Name: Lucas Mann D’Angelo
Biz name/website: MannMadeInMa
Hometown/Current town: Massachusetts
Lucas Mann D’Angelo is a natural-born jack-of-all-trades. From a young age, Lucas was exposed to the woodshop and he hasn’t looked back. Based in Massachusetts, Lucas has worked in woodworking, metal fabrication, and restoring vintage machinery and tools. Lately, Lucas has been tackling a few projects, including Make48’s Make for Good Challenge and he will be assisting teams at Nationals! Learn more about his career, his most meaningful piece and find out what tool he couldn’t live without.
How long have you been a Maker and what are you most known for?
I always think it’s hard to answer that question with a hard date, but I’d say since I was first exposed to woodworking when I was 6 or 7 years old. Ever since, I’ve been making and expanding my horizons into other areas like welding, metalworking, and machining! I’d say at this point, despite what I’d like to be most known for, everyone knows me as the guy with a million vintage drill presses (I currently only have 8)! I have a serious affinity for antique machinery and tools and love restoring them.
What project or piece has meant the most to you and why?
Certainly the most meaningful project, while not a big fabrication or woodworking project, was actually building a scale model of the treehouse that my grandfather built for me when I was growing up. My maternal grandfather (family name of Mann, get it?) was extremely influential to me when it came to anything tool and making related. He would spend hours with me going through his toolboxes explaining what everything was and how it worked. I did my first woodworking project with him. My two uncles on the same side were right there with us, as they are both avid woodworkers as well.
When I was 7, my Grandpa designed and built a beautiful treehouse in the woods on his property for me - and it was my absolute favorite place to be. Decades later, it’s still there. In 2016, I decided for Christmas I wanted to make him a model of the treehouse that he was so proud of, so that if he and my Grandma ever moved, he could have that memory with him. So I made a very detailed little model treehouse with all the little details and gave it to him, and one of my favorite pictures is him holding the model in front of the real thing. Two years later he passed away, so my Grandma now treasures that memory.
We loved having you as part of the tool tech team at the Hartford event and can’t wait to see you at Nationals! What did you enjoy the most about your first Make48 competition?
My favorite part about the Hartford event was probably the facilities themselves - with the teams requiring such a wide variety of pieces to be created for their products, having the means to create anything was amazing! MakerspaceCT is equipped to the nines! I’ve heard amazing things about GoCreate in Wichita, so I cannot wait to get in there and start making!
What has being a maker and being in this community meant to you?
This community is absolutely amazing. I’ve been a maker since before this maker community as we know it today existed. It used to just be some forums! Even then, it was great to interact with all these like-minded people. Now with the advent of social media (IG, YouTube, etc), the endless wealth of knowledge that exists out there is so much more accessible! I love that! I have met so many great people through Instagram, some of which have become great friends, and I even met my better half through this maker community (spoiler alert, it’s fellow Make48 Tool Tech Dre)! Being a part of this supportive, friendly, and welcoming community has been extremely uplifting - and I feel that making sure that I can contribute back is super important to me.
Are there any projects coming up you’d like me to mention?
I’ve got a few fun projects coming up to spotlight some of my new Lincoln Electric gear, but I am really excited to start restoring my 1958 South Bend Heavy 10 lathe, which is quite literally a Barn Find pulled out of a falling-apart barn in Maryland, where it spent its entire life. That ought to be really fun!
Hot Takes
One tool you couldn’t do without:
My Hive sketchbook and pen! I really wouldn’t accomplish anything without starting with pen on paper.
Maker who inspires you:
A maker that inspires me is my friend Lee Ohman of @regalstreetwoodshop on IG. He’s a ton of fun and a super talented woodworker who will take on anything!
And lastly, what’s the longest you’ve stayed up to finish a project?
Probably 2AM, and it was finishing and packing up a machine restoration the night before we left for Make48 Hartford and Maker Camp!!