{"id":19815,"date":"2025-08-01T11:47:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T15:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/?p=19815"},"modified":"2025-08-01T11:48:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T15:48:28","slug":"woodshop-mike-connecting-the-solidworks-community-of-students-designers-and-makers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/2025\/08\/woodshop-mike-connecting-the-solidworks-community-of-students-designers-and-makers.html","title":{"rendered":"Woodshop Mike &#8211; Connecting the SOLIDWORKS Community of Students, Designers and Makers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At SOLIDWORKS, we always talk about our community made up of designers, engineers and manufacturers that create fantastic products everyday.\u00a0 Our community is made up of educators that inspire students at all grade levels. We also have talented makers that share with us their amazing designs in wood, furniture, fashion and more.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, my colleague, Sarah Kouyoumdjian was at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skillsusa.org\/\">SkillsUSA<\/a> National Competition. <span class=\"ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak\" dir=\"ltr\">SkillsUSA is the #1 workforce development organization for students. They empower students to become skilled professionals, career-ready leaders and responsible community members <\/span>that SOLIDWORKS has supported for 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>At SkillsUSA Competition, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/about\/\">Mike Poorman<\/a>, long time SOLIDWORKS user and creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/\">Woodshop Mike<\/a> introduced himself to our EDU team. After a few interviews, I am fortunate to connect the SOLIDWORKS community to Mike.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-container\">\n<div class=\"entry-content-asset\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Acoustic Guitars Want to Break, Here\u2019s How I Build Them\" width=\"1140\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HWsTf6lGHAE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>After college, Mike was hired by a company that used SOLIDWORKS.\u00a0 He learned on his own and expanded his knowledge across a variety of industries.\u00a0 But Mike had a dream. He decided to make his own path that would take him in two related directions. Mike is the content creator behind <a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/\">Woodshop Mike.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Woodshop Mike is an information rich blog of all things woodworking with a vision to provide readers with an honest and transparent source for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/category\/projects\/shop-projects\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Shop Projects<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/category\/projects\/furniture\/\">Furniture<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/category\/projects\/home-diy\/\">Home DIY<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/product-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tool Reviews<\/a>.\u00a0 Mike and his wife, Kathleen, direct readers to gain from their experiences and be inspired by their energetic approach that\u2019s safety driven, light-hearted, and succinct.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-19822\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-615x398.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-615x398.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-728x471.jpg 728w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-Desk-Plans-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Kathleen is a home school teacher and many projects come from teaching kids and updating their home. SOLIDWORKS is an integral part of the<a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/product-category\/plans\/\"> build plans and instructions<\/a> &#8211; all for free on their site.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-19821\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-615x475.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-615x475.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-768x593.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-1536x1187.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-2048x1583.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dreadnought-Guitar_Screen-Shot-728x563.jpg 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Mike&#8217;s passion for guitar making is evident in his company, <a href=\"https:\/\/mpguitarco.com\/\">MPGuitarCompany<\/a>.\u00a0 When Mike couldn\u2019t find a guitar that fit what he wanted back in high school, he decided to learn how to build one instead. Mike apprenticed with a luthier for 2 years, learning the tricks of the trade first-hand from a master. Since then, he&#8217;s built numerous guitars for clients and showcases them on the wall in his office.<\/p>\n<p>If you love DIY wood projects as much as I do, subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/woodshopmike.com\/\">Woodshop Mike<\/a> to learn great tips and ideas. I learned a great deal from Mike when it comes to using SOLIDWORKS configurations in managing different steps along the guitar making process.<\/p>\n<p>Students use SOLIDWORKS in school.\u00a0 But for home school learning, parents with a learning plan, can get SOLIDWORKS Student software <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/product\/students\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For makers and DIY&#8217;ers, try out SOLIDWORKS for Makers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solidworks.com\/solution\/solidworks-makers\">here<\/a>. This is the same software used by our commercial clients &#8211; just for your own use.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-19824\" src=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-615x471.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-615x471.jpg 615w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-768x589.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-1536x1178.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-2048x1570.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/blog-assets.solidworks.com\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Woodshop-Mike-SOLIDWORKS-EDU-Blog-10-728x558.jpg 728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Students, Mike didn&#8217;t make the varsity soccer team in high school, but he took that experience and followed his dream to become a master woodworker and custom guitar creator. Now Mike gives back to thousands in our SOLIDWORKS community. You will be hearing more about Woodshop Mike!<\/p>\n<p>Design well, Marie<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At SOLIDWORKS, we always talk about our community made up of designers, engineers and manufacturers that create fantastic products everyday.\u00a0 Our community is made up of educators that inspire students at all grade levels. We also have talented makers that<\/p>\n... <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/2025\/08\/woodshop-mike-connecting-the-solidworks-community-of-students-designers-and-makers.html\">Continued<\/a>","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":19823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6712],"tags":[5281,7134,7737,7739,5314,3931,7738,7740,7736,6854],"class_list":["post-19815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-3dexperience","tag-diy","tag-guitars","tag-mpguitar-company","tag-skillsusa","tag-solidworks","tag-solidworks-for-makers","tag-solidworks-for-students","tag-woodshop-mike","tag-woodworking"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19815"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19827,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19815\/revisions\/19827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.solidworks.com\/teacher\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}