Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Duffey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Designed For You: Gifts, objects and furniture handcrafted from local ethically sourced hardwoods. The mission at Duffey Woodcraft is to create beautiful, functional, and enduring handcrafted items that bring joy and meaningful connections into people’s lives while being ethical and environmentally focused.
I find an immense amount of satisfaction in building something with my hands, in turning a piece of raw, natural wood into something tangible and beautiful. My mission is meaningful to me because I am creating more than just a product, when a family buys one of my game boards, they’re not just buying wood; they’re buying a reason to sit together and connect. When someone buys a Sasquatch figurine, they’re buying a piece of joy that speaks to their personality and excites their inner child. My mission is to share the fulfillment I found in creating with my hands, by making durable, high-quality pieces that become a lasting part of someone else’s story While supporting companies that ethically harvest wood or support environmental programs such as re-planting.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Alex Duffey, and I’m the owner and craftsman behind Duffey Woodcraft.
The story of how I got here is a journey from the digital world to the tangible one.
For years, my professional life has been spent as a technical analyst, working on a computer all day. It is a good job, but it was all digital, lines of data on a screen. I had a sense that I needed to do something more, and was in a constant search for a hobby or a passion that would provide a refreshing contrast to that technical world. After buying our first home, I started becoming a “weekend warrior” with my wife and all our home projects, but it wasn’t until in 2019, when I built a live-edge coffee table out of NW Red Cedar, that I truly fell in love with making. I was hooked on the process of turning raw material into something beautiful and functional with my own hands. I taught myself the craft by watching countless hours of YouTube, collecting secondhand tools, and eventually, in 2021, I turned that passion into a small business.
Today, Duffey Woodcraft provides a wide range of handcrafted wood products, from small furniture and wooden kitchenware like coffee scoops and cutting boards, to unique, quirky decor like my popular Sasquatch and UFO items. I also offer custom laser engraving services for personalization and wholesale options for businesses. On the community side, a key part of my brand is providing valuable content for the maker community through my YouTube channel, the “Whatcha Makin’” Podcast and by selling digital project files.
The “problems” I solve for my clients are both functional and emotional. I solve the problem of finding truly unique, thoughtful gifts that are built to last and create emotional connections. For instance, my game boards aren’t just for playing; they’re for bringing families closer together. I also solve the problem for fellow makers by providing them with the resources and hopefully provide some inspiration to start their own woodworking projects.
What sets me apart is a combination of traditional craftsmanship with a modern, approachable twist. I use ethically sourced hardwoods with a blend of hand-finishing and precision CNC technology to ensure both quality and consistency. But more than that, it’s my brand’s personality—I try to be warm, playful, and a little bit corky. That’s why you’ll see a light-up UFO next to a cribbage board in a market booth. I try not to take myself too seriously, and hopefully my work will spark joy.
I’m most proud of the make community that I get to be part of. I have quickly evolved from a personal hobby to a brand that connects with so many who share a passion for making things has been incredibly rewarding. It’s that connection that keeps the work meaningful to me and what I most try to foster across my social platforms.
The main thing I want people to know is that Duffey Woodcraft is a brand built on a genuine love for making things with integrity. Everything is made with care, from the ethical sourcing of the wood to the final hand-sanding. It’s not just a business; it’s a passion, and I’m excited to share that passion with the world and hopefully inspire some passion in others.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Like many who start as a weekend warrior, I initially funded my passion for woodworking with my day job, spending my free time hunting for deals on secondhand tools and materials on Facebook Marketplace.
After a year of making and learning, my wife encouraged me to start selling my products to help support the growing hobby. That year, I participated in my first holiday market and quickly made connections with two local gift stores—one in Astoria, Oregon, and another in Vancouver, Washington. I had set a personal goal to become self-sufficient within five years, but I’m proud to say I achieved it in just two years.
Today, the business has grown significantly, allowing me to travel to maker and woodworking events across the U.S. multiple times a year, all while continuing to grow and create new products.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been directly listening to customer feedback, and the best way I’ve found to do that is by consistently participating in local markets.

While my online sales and custom orders are important, I make an effort to do at least one market a month. These events are invaluable because they provide instant, unfiltered feedback from customers. It’s a direct conversation where I can learn what they love about a product’s design, get a feel for their perception of its price, and, most importantly, hear their unique ideas. Customers will often see something and ask, “Can you make it do this?” or “I wish you made that.”

I take all that feedback and use it to update my product line. Sometimes it leads to a simple modification of an existing product, and other times it inspires a completely new one. This approach not only expands my collection of available items but also grows my clientele, as people see that I genuinely value their input. It fosters a connection where customers feel they’re part of the creative process, leading them to come back and continue suggesting new ideas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.duffeywoodcraft.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duffeywoodcraft/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DuffeyWoodcraft