The Storyteller's Tavern

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 and how he got to be what he's doing now.

He tells us about how he got his start learning from, and then teaching to, his grandfather; how he helps grow a mindset of asking vs. earning; and where he finds the positive in being different.

More Mark:

Thanks as always to @⁠workbenchconference⁠ and @⁠totalboat ⁠for making this chapter of the Tavern happen!

The Storyteller's Tavern is hosted by @⁠MakerMush⁠ and @⁠TheTinkerTeacher⁠

Char Miller-King is a professional woodworking teacher at the Decatur Makers makerspace in Atlanta, GA. She has shared her teaching and woodworking skills across the country as well as online for folks like This Old House, Magnolia, Rockler, Home Depot, and Power Pro. We met Char unofficially as part of our Newbie Welcome to Workbench con, and got a chance to talk more in depth the first night. What started as a nomal couple minute "hi nice to meet you" chat quickly turned into a half hour conversation about our shared passions, histories, and aspirations. Needless to say, we were tremendously excited to continue the conversation to share. Char tells us stories about how she comes from a family of makers, with shout-outs to dad and Uncle Greg, using a table saw to grow confidence, and the responsibilities both of being a role model in a makerspace and being true to yourself online.

More Char:

⁠@woodenmaven⁠ on Instagram

Thanks to WorkbenchCon and Total Boat for making this chapter happen!

The Storyteller's Tavern is hosted by @MakerMush and @TheTinkerTeacher

You can support us by rating, reviewing, and visiting patreon.com/sttavernpod

Mush and Leigh recap Chapter 2: Queen City Makers and preview Chapter 3: Workbench Conference.

Another mighty, heartfelt thank you to all of our storytellers and friends new and old from Chapter 2:

Joel Bonasera (@makingthingsclt)

David Taylor (@fablabdtaylor)

Jacob Daugherty (@otherdogdesign)

Madison Dunaway (@mk_dunaway)

Super Daft Bros (@superdaftbros)

Andrew Thiessen (@branchandfoundry)

Jbird the Vandal (@jbird.the.vandal)

Grant Maginnis (@maginnismade)

In which we discuss @nodabrewing's Cheerwine (@drinkcheerwine) Ale, order food, jump out of our skin when a crate of silverware gets dropped (5:00 minute mark, watch out), discuss what to do when wood smells like wood, talk about some more storied wood, the circular nature of time, and the oldest red hickory tree in the world.

In our final episode of this chapter, we talk with Grant Maginnis a woodworker and maker in Concord, NC. Perhaps more than any other guest we've had in the Tavern so far, Grant helps drive home the importance and power of the stories behind making, in this case, in the stories of the wood he uses in his pieces. As we talk, you can hear in his voice the love for the materials, and respect for their past lives. We also talk about the magic of tables, Cheerwine, and what to do with the wood from a 176 year old oak tree.

More Grant:

Thanks as always to @aftonpub 🍺 & 🍕for hosting this chapter of the Tavern!
Storyteller's Tavern is hosted by @MakerMush and @TheTinkerTeacher

We let the mics roll with Jbird the Vandal. It's mostly about bands that we've played in!

If you're listening via Spotify, you can give us feedback with the player, otherwise shoot us a DM or leave us a comment on Instagram to let us know your thoughts on these "Another Round" episodes.

We were introduced to Jbird the Vandal through Joel, another Queen City Maker who you may remember opened this whole chapter up. Joel described Jbird as a tinkerer, and indeed, his Instagram profile starts simply and all-inclusively with "I make things." Jbird has street art, murals, and graffiti all over Charlotte, and stories and skillsets that have taken him much further than just our city.
We hear from Jbird about ignoring the instructions; being content with Wheel of Fortune; and the Wilderness Survival, Streetlights, Taco Shops, and other experiences that mark his journey so far.

More Jbird the Vandal:

Episode Shout-Outs:

Andrew Thiessen is a Charlotte area maker who makes wood and steel furniture & architectural accents with lumber milled from Charlotte trees. We talk about his bridge from landscaping to welding to woodworking, how "the medium doesn't matter", Neighbor Stan's basement, and when "trying is not enough."

Thanks as always to @aftonpub 🍺 & 🍕for hosting this chapter of the Tavern!

The stuff that Ian & William of Super Daft Bros (@superdaftbros) make is hard to summarize in just a couple of sentences, so this is out of character, we've included some of their work in this post that you should check out before listening to this episode. Are they makers? Are they artists? Are they awesome? I mean, the answer to all of those is yes, and it's hard to pick which to list first. Regardless, we had a blast talking with them about origin stories, embracing the nerd, our deepest ever build story so far about the joys and trials of building a 1/64th scale model of Hogwarts, and as we almost always do, the importance of embracing, sharing with, and teaching the Maker community.

Episode Shout-Outs:

This episode is a little different than normal: Later this week Leigh and I are headed to Atlanta for WorkbenchCon 2023, the fifth gathering of its kind for makers and content creators. So to get maybe our only chance to talk with her in advance of the craziness of the weekend, we zoomed with Tiff Marchand, aka nightcarverdesigns, to hear about her story, and to get a sneak peak of what to expect while we're at WorkbenchCon. We got the opportunity to hear about her journey into, out of, and back into art; what it's like to find and celebrate members of the Maker Community; and what to look forward to this year's WorkbenchCon.

More Tiff Marchand:

More WorkbenchCon: