The Maker Dad

Josh Bailey

Join me as I document my journey from live-streaming to the workshop. I'm a dad who traded the webcam for wood glue and sawdust, and I'm learning woodworking one project at a time. In each episode, we'll explore what it really takes to build a maker practice without breaking the bank. From workshop organization and tool choices to tackling first projects and avoiding the "you're not serious if you don't overspend" mentality, this is an honest look at the ups, downs, and lessons learned along the way. Whether you're a seasoned woodworker, a curious beginner, or someone who just loves making things with their hands, you'll find practical insights, real talk about mistakes, and encouragement to start building, no matter where you are in your journey. New episodes every week. Grab your tea, fire up the table saw (safely), and let's get to work.

Episodes

  1. Workflow, Burnout, and Finding the Line

    1 APR

    Workflow, Burnout, and Finding the Line

    In this episode, Josh gets real about what it actually takes to turn a creative hobby into a business. Using his own woodworking journey as the backdrop, he talks through three big lessons that every maker eventually runs into. First up is workflow. Before you can sell anything, you need a repeatable process. Josh uses cutting boards as the example, walking through how important it is to know how much material you need and how many pieces you can realistically produce. Showing up to a craft fair half-prepared is a mistake you only want to make once! From there he gets into the perfectionism trap, which is something a lot of makers know all too well. There comes a point where a piece is genuinely good enough, but it's hard to let it go. Josh talks honestly about getting stuck in that cycle and why learning to recognize that line is just part of growing as a maker. He also opens up about burnout, sharing his own experience stepping away from content creation after the joy had completely faded. The warning signs are easy to miss until it's too late, so he encourages makers to pay attention to how they're feeling before they end up dreading the thing they once loved. At the end of the day it's a really honest and encouraging conversation for anyone who's trying to build something creative and keep it fun along the way. Don't forget to leave a five star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and come hang out at themakerdad.com where the blog and forums are up and ready for you. Patreon is coming soon too!

    16 min

About

Join me as I document my journey from live-streaming to the workshop. I'm a dad who traded the webcam for wood glue and sawdust, and I'm learning woodworking one project at a time. In each episode, we'll explore what it really takes to build a maker practice without breaking the bank. From workshop organization and tool choices to tackling first projects and avoiding the "you're not serious if you don't overspend" mentality, this is an honest look at the ups, downs, and lessons learned along the way. Whether you're a seasoned woodworker, a curious beginner, or someone who just loves making things with their hands, you'll find practical insights, real talk about mistakes, and encouragement to start building, no matter where you are in your journey. New episodes every week. Grab your tea, fire up the table saw (safely), and let's get to work.