Built Pretty

Built Pretty Builder. Technical Director: festivals, stages, and large-scale builds. Trades Advocate. Based in Nashville.

Built Pretty 1: Build a Floating Shelf — LIVE Masterclass: August 18th. 6:00p-8:30p CSTRegister for masterclass at www.b...
08/14/2026

Built Pretty 1: Build a Floating Shelf — LIVE Masterclass: August 18th. 6:00p-8:30p CST

Register for masterclass at www.builtpretty.com

Stop watching DIY videos and start learning how to actually use the tools. Join Alex McNamara of Built Pretty LIVE as she walks you step-by-step through building a beautiful poplar floating shelf from scratch.

This beginner-friendly workshop is designed to teach you the core skills behind hundreds of DIY and home improvement projects. You’ll learn how to confidently measure, mark, cut, drill, sand, route, and assemble your own floating shelf while learning the tools that make it all possible.

You’ll learn how to use: Tape measure (yes, we’re learning the fractions!)
Speed square
Circular saw
Track saw
Drill & driver
Sander

Along the way, Alex will explain what each tool does, how to use it safely, and where you can use these same skills on future projects. No experience necessary. This class was created for true beginners.

Follow along and build your own shelf at home, or simply watch and learn. You’ll also be able to ask questions during the live Q&A.

LIVE Masterclass Includes: Beginner-friendly instruction Live tool demonstrations Step-by-step floating shelf build Live Q&A with Alex 30-day access to the workshop replay.

You’re not just learning how to build one shelf. You’re learning the skills and tools that will help you build the next thing, too.

I walked into the gym today and immediately got overwhelmed. And it made me realize something HUGE: The way I feel at th...
08/11/2026

I walked into the gym today and immediately got overwhelmed. And it made me realize something HUGE: The way I feel at the gym might be exactly how you feel walking into a hardware store.

Because every single time I walk into the gym, I am overwhelmed. There are 900 machines. I don’t know what half of them do. I don’t know if I’m using them correctly. I don’t know if the three exercises I just did are working three different muscles or if I just worked the exact same muscle three times.

Today was leg day. I did the leg press. Then I did another leg press that looked slightly different. Then I did walking lunges. And by the end I was like… did I just do the same exercise three times? 😂 I literally stand there watching Instagram videos trying to figure out how use the machines for my benefit.

And I still go. I still try. But I constantly feel like everyone else got a manual that I somehow missed.

And then it hit me. Oh my gosh. This is how some of you feel in the hardware store.

You walk into an aisle and there are 400 different screws. You need a drill bit, but apparently there are 75 kinds of drill bits. You need a saw, but now you’re looking at circular saws and miter saws and jigsaws and reciprocating saws and wondering why anyone needs this many ways to cut something. 😂

And everyone else seems to know what they’re doing.

But you didn’t get the manual either.

THAT is why I made Built Pretty. I don’t want tools, carpentry, DIY or home improvement to feel intimidating. I want to teach you what these things are. What they’re called. What they do. Why you would choose one over another. And most importantly, how to actually use them.

I want you to be able to walk into a hardware store and think, “I know what I’m looking for.”

The same way I desperately want to walk into the gym one day and know what the heck I’m doing. 😂

And that’s exactly why I created the Built Pretty Workshop Series. These aren’t classes for women who already know how to build. They’re for the women who want someone to hand them the manual they feel like everyone else already got.

We start with the basics. Tape measures. Speed squares. Drills. Drivers. Circular saws. Sanders. Routers. Fasteners. And then we actually USE them to build something.

No experience necessary. No pretending you already know. No question too basic. I’ll hold your hand and walk you through it.

Because you absolutely can learn this stuff. You just need someone to teach you.

And apparently I need the same person, but for the gym. 😂 💪

If the hardware store feels like the gym feels to me, come learn with me. You are exactly who I built this for.

IN PERSON CLASSES IN NASHVILLE TN:

https://tr.ee/6xC3B6i6tO

08/11/2026

Tool companies: want to grow the skilled trades? Include women in tool testing.

Different hands, bodies, jobs and environments give you different feedback. And better feedback builds better tools.

Women aren’t just a market to sell tools to. We’re an asset in designing them.

08/10/2026

Did you know DEWALT started with the invention of the radial arm saw?

In the early 1920s, Raymond DeWalt developed the Wonder-Worker, an adjustable electric radial arm saw designed to make woodworking faster and more efficient. The machine could perform 29 different woodworking operations and ultimately led to the founding of the DEWALT Products Company in 1924.

More than 100 years later, DEWALT is known for building tough tools that don’t quit. Turns out, that ethos goes all the way back to the beginning.

This is the tool that started DEWALT. 🔨

https://builtpretty.com/blogs/news The new dates for the **Built Pretty Women's Workshop Series** are officially here!Re...
07/28/2026

https://builtpretty.com/blogs/news

The new dates for the **Built Pretty Women's Workshop Series** are officially here!

Registration opens **tomorrow**, and class sizes are intentionally small so every student gets plenty of hands-on instruction.

If you've been wanting to learn practical DIY and home improvement skills in a supportive environment, now's the time.

Join the email list today to get first access when registration opens. I can't wait to build with you!

07/26/2026

Bridgeport, Connecticut, was once one of America's great manufacturing cities. But when industry moved overseas, jobs disappeared, factories closed, and the city changed forever. This is the story of the town behind the world's most famous milling machine.

07/24/2026

The Bridgeport mill didn't just make parts. It made machinists. After World War II, these machines filled trade schools and machine shops across America, teaching generations of machinists the skills that built our manufacturing industry. Even today, many professionals believe learning on a manual Bridgeport makes you a better machinist. This is the story of the machine that taught America how to machine.

07/23/2026

The electric hand drill completely changed the way people built things.
It made construction faster, woodworking more accessible, and helped usher in the age of power tools we take for granted today.
What was the first power tool you ever used?

I recently had the honor of delivering the keynote at the Student Shop Managers Consortium at Cal Poly.The conversations...
07/23/2026

I recently had the honor of delivering the keynote at the Student Shop Managers Consortium at Cal Poly.
The conversations afterward were my favorite part. I met incredible shop managers, technical directors, educators, and students from all over the country. So many people shared stories from their own shops and told me the keynote resonated with them.
What struck me most was that the conference itself reinforced the very message of my talk: culture matters. I saw generosity, mentorship, curiosity, and people genuinely invested in helping one another succeed.
The ABSOLUTE highlight was getting a tour of Cal Poly's shops from the students after the talk. Their excitement for the craft was contagious, and it reminded me exactly why I do what I do.
Thank you to everyone who welcomed me so warmly. I left inspired.

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