Comedy plus woodworking equals Bourbon Moth

For a good time, watch an episode of Bourbon Moth Woodworking.

If you’ve seen the YouTube woodworking series, then jump ahead to Page 34 for our feature on the host, Jason Hibbs. If not, let me try to explain why it’s so good.

Hibbs is a professional woodworker who turned to YouTube about a year ago when commissions started to slow. He’s picked up over a half million subscribers with mix of humor, outlandish projects, and how-to instruction. He’s now a full-time YouTube content creator, making more than he did as a custom maker.

I see the show as the mix of the “Myth Busters” with the “New Yankee Workshop”, combining entertainment with practical woodworking instruction. I find Hibbs hilarious, whether he’s running to get on camera or pretending to paddle an imaginary boat in an actual river. Plus, he doesn’t come off as a know it all. It’s a refreshing approach to the art of making how-to videos.

After eight years at the helm of the International Wood Products Association, Executive Director Cindy Squires is leaving the wood products space and returning to manufacturing to be President and CEO of the American Composites Manufacturers Association on July 1.

“I am extremely proud of the time I spent at IWPA and cherish the many relationships that I have built over this time. I leave knowing we have worked together to build our industry’s capacity to tackle all the challenges that impact the wood products trade,” Squires said in a statement.

“I joined IWPA in March of 2013. We started our journey putting together a new mission statement and strategic plan. IWPA’s mission to build acceptance and demand in North America for globally sourced wood products from sustainably managed forests made it possible to chart a daring new course for IWPA. We built a new Wood Trade Compliance education program, became a trusted voice for the imported wood community, led a negotiated solution to TSCA formaldehyde emission regulation litigation that saved inventories, and helped our members through many trade, regulatory and legal challenges together.”

IWPA’s Executive Committee has formed a Search Committee for a successor.

The National Wood Flooring Association has scheduled its Wood Flooring Expo for July 7-9 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The opening session and reception will include an industry update, NWFA Wood Floor of the Year highlights, and networking opportunities.

Attendees will also hear from Chuck Fowke, 2021 chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.

Fowke is a custom home builder with 40 years of industry experience. As founder and president of Homes by John C. Fowke Inc., he has built hundreds of luxury homes throughout the Tampa Bay area and was inducted into the Florida Home Builders Association Hall of Fame in 2019. He is actively involved in his community, including completing a project for the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program.

For more, visit www.nwfa.org. 

This article was originally published in the July 2021 issue.