Hi, I’m Shawn Donke

I’ve always been fascinated by how things work.
As a kid, I was the one taking things apart just to see what was inside. I’d drag home junk lawn mowers, combine parts from two broken ones, and figure out how to make one run again. Cars, tractors, anything mechanical or electrical — if it was broken, I wanted to understand why and fix it myself.

When I turned 16, I got a job at Chuck E. Cheese repairing arcade machines. Most people focused on playing the games — I was more interested in keeping them running. Tracking down electrical issues, fixing controls, and getting machines back online is where I realized this was more than just a hobby.

That curiosity turned into a career. I went to college and became an Electrical Engineering Technician, and for the past 15 years I’ve been repairing and supporting industrial automation equipment and PLC-controlled systems. Troubleshooting electronics and controls has been my day-to-day work for most of my life.

After buying our first house, I ran into a familiar situation — there was a lot we wanted to change. Like many homeowners, I started researching, planning, and tackling projects ourselves. From building benches and walls to upgrading systems and tools, it became a natural extension of the work I’ve always done.

Bench & Build is where I share those projects — the electronics, the tools, the home upgrades, and the lessons learned along the way. Nothing fancy, nothing theoretical — just real builds, real tools, and practical solutions from the bench to the house.
Feel free to look through the blog and follow along with the projects as they come together.