigh and Leah met up with Priscilla and Luke Smith, a married couple based out of upstate NY with a wide breadth of work. While they started their creative journey together with woodworking, they've transitioned to mainly sculptural blacksmithing, metal fabrication, and 3D modeling for different CNC projects. You may also recognize the hashtag #mayformakers or the instagram account @andtheyma...

Leigh and Leah connected with Trevor Higgins and Matt O'Connell on Day 2 of Maker Camp. Trevor is based out of a small forest shop in Maryland and practices making across skill sets so that he can show others, of any age, how much fun it is. Matt is also from Maryland, where he has spent two decades in the fields of architectural stainless steel, industrial water filtration, and conveyor manuf...

In this episode, Leigh and Leah sit down with Dean Duplantis and The Grant Alexander. Dean is a hobbyist maker in Houston, TX, who has always enjoyed taking things apart and trying to get them back together, and now does so in the comfort of his backyard workshop. He's also one of the hosts of the Making Our Way podcast. Returning guest Grant hails from Canada's Capital (Ottawa), and makes...

Tom Breslin, ( @the_phoenix_woodshop ), is a soon-to-be retired NYC Fire Officer hailing from Long Island, NY. We actually met Tom at Workbench Con earlier in the year but never found time to sit down and record, so we were delighted to find that opportunity to kick things off at Maker Camp this year. Leigh and Leah talk with Tom about investing in oneself; the excitement, responsibility, and nece...

As all magic must, WORKBENCHcon had to come to a close. As the booths started coming down and folks made their way to closing ceremonies, we were honored to get to sit down with Kristin Stockdale. Kristin is the owner and host of WORKBENCHcon along with being a full-time event manager. As she tells it, she brings WORKBENCHcon to life in order to ignite creatives by giving them connections, educati...

The sun was literally and figuratively setting on the last real day of Workbench Con, and the stars aligned such that we were able to connect with Luke Gelman and Justin Bailey. Luke (@ lukeinthegarage ) is a garage scientist from Chicago. As he puts it: he might have a plan, and me might not have a plan, but he knows either way, it doesn't matter: it's about the ride. Justin (@ campfirewo...

Whenever there's a gathering of makers, for some time now you can be all but sure that there will be some Epoxy People in the crowd repping TotalBoat… and whenever there's TotalBoat out in the wild, you're all but guaranteed to see Mike and Kristin. Workbench Con was no exception! Mike Mills (@ totalbmike ) is CEO and Founder of TotalBoat (which itself is a part of the larger Jamestown...

Jess Crow is a teacher, epoxy artist, and maker from Fairbanks, Alaska. When we showed up at our first Maker Camp, one of the first people we met was Jess, who physically ushered us into the Total Boat tent and culturally ushered us into the Maker Community at large. This warm, effortless welcome had a huge impact on us, and we were not just absolutely delighted to reunite with her at this year’s...

As the first Full Day of WBC came to a close, we ran into our new friend Rex Krueger: a writer, content creator and furniture builder in Cleveland, Ohio, who builds Early American furniture (mostly) by hand, makes videos on YouTube, and writes books. His most recent book is Everyday Woodworking: A Beginner's Guide to Woodcraft with 12 Hand Tools. Rex tells us the story of leaving the classroom...

One of the best parts parts about attending Workbench Con was seeing familiar faces, and we got a chance to do just that when we reconnected with Chris Giffrow and Justin Dietrich. Chris is a self taught woodworker and Japanese Tool Enthusiast, and Justin is a high school woodshop instructor at Lincoln Community HS in Illinois. The two have joined forces in the past to lead major timber-in project...

As we explored more of Workbench Con, we found ourselves suddenly in what felt like someone's living room - replete with comfortable chairs, tables with treats strewn about, and what looked like a homemade bookshelf full of books on the wall. Before we fully understood where we were, we were being welcomed into House of Esperanza, and started learning about the journey and the community buildi...

Mark Robertson (@ mark.thebuilder ) is a woodworker in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, and takes joy in growing the woodworking community and sharing the story of his process alongside what he makes. Mark helped welcome new folks to Workbench Con, and we were immediately taken with his journey and the passion with which he shares it. We caught up with Mark early in the weekend to learn more about him...