I am 61 years old. I have been into woodworking ever since I was twelve years old. I have been working as a professional woodworker for the last twenty-five years. Not by my own standards, but by others who have seen my work, I have been called a master. I'm not bragging. I don't think that I am a master. I make plenty of mistakes. Never do I ever stop learning. I occasionally, watch beginner videos or even take classes for beginners. Just to learn something new. Yes, even a master can learn something new from a beginner class. Odd, isn't it?
I have been in my profession for 34 years, not woodworker, and I also learn techniques and tactics for building stuff from beginner videos all the time. We all must remember that everyone in the room has something to contribute and often the most creative, simplest, and inventive ideas come from those with an open mind not the person who has been doing it the same way for a very long time.
I second the 'kid in a candy store' feeling! I finally went to the Woodcraft in Spokan, WA in the summer. I hadn't been in a Woodcraft for over 20 years, and I've been doing woodworking for just as long. I loved the knowledge of the employees and the tools and supplies selection available. There really isn't a substitute for a hands-on examination of the large tools, comparing two items between each hand, and being able to talk to knowledgable people.
Nice stores and large selection but definitely way overpriced. Ordered some quilted maple billets from them and received undersized material full of cracks splits and bark. I was told their inventory was low and this was all they had. Save your money and shop elsewhere.
Glen Pickard I too, live a long way from any dedicated woodworking store. My home is in Lufkin TX. And I also visit the WOODCRAFT Store in Hurst TX close to where my daughter and son-in-law live in nearby Keller. I have purchased some few items there. And always plan a walk through when in the area. Thanks so much for this totally awesome RU-vid.
I live about 5 miles from this store. Great staff they have here. And for someone who is very much a beginner woodworker like myself, they not just helped me find the items I needed for my first project, but also educated me as to WHY they were the right items. You don't get that at other stores.
I had a Woodcraft open up in my town for about a minute. They opened up their doors around 2005 and bellied up in the 2008 recession. Years later the franchise owner told me that he tried holding out through the recession, but when his profit margin fell to 13% he couldn't hold on any longer. He was a great guy, which in turn, made the store a pleasant atmosphere. Needless to say, his last day open was a very sad day for our town.
There was a couple of woodworker's warehouse near me, they went out of business. Similar to woodcraft. Woodcraft did have hardware for bed rails for a set of bunk beds I made from 10' oak pallets.
Matt would you sometime do a video like this for Mark's Machinery at Ft. Smith , Arkansas? Mark has a similar setup and is a small local business owner . He is a very good Christian man . He started his wood working store from nothing and has made a very credible store with very competitive prices. You would really like him once you got to know him. Thank you Matt. God Bless.
I dropped into this very store two months back and like you, I miss having a local Woodcraft. We had a Woodcraft, a Rockler and even a Woodworker's Supply here in the Greensboro, NC area until a few years back. I visited that other store while I was there too, if you visited the one in Arlington. I used to manage a similar store to these for Shopsmith and their stores (now closed or sold to Woodcraft) were always staffed by knowledgeable and curious woodworkers. I can't tell you when the last time I was asked "So, what kind of woodworking do you do?" Always seemed like the right place to start a conversation, but most of these folks seem more interested in helping the NEXT customer! Glad you enjoyed your visit. Scott
I love going to my Woodcraft in Harrisburg, Pa. It's a 40 min drive. Wife: do you have to drive at far, can't you get it at Lowes. Then she seen all the pretty wood. Now I can get a hall pass to the store without questions.
Grizzly tool warehouse and showroom in Springfield, Mo is only a few hours drive from Little Rock. They have more than just large tools. Nothing compares to a Woodcraft store but having a Grizzly warehouse in your town is awesome.
I love the Woodcraft store by me in Charlotte. All employees are woodworking enthusiasts and are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. I’m really lucky to be so close to a store, I can’t get over how great the service is
My wife signed me up for one of their classes for my birthday there and we went together. It was pretty fun! They have top of the line tools there to use in the class.
I'm lucky to have one roughly 40 miles away.. they are awesome.. I've bought many things from them and never disappointed... I told my wife I wanted to learn pen turning... she went to the Walpole Massachusetts location ( clueless to what I wanted ).. the employee walked her around and showed her everything I needed and didn't break the bank... pure excellence all around
Rockler and woodcraft are equal distances from me on the very far north side of Dallas. Haven't been to either of them due to time constraints but I now know Woodcraft will be the 1st one when I can. Thanks!
Man, I’ve been watching your channel since before you left your day job. You are doing such a great job I can’t even begin to tell you. Yes, there are a bunch of woodworking RU-vidrs out there and some of them are must-sees for me, too. But there are only a few that capture the whole experience and you’re one of them. I trust what you tell me because I’ve been watching as you grew from noodle boards to furniture. The experience of following along has alone been worth the time. But you also inspire with your faith and your contagious enthusiasm. It’s like watching a young guy get his dream shot at the NFL and giggling through it (Hollywood Brown hasn’t stopped smiling since my Arizona Cardinals picked him up - he’s so excited and brings that enthusiasm to everything he does while he’s waiting that it’s fun to watch now. I can’t wait to see him on the field this year). You’re doing good work, my friend. You’ve taught and inspired a LOT of guys who might otherwise not have tried this challenging, sometimes infuriating, but always fulfilling craft. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, go get that toy hauler…(see other comment). And God bless you.
I agree with everything you said. I'm a Sooner fan so I watched Hollywood Brown in college and knew whichever team picked him up was getting a very talented player.
I used to live less than a mile from one, but lived in a townhouse with no shop space. Now I live 25 miles away.... and tons of shop space! It is indeed an awesome place
I love this place. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip there. I went for the first time after watching you and fell in love with the place. It was amazing and I took my wife with me. She was asking me all the right questions. She is encouraging me to start a woodworking business as a side hustle after I get the use of my left arm back. And that is why her and I have been together for about 28 years. She gets me. But for now I can only walk through the store and salivate. I severely injured my left elbow a couple of weeks ago. But I will be back at the minute the doctor says I can.
The Woodcraft in my town is 100% awesome! They have all the knowledge to help on almost any given subject, what they couldn't answer the employee called a friend and he answered the question. The whole store goes above and beyond.
Like several others, this is my WC store (in fact I worked there for a short time a couple of years ago). Judy and Brent are great and Brent's brother Chris, who used to work there, is a master turner who's classes were amazing. I have been lucky to have shopped at WoodCraft for many years and find that they are more for the woodworker than Rockler, who seems to mainly want to sell their gimmicky specialty items and tools. The prices at WC are usually better as well. - Chris
That is great marketing by woodcraft , friendly , informative and a great bunch of guys, and so welcoming while allowing you to film in their shop and they didn’t know you from Adam , just that 30 minute guided tour cost them nothing but now they are going to gain so many new customers after what you showed, other shops don’t let stranger film in them and often get funny when they see you walking around with a camera -- that’s why I love woodcraft and will always go there first
We are lucky to have a Woodcraft here in Austin (actually very close to me) and a Rockler about 15 minutes from here. Spend way too much time and money in both places.
I also live out in the country, but no regrets. Its a 60 min drive to a WoodCraft or Rockler store. I need to plan my trips so I leave extra time for stores like these. Thanks for the video.
We lost our woodcraft store about 5 years ago and I miss it so much because of the staff always new the answer to all my questions now it's 2 hr drive to Knoxville TN
I feel your excitement. I was lucky enough to live a mile from Woodworkers Supply in Albuquerque during the Norm Abraham’s New Yankee Workshop days, much to my wife’s dismay. Woodworkers Supply is/was a Delta dealer and Norm was a Delta user. As a result my shop was filled with Delta tools!! One quick note, if you can buy the same color tools, it’s harder for the wife to figure out you got something new😁. I thought I lived in heaven…..then I moved to Phoenix(live in Scottsdale)… holy crap! We have Woodworks Source, Woodcraft, Rockler, Timber, and a few others, not to mention some really nice barn wood retailers. I’ve also seen some other videos of a couple of well respected woodworkers that live out here, kinda cool.
I guess I'm spoiled - I visit this Woodcraft store at least once a month - I still live about an hour away from it, but it's really nice to have it that close. I really enjoyed your tour with them and that is the exact experience I have every time I visit.
Yep, got a woodcraft in Colorado Springs 15 minutes from home, i love it because they have high quality tools that you can’t find anywhere else like Festool.
I just found out this past year that I live about 2 hours from 3 different Woodcrafts. I have visited one so far, not as big of a store as the one you visited, but still awesome!
Visited my "local" Woodcraft 2.5 hours by car for the first time today. I took the Woodworking 101 that seems ro have combined the Beginner and Cutting Board classes mentiones in your video. They completely walked us through the milling process, showed us how to edge profile, and protect our cutting boards. Using a combination of Cherry, Maple, and Walnut, the boards came out to a final size of 12x18 inches. It was well worth it!!
I love my Woodcraft store in Norfolk, Virginia. I have taken several classes and plan to take more. Also, got connected with the Tidewater Woodworkers guild.
this is the very same store I visited when I was looking to do some minor woodworking project (I am by no means a woodworker, just somebody that want to experiment and learn).. people there are amazing, willing to help and well, as I said, amazing!
I wanted to thank you for introducing Woodcraft, didn't know such store existed can't wait to check it out. May the Lord bless you for spreading his word, I had not read Psalms 71 until today. Thank you.
You're showing your age with that toy store reference! I've got a 3 hour drive in Texas to find a woodworking store as well. Its tough but its worth it to live in this beautiful state!
I didn't realize how fortunate I was to have a local Woodcraft only 10 miles from my house until watching your video! I took it for granted being able to run out and get a box of Kreg pocket hole screws if I run out during a project...
I am in Phoenix and I have been to the store in Chandler, I have to tell you that store you went to was underwhelming at best. The one over here has a smaller footprint and of course way less stuff. Thanks for the video. Makes me more confident in all the buzz I hear about Woodcraft, at least for those in other states :)
I’m going to the woodcraft in Austin Texas today for the first time! I live in LA but am in Texas for a job and couldn’t be more excited for a store trip. Also, the assistant manager reminds me of Boomhauer.
Thanks for the tour Matt. I have a Woodcraft just over an hour drive away, but have yet to step foot in the place. I just don't get near there very often. Now granted I've have browsed their website multiple times... who am I kidding! Multiple times just last month, but I find myself normally ordering from their largest competitor, which I am going to guess is the other store you visited. Now if it is the same competitor store (they sell a lot of blue stuff with their name on it) I recently visited one in CIncinnati, OH while driving back from vacation. I spent 3 hours in the place and wanted to keep talking (and buying) more with the very knowledgeable staff there, but the wife dragged me out. Not literally, but said "Alright. You've seen and spent enough. The car is full! I'm leaving with or without you!" Anyway, if you had a bad experience at a specific store, it could have just been the staff at that particular location. I wish I had a closer one, but my nearest one is almost 4 hours away! I am glad you did the video though. I do plan to visit my Harrisburg, PA Woodcraft store sometime soon. I just need to take time out of the shop and make time to drive down. I'm sure I will just as amazed as you were.
Guess that is a woodworkers "Graceland"..... I've have not been to a Woodcraft store, but there are a few in Colorado so I better go check it out. They seem to be very knowledgeable and friendly, which is great when your a noob! Thank you for taking us on your trip Matt it was awesome!
I was visiting the in-laws in Alabama and saw there was one across the highway. I was near near ready to drive over the median to get there! It was the most expensive part of the trip to say the least 🤷♀️
Visited my first WC in Minneapolis a couple of months ago. The clouds parted and angels sang when I walked in the door. It just got better from there. Went back three times that weekend. Learned a bunch. They had to think that I was crazy.
I have a woodcraft about 45 minutes from my house in Lexington ky. I actually purchased my Bosch axial glide from them a few years ago. It’s an awesome store
We have aWoodcraft here in Knoxville, TN. But It is no where near as big as the store you went to. I wish is was as big as the store you visited. I drove down to Atlanta and visited a Rockler store. I picked up my Rikon dust collection unit. That store was so much better than the local Woodcraft here. So, our Woodcraft store, perfect example of a smaller store, the classes are more limited. I believe the stores are individually owned, that is a major factor. None of this is criticism, its just facts of living in a smaller town.
Have an excellent store 4 miles from me & another about 25 miles. These are fabulous places to start any kind of finished project. People are helpful knowing you will become a repeat customer just from your first tour. In Fact if you want to branch out to more exotic tools or materials they will give you good hints. While starting a few years back i found squared Cocobolo logs at 16$ a board foot, now the investment is at 50$ a b/ft.
Nice video Matt! That's my store I shop and yes they are very knowledgeable and friendly. I hope to take some classes in the near future! Keep up the good work and its fun to watch your shop, channel, and skills continuously grow!
I love woodcraft store. I go there often. My problem is their price tag on everything. Over priced is an understatement. But if you need something special they usually have it.
Yea that’s my issue with woodcraft and rockler. They are so expensive. If I wanted a saw stop I would go there so I could just get it but anything else is just was to much money. A pack of Kreg screws 2 inch were 8.99 for 50. I got them for half that at Amazon.
I own a ShopSmith Mark V 510 model from 1989 that I still use to this day and they do their factory demonstrations at our local Woodcraft store two towns over. Really neat store. Nice video.
I am just starting to get into working with a 14 inch Grizzly bandsaw. I will be going to a local Woodcraft store tomorrow. Thanks for the information and the video
Ok Matt, you did it to me again. After seeing this video and hearing me talk about it, my wife forced me to order a Kapex miter saw! Maybe some day she will stop making buy more tools. Until then I will suffer through it. 😁
Love the channel and your no-nonsense approach & demeanor! You mentioned at the 9:07 mark that you have to order your Kreg screws online. FYI, Lowes carries a decent selection of Kreg pocket screws (usually just for softwoods) if you live fairly close to a Lowes. I live in Round Rock, TX (Located on the border of Austin) and I have a Woodcraft about 7 minutes from me and a Rockler just opened up in October which is only 3 minutes from my home. Woodcraft is way nicer than Rockler but the prices also reflect that fact and so does the whiff of enlightenment that some of the Woodcraft workers possess. You got really lucky your guide Steve was a cool dude.
I used to work at the Woodcraft in Springfield, VA and I left a lot of my paychecks in the cash register drawer. I couldn’t resist the draw of the employee discount and all those tools.
I miss living in Colorado (at times) in the District I worked in we had a Woodcraft and about 15 minutes away was a Rockler. Both stores had great things to offer. I agree Woodcraft has very knowledgable employees, I like Rockler becaise all of their little gimmicky tools. Now in Alaska I have a specialty wood store about 4 hours away, but it is nothing compared to the other two in the overhead and supply that these had.
As a former 10yr employee of woodcraft be thankful you don’t have one close lol…… at least your pocket book will thank you 🤣 thousands of dollars later I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite stores. I still teach classes there and it’s been fun sharing my passion for quality tools with others. None of the employees work on commission and really don’t get paid much at all. Everyone works there because they enjoy it and enjoy teaching.
Try a Rockler store Matt. They do the same. A couple weeks ago, I went to both of them. Woodcraft a little better than the Rockler, but they both were the same mind-blowing experience you had. Although you have take a 50 minute flight, the closest one to me are a 2.5 hour drive. I live in south Florida where it is well developed and I hope they put one or both of them here. I'd take every class they offer and wouldn't feel like I wasted money on any tool I bought. I bought the Festool ETS 125 based on the information provided by the Woodcraft employee I talked to. It was well worth it!
I get to the one in Iowa City from time to time. It’s a smaller store which makes it not so overwhelming. If I tell the staff I’m browsing they leave me alone until I have a question. And they have really good deals on hand tools which is primarily what I work with.
We visit that store when in Ft Worth visiting family. A great group of guys. Not anything in the Rio Grande Valley where we live. The wife and I really enjoy your channel.
I like going to Woodcraft and the other one that starters with the letter R. Our local turning club has a relationship with the local Woodcraft (and the one that starts with R) and we receive a discount % on anything without a power cords on it and that is not already on sale. This discount saved me more than the local turning club dues are.
There's a Woodcraft store just twenty minutes from home in the same little strip mall as my chiropractor's office so it is super easy to pop in for a look-see. I do like the store, and the employees are friendly and knowledgable. I enjoy being able to actually LOOK at, touch, and handle the tools in person. I have found that in many instances their prices are significantly more expensive than online retailers. (Whiteside router bits being an example if you compare with Amazon). That said, they do have a place in my tool & supply buying tool chest and I have gone in and purchased from them on a number of occasions. They also have some decent sales that match what other retailers have (I purchased my DeWalt planer at the store). I highly recommend checking them out. If nothing else it is a fun place to visit for that "kid in a candy store" experience!
I'm surprised you didn't go to the St. Louis store. I didn't realize that the Dallas store was closer to you. I haven't been to one yet and the St. Louis store is closer to me plus I want to see the arch and the Mississippi river also. Maybe Graceland and Nashville to boot! Looks to me you cloud drop $10,000 without blinking an eye! Dangerous place :)!
