All of our cutting boards are made from locally sourced lumber in the Athens, OH area. Also, they are hand made, not cut on a CNC or any other computerized tool.

Our boards, once finished, are hand coated with three coats of a high quality cutting board conditioner to season it and get it ready for your use. We recommend re-coating a new board around once a month to keep it new looking for as long as possible.

The post New Cutting Boards first appeared on EA Woodworking.

A “Maker” is someone that makes things, usually in a woodshop type setting, and then writes and/or makes a video about it. Think ‘the garage version’ of This Old House, Hometime, or any other home improvement or woodworking show that would be on PBS.

These days, being a maker is more than just a hobby for quite a few people. Here are a few that have made quite a name for themselves as makers:

The Wood Whisperer
Anne of All Trades
April Wilkerson
Jimmy Diresta
Frank Howarth

…and these are just the names that came to mind as I was typing this out.

It turns out that working with makers is profitable for well-established brands. These makers are using Dewalt, Makita, Kreg, and many other brands to do these projects. If they can get their followers to see the newest drill, saw, clamping system, etc…that’s gold! Sponsoring makers isn’t just advertising; it’s HIGHLY TARGETED advertising.

Enter WorkbenchCon

WorkbenchCon is a place where makers and brands get together. It’s a place to meet makers that have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of followers online. It’s also a place where brands come that target this audience such as Kreg Tools, Woodcraft, Rockler and more.

Along with a ton of networking time, there are focused classes on improving your brand, monetizing your work, and many other topics. My focus was mostly on Youtube video creation, blogging, and working with sponsors.

I got to meet several content creators that I’ve followed for years, including April Wilkerson. She’s the maker that changed the game for me. As a full time IT worker for over 20 years, I’ve always looked to woodworking as my pressure release valve. April made it seem possible to take everyday projects that I’m doing anyway, record it, and post it on Youtube and see if people like it enough to come back for more. And of course…I didn’t take a picture with her…I’m not THAT big of a fan boy! (Yes I am and should have)

I also had the pleasure of meeting several others, including a few makers with far fewer followers than the big guys (and gals). We were able to exchange ideas and class notes. That’s one of the great things about this community; almost everyone I’ve met is willing to help out. It’s not territorial at all!

This post is a lot longer than I originally intended so I’ll end here. It’s safe to say that next year I will definitely be heading back to the ATL for WorkbenchCon! And maybe I will be able to have a class of my own – or at least have more than 10 followers.

The post WorkbenchCon 2019 was a blast! first appeared on EA Woodworking.