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 the past few years renovating her home, building custom furniture, and now, she’s diving into a new adventure—converting a Ford Transit into a full-blown camper van (which, yes, she’s bringing to Maker Camp next year). She started DIY Huntress while balancing a PhD in Psychology (nbd), and now she’s making woodworking approachable and empowering, especially for women who might feel intimidated picking up power tools.

Danie, aka DIY Danie, is a self-proclaimed curious creative and DIY oddball who thrives on experimentation and storytelling through making. From building out a three-tiered dream studio to tackling full-blown home renovations, she’s all about helping people build confidence through creativity—whether that’s in their homes, their projects, or just how they carry themselves. Oh, and she’s currently crafting cosplay weapons for her D&D character, because why not? Her philosophy? “Love your magic.” Your magic is your creativity—so own it, embrace it, and don’t be afraid to be a little weird.

In this episode, we get into how Sam’s PhD in Psychology unexpectedly shaped her approach to making; Danie’s journey from Lord of the Rings superfan to full-time creator; the Craigslist ad that kickstarted Sam’s woodworking career; why showing mistakes on social media matters more than getting things perfect; and how finding your people in the maker community changes everything.

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, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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 short-form films about makers—woodworkers, metalworkers, and anyone who crafts with their hands. You may have seen his work on YouTube, Roku, or even Amazon, but tonight, we get to dig into the stories behind his storytelling.

Larissa, on the other hand, started as a math teacher but took a leap into woodworking after answering a Craigslist ad for an apprenticeship. That decision led to 13 years of furniture-making, a thriving career, and a passion for teaching hands-on skills in craft schools across the country.

In this episode, we talk about why applied math is the secret ingredient behind great woodworking, the growing presence of women in woodworking and why representation matters, and the unexpected magic of bar crawls leading to lifelong collaborations.

More Justin

• YouTube
• Instagram

More Larissa

• Instagram
• Website

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

The Storyteller's Tavern is made and hosted by @TheTinkerTeacher and @MakerMush. Please consider subscribing, reviewing, and rating. We welcome your support onPatreon.

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’s leading the charge with Makers for Jessi, carrying on the mission of Jessi Combs—a force of nature who believed fiercely in breaking barriers and getting more women into the trades. And alongside her, we have Kelly Combs—Jessi’s brother—who’s here for his first Maker Camp, seeing firsthand the incredible community his sister helped shape.

Over the past five years, the Jessi Combs Foundation has awarded nearly a quarter-million dollars in scholarships to help young women enter the trades. But more than that, it’s been building a movement, a legacy, and a support system that lifts everyone up.

This conversation is packed with stories—about Jessi, about the impact she had, and about the future we’re all trying to build. Please enjoy it’s a special one.

More from this episode

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, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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 invaluable help from Jason Russell Nix - published a book almost 400 portraits taken over the course of five years of Maker Camp - essentially a love letter, yearbook, and time capsule all rolled into one. If you've not yet gotten a chance to check it out, you can get a copy here (or even better, snag one from Mark directly).

Early Saturday morning, Mark, Leigh and I sat down to talk about the book. We take time to read through the introduction that Mark wrote, before talking more about its inception, creation, and some of the specific portraits within. If you do have a copy, be sure to grab it now so that you can follow along with us.

Five Years - Maker Camp Portraits on Amazon

@markadams on Instagram

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, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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 this one - Check out Chapter 4:5 with Emmett and Ethan here.

There's not a ton more to set this one up - just make sure your bespoke leather accessories are fully buckled, and as a heads up - there are some swears, perhaps even from a surprising source - in this episode. Oh, and some moists. Sorry everyone, they're back!

Emmet: @deadrisewoodcrafts

Ethan: @ethancarterdesigns

Leah: @leah.learning

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, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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.

Stories include what happens when you want to surf but need to be able to be paged, the cool parts of working with your spouse, and Jarvis Boards. LOTs of Jarvis Boards.

More Lindsay

More Eric

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, and rating. We welcome your support on ⁠Patreon⁠.

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 other handmade treasures.

Both of them are part of the team behind the Netflix series Making Fun, and it’s clear from their dynamic that their friendship is as genuine as it is entertaining.

We recorded our conversation upstairs in Jimmy's Leather Shop, which at the time, had just been sided and was still a huge, beautiful, open space - you can hear just how big it is in the recording. You can even hear the Total Boat crew sneak in and say hi at one point.

We talk about How a Drunken Afternoon Sparked a Maker Movement, Trash to Cash and the Power of Friendship, and The Case for Welding Over College.

There is a minor hiccup in the middle of the episode where I had to splice two tracks together. Hopefully, it’s seamless enough that it doesn’t take away from your experience.

Just as a heads up: there are some swears in this episode.

More Jimmy

More Derek

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, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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 educational tutorials borrowing friends' proverbial hats; the value of learning from your peers and community; and the importance of representation and role models in STEM fields, or put another way, the burden and blessing of becoming a superhero.

Episode Trivia Minigam! Can you name the actors who played Dr. Dana Scully, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, and Angela Montenegro?

Notable Quotes:

More Xyla:

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

The Storyteller's Tavern is made and hosted by @TheTinkerTeacher and @MakerMush. Please consider subscribing, reviewing, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.

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 purpose of WORKBENCHCon from their roles as advisory board members. As Leigh puts it in this episode: "if somebody wants to know why they should come to workbench con, they should just listen to this episode."

We weren't able to do our regular intro in this episode, as we were talking a mile a minute pretty much as soon as we sat down. We found a good place to fade in on our conversation, so we jumped in from there!

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

The Storyteller's Tavern is made and hosted by @TheTinkerTeacher and @MakerMush. Please consider subscribing, reviewing, and rating. We welcome your support on Patreon.