Woodshop Mike is an information rich blog of all things woodworking with a vision to provide readers with an honest and transparent source for Shop Projects, Furniture, Home DIY, and Tool Reviews! It’s our hope that readers may gain from our experiences and be inspired by our energetic approach that’s safety driven, light-hearted, and succinct. When he failed to make varsity soccer in high school, Mike instead turned his attention to woodworking and took on an apprenticeship with a local luthier for class credits. He learned the craft of building guitars by hand, gaining a deep appreciation for reading grain patterns, attention to detail, and the use of hand tools. He began building his own custom guitars, won a few awards along the way, and ignited a passion for building. During his collegiate career, Mike continued his study of luthiery and branched off into different avenues of woodworking. In the woodshop there, he had almost unlimited access to machining and woodworking equipment. During these years, he began his exploration of woodturning along with building a few pieces of furniture. Mike decided to start his own woodworking blog in 2013 as a way to give back to the woodworking community. Since then, he’s grown from a part-time blogger into a full-time content creator and fine custom woodworker. He thrives on designing and building new pieces, helping other woodworkers refine their craft, and being the main voice behind WoodshopMike.com. If Mike’s not in the shop, you’ll find him either cranking out custom build plans for other woodworkers, editing videos for his latest builds, or cramming his face full of chips and salsa.

I love working with the TRIGGERFIRE Staple Gun and the PRO2-180 Glue Gun

Inspiration comes from so many different sources. Just walking through the woods, kayaking, and spending time with my family will spark ideas. My favorite part of the creative process is dreaming up new ideas and the hardest part is deciding which ideas to follow because there's only so much time.

There are several, but a few friends of mine that really stand out are: Nick (statedwoods), Dusty (greggguitars), and Tyler (thesouthercraftsmen)

I don't relax by nature, so strangely enough staying busy is best for me. That said, exercise does help me to stay focused so that my time is more productive.

Of course! If you're not experimenting you'll never grow and with experiments/risk you're bound to "fail", but I don't dwell on it in a negative sense. I figure out how to make it better the next time.

Just start. If you have an idea, go for it! Overanalyzing anything will keep you from experiencing the things you're interested in, so put down your phone, stop scrolling for inspiration, and just get started! :)

I have a handful of guitar builds on the horizon that I'm really excited about. A couple acoustics for my personal collection as demo instruments and a few commissions!