An underdog for the underdog: Woodworking for everyone else

I used a borrowed drill for the first time in 2003 to build a bed, based on one I had seen in a store. After all, I could not afford furniture. The lumber cost me a measly $50 and the cherry stain from Ikea was less than $5. If you think back 20 years, there was no YouTube, Facebook, or iPhone; all I had to go on was sheer determination and a catalog photo.

After an arduous three months, my platform bed was complete. I would go on to sleep on it for the next seven years and then go on to build for The Home Depot.

This project lit an inextinguishable fire in me to build. With little access or connection to other builders, I spent every dollar I earned on inexpensive power tools and searched the internet for inspiration.

There was the occasional two-hour class at a local hardware store, but I was always the only one. The only woman, the only person of color, the only one under age 50. Was…