Call Me Mabie

08/31/2026

NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO! Maybe not knowing what you’re doing with your life doesn’t mean you’re lost... when maybe finding it is the whole point. Here are a few moments behind the scenes with Maggie Jo while filming STOKECRAFT in Chicago. Her full Call Me Mabie documentary is now on YouTube (the link is in my profile). If you’re still figuring out your thing, this one might be for you.

08/30/2026

⚡️NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO⚡️Meet Maggie Jo of ! Sometimes the things that make you feel like you’re falling behind are actually leading you exactly where you’re supposed to go. Maggie Jo struggled in school. She bounced between passions, careers and adventures, wondering how any of it fit together. Then she found woodworking- the first thing she says she ever felt truly good at. Eventually, all those seemingly disconnected pieces started to make sense: they became Stokecraft. Maggie Jo’s story is about woodworking, sure. But it’s also about betting on yourself, taking the long way around, finding purpose, and realizing that maybe the time you thought you wasted wasn’t wasted at all. I’m incredibly grateful to Maggie for trusting a complete stranger with a camera to come into her shop and tell such a personal story. That trust is something I never take lightly. The new Call Me Mabie documentary, STOKECRAFT, is now live on YouTube (the link is in my profile).

Go meet Maggie Jo. I think you’ll be glad you did.

08/06/2026

There are still a lot of stories worth telling. Let’s get back to them.

07/31/2026

I was uninvited from another maker event less than 24 hours after sharing my experience with TotalBoat. So, apparently telling your own story can get you banned from a woodworking show. Last year, I attended the very first Maine Woodworking Event. At the time, TotalBoat wasn’t involved. In fact, they had been invited to sponsor the event and declined. After I was fired from TotalBoat, Brandon called me personally before reaching back out to them. He asked if I’d be okay with it. I told him “absolutely” and I meant it because I never wanted anyone to choose between me and a sponsor. I’ve always believed this community is bigger than any one company and I wasn’t interested in standing in the way of an event growing. But, yesterday, I shared my experience working at TotalBoat. Today, I was told I was no longer welcome at the Maine Woodworking Event and that I don’t belong in this community. That hurt. And not because I need to attend one event but because I’ve spent years trying to do the exact opposite. My documentaries exist because I believe makers deserve to have their stories told. I’ve driven thousands of miles, spent countless hours behind a camera, and dedicated years of my life trying to shine a light on people who build things with their hands. Whether someone has 500 followers or 500,000 has never mattered to me. If anything, I’ve always tried to leave this community better than I found it. I don’t know what conversations happened behind the scenes, and I’m not going to pretend I do. What I do know is this: Yesterday I spoke publicly about my own experience. Today I was told I don’t belong. That’s incredibly disappointing. I still hope the event succeeds. I hope the makers who attend have an incredible weekend. And I hope we never become a community where telling the truth about your own experience costs you a seat at the table.

The Maine Woodworking Event

07/30/2026

I’ve been dancing around making this video for a while now. For months I’ve joked about TotalBoat without ever explaining why. This is that story. I did my best to tell it honestly, keep it light where I could, and focus on what I experienced. Whatever you take away from it, thanks for hearing me out 🤙🏻⚡️

07/27/2026

I don’t think any of these five would ever call themselves legends. They’d probably just say something like they’re still learning... and that’s one of the many reasons I admire them.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of spending time in all of their shops. It’s not just watching them build extraordinary furniture, but also listening to how they think. They’ve taught me things beyond precision or technique. Each of them has influenced the way I look at woodworking, creativity, and honestly, life.

I’m incredibly grateful to call them friends and especially appreciative that they trusted me to help tell a small part of their stories. Thank you, Mike, Larissa, Paul, Phil, Greg, and Frank. The woodworking community is better because of you and so am I.

Fun guessing game. Which person...

1) got his/her mailbox run over by me when we first met?
2) is basically my therapist?
3) flew my drone into his/her tool cabinet?
4) have I smooched on the mouth? (not Larissa- she’s too precious)
5) is better than me at disc golf?
6) have I spectated on the dance floor more times than I can count?

If anyone gets it right, I’ll send you stuff but I’m not revealing answers unless someone nails it.

07/23/2026

The Honest Hands Studio documentary is live and this felt like a great behind-the-scenes follow-up. James and I secretly have a lot in common but on paper couldn’t be more different. He’s a professional maker creating incredible tattoo-inspired art in Alberta. I’m usually the guy behind the camera trying to tell stories like his. Every once in a while, though, our worlds overlap- whether it’s an interest in traditional tattoos, a shared appreciation for making things, tummies easily getting upset, or lacing up the same pair of Carolina boots before heading into our respective shops.

Huge thanks to Carolina Shoe Co. for supporting independent storytelling and the makers who inspire it. James and I are rocking the Carolina Amp 6” Jackbolt.

If you’ve already watched the documentary, what was your favorite moment? If you haven’t... it’s waiting for you!

07/22/2026

I know... we’re about to talk about model trains. Somewhere in documenting makers for a living, I also managed to become the kind of guy who mails an HO scale locomotive across the continent so another grown man can make it look 50 years older. I swear I’m super cool in-person though. Anyway, when I filmed Ryan Haasen from Civil Craft Studio, one of us joked that he should weather the trains on my layout. Then the joke became a real plan. So after I got home, I packed up my locomotive and a handful of freight cars and sent them north to Calgary. Ryan didn’t just weather them... he gave them history. Every rust streak, oil stain, and faded logo tells the kind of story that makes a model stop looking like a toy and start looking like something that earned its miles (okay, relax). The coolest part is that every car already meant something before the weathering. The locomotive is modeled after the engine that rolled past my window twice a day when I lived in Rhode Island. The Wheeling & Lake Erie car was a gift from my dad because my great-grandfather worked as a ‘Fire Man’ on that railroad. The Lone Star Beer car reminds me of my time living in Texas. And while we were filming together, Ryan took me to a local train shop and surprised me with a Canadian Pacific boxcar that’s now become part of the story too. Now he’s packing everything up to send it back, and before long it’ll all have a permanent place on my layout... just as soon as I finish repairing the damage the movers did.

It’s funny. I set out to make documentaries about makers because I wanted to preserve people’s stories. I didn’t expect yet another one of those makers to quietly add another chapter to mine.

Thanks, Ryan. I can’t wait to get these home.

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07/20/2026

NEW MAKER DOCUMENTARY! Honest Hands Studio!

When James MacKeigan of Honest Hands Studio found himself strugglin...

07/20/2026

The Honest Hands Studio documentary is officially live. James and I spent an entire day filming, woodworking, and making each other giggle with belly tickles. After the cameras stopped rolling, Carolina Shoe Co. sent him some fresh boots to put to work and considering James practically lives in sneakers, I’d say they made a pretty good impression.

Huge thanks to Carolina for helping support independent storytelling and the makers who make these films possible.

James is rocking the Carolina FLATIRON 6” Work Boot.

Have you watched the documentary yet? If so, what was your favorite part?