Construction Junkie’s annual Best Construction Podcast of 2020 Competition is underway and the voting booth is officially open. As part of the competition, I will be individually highlighting each of the 12 nominees throughout until the booth closes on July 1. Next up is the Grain Knockers Podcast.
Hosted by professional woodworker William Patrick, the Grain Knockers Podcast is focused on the tools and people in the woodworking, marker, and builder community. Now on season 3, each episode of Grain Knockers features a “featured maker,” a “product spotlight,” and interviews with tool makers and other woodworkers.
When I first listened to the show, I was immediately struck by how radio-ready Patrick was and, turns out, there’s a good reason for that. When I asked him what drew him to start his podcast, he told me, “I had went to school for radio broadcasting and never really pursued it after leaving and going to business school in Arizona. I wanted to provide listeners a platform to hear from a person who has went through and is going through some things they may have or will go through them self.”
In addition to the podcast, Patrick runs a very popular Instagram page called William Patrick Customs (@williampatrickcustoms), where he shares his personal and business projects, as well as the tools he’s using. When he finds a tool he likes, he tends to use the hashtag #doesntsuck, so I decided to ask him what doesn’t suck about his podcast.
“Something that doesn’t suck about Grain Knockers is its raw shop talk that won’t put you to sleep. Our opening includes a local rock bands music, product spotlight, and a featured maker that highlights Instagram accounts who may not have a large following but kill it!”
By all accounts, that checks out. Grain Knockers is organized very well, informative, and entertaining, especially for those interested in tools. Authenticity is the name of the game for Patrick, who describes himself as “just a guy who loves creating and working hard” and doesn’t try to be something he’s not, which can be rare for the internet these days.
The most recent episode of the podcast included a roundtable discussion with Brian from Acme Tool and another popular Instagrammer by the name of @Builtby_N8. It’s an interesting and in-depth discussion on how Instagram has helped tool users and who and how you can trust the reviews posted on social media.
Other past episodes have included interviews with representatives from Milwaukee Tool and Jessem Tool, as well as several makers like “The Wood Whisperer” Marc Spagnuolo, Sam the DIY Huntress, and MadRavenWoodworks.
To find out more about the Grain Knockers Podcast, you can visit their webpage. If you’d like to vote for the show for Best Construction Podcast of 2020, you can do so by clicking or tapping here.
Shane is the creator of Construction Junkie and an active construction project manager. In his career, he has managed interior remodel projects, site development, construction safety, governmental project compliance, and facility maintenance. He has a strong passion for construction technology and safety, as well as sharing the knowledge or insights he has gained throughout his career.