Erik Curtis: Fine Furniture Maker, Full Time Woodworker

Erik Curtis, also known as ENCurtis on KZbin and social media, is a full-time fine furniture maker and Netflix "Instant Dream Home" star from Philadelphia. Episode 25 of the Call Me Mabie maker documentary highlights Erik, his passion for woodworking and making with his hands, what led him to start his business, how he became a content creator, his love for crafting furniture within a space, his Netflix show, and so much more!
"I have found few things that bring me as much satisfaction in life as making things with my hands. There is a excitement in exploring a thought fully and bringing an idea to a tangible reality that is paralleled only in the teaching of the craft I love. My aim is to bring this child-like excitement to all my work, whether creating or teaching; in my own very small way to make the world a little bit better, if only by making it a little more beautiful" (excerpt from encurtis.com).
Video by Justin Mabie
Instagram: / _callmemabie_
Website: callmemabie.com/
Shirts: www.callmemabie.com/shop/
Erik Curtis
KZbin: ‪@ENCurtis‬
Instagram: / encurtis
Website: encurtis.com/
Call Me Mabie poster prints of your favorite makers, merch, and more to help support projects like this one: www.callmemabie.com/shop/

[@paulietang55]

I’m a Philly fireman, the park your in is Konrad square named after joe Konrad, a Philly fireman who died in fire/ building collapse right there, the house with the fireman’s mural is. He died in early 1980’s. He has 3 sons that are firemen today.

[@williammaxwell1919]

Thanks for the additional info. We all need to respect and support our first responders

[@ENCurtis]

Thank you for that information brother.

[@StaceNyourFace]

Thank you for that info and for everything that you do for your community!

[@mrstandfast2212]

I love it when something like this pops up on KZbin. It's a dark and wet evening in the north of England as I watch this, and I'm transported to another place and introduced to someone with whom I can immediately relate. Great film making, and kudos to Erik for acknowledging the influence of Paul Sellers. I'm now going to watch some of his channel offerings.

[@TepidAsianMedia]

Erik's river table has cemented him as my favourite KZbin woodworker ever.

[@Bespokespaces]

Erik, thanks for your video. It's very inspirational. After four decades in the military, I built a workshop and began designing and making cabinetry. It has been a challenge but an amazing pleasure when the business ticked over by word of mouth. I've missed the boat to train formally at 68 years old, but taking advantage of retirement to learn from men and women like you to create lovely pieces of carpentry. You do have a natural ability to teach; keep up the good work. Thank's

[@ENCurtis]

Thank you! And keep on keepin on man. Never too old to master a new skill.

[@theofarmmanager267]

All those positives about Erik are absolutely right. What I think stands him above most, if not all, others is his encouragement for anyone to go out and make something. He’s shown that you don’t need a shop full of tools to make something; to please someone and to make yourself feel good. Tools just cost money; pleasure is a gift that we can all make

[@ENCurtis]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@214rwoz]

Thank you for all your time and effort. Wood working for me is my love and my life.

[@timhalleran3514]

Retired Fireman. I did woodworking during my career (probably to relieve stress). I just started woodworking again after a 10 year hiatus. Starting with small projects. Thanks for showcasing Eric! He is an awesome dude😃

[@briancollins2230]

I have been following Eric for some time and he has always been 1 of my favorite makers. And having this kind of insight just solidifies that feeling. Now its time for coffee.

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you for watching and enjoy that coffee!

[@Aaron-nj4ou]

I love Erik’s channel. He is an excellent woodworker and I appreciate the honesty and personality that comes through in his videos.

[@ENCurtis]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@Ryanahyde]

I had the pleasure of meeting Erik in person so I can confirm he is as genuine and friendly as he is talented! Thanks for spotlighting him and other dedicated craftspeople.

[@robertray6021]

Love your videos! I am also a woodworker, but not "formally educated" on the craft like you are. I started building things when i was about 6 or 7. I started a custom furniture business in Memphis years ago, and I get great satisfaction from designing and building a piece that someone loves enough to buy and take home. I get inspired when I see guys like you making such beautiful things. Keep up the good work, my friend! ☀️

[@williammaxwell1919]

I've "played" with wood /timber from a similar age, and though there are many woodworking /carpentry processes I have never tried, because of my knowledge built up over 3 score years I can honestly say "Yeah, I could do that ~ or atleast give it a good cack". Learning from others mistakes (which is inherent in watching KZbin videos) is a short cut to "I can make this /I made this". It doesn't matter whether or not we are formally trained, what matters is that we don't undervalue ourselves due to lack of the "appropriate" formal education /training (e.g. I watched my Dad fell trees, I've felled trees for decades, but recently watching and learning from Caleb (Guilty of Treeson) I now unsderstand that i nmy younger years (I'm 63)s ome of the things I did back when up a tree with a chainsaw went way beyond "sketchy". I'm an architect and the 2 designers that I have worked with that I respect the most aren't architects; 1 was a "mere" draftsperon (with an amazing flair for "elegant design" that embodied Mies van der Rohes' "god is in the detail"), the other didn't finish architecture school, yet both these people personified "I think, therefore I can" in spades. EC is another.

[@ChiefOfSprouts]

Erik is an inspiration.

[@JeffFontecchio]

Justin you are truly an incredible Maker of video, thank you for making these amazing documentaries capturing both the work of the person and the person themselves.

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you very much for the compliment. And I appreciate you watching!

[@jimrosson6702]

Another great video and look into a makers life love Eric great maker .

[@michaeldowdell2005]

It truly beautiful when someone finds their passion and can make a living doing it!!

[@jimshields6149]

Erik is inspirational…. A great combo of passion, knowledge, skills and aesthetics. (At the same time as humbleness) One of the must watch channels. Great documentary on him

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you for watching!

[@thewestendwoodworker]

It’s a gift giving these woodworkers stories to us. We are blessed by your talent ! Thank you.

[@CallMeMabie]

That’s a great compliment to receive. Thank you for watching!

[@manfredhauptreif7285]

I wonder why there aren‘t more comments here! You did a great job, not only creating furniture, creating your life, following your hopes and dreams. I‘m so jealous that you have this talent to create things! But I‘m glad that I have found your channel. It is really a pleasure to follow your thoughts how you get in to your tasks fill furniture with your spirit. Great! Thank you! Don‘t be afraid, I‘m married with a lovely wife who accepts when I disappear in my small shed under the roof, making noise and dust and wood shavings. I‘ve started this new hobby during pandemic of course. Got into it and I‘m now able to understand what you are doing. Try to follow a short part of your path. My path was the path of a scientist for 30 years until I got leukemia which terminated my career from one day to the other. Now I‘m playing around by exploring nature, travel different countries with my motorhome in the warm season of the year and doing crazy things like creating some simple furnitures and shelves and boxes in my small shed in the winter.

[@davebauerart]

Great story! A lot of makers I meet went to art school and ended up makers. Erik went to woodworking school and became in some ways an artist.

[@CallMeMabie]

That’s a great observation! Thanks for always supporting me, Dave!

[@TheTgranber]

Such a great character! Encurtis is very inspiring! And now I want to visit Philadelphia...

[@CallMeMabie]

He’s awesome. Thanks for watching!

[@DudeSawdust]

Once again a great doc. I always look forward to your art. Thanks for telling a compelling story.

[@CallMeMabie]

Thanks so much for always supporting and following along!

[@johnnyhimburg6652]

Erik I just found your channel and the your interview. You are exactly the person I was growing up and loved taking things apart to see how they work. Its is awesome to see what you are doing in life and enjoying it. I will definitely be watching all your videos going forward and hopefully catchup on your past videos. I have been woodworking and in construction for about 30yrs but always wanted to do what you are doing furniture making. I'm 51 now hopefully I'm going to move forward with my dream of furniture making and try to start making video.

[@AndrewSzeto]

soooo pumped that erik hit his goals for 2023.... that's literally a dream! way to crush @ENCurtis!

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

This is the second video of yours that I watched. I absolutely enjoyed watching both. Of course they both were of creators that I watch. It was such a joy getting to know them a little more. It made me really enjoy these creators a little more.

[@intentionaltom9447]

Love watching these documentaries! Great work!

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you! And thanks for checking them out!

[@Rufio1975]

Same here

[@TWC6724]

Erik is a great artist/maker/woodworker. Love his stuff. Great video.

[@thomastieffenbacherdocsava1549]

"River Tables are the Worst!" amen brother. Loved the whimsy. Being an artist that makes wooden art is a unique place to be. Hoping you do more art . Consider sculpting to integrate into cabinet making? Consider a gallery for your work?

[@williammaxwell1919]

As a kid, I was into taking my toys apart to find out how they worked (or not working after I had explored the internal workings of the toy) which earned me another nickname "Wrecker McRuiner". But hay, they were my toys and then, in my youth (& still do), knowing how something works is interesting /important

[@scotth4760]

Can’t understand why this channel doesn’t have more subscribers. The videos are great, interviews are of fascinating people and I have enjoyed every one. Keep up the good work

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you for saying so, Scott! I appreciate you following along with the channel and supporting what I do

[@thesplinteredfinger]

Erik, I absolutely love your work! It is unlike any other artist and that’s what makes it special! Justin, is it possible that your talents get better and better all the time? There are so many things to learn about your videography, it is above the professional level! Have you ever thought about teaching a class, I would love to learn more about your style?

[@CallMeMabie]

I’ve thought here and there about teaching a class but never really pulled the trigger on anything. If you ever have any questions though, you can always reach out! And thanks so much for watching!

[@woodnotestudio]

Great episode. This is one of my favorite creators. He is extremely inspirational and is a very big reason why I started my channel. I’m so happy you did an episode on him. You Rock!!!

[@VoeltnerWoodworking]

Another great video, and it was good to see Keith Johnson learning how to build a box in a cameo too. Lol.

[@CallMeMabie]

Good eye!

[@jerrybyrd7778]

To be honest, the only reason I clicked on the video was Erik. He is my favorite KZbin person. Your video is awesome to me for giving a great behind the scenes look at him. 😊

[@parkercombes]

Fantastic story telling by Call Me Mabie. Well done 👏

[@CallMeMabie]

Thanks so much!

[@mikeelu6503]

So I’m not as good as a craftsman as you but I do love woodworking, DIY stuff and have a very small shop “one car garage”. My father was a electrician but was amazing as he did everything and for the most part did it very well, he had a engineering mind so he built things that way. As a kid I also liked talking things apart and took apart my fathers pocket watch and got in trouble also a few other things like my bike cause I wanted to paint it. So my career didn’t require me the use my hands. I wish I got into a trades job but my father steered me away from it as he did work his ass off and wanted me to get a suit and tie job which I did and had a good job until I retired. Now I get critique by my youngest son who is brutally honest and he’s not wrong, I do a lot of stuff and it’s not bad but is not perfect and it isn’t art. When you have a full time job and you are a DIY er and your hobby is woodworking you are always rushing to get it done cause you have to go to work. Then you retire and your doing all the things you never had the time to do but it needed to be done and now you’re rushing to get it done before you die.

[@DetroitSicilian]

Thanks, appreciate the back story.

[@christopherharrison6724]

I was also inspired to start woodworking by Paul Sellers,now I’m inspired by you thanks for my continued journey.

[@NewmanSpecialsWoodwork]

Justin - this is just an absolutely incredible piece! It’s both visually appealing in your shots and the storytelling was superb. This was just so much fun to watch! Thanks for sharing this! 🙌🙌

[@joegee1699]

Buy that shop! You can do it! ❤🎉 Your furniture is breathtaking, and I hope I'm as skilled as you are someday 🙏 Tell them to toss in that slabside cobra, too! (If my eyes serve me right) Waving from Rochester!

[@paulmaryon9088]

What a wonderful video, thank you, inspiring, keep 'em coming, and be lucky

[@dionetaylor931]

Love your work

[@alemorb]

Terrific series of videos Justin.

[@leelucas1911]

Eric , its about the timber & bringing it to life for everybody to see!

[@jamesfrench8004]

Thoroughly enjoyed this!

[@leelucas1911]

Love your work by the way

[@davidmeyer9204]

Justin ANOTHER fantastic video. Thank you so much!

[@CallMeMabie]

Thanks for watching, man! 🤙🏻

[@user-su5dq1gr6z]

Inspired me so muuch ❤

[@jo_himself]

Another fantastic portrait. I am a huge fan of your work. And of course also in the works of Mr. Curtis.

[@CallMeMabie]

Dude. You are such a big support and I couldn’t appreciate it any more. Thank you!!

[@davidjohnmorris1127]

Awesome film, was waiting for this one ever since i saw larrissa's documentry. Keep up the great work, youtube would be a sadder place without your content!!

[@CallMeMabie]

I very much appreciate the compliment! Thanks for following along!

[@gsawoodworking969]

very cool video. thank you

[@Kernowwoods]

Inspiring 🤙

[@dpmeyer4867]

thanks

[@AndrewSzeto]

JUST GETTING INTO THIS! LOVE IT ALREADY!

[@CallMeMabie]

Thanks for watching, dude. Love ya!

[@ENCurtis]

I should have known you would keep in the bits where I explicitly said don’t use that 😂

[@CallMeMabie]

Never trust a videographer

[@dirkdiggler7887]

I want the Prius shirt!!

[@williammaxwell1919]

This may be the most hunble and self-revealing video you've made. I didn't realise you were still a "fresh face" when I started watcing your channel. Oportunities are what we create for ourselves while we are waiting for "the right moment" to pursue our dreams.. belies how rich our lives can be in the interum. As for "I don't think I could ever have a job again"; dude, you have an amazing job! You work hard and long hours making elegant pieces/ furniture /objet d'art for decerning cliental and the horde of Youtude. This raises a question, what is the name for the horde who follows EC? ~ an author(s) I know of has a fan base known as the "BDH" ~ the "Book Devouring Horde". Okay, challenge; what should EC's ardent devotees be known as? (not trying to make EC blush)

[@AndrewSzeto]

shopmates with Laryssa Huff... what a crew!

[@HillyBillyWoodworks]

What types of wood do you use your work awsome

[@make-somedust]

I spy Keith Johnson in your shop? Good content Erik

[@doyalkrishna5656]

That was a flat out bitchin’ vid!!! Erik you inspire me and Call Me Mabie you are seriously uppin’ your game bro!

[@CallMeMabie]

Thank you! I appreciate you checkin’ it out 🤙🏻

[@Kosh42EFG]

Love Eriks work. Though did i spot Keith Johnson taking that class?

[@CallMeMabie]

Good eye!

[@GibClark]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

👍

[@robertberger8642]

All the stuff I said for those other videos? Yeah, again, here.

[@mattmaxey5864]

Was that a camio from Keith Johnson? At 10:12

[@CallMeMabie]

Yes! You called it!

[@stavybananasify]

Is that not Keith Johnson at 10:15?

[@CallMeMabie]

It sure is! Good eye.

[@randsipe224]

We should have a whiskey or beer and talk about it.

[@FloridaRCFlyer]

I'd love to see your videos on Odysee as well!!!! You can mirror your channel so you don't have to upload everything twice.

[@MoreThanACarpenter369]

That’s what she said

[@williammaxwell1919]

Your student is aware beyond his /her years. If "Objects d'art" resonate with us invariably they exhibit Vitruvian characteristics. Unfortunantly few architectural /design students these days are exposed ti the wrings of the Roman architect Vitruvios which is reflected in out built environment

[@michalgregor351]

Dláta Narex z České republiky mé domoviny.