Last year we visited the Craftsman Experience to check out their Winter Wonderland and help build the Ultimate Sleigh, so we were excited to return this summer for their first-ever DIY Blogger Summit. The event was energetic and memorable — at one point I genuinely worried for the safety of a few participants, which certainly added to the excitement.
photo: courtesy of C.C. Chapman
Craftsman invited 20 bloggers from a wide range of backgrounds — not just DIY and tool writers — to build projects created by five instructors, one of whom was myself. I was honored to be selected as an instructor, but initially uncertain what to teach. I ultimately chose a popular, practical project: saw horses. They’re useful, easy to customize, and a great way to teach basic woodworking skills.
Before the summit began, the five instructors competed in a build-off: we were each asked to make a birdhouse with no restrictions. Craftsman’s Facebook fans voted, and the top two submissions would face off in a final, timed challenge at the event.
The competition was tight. My Modern Birdhouse and Mike Senese’s Secret Surveillance Birdhouse ended up as the top two. My design leaned toward a clean, modern look; Mike’s took a different approach, incorporating a remote camera and a mechanical door. Both projects demonstrated very different strengths, and both advanced to the in-person build-off.
I should call out Holly Conrad’s entry — she’s a Los Angeles costume designer known for monstrous, video-game-inspired creations. Her birdhouse was far from traditional: it depicted a monster tearing its way through the structure, which stood out for its creativity and craftsmanship.
Before the final face-off, we worked alongside a number of notable bloggers and creators, including C.C. Chapman, Tanis Miller, Ethan Hagan, Andrew Snavely, Brett McKay, Shawn Burns, Jim Lin, Miss Lori, Mr Lady, Louise Bishop and the Tools in Action team. Everyone did impressive work building and finishing their sawhorses, with several teams painting creative designs and others finding clever alternate uses for the finished pieces.
At day’s end, while folks enjoyed Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, Mike Senese and I were given a surprise challenge: build the ultimate mailbox in two hours using only materials available in the studio. The Craftsman Experience studio is well stocked — they livestream projects from their Facebook page and keep a full complement of tools and supplies on hand — so we had plenty to choose from.
We received a basic mailbox template and the clock started. With help from Andrew Nutt of the Experience, I completed my mailbox within the time limit, though I was rushing and didn’t manage to take photos. A teaser trailer from Craftsman offers a brief glimpse of the action while the full video is pending release.
Mike, a talented fabricator and gadgeteer, produced an ingenious mailbox that literally shredded junk mail. I went for a more theatrical approach with the “Monster Mailbox.” Growing up, kids would sometimes take a bat to local mailboxes, so I imagined a mailbox that fights back.
For my concept, I added armor plating using scrap tin and aluminum and used the Craftsman auto-hammer to create a textured, hammered finish on the tin roof. I built a front door that, when opened, released a sharp metal whip intended to surprise an unsuspecting snooper. I also mounted the mailbox on a swivel and installed circular saw blades so that, if struck, the mailbox would spin and the blades would swing outward. I even fashioned MDF “throwing stars” during Holly Conrad’s project to be flung when the mailbox rotated.
This was a concept piece rather than a functional prototype. As expected, the host Alex Sherman felt compelled to test it with a bat — perhaps inevitable after I’d drawn a bulls-eye on the front. The full sequence was recorded, and while I don’t have final photos (the mailbox didn’t survive intact), the footage captures the mayhem. The photo below, courtesy of C.C. Chapman, might be the only image of the mailbox before it was destroyed.
To my surprise, the Monster Mailbox won the final challenge. I was shocked but delighted — and grateful that the Chicago deep-dish pizza wasn’t missed in vain. When the full event video is posted I’ll share it; watching the blades spin and seeing everyone’s reactions was equal parts nerve-wracking and entertaining. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The summit was a success: I met talented people, built inventive projects, and saw great tools in action — all without serious mishaps. I’ll definitely return to the Craftsman Experience.
More photos from the event are on our Facebook page.
disclaimer: Sears Craftsman provided travel and lodging, but the opinions expressed here are solely those of Timothy Dahl of Charles & Hudson, in accordance with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines, and social media engagement recommendations.