Every woodworking business has a beginning.
For BourbonSmoke Woodworking, mine started in a cold garage in South Dakota with a cutting board.
At the time, I wasn't thinking about starting a business. I wasn't thinking about selling products, building a brand, or filling a shop with tools. I was simply looking for a way to direct some energy into something positive and have a healthy outlet.
That first cutting board changed more than I expected.
It Started With One Cutting Board
My first real woodworking project was a cutting board built in my garage in South Dakota. There was something about taking a pile of rough lumber and turning it into something useful that immediately clicked with me.
Woodworking gave me something tangible to focus on. I could walk into the garage with an idea, work through the mistakes, make some sawdust, and eventually walk out with something I had made with my own hands.
It was challenging, frustrating at times, and incredibly rewarding.
And before long, I was looking for excuses to build the next thing.
From Hobby to Helping My Squadron
As I continued to learn, my woodworking started finding a purpose beyond my own garage.
COVID had changed just about everything, including the ability to order custom items from vendors. Lead times for things that previously would have been relatively easy to get became months long.
Meanwhile, military life doesn't stop. People still PCS, retire, separate, change assignments, and move on to their next chapter.
I started making pieces that could be given to members of my squadron as going-away gifts.
What started as a personal hobby became a way for me to create something meaningful for people I had worked alongside. Instead of waiting months for a vendor, I could take an idea, some wood, and a few tools and make something right there in my garage.
That was one of the first times I realized woodworking could be more than just a hobby.
I wasn't just making things.
I was making things that meant something to people.
The Shop Kept Growing
Of course, there was another problem that came with all of this:
I kept buying tools.
As my skills grew, so did my ideas. A project that once seemed impossible became something I wanted to try. Then another project came along that required a different tool. Then another.
My collection of tools grew.
My list of project ideas grew.
And eventually, my workspace started feeling very, very small.
Every move brought new opportunities to build, but it also meant figuring out how to make the most of whatever space I had available. What started with a relatively simple setup slowly turned into a legitimate woodworking shop.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I had crossed an important line.
I wasn't just someone who enjoyed woodworking.
I was becoming a woodworker.
Finding Spouse-ly
The next big step happened thanks to my wife.
She already had her own business and was a full-time vendor on Spouse-ly. She encouraged me to give the platform a shot and see what happened.
At first, it was simply another way to put my work in front of people.
But it also opened my eyes to the possibility that the things I was making in my garage could find homes far beyond my own circle of friends and coworkers.
That was a pretty exciting realization.
The hobby that had started with a single cutting board was slowly turning into something bigger.
Building BourbonSmoke Woodworking
BourbonSmoke Woodworking has continued to evolve ever since.
I've made cutting boards, pens, trays, custom pieces, gifts, plaques, and plenty of projects that required me to learn something completely new along the way.
Some projects have been straightforward.
Others have involved a lot of trial and error, a few questionable decisions, and more than a little sawdust.
But that's one of the things I enjoy most about woodworking.
There is always something new to learn.
The tools have changed. The shop has changed. The projects have changed. My skills have changed.
But the reason I enjoy it hasn't really changed.
I still love taking a piece of wood and turning it into something that didn't exist before.
Coming Back to My Roots
One of the things I've appreciated most recently is getting back to some of the projects that started this whole journey in the first place.
Cutting boards were where it all began.
After experimenting with different products, techniques, tools, and ideas, there's something satisfying about standing at the workbench and building another cutting board from raw lumber.
It's a reminder of why I started.
Not because I had a business plan.
Not because I knew where this would eventually lead.
But because I needed an outlet, I enjoyed making things, and I liked the feeling of creating something with my own two hands.
Today, BourbonSmoke Woodworking is still growing. I'm continuing to take on custom projects, experiment with new products and techniques, and find new ways to turn ideas into something tangible.
But underneath all of that, it's still the same guy in a garage making sawdust.
The garage just isn't quite as cold anymore.
And the pile of tools has gotten considerably larger.
What's Next?
I don't know exactly where this journey will take BourbonSmoke Woodworking.
And honestly, that's part of the fun.
What I do know is that I want to keep making things that people are proud to give, proud to display, and proud to use.
I want to keep learning.
I want to keep challenging myself with projects that make me say, "I have no idea how I'm going to build that."
And most importantly, I want to keep enjoying the process.
Because long before BourbonSmoke Woodworking was a business, it was a cutting board in a cold South Dakota garage—and a decision to turn some energy into something positive.
Everything since then has grown from that.
