If you would like to find out more about the life of a Woodworker, then you have most certainly come to the right place. Join us, as we gain insane insight into this cool and creative industry!

In 2017, Jack Martin Jr, from Delaware, began his woodworking journey and "has been covered in sawdust ever since". The extremely hard-working business owner, husband and father has teamed up with the ToolFreak Team, to tell his story of becoming a creative Woodworking craftsman! We hope this piece will inspire and motivate others to kickstart a career in the wonderful woodworking industry.

Jack embarked upon his Woodworking journey back in 2017; and over the past 4 years, the Delaware based, family-man, has evolved into the trusted tradesman he is today. While working a full-time job and spending quality time with his family, Jack has worked diligently to grow into a highly skilled carpenter who has created a long list of commissions for a number of people and businesses.

While reflecting on his career, Jack detailed the very moment he decided to delve into the world of Woodworking, “It all started with my youngest daughter's birth, as I wanted to build her something special, so I rummaged through my shed and for some scrap pallet wood! Armed with only a basic jig saw and a printed font of my daughter's name, I started cutting, added some glue and stood back when I finished and said "that was fun, what else can I make", explained Jack.

Although talented within this trade, Jack didn’t actually choose Woodworking as a career path, “Through a lot of trial and error of doing things the hard way, I became passionate in the art of woodworking. To be able to take a simple piece of wood and manipulate it into something amazing, allows you to have that proud moment that I think we all desire”, the US based craftsman detailed.

While working in his Wood workshop (also known as his Man Cave), Jack completes a variety of tasks; and uses a vast range of hand tools to create his commissions. Jack has immense passion for the creative design process when it comes to woodworking, “ I get to take the image from the customer and start to imagine the end results in my head. My second favourite thing is delivery day when you get to see the customer's shocked reaction to the product I've built for them”.

Over the past few years, the dedicated Woodworker has created a number of incredible; and mind-blowing commissions, but one that remains at the forefront of his fondest memories is a sign created for a local church! “This was my favourite sign for sure, it was 4 metre x 8 metre; and I liked it the most because of the challenges it presented, and the final product leaves most people with their mouths wide open when they realize that every piece was hand cut without a CNC machine”.

Alongside this memorable job, Jack has a number of unforgettable career highlights, “I have really enjoyed creating logos for a number of businesses, including plumbing and hvac companies”. While reminiscing about past jobs, the extremely dedicated, Delaware-based woodworker remembered one of his quirkiest creations to date, “One of the craziest things I've been asked to make was a photo booth box for a photographer”.

Jack also treasures obtaining his business licence back in 2020; as he has been hustling and dedicating at least 4 hours every evening to working on his carpentry creations. Time is most certainly a taxing task for Jack, as he finds himself juggling an array of tasks. “The most difficult part of my business is the time factor and managing all components. I get roughly about 4 hrs of shop time each evening. When orders are rolling in, the office side of the business tends to slow down and gets put on the back burner. By the time I finish with my orders and clean up the shop, I get hit with another wave of orders and the cycle begins all over again”.

Since starting this journey, Jack has ensured that safety is his number one priority in his Wood workshop, “when you're in an industry working with super dangerous tools, you have to be on high alert at every second, one lapse of focus and you'll lose a finger. I own a pair of ToolFreak safety glasses because they provide me the safety my eyes need while making each and every cut without the frustration of my safety glasses fogging up”.

Although Jack is busy with his work and ensuring paramount focus and safety, he finds peace in his workshop, “I love being in the wood workshop, it is so quiet and peaceful, it really is just me, the machines and the creations in my head”, he expressed.

Moving forward the family man has high hopes for his business! “I have a goal to get enough recognition and a stellar reputation so that I can work solely for myself. But in the meantime I'll continue to take pride in the work that I put out. Most of all I'll Stay Humble and Hustle Hard! 

We here at ToolFreak strongly believe that Jack will achieve all of his dreams and more; as his hard work, dedication and talent is truly remarkable. We hope that you can all take great inspiration from Jack’s motivating mindset! If you feel inspired to start a career within Carpentry after reading this post, please do leave a comment below, we would love to hear from you; and see this inspirational and hard-working ethos transcend to others throughout the globe.

If you would like to check of Jack's work, be sure to give him a follow on Instagram, seriously, you will not be disappointed with his incredible work. https://www.instagram.com/themancavewoodshop/

Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned for new blog posts coming to our site very soon!

The ToolFreak Team!