The Storyteller's Tavern

While the official kickoff of Workbench Conference happens Thursday Night, the first big all-community learning experience happens during the Friday morning Keynote, where this year Ryan Drapela, the mastermind behind Cutting It Close, spoke. Ryan who has built a thriving woodworking business from the ground up—literally. His journey started as a teenager in his parents’ barn, working with a $75 miter saw and scraps of free wood. N...

Colton Hagler's (@coltcrit) path has taken him through unexpected viral success, hard-earned business lessons, and now, a furniture repair career with his sights set on ownership. He's also a host of the woodworking and goodtimes podcast Beat Around the Bench.

Brendan Pozsgai (@varnishandgarnish) blends woodworking with barware, creating custom charcuterie boards, bottle openers, and other home goods with a nod to craftsmanship and ...

One of the best parts of getting to meet new folks in the Maker Community is hearing stories of makers who’ve taken the leap into full-time creativity. This time, we’re sitting down with Yesi, a woodworker and DIY enthusiast, introduced to us by our good friend and friend of the pod Jpaul.

Yesi’s story is one of transformation—what started as home projects turned into a career shift from the legal field to full-time woodworking. Fro...

Mush and Leigh sit down to recap Maker Camp 2024, and to get excited about what's next (spoiler alert: it's Workbench Conference!!).

We had some tremendously generous support in making this Chapter of The Storyteller's Tavern possible, and we'd like to thank Total Boat, Kutzall, The Tasting Lab, and The Maker Camp

The Storyteller's Tavern is made and hosted by @TheTinkerTeacher and @MakerMush. Please consider subscribing, reviewing,...

This is it—the final episode of Maker Camp 2024. The bonfires are burning low, the Maker Swap is done, and we’re winding down one of the best weekends of the year with a conversation that I think covers what this community is all about: mentorship, legacy, and the joy of passing skills forward.

Joining us are Erik Curtis and Nancy Drumm—two makers who embody what it means to give back through craftsmanship and community.

Erik is a wo...

It’s Sunday at Maker Camp, and before the weekend ends, we're getting to hang out with Sam (DIY Huntress) and Danie (DIY Danie)—two incredible makers who prove that DIY is about way more than just building things. It’s about confidence, creativity, and fully embracing your weird.

Sam, aka DIY Huntress, is a powerhouse in the world of woodworking, home renovation, and making things ridiculously fun and accessible. She’s spent...

It's the end of night two of Maker Camp, and over at the Total Boat tent, the glow sticks are flying and the cyberpunk glasses are glowing. In the Martini Bar (commandeered this weekend as the Storyteller's Tavern), we’re sitting down with Justin “Call Me Mabie” Mabie and Larissa Huff, two makers whose paths took unexpected turns into woodworking, filmmaking, and teaching.

Justin is a documentary filmmaker who specializes in...

Day one of Maker Camp 2024 is winding down, and what a day it’s been—rocket launches, axe crafting, welding, forging—everything that makes Maker Camp, well, Maker Camp. The sun was shining, things were made, and now, we get to wind down with some incredible conversations.

In this episode, we’re joined by two truly inspiring guests: Tamara Robertson and Kelly Combs. You might know Tamara from MythBusters, but here at Maker Camp, she...

Alright so this is a bit of a different episode. A little bit of background: if you're even tangentially involved in the Maker World, you've seen someone with a stunning black and white photograph that somehow perfectly captures their whole essence. The brilliance behind all of these photos is the one and only Mark Adams, who we were so fortunate to talk with last year - ⁠you can listen to it here⁠. Earlier this year, Mark - with i...

Long time listeners of the show, or at least anyone who listened to the Maker Camp '23 Chapter, will recognize Emmett Newsome and Ethan Carter from a bit of an off-the-rails episode hosted by Leigh and beloved friend of the pod Leah Hartmann. Without giving away too much of what's about to transpire, this follow-up episode was kind of inevitable. You don't have to, but you may want to revisit that whole episode before tucking into ...

Leigh and I had lunch with the dynamic duo of Lindsay and Eric - married makers with amazing stories to tell. From her energizer bunny enthusiasm to his calm, collected wisdom, their partnership is proof that opposites not just attract, but thrive. As we mention in this episode, Lindsay was our first guest in the Tavern lo some many years ago, and it was so great to not just sit down again with her, but for Eric to join as well.

St...

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 crafted furniture, signs, and othe...

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 educational tutorials borrowing friends' ...

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 on their take on the magic and the ...

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 Alaska, as well as how hands-on ma...

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 Makerspaces; ways that they infuse ...

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 guides what he does today; and about ...

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 WorkbenchCON by highlighting the reunio...