Hi, I’m Blake
In 2006 I started putting together my first woodshop in an old horse stable (no joke) on my grandparent’s property. I worked at an awesome used tool store at the time. Today my shop is filled with old tools that I brought home and restored from that store. I pulled every woodworking book off the library shelf and subscribed to every magazine on the subject. I started by building small projects like boxes, and eventually tried larger and more complex pieces of furniture.
While building in that first shop, I always imagined that someday I would have a huge “dream shop” to build whatever I wanted. In 2013 my wife and I bought our first home with a one-car garage. It wasn’t exactly what I had imagined, but I figured that despite the size limitation I’d make the most of it and create my dream shop anyway.
Five years later I considered it finished and started the Weber Woodshop YouTube Channel. I feel like having a small shop forces me to push the boundaries of what’s possible. I have to carefully scrutinize every inch of my shop to make it functional, and I’m always looking for ways to make it even more efficient.
I’m driven by the process as much as the finished product. I usually choose my next project based on a new method, technique, tool or material that I’ve never used before. Woodworking has become my therapy from the stress of my career as a professional firefighter. It’s easy to lose track of the hours while pushing lumber through a tablesaw and listening to my favorite music in my headphones.