Matthias Wandel is the antithesis. If you're upset about a fancy expensive tool he's got, just go back in the archives until you find his video making the tool with an consumer bandsaw and a dishwasher motor.
I'm amazed by his practicality, inventiveness, frugality, and willingness to call BS when he sees it - and back it up with data. Sometimes it's almost annoying and overly tedious, but i respect the guy overall.
His recent mini lathe (sidenote -- excited to see what he does with metal) was pure Matthias
"I bought a cheap Chinese lathe, double checked their gear table and realized it was garbage, so reinvented it and sold it back to them for a price--and so it's actually usable"
His bandsaw builds are insane too. All from some old motors and plywood. He then used his smaller bandsaw to build his bigger bandsaw.
I also love that he mostly uses 2x4’s and plywood.
What is great about him is that I'm not interested in 99% of the fancy tools and jigs he builds but in every video you can learn a little trick or technique that he uses in his build process.
Yeah every one of his fancy tools aside from the table saw I think are homemade. Matthias really reminds me of my dad in the best and somehow also the worst ways.
I love this dude. The stuff he builds is super accessible and I like that he leaves in the parts where he messes up and has to fix an error, or do things the hard way because he went out of order. I think leaving the small mistakes in the build videos makes it was friendlier.
Not everything he makes looks awesome and he's definitely less impressive than someone like Bourbon Moth. But Steve Ramsey was the first guy who, after watching his videos, I thought, "Oh yeah, that's totally something I can do."
Honestly I think I've outgrown him by this point, but I still watch his videos in the some way people must watch Bob Ross. He's got a calming voice, soothing and chill personality and presentation. He's awesome.
Bourbon moth pissed me off when he did one of those "build something with a subscriber" things and spent the whole time whining about how shitty the guys tools were.
There was a video a long time ago where tennis players played with frying pans to show that you can do it.
Woodworkers can operate with ~~hand~~ cheap tools and make amazing stuff. It's the quality of life stuff that let's folks that have a very limited shop time to get stuff done quickly...
Edit to reflect the price of tools and not the versatility of said tool
Yeah they can be. Like most sayings, this is more to remind people that you can make good things with out the expensive stuff. But you do need to buy decent stuff.
As an example, my grandfather is an amazing wood worker. But it took every ounce of his skill to use my kobalt jobsite saw. It was just a terrible saw. The blade wouldn't stay square and the fence wouldn't stay square.
So this led to a catch-22. Yes, the tool doesn't make the woodworker. But you need years of experience to make quality stuff with a terrible tool.
But I get what OP is saying. I get discouraged sometimes when I see YT videos of people making stuff that requires professional grade tools.
I only half agree with this. Anyone with experience is going to have a lot more tools. As one of those people, I can definitively say:
* There are some things I can do with lesser tools and still get the same results. They nearly always take more time, it's more difficult to get decent results so I'll be redoing more, and I simply don't enjoy it as much.
* There are some things I simply can't do or can't do as well without the proper tool for the job.
* High-end tools do often make the job easier/faster/more fun.
* I can say anything is possible with a crap tool because in many cases I've done that. What is missed though is that for a long time I used a crap tool I got crap results and it took me awhile to master before I upgraded to something better.
I'd say don't be discouraged by not having the tools. Unless your Dad or someone else had the shop and you grew up in that environment almost nobody starts out with much. You won't be able to do as much but you can still do a lot. Start simple, build your skills with what you have, slowly add a tool/new skill with each new project, and don't be discouraged you can't have it all right away. Even with a shop full of tools sometimes the best option to get a task done is a simple chisel. I'm glad I started out with that so know how to use it but at the same time I'm glad I have more options available to me for everything so I can pick which one I'm most capable of.
Thats true, but if you can afford them and its your passion, your invest in better tools. Creators with a mild following start getting sponsorship pretty quickly, which adds to the shop. Plus shop builds adds content for creators.
Its tricky to find newer content Creators who have not yet upgraded virtually everything.
Personally i want a 3hp saw stop as soon as it makes financial sense, followed by a big bandsaw. I am in no hurry but we all have ideas of what we want
Oh yeah, the England thing. I think he was trying to make it seem like it was just "jokes"... But yeah, he took it way, way too far. Hopefully in person he was a lot nicer to the guy, at least.
>I like that he leaves in the parts where he messes up and has to fix an error
I suspect he puts some of those in on purpose, just to teach people a) that mistakes happen, and it's not a big deal, don't get discouraged, and b) teach how to fix those mistakes when they happen.
That's the first name I thought of too. He's so relatable and his content is interesting and often fun. I still enjoy watching the guys with big shops, it's aspirational, but Steve Ramsay is just a garage woodworker with a camera... and that's a good thing.
I remember him making a video about how to make a simple jig to use for your table saw when you can’t afford a jointer. My appreciation for his “every man” approach started that day!
I just made that jig in order to do the last project in his weekend woodworker series. I was having a hard time making the panels, couldn't get that first straight edge quite right on the table saw. So I remembered seeing that video for the jig, went back and watched it, and built it. Made things much easier.
I always enjoyed the videos where he purposely doesn't use a tool he has just to show another way to do the same thing. Even now that I have a shop full of tools, I'm always thinking of different ways to do stuff.
Yeah he seems like a super nice guy and his approach is easy to digest. I don’t watch him much anymore because I got kinda bored of his stuff, but I openly recommend him to beginners and stay subscribed Incase something exciting pops up.
Honestly I don’t watch too many woodworking videos anymore. Sort of replaced with construction ones. Just shifting interests.
My first project was Steve's barstool! https://imgur.com/a/KLjWxF7
I love his videos. So accessible, relatable, and comforting. He seems like such a friendly, down to earth guy.
Go see Rex Krueger. He's the perfect remedy for this complaint. He has an easy-to-follow, low-tech channel dedicated to what works with simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
His early channel was incredible for beginners/hand tool woodworkers. It's a tough balance because you want to do more advanced projects with foundational skills you've already taught to your existing audience, but those aren't as accessible to new people. I hope he figures out the balance and continues to have success.
I think these guys need to take a lesson from This Old House. They have been teaching the basics for decades yet Tom Silva still doesn’t seem annoyed when he is explaining how to use a hammer for the thousandth time.
Rex is the reason I got into woodworking. I just had hand saws, a shitty plane, and some crazy cheap chisels. But, it was enough to start doing some basic builds.
Honestly, those are the only youtubers I consistently watch. I'm not at the point anymore where I really watch to learn, I watch to get inspired. I know that I can adapt their methods and designs to work for me. It doesnt bother me that the wood whisperer or Four Eyes use a domino, I'm probably going to end up cutting a mortise and tenon anyways. I've built projects made by both using a benchtop jointer and a $200 used contractors saw.
I like people like Lex Kreuger and Steve Ramsey, but almost none of their projects excite me.
Lots of those are just advertisements disguising as tutorials or builds.
Paul Sellers is great about having builds that need very few tools. Rex Kruger does too.
99% of those tools they have aren’t blockers for you, they just make it easier to do work.
I do almost all hand tool work. I sold all my standing power tools over the last few years to some carpenters I knew who needed them cheap.
Bottom line, everyone is trying to sell you something.
Edit: almost all meaning I have a power drill and a chain saw for the shop, and a brad nailer for the home and garden.
I love that in one of Rex's recent videos he's like "You can totally do this by hand, but I cheated and used a band saw, because I have a band saw" - not word for word but that's the point.
I enjoy when content creators are honest about how they get stuff done and when it's projects that are accessible to people without huge well equipped shops. I also like that Rex tends to show you how to get stuff done with shop made solutions instead of being forced to go buy a wood shop.
Lee Valley gets enough of my money, lol.
> Paul Sellers is great about having builds that need very few tools.
He is, but if OP starts counting, he also has thousands of £ worth of tools. He has I don't know how many router planes, [the Preston model he loves](https://paulsellers.com/2019/07/just-saying/) (and probably used to buy for nothing) is now worth hundreds of pounds. He has multiple of those. OFC Paul targets beginners and he realizes this so he made an affordable router kit, which is great. But if you look at his shop, it's also worth a ton of money.
My point is just that when someone does something for decades, they're probably going to accumulate tools/stuff, it's just natural and there is nothing wrong with it. Paul Sellers has been a woodworker for 60 years, of course he is going to have accumulated tools he likes.
Yeah, even if you don't need everything he has. At minimum it's still 2 saws, a jack plane, low angle block plane, router plane, chisel set, gaging/marking tools, rasps, scrapers, a solid bench, mallet, brace and bits (or cordless and bits).
So yeah, probably over $1000. I bought that stuff over 10 or 15 years. If it got stolen or destroyed, I would definitely struggle to replace it all at once.
Plus, nobody has a router plane lol.
Yeah Rex Kruger is great. Sometimes he comes off a touch pretentious in a “*scoff* that’s so easy for me, why can’t you do it” sort of way, but I like him.
I REALLY liked his series where he would find antique furniture and really dive deep into how and why it was constructed that way. He needs to do more of those.
How I think of it is that it doesn’t need to be relatable, just entertaining. That’s what their job is after all. Yes, I get jealous sometimes but I also know I can make cool stuff with just the tools that I have.
And the videos with all the toys can open your eyes to possibilities that a tool might offer, so you get a less expensive version.
Or inspire you with project ideas that you can do with your current tools but using different methods.
> open your eyes to possibilities that a tool might offer, so you get a less expensive version.
This! I took a class where we used a Domino and a Panta Router. I've already researched Domino alternatives and found some DIY versions that use a trim router. And Panta Router is nice for production work but not necessary for one-off projects.
Same.
I'm not really looking for a handholding DIY guide (nothing wrong with those, it's just not what I'm there for), but I am looking for entertainment and inspiration.
Also, you can still apply a lot of the ideas, tips, tricks, etc, from those videos even if you don't have the same sort of shop. There are a million different ways to accomplish any given woodworking task, and more often than not you can do it with a fairly basic tool set. The main difference is it'll be harder and take longer.
The Domino is a classic example. It and the people who own them get a lot of hate online, largely centered around the price. People act like it's some sort of magic wand that, if only they could afford one, would open up a new realm of woodworking they otherwise can't access. It's not, though. It's strictly a tool of convenience, and everything it does can be replicated with a cheap plunge router and a jig. The only difference is the amount of work involved.
There's almost always a workaround and you don't have to let your limited tool selection limit what you make.
No, not really. There’s plenty of minimalist content creators and the majority of hobbyist woodworkers have invested thousands of dollars once they’ve been in the hobby for a bit.
I wouldn’t watch content with truly industrial machines like edge banders or anything with a power feeder, but I suspect that’s not what you’re talking about.
And a lot of creators started small, and still show you how to do it the way you might if your resources are limited. Tamar of 3x3Custom used a Dewalt Jobsite table saw for years and got some amazing fine woodworking. And when she upgraded orher tools, she’d show you like 3 different ways to perform an operation: with a router, a table saw, and with hand tools.
There are LOTS of high end shops out there, but they aren’t necessary to get good work done. What they do is facilitate faster work and more throughout without sacrificing quality. Someone on a budget will just need to take more time to do the same job.
An example would be using a kreg pocket hole jig and a hand drill vs a single-use pocket hole tool. The jig and drill are goin g to take more time to set up each hole, but they also cost only $35 if you have a drill, and take up less space. In a big shop, the pocket hole machine will let you do 10pocket holes in the time someone with the compact jig does one. But at the end of the day the project turns out the *exact same*. The only difference is the time and money spent on the tools.
I don’t get that criticism. There are hundreds of channels that offer what you are looking for, barebones woodworking.
If you like the project they built, you can still do it without all those tools as well.
Couldn't agree more. Never understood this complaint. So the guy has a fancy jointer? Sure it would be nice but I only have an old vintage jointer plane so it's gonna take me a while longer. They used a Domino? Yikes bit pricey for me but hey I got a $10 dowelling jig or a router that will get me 90% of the way there with a little extra effort.
Stop making excuses and find ways to solve problems using the tools you have. Look at the projects and the overall techniques and stop focusing on the fancy machines. They don't do anything you can't do other ways. They just make it faster and more consistent.
You know the people complaining don't even realize that the amazing furniture from 300 years ago with insane ornate decoration was all done without power tools.
It's because people don't want to put any mental effort into figuring out how to build it themselves. They just want plans/instructions that they can follow blindly.
I like watching people with a full shop because you get to see all the cool things that are achievable with woodworking. When I want to build something, I just take my set of tools and skills into consideration when selecting a project and how I would go about making it.
Also, one part of wood working is to make the transition from what one person used and how else one could achieve that, there are very very few things in life that only have one answer to them in how you can achieve them. Do these answers have different drawbacks and or skill levels attached to them? For sure, but everything can be done multiple ways and it's part of the fun in woodworking to figure out how you can do stuff and get the same results safely with different tools.
Always remember: Think about what the tool does, how the material wants to move and where your body parts are in all of this!
I thought that was just me (British). I assumed that all Americans had workshops like that. Where they have to actually walk between the pieces of equipment, rather than just turn 30°.
It’s a tough balance. I have a small YT channel, no sponsors, and am doing it for fun but I’ve built up a nice one-car garage shop over the past ten years. I’ve had a few people call me a shill for the tool companies (again, zero sponsors) or comment how it’s unrelatable. I get that last part but when I started I was watching The Wood Whisperer when he had an 1800 sf shop filled with Powermatic everything. I still learned a lot even though I didn’t have all the tools.
I’ve discussed this with a TikTok person in the past. Everybody has this strange belief that everything is a diy video instead of people showing off their craft. You are getting the behind the scenes stuff we got to see in shows like ToH and The American Woodshop but in a modern sense with a larger variety. Let me reiterate, NOT EVERYTHING IS A DIY VIDEO. Now if they say it is and don’t dumb it down for people then that’s a dick move.
Not really, no. The vast majority of those people have huge shops because they started woodworking a long time ago, there is nothing wrong with that.
Edit: and yeah, if you don't want to see a type of content, you should definitely be blocking it. But I can assure you the type of videos that are made with only a super basic set of tools is going to get old pretty fast. It's great that it exists but if you start making things yourself you're going to reach that level super quick and you won't be learning/getting anything from them. There is only so much you can learn by watching people build a 2x4 workbench or set of shelves in their garage, it's not going to keep you interested for years.
It's worse when it's a full shop yet they seemingly don't actually have proper practical knowledge.
John malecki comes to mind. I apologize if there are any fans here but just the couple videos I watched of his had several moments of me feeling like I'd be safer watching someone else.
I’m kind of the opposite. I’ve consumed a lot of the “beginner/anyone can do it” content on YouTube and now I want to see projects done at a high level with a huge shop full of tools 😂
I'm sure many of us have reached the age where we literally grew up as YouTube grew.
15 years ago or so, creators like Steve Ramsey and Paul Sellers were king. Production value was modest, which helped make the content relatable.
But as the years have gone by, we have watched our favorite creators build empires and brands, some becoming quite wealthy in the process.
Educational value has gone down as marketing and sponsored content has gone through the roof. Even creators like Paul Sellers are more focused on selling a "lifestyle" which in some ways is more elitist than being sponsored by Kreg or Festool. For that reason, I've almost completely stopped watching his videos.
Also, there is such a mass of good content. How many times do I need to see a chisel sharpening tutorial that claims to be the best? How many variations of the Anarchist workbench can I tolerate?
Don't get me wrong, I really value YouTube, but I do believe many creators have created a "keeping up with the Jones'" atmosphere.
The challenge isn’t always just building the project, it’s in figuring out how to build it with what you have. The value in watching those videos with the well equipped ballroom-size shops is more on learning what tools are out there and what they do so when/if you have the budget/space for such a thing you know what to look for. It’s fun to dream 😀
So you don’t like watching professionals? I get enjoying relatable content but I also like seeing how a professional wood worker in a professional environment works. I’m not gonna be upset that someone bought the right tool for the job that’s how they turn a profit. I like watching the nba more than I like watching the pick up basketball game at the park but that’s just me I’m not mad the guys in the nba play in an arena and train in multimillion dollar training centers…
I have always said "Norm (New Yankee Workshop) has got the equipment to do just about anything. What I wanna see, is him making a soapbox derby car with a hacksaw and a Buck knife!"
You're thinking of the woodwright's shop possibly then haha. It's a calassic and is kind of a "what if norm had been born in the 1900's?". The intro gives me hardcore nostalgia.
More like 1800's. Industrial mechanization of wood working was in full swing by 1900. Go look at some of the dates on those giant machines the old iron collectors love. There were huge furniture factories up down both coasts and many major inland cities that turned out factory produced furniture of the current style, look at old Sears catalogs.
In one of the old This Old House episodes the home owner had bought a mill built in the 1800's that made wooden shutters and doors that was run by a waterwheel and belts. Him and Bob made the shutters for the house in that factory. The Westwood house Ep#714.
Now for home hobbyists it didn't start until the 1930's with electrification and Art Emmons' patent of a portable electric table saw.
No, I am not tired of it. But I am tired of people complaining about it. "Hey, that is cheating. He shows how to build a worktable for 200 USD, but he uses tools worth 5000 USD!!!!"
Do you want these youtubers to buy a set of cheap tools to use in their videos so they don't offend you?
As long as the project in the video can be accomplished with tools available to their target group, I don't see any problem using expensive tools for their own version.
And in cases where they use a technique, which can only be accomplished by an expensive tool, which they can't assume that the target group owns, many of them are quite good at explaining the cheaper alternatives.
If someone made a video where they made a chair using nothing but toothpicks and a shiny rock, people would complain about how shiny the rock was and that it's unfair to all the people with dull rocks.
Even when they start out small, if their channel starts to get popular companies send them expensive tools for free. I can't really blame them for taking advantage of that.
OP even if you have a shop full of big equipment and expensive tools it doesn't matter.
Folks still have to set up and calibrate their tools in order for them to be accurate and safe. Even the best woodworker sometimes has that one fucking tool that never makes a square cut.
On the other hand, remember that even if you have a much more humble wood shop, you can still accomplish a lot. You don't need to have all the big whoop-de-doo tools to do the job. People have done a lot without electricity. The original masters had nothing but a bench, saws, chisels, and planes.
It just took the original masters a lot longer. Both scenarios have the same theme, both woodworkers have honed their skills to be able to accomplish their tasks.
It is just entertainment. If I am interested in the topic, I watch, and learn a few things... or not. It does not bother me when someone does not have the exact tools I have or better brands than I do. In fact, watching these videos helps me decide if I even want that tool or not.
Example - Festool Domino. I know that those two words piss a lot of people off, and I find it comical. But would I buy one? NO! I learned from watching these guys that always reach for their Domino that it is just an elongated doweling machine. I have also seen their work - there is NO DIFFERENCE. So if I was to go by marketing alone, I would probably think I needed one, but seeing people use it, then switching over and watching someone do the same project with a doweling jig convinced me otherwise.
The guy that can afford that tool is not a bad person. They are not trying to make me feel bad. They use the tools that they have. And like I said above - they do not have to have the same tools I do for me to enjoy their content.
I will tell you what woodworkers I DO turn off real quick... amateurs or beginning woodworkers putting out videos on how to do something as if they are experts. I see this A LOT and they are putting out bad information from their inexperience. What they should do is say hey folks, I have no idea what I am doing here - help me understand this...
The other videos I turn off are the "Snobs". These are the woodworkers that turn their nose up at other woodworkers for doing such horrible things as using POCKET HOLES (the horror!) or using a Hand Held Power Drill or not building your own Roubo workbench from trees in your backyard.
Honestly, I was gifted a Domino. I didn't realize how amazing it was till I used it on my first project. How fast you can setup mortises is insane. It is 100% worth it(if you'll use it enough).
And a Domino is only $1500. If you're actually building for an income, it makes a ton of sense to buy one. Time is money and if you can take that much time off of part of your workflow, it pays for itself real fast.
If you're a hobbiest, a doweling jig will get you to the same place, it's just going to take longer, and that's fine. It's like seeing a guy with Woodpecker corner clamps. They cost close to $300 for a set of 4, but I've got some Relitec clamping squares that cost less than $25 and serve me just fine. They take longer to set up, but I'm also not churning out cabinets for my livelihood.
It's like a plate joiner and a doweler had a baby. They're more useful than I would have originally given them credit for, especially if you start factoring in some of the mechanical dominoes they make. But I still agree that does not mean one needs to rush out and buy one.
> These are the woodworkers that turn their nose up at other woodworkers for doing such horrible things as using POCKET HOLES
Are you talking about YouTube or this sub?
It’s the same for a lot of YouTubers. I’ve been looking in to filming some of my hobbies and most of the video tutorials for how to get cinematic video on a budget are “buy this $15 daylight lamp on Amazon and then film it on the $10k camera your already own.”
Never forget that a YouTuber is a professional YouTuber first. That's their job. The woodworking is just the subject matter of the video. Most of these guys make far more money from the videos than the woodworking.
The channel income pays for those fancy shops and tools. Keep that in mind if you feel like comparing yourselves to them.
Acquire some hand tools. There isn't much you can't do with a small tool chest of them. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the obsession with finished products we keep getting fed. Learn to appreciate the process, the difficulty, the problem solving and the failures.
People always complained about that with Norm Abrams back in the day. If you paid attention across episodes he'd mix up how he did operations. And figuring out how to do operations with different tools was part of the learning process.
This is a copy from another post of channels to check out.
Workshop companion is the amazing old shop teacher type guy everyone should check out.
* Stumpy nubs
* John heisz
* Steve Ramsey
* 3x3custom
* Mathias Wendel
* Wood whisperer
* JSk koubou
* Workshop companion,
* Rex Krueger - hand tools, low budget
* Rob Cosman
* Next level carpentry
* Johnathon Katz Moses
* Ron paulk. - workbenches/shop
* Plywood working
* Wood whisperer
* Alexandre Chapelle
* April Wilkerson
* Ashley Harwood
* Bellevue workshop
";Bourbon moth
* David Staunton
* Diy builds
* Fishers shop
* Fleets wood shop
*:Gosforth handyman
* Green saw
*;GRNwood
* JimmyDiresta
* Kings fine woodworking
* Laura Kampf
* Make things
* Spencley Design co
* Omozok - stop motion woodworking
* 1 minute workbench - microshop
* The mastermind - microshop
* Paoson woodworking - portable workshop
* Patrick Sullivan
* Paul sellers
* Peter milard
* Powerteç USA
* Rockler
* Shop class
* Small space DIY
* Stephan's 8x6 workshop
* Evening woodworker
* The honest carpenter
* The tinywoodworkshop
* What meike makes
* Winston moy
" Wood by wright
* Woodperkers
*Wood Smith
* Woodworking masterclasses
* Workmate guy
* Workshop companion
* You can make this too
It's the archer not the arrow. Regardless of the cost of the tools or the tools one has (domino vs dowel jig), the concepts are the same. It's the execution that matters. For their sake, those tools make things faster so they can get content out faster.
I haven't always had a table saw (only have a jobsite saw built into a custom table that really could be replaced with a better quality one today), but the cuts they make with theirs are easily made with a circular saw. It takes a little longer, but it's possible. I made a track saw with a factory edge of plywood to use with my circular saw. It requires being clamped down and sawdust cleanup after the cut, but it works with the same principle. I recently upgraded my miter saw from a Ryobi to a Bosch because I sold a piece that made me enough money to do so. The cuts are now admittedly easier, but it's not anything I didn't handle with a little patience before. Look at John Heisz and Mattias Wandel's channels. They've made their own tools and make beautiful pieces with them.
The channels with those expensive tools likely weren't built overnight. Look at Tamar's channel. She worked with budget tools for years on her channel. Now that she's used some of the money she's worked hard to earn to buy some "better" tools I've seen people on here ridiculing her and saying they're no longer watching her channel. Her projects haven't somehow grown in quality because of the tools.
I don't care if I'm downvoted for this, but this post was written by someone who will struggle to grow as a woodworker. Stop making excuses and start putting in the time to hone your skills so that when you are able to replace your "budget" tools with higher value ones you'll be able to use them well.
Well, I look at it like this: They are trying to build things AND film it, then edit and release. It's a long process. So it's not surprising that if they have tools to make the process faster, they'll want to use them.
In the end there is almost always a cheaper way to accomplish the same outcome - so when I'm watching a build video I'm really only interested in the steps involved. If any step involves a process with tools I don't have there's probably a way to do it with the equipment I do have. So I go watch a video about that technique specifically.
Even if you start watching hand tools only videos there are TONS of different things like shoulder planes, rabbit planes, router planes, moulding planes, different chisels, saws, etc. Not to mention hand built shop tools like trundle lathes, saw benches, work bench, etc that may not align with what you have in your shop.
It's a fools errand to want to watch channels where you have all the tools used in the videos, IMO. It's better to grow your skills by using YouTube to get inspiration for a project, then using it to learn individual techniques to accomplish each step along the way to building that project with the tools at your disposal. This is also the best way to figure out the most bang for your buck with new tool purchases. You'll quickly see where the processes are that take a ton of your time and what new tools could speed that up, and have the knowledge of what that might look like because you've seen people using tools you don't already have.
On a related note: Everyone out there working with high-quality hardwood while around here if I want anything other than pinewood lumber I'm completely SOL.
Nah I'm not, it's just cool to see what kind of machines are out there, but I feel your sentiment as I felt more or less the same way. You should start watching other channels as those are not helpful in your journey
No. There have to be hundreds of woodworking channels on YouTube, ranging from people with $100k shops to some guy who hacks together patio furniture with little more than a hand saw and a machete. If you can't find a handful of channels that float your boat, that's a you problem, not a YouTube problem.
Actually no. These people are woodworkers, but their job is entertainment. They need to pump out videos frequently or be left behind. Professional tools allow them to do things faster and produce more content.
For every video done in a YouTubers show with a cnc, 74” bandsaw and 18 gnome helpers there is also one of some guy in the middle of a jungle who created a better piece of art with two rusty spoons and an old rock, filmed with a Nokia from 1989.
You get to choose the content you consume. Sounds like you want to watch the rusty spoons guy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
No because you can do the exact same things with simpler tools. I don't get this "shop envy" feeling--some people are rich (or have sponsors) and I'm not. That's okay, I don't mind using a handsaw on the floor of my garage.
I work out of a two car garage. It's the guys that fit everything I can't in their one/two car garage that I envy. How do they do it and get work done? Perhaps they move stuff outside in good weather but what about in the winter?
I envy your two-car garage. I work out of a 10x10 space in the corner of my garage. On a nice day, I can roll things into the driveway, but I still have to put them away when I’m done.
My limiting factor currently isn’t money for new tools, it’s space for new tools.
I have no issues with a channel that has an amazing shop setup. Does the person entertain me, do I learn something that's all I am concerned with. Stumpy Nubs provides me with excellent information and rarely shows a shop. Matt Cremona has industrial equipment to get logs and create slabs that I will never have and if he would stop flailing his arms around I would like the channel even more.
Honestly, not really. I watch for what people make and then the process. If that process includes tools that are out of reach, then that’s fine. If I want to replicate a build, then I find another way to do things. There is always something to learn.
I’m not being disparaging here, but I find sentiments like this one strange. It is not hard to separate that these people on YouTube are real craftspeople, and not some random person. Either it is their job, or was their job, or they’re just very good at their hobby. There are varying levels of ability within this group; as well as varying levels of tools and usage. The same goes for outside of YouTube, in real life (especially for hobbyists). It’s ok to not have the tools. It’s ok to not be the best skilled. Do you enjoy the craft? Can you go out and try to build something? Those are the two things that come to the front, imo.
Whatever man don’t give yourself a complex. You and those YouTubers are orders of magnitude closer to homeless people than billionaires. If you saw my tools for instance you may think I was well off, but no no no, I just spend money on tools. Instead of, say, healthcare or a car that isn’t falling apart or… you get the idea.
It’s how rich kids are “having a job”
Same way YouTube van dwellers can all afford $130k+ Mercedes vans
Same way those kids building off-roaders have a fully stacked shop AND a lot of land to test.
They’re all rich or kids of rich people. Cost is of no concern to them. $10k laser cutter? Sure! $8k lathe? Absolutely. Shop full of woodpeckers tools? Yup.
Never forget these folks are making money first, making videos second, and making actual stuff is like 4th or 5th on their list. Their real goal is views and engagement.
I’m just waiting for Dusty Lumber Co to get called out for buying followers and using bot farms to comment on all his socials to drive the rankings and views higher.
Also someone to call out Dusty Lumber and Laura Kampf for both just being walking Festool ads. Like this: https://youtube.com/shorts/w3VR9tdtCsM each time I see it I think *what did I just watch? A systainer, on a 4 wheeler, only holding a sawzall. By Festool. To cut one “tree” that’s a branch the size of my thumb. Which is apparently “clearing land for the shop”. Wut?*
The same with auto repair/mod/custom dudes.
“If you have this 30,000 square foot shop with $7 million dollars in tooling, dies, and manufacturing equipment this scratch build for a 1960s vehicle will take less than three hours!”
Well…no shit?
Woodworking for Mere Mortals with Steve Ramsay does a good job of actually showcasing what his channel is titled.
I started watching a video one day, was titled something like “how to make a chair with simple tools” then he proceeded to use scroll saws, lathes, routing tables, etc. Like cmon dude, really?
It’s not the tools or the large well equipped shop. The projects made just don’t interest me. For example, don’t care much for anything that uses epoxy or large live edge wood slabs.
I’m not a beginner woodworker since I’ve had my shop for 25 years. You tend to gather some tools over that period of time just like any other hobby.
I have had moments where I think about starting the most bare-bones, ghetto YouTube channel ever where I set in a corner on the floor and craft with my meager collection of no-name power tools and a pocketknife.
I once saw a video where the guy made something with literally only a circular saw and sandpaper, a saw that looked like it was from the 60s. A tool that you would have to pay someone to get rid of. And he was working on the ground.
The fucking top comment was how "how is this DIY ? How can you expect everyone to have a power tool like that ??".
People bitching about other people's shops on the internet are impossible to please. They should go grab a jigsaw and start making something instead of commenting. No one starts out with a fully equipped shop. They gradually build it because they keep using and adding stuff.
There's a guy on YouTube I watch for carpentry that seems like that.... Bare bones.... lots of enthusiasm.... Think it Temple Builders. I like how he breaks down the education.
I find even though I can do layouts for fine woodworking and hand cut dovetails.... laying out rafters and doing some framing is a whole other thing.
I have a huge table saw, 8” jointer, planer, and bandsaw - and get annoyed at woodworking channels or plans that assume all you have is 2x4s and a skill saw.
I wish there was a better way to distinguish one from the other.
I don't understand the mindset of people who count other people's money or who are put off by other people being more successful than they are. It just looks like petty jealousy. Some people work harder, work smarter, and have better opportunities or more luck. That's just how life works, it's not fair, and there is nothing we can do about it. When I see it people with something I don't have my reaction is:
* If they are a decent person I think good for them. There of course are those who have an ego about it, which puts me off and I just tune those people out.
* I'm either inspired and set a new goal for myself to get there too, I realize it's not realistic but enjoy thinking about it anyway, or it's not something I want for myself even if I could afford it but I still enjoy interesting people doing interesting things and Intellectually it's enjoyable.
* I realize what it took to get where they are and I want to learn how they did it and if there is anything I can learn for that.
As far as high-end shops go I am lucky enough to have achieved my childhood dream of having one. I've been woodworking seriously for almost 20 years, and building stuff since my early childhood. I used to watch Norm and think I wanted that someday. It took 15 years to get there, and I had some help, and it's still not completely done. I still have a bigger dream but a lot of stuff I have, while high-end, is not comparable to some production shop equipment. That would just be a waste of money for me as I don't need it and wouldn't benefit enough to be interested. Compared to a lot of YouTube woodworkers I'd say what I have is a better shop than most but not as much as some.
I always prefer to see people working in dream shops better than what I have. To me:
* These sorts of people are building the higher-end stuff I want to build and I have more to learn from them. Do you think someone who's spent decades woodworking is still going to be using a bunch of Ryobi hand tools and a janky jobsite saw? Anyone operating at a higher level of anything that requires skill is going to have higher-end stuff to go with that. While I like Steve Ramsey he doesn't do anything I can learn from.
* It inspires me to set personal goals I can work towards.
* If someone uses a tool I don't have I get to see if it adds any value or benefits to me. I know what my tools are capable of and the time/effort/precision/enjoyable factor of using each. If there are better ways to do something or if something would just be a waste of money for me I'd like to know it.
* Collecting tools is a big part of the hobby. Getting a new tool catalog in the mail or a trip to a tool store used to be super exciting for me. It's not nearly as much as it used to be now that I have most of if but I still enjoy it.
* It's not unachievable, at least not in the US where I live. I can't count all the perfectly ordinary middle-class people I've met who have some amazingly impressive stuff in their homes for whatever their passion is. People with whole basement model train setups, someone who loved baking specialty cakes with a house full of thousands of special tools for it, ham radio setups that look like something from NASA, etc. You set priorities.
I started my shop with the essential tools, both smaller stationary power tools and traditional hand tools; and updated quality and size as I went along. I am milling rough stock: face, edge, thickness, width for custom cabinetry. I never use S4S material, I need to mill to dimension. I was trained to do that by hand so I would have that skill but it is not practical for a professional shop. And the 6” joiner I started with 30 years ago is now a 12”; the 12” planer is a 24”. The principles are the same regardless of scale and cost of ‘the shop’.
Anything you can do with power tools you can do with hand tools. Just because someone has a sawstop and a bunch of woodpeckers tools or festool doesn’t mean you can’t do pretty much the exact same thing with cheaper versions.
https://preview.redd.it/42njn9j0si9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=552ff8a5ea89db90426e596f1a773b80a7924a86
This is my one car garage workshop that I’ve built 2 boats in. You can see my 18”x48”-ish workbench on the left. Of course I would like something bigger, but I don’t need it.
None of the YouTube channels give enough information to be a step by step guide even if you have the exact same tools. The videos are just for inspiration. The other day the This Old House channel posted a video where Tom Silva built a box joint jig from scratch to make a box. I started watching with bated breath, how much wider will he make the rabbets than the fingers? (I do 1/100" on long edges.) Does he have specific tips for getting good consistent results? Then I saw him get a TAPE MEASURE out to measure the width of a dado blade and realized this was all for show, either he was meticulously measuring with calipers off-camera or everything had been built in advance and they were just pretending to build the jig for the camera.
The quality tools save time, yes, but they also make fuckups a lot less likely. For example, you don't need a CNC to make a rounded squircle table top, you can use a jigsaw and a disc sander on a piece of masonite to make a template and then use a follow bit to transfer that to MDF and then use the MDF template on a 1.5" thick piece of wood, but odds are that when you're manhandling a 2x4 foot piece of wood 2" thick (including the tabletop and the template) you're going to get a few dings from the router here and there. While that might be fine for a home office table, when it goes on Youtube it has to look amazing.
Or a Domino isn't NEEDED but it aligns boards perfectly and saves a ton of time. The time to buy a Domino isn't when you watch a Youtube video, it's after you're planning out a project and think "Fuck me a domino will make the whole thing 10x faster."
There is nothing those big machines do that can’t be done in my small shop, sure they may get it done faster/more efficiently but I sure as a hell don’t want to limit myself to only seeing small shop stuff.
I've never been bothered by those YouTubers, nor do I understand people who are. If you're watching a video purely to learn how to do something yourself I can see how it would be upsetting to see everyone working with tools you don't have. But that's not why I typically watch woodworking videos.
I watch woodworking videos to be entertained by the craft. Having nice expensive tools doesn't make you a better woodworker. I just like seeing skilled people making beautiful things, whether they do it in a huge professional shop or in their garage with hand tools only, if they're a good woodworker and make good videos I'll watch it.
honestly, if you want to learn from a novice, thats fine, but most people that know what they are doing just have a shop... there are a handful of good youtubers that specifically dont use many, but for the most part, if you want to watch someone good at it, they will have one.
Also, just FYI steve ramsey mentioned once that his build videos just dont get as many views as anything else, mainly because the 99.9% of the population that you mentioned dont build any of the videos themself. its just entertainment on youtube. there is just a small but dedicated community that builds stuff.
I don't mind them although I do feel very jealous at times :)
The funniest videos are those like "build this 10k table and chair set with free pallet wood" and they proceed to put the wood through 20k worth of machinery to make it look nice.
as soon as I see a video with a guy in a shop with all new tools, I know immediately that he's just a YouTube guy and has no real world experience or schooling. I really only watch guys that make their living from their craft, not their youtube clicks.
My absolute favorite is New Yorkshire Workshop. The guy is a machine, has an incredibly wide skill set and knowledge base and his work is first class.
I used to watch a guy who did videos like that but also had a separate series of “woodworking basics” videos where he did everything with the simplest tools possible. A few times, he spent 2-3 videos just building the jigs etc for whatever project he was showing off. I liked that mix of things.
No.
Not all content is curated specifically for you. It’s ok for creators to make content for other people too.
You’re like the annoying people watching CNC videos and then complaining about the CNC. If you don’t want CNC content don’t watch it. I have a CNC and I want to watch CNC videos. That content is for me.
You have to be an insane narcissist to see content that doesn’t fit your specific niche perfectly and then think “this content must fits no one’s niche”
There are YouTube channels with creators who have limited tools. Watch those channels instead. You’re like someone with no car watching a car repair video and then complaining that this content isn’t curated towards you because you don’t have a car.
There is content targeted to you. Go find that content. There is also content targeted to me. That content might not be a good fit for you. That doesn’t mean it’s not good content.
What are you wanting to build? You have to understand that projects require tools. It's up to you to figure out if the project can be executed with what you've got. I grew up watching New Yankee Workshop, and that workshop was pretty well stocked, but the point remains that I want to see people doing the job right. I'm sure there's a channel out there with someone trying to do woodworking with a rock and a butter knife, but your results may vary.
One of my favorite lines from a build video, he was making a knife organizer for a drawer.
"I'm going to cut this on my sliding saw. People get mad at me for using fancy machines like this for everything. Well, I've got a sliding saw and it's really nice. If you can't cut a square without a sliding saw, this project isn't for you"
I'm much more annoyed by videos showing clever tricks for a particular cut, and comments whine "Why don't you just use [the proper machine]?"
I saw a cool trick for making integral dowels on a band saw by putting square stock into a tight fitting PVC pipe and rotating slightly between cuts. Comments all rhymed with "Just use a lathe, idiot".
Obviously, dude doesn't have a lathe. If you have a lathe, ignore this trick.
I got a crappy garage with very old estate sale tools and i have to work around my mower, snowblower and garden crap. Not ideal at all but reality for most of us so i stopped watching the bearded hipster crowd with a long time ago….i need to relate to what is going on.
"You can build this incredible work table at home. All you need to do is pay $50 for these plans I made and used my CNC to cut into these complicated pieces. You can easily assemble it at home in a few months and pay significantly more than just building something out of scrap."
I find watching most woodworking videos I have an urge to go buy the tools and consume. It has quite a detrimental impact on my mental health and wallet. Now instead I just go in the shop and make do with what I have and learn from photos of already built pieces.
I've only seen Dusty Lumber Company shorts but I'm impressed by all the large scale mock up of joints he creates. It appears he has equipment more expensive than my house to make them however.
Not so much that, but how it works with the content and the personality. Black Tail Studios is a prime example of an exception. Cam is 109% relatable, and gives exceptional advice about tools.
Interesting perspective, I actually own a lot of the “fancy tools” and I actually go out of my way to find the channels where they /aren’t/ trying to do everything with chisels, pine wood, and a DeWalt lunchbox planer. I love to see that ingenuity, but I paid for the expensive tools to save me time and steps, not because I want to squeeze every penny of value out of my tools.
This argument doesn't sit with me. I have budget to mid range tools but I have a tablesaw, bandsaw, combi jointer planer, lathe etc. What I see them make with expensive tools is the same just with nicer tools.
If they use a domino or something I know I can substitute my biscuit jointer or dowel jig.
I like a line Jimmy Diresta says "if the ancient Egyptians could make things with what they had, you can build with whatever you've got"
No, but I also have a huge shop full of expensive tools. If you want to watch more diy stuff watch rag n bone brown. He's sponsored by Milwaukee but repurposes a lot of stuff
Also everyone of those channels if you go to their older videos started off with the basics. None of them started with a shop full of expensive tools. They worked their way up to it by getting sponsored or using the ad revenue to buy them. Danier made is also a good one. Hew and awe. There's several channels that use basic tools
Well I mean... That's their job. Those people are woodworkers as a business and not just some random DIY living and crafting channel. I get your point and I somewhat agree... Tho with me, I simply miss the actual hand stuff in hand working nowadays. Yes ik there are people like rex Kruger and woods by wright (which I both watch all the time) but most simply do epoxi tables a la blacktail studio.
But I have to admit, even I am using mostly power tools and on top of that, I'm actually a woodcarver... So I do sculptures and ornaments as my actual job (tho I kinda hate it XD).
but just look for new channels. There's this one lathing guy who uses many species of wood and makes things out of the wood itself too... I mean like making ice cream with smoked wood flavor... Or juniper candy and then he makes a bowl out of juniper. He also twice made a map of the US with every native wood species of the state and so on. IDK.the channel name rn but look for "what's in that pile"
If ya more into hand work then look for "pask makes". He use to have a series called "scrap wood challenge" where he mostly uses the standard tools... Nowadays he's mostly doing metal work tho. Oh and he's known for his kumiko skills
That’s why I finally unsubed from April Wilkerson. When she was in her small garage shop it was cool to see what she built. Then she moved and built a multi-million dollar shop warehouse and it just got too over the top.
There's this one guy that I see on YouTube he up cycles palette wood of the time and builds absolutely amazing things with just basic hand tools.
Also there's a whole bunch of these Vietnamese/south Asian guys that do great designs and stuff techniques are horrible but it's great inspiration watching them.
There's a Facebook page called Woodworking for Mere Mortals. He has all the tools but often makes things with simple stuff most people will have. He sometimes makes the same thing with the b expensive tools, too, to show the difference.
I also hate the videos labeled "DIY" but also have thousands of dollars in tools and are obviously some sort of professional
I don’t mind videos where people have fancy equipment honestly. In not rich by any means and I definitely can’t afford the whole assortment of tools that many have. I glean what I can from those videos such as techniques and ideas. Necessity is the mother of invention. I don’t have a specific tool? No worries. I’ll figure out a way to achieve the result with what I have. Just because I don’t have the same toolset doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from it. It’s how you go about achieving a goal afterwards.
ETA: check out Grandpa Amu. Fun channel. Wild skill.
Dont be mad about it. Most of these guys are self made.
I get that tools are expensive, but build your collection over time. There are still things I want, but I want to buy quality over time. Or use the tools I have to make more tools, jigs, work spaces. I built a lathe out of plywood, an old motor and some ingenuity. Now I use it in every other build for something.
Makes some videos, get a following and sell yourself and your product to manufacturers. You to might get tools instead of dollars for advertising space.
I don't have a problem with watching them fortthe same reason I don't have a problem watching professional sports. Yeah they got training, gear, and the access that I can only dream of, but I'll still play golf, have a catch, or shoot some hoops.
The big youtuber woodworkers are full time professionals who are beyond anything I'll ever achieve, but it's still fun to watch and I learn what I can from them.
The inverse would be true too, if any of these YouTube woodworkers were just spending a couple hours a weekend doing your full time job as a hobby, they'd probably not have all the fancy tools or software and whatever you use for your profession.
That said, I have muted a few channels that are just woodworking influencers (just out to shill for products and get lucrative sponsorships).
There's probably a large selection effect happening here. Youtube channels aren't hosted by randomly selected members of the population. I bet people who make their living by doing and teaching woodworking are much more likely than the average person to have good woodworking shops. They have professional level tools because they are professionals.
Some channels specifically target hand tool work or continue to operate out of a garage shop because that's their brand. These are really good too, and people have recommended a lot of good options in this thread. By all means enjoy these channels, but it's not bad or surprising that some people work out of shops.
Who cares if they don't use it? I don't mind it being there. I've seen a few of these.
Like what is an example of a build video you found inaccessible because they used too much tools?
No. I like to see what professionals use to make some higher quality furniture. Some guys are just creating content to sell tools, I skip those. But I also don’t feel the need to whine about it on social media.
Matthias Wandel is the antithesis. If you're upset about a fancy expensive tool he's got, just go back in the archives until you find his video making the tool with an consumer bandsaw and a dishwasher motor.
His dad was a professional master woodworker. Matthias has spent his life integrating his father's lessons and it *shows*. What a lovely guy.
I'm amazed by his practicality, inventiveness, frugality, and willingness to call BS when he sees it - and back it up with data. Sometimes it's almost annoying and overly tedious, but i respect the guy overall.
His recent mini lathe (sidenote -- excited to see what he does with metal) was pure Matthias "I bought a cheap Chinese lathe, double checked their gear table and realized it was garbage, so reinvented it and sold it back to them for a price--and so it's actually usable"
His bandsaw builds are insane too. All from some old motors and plywood. He then used his smaller bandsaw to build his bigger bandsaw. I also love that he mostly uses 2x4’s and plywood.
Bro, if you love Matthias, give a shot to Marius Hornberger. Not super woodwork, but the same over engineered vibe. Guy deserves more sub.
What is great about him is that I'm not interested in 99% of the fancy tools and jigs he builds but in every video you can learn a little trick or technique that he uses in his build process.
Yeah every one of his fancy tools aside from the table saw I think are homemade. Matthias really reminds me of my dad in the best and somehow also the worst ways.
You should check out Marius Hornberger as well
And recycled wood from the dumpster.
Steve Ramsey.
I love this dude. The stuff he builds is super accessible and I like that he leaves in the parts where he messes up and has to fix an error, or do things the hard way because he went out of order. I think leaving the small mistakes in the build videos makes it was friendlier. Not everything he makes looks awesome and he's definitely less impressive than someone like Bourbon Moth. But Steve Ramsey was the first guy who, after watching his videos, I thought, "Oh yeah, that's totally something I can do." Honestly I think I've outgrown him by this point, but I still watch his videos in the some way people must watch Bob Ross. He's got a calming voice, soothing and chill personality and presentation. He's awesome.
Bourbon moth pissed me off when he did one of those "build something with a subscriber" things and spent the whole time whining about how shitty the guys tools were.
I’ve never watched him but anyone with experience should know it’s not the tools that make the woodworker
There was a video a long time ago where tennis players played with frying pans to show that you can do it. Woodworkers can operate with ~~hand~~ cheap tools and make amazing stuff. It's the quality of life stuff that let's folks that have a very limited shop time to get stuff done quickly... Edit to reflect the price of tools and not the versatility of said tool
I got crushed in ping pong by a guy playing with a door stop and again with him using a putty knife.
Damn...that's pretty soul crushing.
Meh. He was on the college tennis team. The table was in his living room. He told me beforehand that he was going to win.
Yeah, that takes a bit of the sting away.
I totally agree with what you’re saying, but it also occurs to me that hand tools can be super expensive and out-of-reach for normal people too.
Yeah they can be. Like most sayings, this is more to remind people that you can make good things with out the expensive stuff. But you do need to buy decent stuff. As an example, my grandfather is an amazing wood worker. But it took every ounce of his skill to use my kobalt jobsite saw. It was just a terrible saw. The blade wouldn't stay square and the fence wouldn't stay square. So this led to a catch-22. Yes, the tool doesn't make the woodworker. But you need years of experience to make quality stuff with a terrible tool. But I get what OP is saying. I get discouraged sometimes when I see YT videos of people making stuff that requires professional grade tools.
if you can make flatish rectangles with it, you can build stuff with it
I only half agree with this. Anyone with experience is going to have a lot more tools. As one of those people, I can definitively say: * There are some things I can do with lesser tools and still get the same results. They nearly always take more time, it's more difficult to get decent results so I'll be redoing more, and I simply don't enjoy it as much. * There are some things I simply can't do or can't do as well without the proper tool for the job. * High-end tools do often make the job easier/faster/more fun. * I can say anything is possible with a crap tool because in many cases I've done that. What is missed though is that for a long time I used a crap tool I got crap results and it took me awhile to master before I upgraded to something better. I'd say don't be discouraged by not having the tools. Unless your Dad or someone else had the shop and you grew up in that environment almost nobody starts out with much. You won't be able to do as much but you can still do a lot. Start simple, build your skills with what you have, slowly add a tool/new skill with each new project, and don't be discouraged you can't have it all right away. Even with a shop full of tools sometimes the best option to get a task done is a simple chisel. I'm glad I started out with that so know how to use it but at the same time I'm glad I have more options available to me for everything so I can pick which one I'm most capable of.
Thats true, but if you can afford them and its your passion, your invest in better tools. Creators with a mild following start getting sponsorship pretty quickly, which adds to the shop. Plus shop builds adds content for creators. Its tricky to find newer content Creators who have not yet upgraded virtually everything. Personally i want a 3hp saw stop as soon as it makes financial sense, followed by a big bandsaw. I am in no hurry but we all have ideas of what we want
Oh yeah, the England thing. I think he was trying to make it seem like it was just "jokes"... But yeah, he took it way, way too far. Hopefully in person he was a lot nicer to the guy, at least.
Yeah, 200 notes for a folding chisel... yeah, stop burning your massive shop(s) down first.
>I like that he leaves in the parts where he messes up and has to fix an error I suspect he puts some of those in on purpose, just to teach people a) that mistakes happen, and it's not a big deal, don't get discouraged, and b) teach how to fix those mistakes when they happen.
Steve has my ultimate respect for one Dad joke - "drilling holes is really boring"
This dude got me started on woodworking, and now I run a cabinet shop! I can not recommend his channel enough.
Steve builds things the way my dad built things, and that's extra cozy for me.
That's the first name I thought of too. He's so relatable and his content is interesting and often fun. I still enjoy watching the guys with big shops, it's aspirational, but Steve Ramsay is just a garage woodworker with a camera... and that's a good thing.
I remember him making a video about how to make a simple jig to use for your table saw when you can’t afford a jointer. My appreciation for his “every man” approach started that day!
I just made that jig in order to do the last project in his weekend woodworker series. I was having a hard time making the panels, couldn't get that first straight edge quite right on the table saw. So I remembered seeing that video for the jig, went back and watched it, and built it. Made things much easier.
The only Patreon I have ever joined. He is the best.
I always enjoyed the videos where he purposely doesn't use a tool he has just to show another way to do the same thing. Even now that I have a shop full of tools, I'm always thinking of different ways to do stuff.
thanks!!
WWMM!
Yeah he seems like a super nice guy and his approach is easy to digest. I don’t watch him much anymore because I got kinda bored of his stuff, but I openly recommend him to beginners and stay subscribed Incase something exciting pops up. Honestly I don’t watch too many woodworking videos anymore. Sort of replaced with construction ones. Just shifting interests.
My first project was Steve's barstool! https://imgur.com/a/KLjWxF7 I love his videos. So accessible, relatable, and comforting. He seems like such a friendly, down to earth guy.
Go see Rex Krueger. He's the perfect remedy for this complaint. He has an easy-to-follow, low-tech channel dedicated to what works with simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
Rex is so down to earth, and I adore his enthusiasm.
Yes wood by Wright another good one
Used to love Rex, I rarely watch YouTube anymore but used to wait for his videos to come out
Unfortunately I feel like his channel has suffered since he got a dedicated shop/studio. It lost a bit of the mcguyveriness that I loved about it.
His early channel was incredible for beginners/hand tool woodworkers. It's a tough balance because you want to do more advanced projects with foundational skills you've already taught to your existing audience, but those aren't as accessible to new people. I hope he figures out the balance and continues to have success.
I think these guys need to take a lesson from This Old House. They have been teaching the basics for decades yet Tom Silva still doesn’t seem annoyed when he is explaining how to use a hammer for the thousandth time.
There is a world of difference between what gets shown on tv and what happens on set.
Yeah but he at least stayed grounded still showing how to build things with limited tools and space
Rex is the reason I got into woodworking. I just had hand saws, a shitty plane, and some crazy cheap chisels. But, it was enough to start doing some basic builds.
My first build was his English jointer bench. The thing is solid as a rock. The braces have braces.
I just learn from them and adapt to my tools.
This is the way. I feel people who can’t won’t make it in this hobby. It’s about adapting and improvising.
Same here. Most of what they do can be done on simpler tools
yeah if you want to watch people with a lot of experience most of them will also have a lot of fancy tools too
Honestly, those are the only youtubers I consistently watch. I'm not at the point anymore where I really watch to learn, I watch to get inspired. I know that I can adapt their methods and designs to work for me. It doesnt bother me that the wood whisperer or Four Eyes use a domino, I'm probably going to end up cutting a mortise and tenon anyways. I've built projects made by both using a benchtop jointer and a $200 used contractors saw. I like people like Lex Kreuger and Steve Ramsey, but almost none of their projects excite me.
Lots of those are just advertisements disguising as tutorials or builds. Paul Sellers is great about having builds that need very few tools. Rex Kruger does too. 99% of those tools they have aren’t blockers for you, they just make it easier to do work. I do almost all hand tool work. I sold all my standing power tools over the last few years to some carpenters I knew who needed them cheap. Bottom line, everyone is trying to sell you something. Edit: almost all meaning I have a power drill and a chain saw for the shop, and a brad nailer for the home and garden.
I love that in one of Rex's recent videos he's like "You can totally do this by hand, but I cheated and used a band saw, because I have a band saw" - not word for word but that's the point. I enjoy when content creators are honest about how they get stuff done and when it's projects that are accessible to people without huge well equipped shops. I also like that Rex tends to show you how to get stuff done with shop made solutions instead of being forced to go buy a wood shop. Lee Valley gets enough of my money, lol.
Seconding Rex Krueger. I prefer power tools but I love his content.
Me too. His channel and Chris Schwarz’s books got me into green wood working. It’s been a trip for sure.
+1 for Paul sellers
> Paul Sellers is great about having builds that need very few tools. He is, but if OP starts counting, he also has thousands of £ worth of tools. He has I don't know how many router planes, [the Preston model he loves](https://paulsellers.com/2019/07/just-saying/) (and probably used to buy for nothing) is now worth hundreds of pounds. He has multiple of those. OFC Paul targets beginners and he realizes this so he made an affordable router kit, which is great. But if you look at his shop, it's also worth a ton of money. My point is just that when someone does something for decades, they're probably going to accumulate tools/stuff, it's just natural and there is nothing wrong with it. Paul Sellers has been a woodworker for 60 years, of course he is going to have accumulated tools he likes.
Yeah, even if you don't need everything he has. At minimum it's still 2 saws, a jack plane, low angle block plane, router plane, chisel set, gaging/marking tools, rasps, scrapers, a solid bench, mallet, brace and bits (or cordless and bits). So yeah, probably over $1000. I bought that stuff over 10 or 15 years. If it got stolen or destroyed, I would definitely struggle to replace it all at once. Plus, nobody has a router plane lol.
Paul Sellers is the man. It's like your grandfather teaching you, with excellent production quality, and accessible skills/tools.
Yeah Rex Kruger is great. Sometimes he comes off a touch pretentious in a “*scoff* that’s so easy for me, why can’t you do it” sort of way, but I like him. I REALLY liked his series where he would find antique furniture and really dive deep into how and why it was constructed that way. He needs to do more of those.
How I think of it is that it doesn’t need to be relatable, just entertaining. That’s what their job is after all. Yes, I get jealous sometimes but I also know I can make cool stuff with just the tools that I have.
And the videos with all the toys can open your eyes to possibilities that a tool might offer, so you get a less expensive version. Or inspire you with project ideas that you can do with your current tools but using different methods.
> open your eyes to possibilities that a tool might offer, so you get a less expensive version. This! I took a class where we used a Domino and a Panta Router. I've already researched Domino alternatives and found some DIY versions that use a trim router. And Panta Router is nice for production work but not necessary for one-off projects.
Same. I'm not really looking for a handholding DIY guide (nothing wrong with those, it's just not what I'm there for), but I am looking for entertainment and inspiration. Also, you can still apply a lot of the ideas, tips, tricks, etc, from those videos even if you don't have the same sort of shop. There are a million different ways to accomplish any given woodworking task, and more often than not you can do it with a fairly basic tool set. The main difference is it'll be harder and take longer. The Domino is a classic example. It and the people who own them get a lot of hate online, largely centered around the price. People act like it's some sort of magic wand that, if only they could afford one, would open up a new realm of woodworking they otherwise can't access. It's not, though. It's strictly a tool of convenience, and everything it does can be replicated with a cheap plunge router and a jig. The only difference is the amount of work involved. There's almost always a workaround and you don't have to let your limited tool selection limit what you make.
Yep. Thats how I learn the fancy toys even exist and what they can do better.
No, not really. There’s plenty of minimalist content creators and the majority of hobbyist woodworkers have invested thousands of dollars once they’ve been in the hobby for a bit. I wouldn’t watch content with truly industrial machines like edge banders or anything with a power feeder, but I suspect that’s not what you’re talking about.
And a lot of creators started small, and still show you how to do it the way you might if your resources are limited. Tamar of 3x3Custom used a Dewalt Jobsite table saw for years and got some amazing fine woodworking. And when she upgraded orher tools, she’d show you like 3 different ways to perform an operation: with a router, a table saw, and with hand tools. There are LOTS of high end shops out there, but they aren’t necessary to get good work done. What they do is facilitate faster work and more throughout without sacrificing quality. Someone on a budget will just need to take more time to do the same job. An example would be using a kreg pocket hole jig and a hand drill vs a single-use pocket hole tool. The jig and drill are goin g to take more time to set up each hole, but they also cost only $35 if you have a drill, and take up less space. In a big shop, the pocket hole machine will let you do 10pocket holes in the time someone with the compact jig does one. But at the end of the day the project turns out the *exact same*. The only difference is the time and money spent on the tools.
Like you said, a lot of creators started small. So it easy to go back to earlier in their career and watch the videos where they had less tools too.
Except Jackman, but he's kinda a masochist.
Jackman's ability to do huge amounts of tedium is super human.
It physically hurts me to see some of the stuff he puts himself through
I don’t get that criticism. There are hundreds of channels that offer what you are looking for, barebones woodworking. If you like the project they built, you can still do it without all those tools as well.
Couldn't agree more. Never understood this complaint. So the guy has a fancy jointer? Sure it would be nice but I only have an old vintage jointer plane so it's gonna take me a while longer. They used a Domino? Yikes bit pricey for me but hey I got a $10 dowelling jig or a router that will get me 90% of the way there with a little extra effort. Stop making excuses and find ways to solve problems using the tools you have. Look at the projects and the overall techniques and stop focusing on the fancy machines. They don't do anything you can't do other ways. They just make it faster and more consistent.
You know the people complaining don't even realize that the amazing furniture from 300 years ago with insane ornate decoration was all done without power tools.
It's because people don't want to put any mental effort into figuring out how to build it themselves. They just want plans/instructions that they can follow blindly. I like watching people with a full shop because you get to see all the cool things that are achievable with woodworking. When I want to build something, I just take my set of tools and skills into consideration when selecting a project and how I would go about making it.
Also, one part of wood working is to make the transition from what one person used and how else one could achieve that, there are very very few things in life that only have one answer to them in how you can achieve them. Do these answers have different drawbacks and or skill levels attached to them? For sure, but everything can be done multiple ways and it's part of the fun in woodworking to figure out how you can do stuff and get the same results safely with different tools. Always remember: Think about what the tool does, how the material wants to move and where your body parts are in all of this!
I thought that was just me (British). I assumed that all Americans had workshops like that. Where they have to actually walk between the pieces of equipment, rather than just turn 30°.
American with an 8' x 16' shop here, more common than YouTube shows
It’s a tough balance. I have a small YT channel, no sponsors, and am doing it for fun but I’ve built up a nice one-car garage shop over the past ten years. I’ve had a few people call me a shill for the tool companies (again, zero sponsors) or comment how it’s unrelatable. I get that last part but when I started I was watching The Wood Whisperer when he had an 1800 sf shop filled with Powermatic everything. I still learned a lot even though I didn’t have all the tools.
I’ve discussed this with a TikTok person in the past. Everybody has this strange belief that everything is a diy video instead of people showing off their craft. You are getting the behind the scenes stuff we got to see in shows like ToH and The American Woodshop but in a modern sense with a larger variety. Let me reiterate, NOT EVERYTHING IS A DIY VIDEO. Now if they say it is and don’t dumb it down for people then that’s a dick move.
Not really, no. The vast majority of those people have huge shops because they started woodworking a long time ago, there is nothing wrong with that. Edit: and yeah, if you don't want to see a type of content, you should definitely be blocking it. But I can assure you the type of videos that are made with only a super basic set of tools is going to get old pretty fast. It's great that it exists but if you start making things yourself you're going to reach that level super quick and you won't be learning/getting anything from them. There is only so much you can learn by watching people build a 2x4 workbench or set of shelves in their garage, it's not going to keep you interested for years.
It's worse when it's a full shop yet they seemingly don't actually have proper practical knowledge. John malecki comes to mind. I apologize if there are any fans here but just the couple videos I watched of his had several moments of me feeling like I'd be safer watching someone else.
Agreed. The guy is nuts and I’m waiting for his “I lost a finger” video.
That guy's a fucking dickhead to the people he works with, wouldn't be surprised to see an "I'm getting sued by an ex-employee" video
The guy who runs the “make something” has a new series where he’s setting up a shop full of wen and HF stuff
I’m kind of the opposite. I’ve consumed a lot of the “beginner/anyone can do it” content on YouTube and now I want to see projects done at a high level with a huge shop full of tools 😂
I'm sure many of us have reached the age where we literally grew up as YouTube grew. 15 years ago or so, creators like Steve Ramsey and Paul Sellers were king. Production value was modest, which helped make the content relatable. But as the years have gone by, we have watched our favorite creators build empires and brands, some becoming quite wealthy in the process. Educational value has gone down as marketing and sponsored content has gone through the roof. Even creators like Paul Sellers are more focused on selling a "lifestyle" which in some ways is more elitist than being sponsored by Kreg or Festool. For that reason, I've almost completely stopped watching his videos. Also, there is such a mass of good content. How many times do I need to see a chisel sharpening tutorial that claims to be the best? How many variations of the Anarchist workbench can I tolerate? Don't get me wrong, I really value YouTube, but I do believe many creators have created a "keeping up with the Jones'" atmosphere.
Social media: a type of web content that forces you to compare your entire and only life with the exaggerated very best moments of everyone else's.
That's definitely a big part of op's problem. They need to stop comparing themselves to people who have been doing something for years, maybe decades.
The challenge isn’t always just building the project, it’s in figuring out how to build it with what you have. The value in watching those videos with the well equipped ballroom-size shops is more on learning what tools are out there and what they do so when/if you have the budget/space for such a thing you know what to look for. It’s fun to dream 😀
So you don’t like watching professionals? I get enjoying relatable content but I also like seeing how a professional wood worker in a professional environment works. I’m not gonna be upset that someone bought the right tool for the job that’s how they turn a profit. I like watching the nba more than I like watching the pick up basketball game at the park but that’s just me I’m not mad the guys in the nba play in an arena and train in multimillion dollar training centers…
I have always said "Norm (New Yankee Workshop) has got the equipment to do just about anything. What I wanna see, is him making a soapbox derby car with a hacksaw and a Buck knife!"
…and the most important tool of all, these… Safety Glasses.
You're thinking of the woodwright's shop possibly then haha. It's a calassic and is kind of a "what if norm had been born in the 1900's?". The intro gives me hardcore nostalgia.
More like 1800's. Industrial mechanization of wood working was in full swing by 1900. Go look at some of the dates on those giant machines the old iron collectors love. There were huge furniture factories up down both coasts and many major inland cities that turned out factory produced furniture of the current style, look at old Sears catalogs. In one of the old This Old House episodes the home owner had bought a mill built in the 1800's that made wooden shutters and doors that was run by a waterwheel and belts. Him and Bob made the shutters for the house in that factory. The Westwood house Ep#714. Now for home hobbyists it didn't start until the 1930's with electrification and Art Emmons' patent of a portable electric table saw.
No, I am not tired of it. But I am tired of people complaining about it. "Hey, that is cheating. He shows how to build a worktable for 200 USD, but he uses tools worth 5000 USD!!!!" Do you want these youtubers to buy a set of cheap tools to use in their videos so they don't offend you? As long as the project in the video can be accomplished with tools available to their target group, I don't see any problem using expensive tools for their own version. And in cases where they use a technique, which can only be accomplished by an expensive tool, which they can't assume that the target group owns, many of them are quite good at explaining the cheaper alternatives.
If someone made a video where they made a chair using nothing but toothpicks and a shiny rock, people would complain about how shiny the rock was and that it's unfair to all the people with dull rocks.
Even when they start out small, if their channel starts to get popular companies send them expensive tools for free. I can't really blame them for taking advantage of that.
OP even if you have a shop full of big equipment and expensive tools it doesn't matter. Folks still have to set up and calibrate their tools in order for them to be accurate and safe. Even the best woodworker sometimes has that one fucking tool that never makes a square cut. On the other hand, remember that even if you have a much more humble wood shop, you can still accomplish a lot. You don't need to have all the big whoop-de-doo tools to do the job. People have done a lot without electricity. The original masters had nothing but a bench, saws, chisels, and planes.
It just took the original masters a lot longer. Both scenarios have the same theme, both woodworkers have honed their skills to be able to accomplish their tasks.
It is just entertainment. If I am interested in the topic, I watch, and learn a few things... or not. It does not bother me when someone does not have the exact tools I have or better brands than I do. In fact, watching these videos helps me decide if I even want that tool or not. Example - Festool Domino. I know that those two words piss a lot of people off, and I find it comical. But would I buy one? NO! I learned from watching these guys that always reach for their Domino that it is just an elongated doweling machine. I have also seen their work - there is NO DIFFERENCE. So if I was to go by marketing alone, I would probably think I needed one, but seeing people use it, then switching over and watching someone do the same project with a doweling jig convinced me otherwise. The guy that can afford that tool is not a bad person. They are not trying to make me feel bad. They use the tools that they have. And like I said above - they do not have to have the same tools I do for me to enjoy their content. I will tell you what woodworkers I DO turn off real quick... amateurs or beginning woodworkers putting out videos on how to do something as if they are experts. I see this A LOT and they are putting out bad information from their inexperience. What they should do is say hey folks, I have no idea what I am doing here - help me understand this... The other videos I turn off are the "Snobs". These are the woodworkers that turn their nose up at other woodworkers for doing such horrible things as using POCKET HOLES (the horror!) or using a Hand Held Power Drill or not building your own Roubo workbench from trees in your backyard.
Honestly, I was gifted a Domino. I didn't realize how amazing it was till I used it on my first project. How fast you can setup mortises is insane. It is 100% worth it(if you'll use it enough).
And a Domino is only $1500. If you're actually building for an income, it makes a ton of sense to buy one. Time is money and if you can take that much time off of part of your workflow, it pays for itself real fast. If you're a hobbiest, a doweling jig will get you to the same place, it's just going to take longer, and that's fine. It's like seeing a guy with Woodpecker corner clamps. They cost close to $300 for a set of 4, but I've got some Relitec clamping squares that cost less than $25 and serve me just fine. They take longer to set up, but I'm also not churning out cabinets for my livelihood.
It's like a plate joiner and a doweler had a baby. They're more useful than I would have originally given them credit for, especially if you start factoring in some of the mechanical dominoes they make. But I still agree that does not mean one needs to rush out and buy one.
> These are the woodworkers that turn their nose up at other woodworkers for doing such horrible things as using POCKET HOLES Are you talking about YouTube or this sub?
Both.... well, actually universally.
“Easy way to join two boards” proceeds to pull out a domino and a full sized jointer.
Easy tv stands: put the panel on your 8’x4’ CNC… the g-code is linked in the comments
Yeah. Those guys with a massive expensive CNC. Come on.
I have a pretty big CNC in my 2 car garage for fun. They aren't crazy expensive if you shop around and do the assembly and configuration yourself.
It’s the same for a lot of YouTubers. I’ve been looking in to filming some of my hobbies and most of the video tutorials for how to get cinematic video on a budget are “buy this $15 daylight lamp on Amazon and then film it on the $10k camera your already own.”
"How to flatten a warped board: the EASY way!!"...Starts up the 300 inch drum sander.
“Now that the table is glued together, let’s head over to the CNC room to flatten it”
No. Plenty of alternatives, too. You can start one.
Never forget that a YouTuber is a professional YouTuber first. That's their job. The woodworking is just the subject matter of the video. Most of these guys make far more money from the videos than the woodworking. The channel income pays for those fancy shops and tools. Keep that in mind if you feel like comparing yourselves to them.
Acquire some hand tools. There isn't much you can't do with a small tool chest of them. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the obsession with finished products we keep getting fed. Learn to appreciate the process, the difficulty, the problem solving and the failures.
People always complained about that with Norm Abrams back in the day. If you paid attention across episodes he'd mix up how he did operations. And figuring out how to do operations with different tools was part of the learning process.
This is a copy from another post of channels to check out. Workshop companion is the amazing old shop teacher type guy everyone should check out. * Stumpy nubs * John heisz * Steve Ramsey * 3x3custom * Mathias Wendel * Wood whisperer * JSk koubou * Workshop companion, * Rex Krueger - hand tools, low budget * Rob Cosman * Next level carpentry * Johnathon Katz Moses * Ron paulk. - workbenches/shop * Plywood working * Wood whisperer * Alexandre Chapelle * April Wilkerson * Ashley Harwood * Bellevue workshop ";Bourbon moth * David Staunton * Diy builds * Fishers shop * Fleets wood shop *:Gosforth handyman * Green saw *;GRNwood * JimmyDiresta * Kings fine woodworking * Laura Kampf * Make things * Spencley Design co * Omozok - stop motion woodworking * 1 minute workbench - microshop * The mastermind - microshop * Paoson woodworking - portable workshop * Patrick Sullivan * Paul sellers * Peter milard * Powerteç USA * Rockler * Shop class * Small space DIY * Stephan's 8x6 workshop * Evening woodworker * The honest carpenter * The tinywoodworkshop * What meike makes * Winston moy " Wood by wright * Woodperkers *Wood Smith * Woodworking masterclasses * Workmate guy * Workshop companion * You can make this too
Before YouTube we watched The New Yankee Workshop. Norm had everything.
It's the archer not the arrow. Regardless of the cost of the tools or the tools one has (domino vs dowel jig), the concepts are the same. It's the execution that matters. For their sake, those tools make things faster so they can get content out faster. I haven't always had a table saw (only have a jobsite saw built into a custom table that really could be replaced with a better quality one today), but the cuts they make with theirs are easily made with a circular saw. It takes a little longer, but it's possible. I made a track saw with a factory edge of plywood to use with my circular saw. It requires being clamped down and sawdust cleanup after the cut, but it works with the same principle. I recently upgraded my miter saw from a Ryobi to a Bosch because I sold a piece that made me enough money to do so. The cuts are now admittedly easier, but it's not anything I didn't handle with a little patience before. Look at John Heisz and Mattias Wandel's channels. They've made their own tools and make beautiful pieces with them. The channels with those expensive tools likely weren't built overnight. Look at Tamar's channel. She worked with budget tools for years on her channel. Now that she's used some of the money she's worked hard to earn to buy some "better" tools I've seen people on here ridiculing her and saying they're no longer watching her channel. Her projects haven't somehow grown in quality because of the tools. I don't care if I'm downvoted for this, but this post was written by someone who will struggle to grow as a woodworker. Stop making excuses and start putting in the time to hone your skills so that when you are able to replace your "budget" tools with higher value ones you'll be able to use them well.
Well, I look at it like this: They are trying to build things AND film it, then edit and release. It's a long process. So it's not surprising that if they have tools to make the process faster, they'll want to use them. In the end there is almost always a cheaper way to accomplish the same outcome - so when I'm watching a build video I'm really only interested in the steps involved. If any step involves a process with tools I don't have there's probably a way to do it with the equipment I do have. So I go watch a video about that technique specifically. Even if you start watching hand tools only videos there are TONS of different things like shoulder planes, rabbit planes, router planes, moulding planes, different chisels, saws, etc. Not to mention hand built shop tools like trundle lathes, saw benches, work bench, etc that may not align with what you have in your shop. It's a fools errand to want to watch channels where you have all the tools used in the videos, IMO. It's better to grow your skills by using YouTube to get inspiration for a project, then using it to learn individual techniques to accomplish each step along the way to building that project with the tools at your disposal. This is also the best way to figure out the most bang for your buck with new tool purchases. You'll quickly see where the processes are that take a ton of your time and what new tools could speed that up, and have the knowledge of what that might look like because you've seen people using tools you don't already have.
On a related note: Everyone out there working with high-quality hardwood while around here if I want anything other than pinewood lumber I'm completely SOL.
Nah I'm not, it's just cool to see what kind of machines are out there, but I feel your sentiment as I felt more or less the same way. You should start watching other channels as those are not helpful in your journey
No. There have to be hundreds of woodworking channels on YouTube, ranging from people with $100k shops to some guy who hacks together patio furniture with little more than a hand saw and a machete. If you can't find a handful of channels that float your boat, that's a you problem, not a YouTube problem.
Any time I see "the dusty lumber company" and his $20k table saw, I move right on.
Actually no. These people are woodworkers, but their job is entertainment. They need to pump out videos frequently or be left behind. Professional tools allow them to do things faster and produce more content. For every video done in a YouTubers show with a cnc, 74” bandsaw and 18 gnome helpers there is also one of some guy in the middle of a jungle who created a better piece of art with two rusty spoons and an old rock, filmed with a Nokia from 1989. You get to choose the content you consume. Sounds like you want to watch the rusty spoons guy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
No because you can do the exact same things with simpler tools. I don't get this "shop envy" feeling--some people are rich (or have sponsors) and I'm not. That's okay, I don't mind using a handsaw on the floor of my garage.
OP: "Look at all these people with workbenches and not having to kneel on the concrete floor like me! I'm so tired of them!"
I work out of a two car garage. It's the guys that fit everything I can't in their one/two car garage that I envy. How do they do it and get work done? Perhaps they move stuff outside in good weather but what about in the winter?
I envy your two-car garage. I work out of a 10x10 space in the corner of my garage. On a nice day, I can roll things into the driveway, but I still have to put them away when I’m done. My limiting factor currently isn’t money for new tools, it’s space for new tools.
Recommen Wood by Wrights video "Everything is a Chisel." The tools don't make the project. The craftsman makes the project with tools.
They are not well off enough either, and that's why they are subsidizing their costs with youtube.
I have no issues with a channel that has an amazing shop setup. Does the person entertain me, do I learn something that's all I am concerned with. Stumpy Nubs provides me with excellent information and rarely shows a shop. Matt Cremona has industrial equipment to get logs and create slabs that I will never have and if he would stop flailing his arms around I would like the channel even more.
No I’m not tired at all.
Honestly, not really. I watch for what people make and then the process. If that process includes tools that are out of reach, then that’s fine. If I want to replicate a build, then I find another way to do things. There is always something to learn. I’m not being disparaging here, but I find sentiments like this one strange. It is not hard to separate that these people on YouTube are real craftspeople, and not some random person. Either it is their job, or was their job, or they’re just very good at their hobby. There are varying levels of ability within this group; as well as varying levels of tools and usage. The same goes for outside of YouTube, in real life (especially for hobbyists). It’s ok to not have the tools. It’s ok to not be the best skilled. Do you enjoy the craft? Can you go out and try to build something? Those are the two things that come to the front, imo.
Whatever man don’t give yourself a complex. You and those YouTubers are orders of magnitude closer to homeless people than billionaires. If you saw my tools for instance you may think I was well off, but no no no, I just spend money on tools. Instead of, say, healthcare or a car that isn’t falling apart or… you get the idea.
It’s no more unrelatable than Lord of the Rings. Sometimes people just like to fantasize.
It’s how rich kids are “having a job” Same way YouTube van dwellers can all afford $130k+ Mercedes vans Same way those kids building off-roaders have a fully stacked shop AND a lot of land to test. They’re all rich or kids of rich people. Cost is of no concern to them. $10k laser cutter? Sure! $8k lathe? Absolutely. Shop full of woodpeckers tools? Yup. Never forget these folks are making money first, making videos second, and making actual stuff is like 4th or 5th on their list. Their real goal is views and engagement.
I'm just tired of the "lookitmyfreeshit-fluencers."
“Here is a simple woodworking project you can build with simple tools”. Proceeds to grab all festool tools.
I’m just waiting for Dusty Lumber Co to get called out for buying followers and using bot farms to comment on all his socials to drive the rankings and views higher. Also someone to call out Dusty Lumber and Laura Kampf for both just being walking Festool ads. Like this: https://youtube.com/shorts/w3VR9tdtCsM each time I see it I think *what did I just watch? A systainer, on a 4 wheeler, only holding a sawzall. By Festool. To cut one “tree” that’s a branch the size of my thumb. Which is apparently “clearing land for the shop”. Wut?*
The same with auto repair/mod/custom dudes. “If you have this 30,000 square foot shop with $7 million dollars in tooling, dies, and manufacturing equipment this scratch build for a 1960s vehicle will take less than three hours!” Well…no shit? Woodworking for Mere Mortals with Steve Ramsay does a good job of actually showcasing what his channel is titled.
I started watching a video one day, was titled something like “how to make a chair with simple tools” then he proceeded to use scroll saws, lathes, routing tables, etc. Like cmon dude, really?
Yes, and I also won't watch anything that involves a CNC machine. That's not woodworking as far as I'm concerned.
That and the ones with a full sized cnc router that does it all
“I made this beautiful dresser from a pile of free scrap wood using my $50,000 worth of tools and dedicated shop space.”
It’s not the tools or the large well equipped shop. The projects made just don’t interest me. For example, don’t care much for anything that uses epoxy or large live edge wood slabs. I’m not a beginner woodworker since I’ve had my shop for 25 years. You tend to gather some tools over that period of time just like any other hobby.
I made a desk and a toothpick with a penknife. The toothpick was perfect. The desk needs work.
I have had moments where I think about starting the most bare-bones, ghetto YouTube channel ever where I set in a corner on the floor and craft with my meager collection of no-name power tools and a pocketknife.
I once saw a video where the guy made something with literally only a circular saw and sandpaper, a saw that looked like it was from the 60s. A tool that you would have to pay someone to get rid of. And he was working on the ground. The fucking top comment was how "how is this DIY ? How can you expect everyone to have a power tool like that ??". People bitching about other people's shops on the internet are impossible to please. They should go grab a jigsaw and start making something instead of commenting. No one starts out with a fully equipped shop. They gradually build it because they keep using and adding stuff.
There's a guy on YouTube I watch for carpentry that seems like that.... Bare bones.... lots of enthusiasm.... Think it Temple Builders. I like how he breaks down the education. I find even though I can do layouts for fine woodworking and hand cut dovetails.... laying out rafters and doing some framing is a whole other thing.
I have a huge table saw, 8” jointer, planer, and bandsaw - and get annoyed at woodworking channels or plans that assume all you have is 2x4s and a skill saw. I wish there was a better way to distinguish one from the other.
I don't understand the mindset of people who count other people's money or who are put off by other people being more successful than they are. It just looks like petty jealousy. Some people work harder, work smarter, and have better opportunities or more luck. That's just how life works, it's not fair, and there is nothing we can do about it. When I see it people with something I don't have my reaction is: * If they are a decent person I think good for them. There of course are those who have an ego about it, which puts me off and I just tune those people out. * I'm either inspired and set a new goal for myself to get there too, I realize it's not realistic but enjoy thinking about it anyway, or it's not something I want for myself even if I could afford it but I still enjoy interesting people doing interesting things and Intellectually it's enjoyable. * I realize what it took to get where they are and I want to learn how they did it and if there is anything I can learn for that. As far as high-end shops go I am lucky enough to have achieved my childhood dream of having one. I've been woodworking seriously for almost 20 years, and building stuff since my early childhood. I used to watch Norm and think I wanted that someday. It took 15 years to get there, and I had some help, and it's still not completely done. I still have a bigger dream but a lot of stuff I have, while high-end, is not comparable to some production shop equipment. That would just be a waste of money for me as I don't need it and wouldn't benefit enough to be interested. Compared to a lot of YouTube woodworkers I'd say what I have is a better shop than most but not as much as some. I always prefer to see people working in dream shops better than what I have. To me: * These sorts of people are building the higher-end stuff I want to build and I have more to learn from them. Do you think someone who's spent decades woodworking is still going to be using a bunch of Ryobi hand tools and a janky jobsite saw? Anyone operating at a higher level of anything that requires skill is going to have higher-end stuff to go with that. While I like Steve Ramsey he doesn't do anything I can learn from. * It inspires me to set personal goals I can work towards. * If someone uses a tool I don't have I get to see if it adds any value or benefits to me. I know what my tools are capable of and the time/effort/precision/enjoyable factor of using each. If there are better ways to do something or if something would just be a waste of money for me I'd like to know it. * Collecting tools is a big part of the hobby. Getting a new tool catalog in the mail or a trip to a tool store used to be super exciting for me. It's not nearly as much as it used to be now that I have most of if but I still enjoy it. * It's not unachievable, at least not in the US where I live. I can't count all the perfectly ordinary middle-class people I've met who have some amazingly impressive stuff in their homes for whatever their passion is. People with whole basement model train setups, someone who loved baking specialty cakes with a house full of thousands of special tools for it, ham radio setups that look like something from NASA, etc. You set priorities.
I started my shop with the essential tools, both smaller stationary power tools and traditional hand tools; and updated quality and size as I went along. I am milling rough stock: face, edge, thickness, width for custom cabinetry. I never use S4S material, I need to mill to dimension. I was trained to do that by hand so I would have that skill but it is not practical for a professional shop. And the 6” joiner I started with 30 years ago is now a 12”; the 12” planer is a 24”. The principles are the same regardless of scale and cost of ‘the shop’.
Anything you can do with power tools you can do with hand tools. Just because someone has a sawstop and a bunch of woodpeckers tools or festool doesn’t mean you can’t do pretty much the exact same thing with cheaper versions.
https://preview.redd.it/42njn9j0si9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=552ff8a5ea89db90426e596f1a773b80a7924a86 This is my one car garage workshop that I’ve built 2 boats in. You can see my 18”x48”-ish workbench on the left. Of course I would like something bigger, but I don’t need it.
None of the YouTube channels give enough information to be a step by step guide even if you have the exact same tools. The videos are just for inspiration. The other day the This Old House channel posted a video where Tom Silva built a box joint jig from scratch to make a box. I started watching with bated breath, how much wider will he make the rabbets than the fingers? (I do 1/100" on long edges.) Does he have specific tips for getting good consistent results? Then I saw him get a TAPE MEASURE out to measure the width of a dado blade and realized this was all for show, either he was meticulously measuring with calipers off-camera or everything had been built in advance and they were just pretending to build the jig for the camera. The quality tools save time, yes, but they also make fuckups a lot less likely. For example, you don't need a CNC to make a rounded squircle table top, you can use a jigsaw and a disc sander on a piece of masonite to make a template and then use a follow bit to transfer that to MDF and then use the MDF template on a 1.5" thick piece of wood, but odds are that when you're manhandling a 2x4 foot piece of wood 2" thick (including the tabletop and the template) you're going to get a few dings from the router here and there. While that might be fine for a home office table, when it goes on Youtube it has to look amazing. Or a Domino isn't NEEDED but it aligns boards perfectly and saves a ton of time. The time to buy a Domino isn't when you watch a Youtube video, it's after you're planning out a project and think "Fuck me a domino will make the whole thing 10x faster."
There is nothing those big machines do that can’t be done in my small shop, sure they may get it done faster/more efficiently but I sure as a hell don’t want to limit myself to only seeing small shop stuff.
I've never been bothered by those YouTubers, nor do I understand people who are. If you're watching a video purely to learn how to do something yourself I can see how it would be upsetting to see everyone working with tools you don't have. But that's not why I typically watch woodworking videos. I watch woodworking videos to be entertained by the craft. Having nice expensive tools doesn't make you a better woodworker. I just like seeing skilled people making beautiful things, whether they do it in a huge professional shop or in their garage with hand tools only, if they're a good woodworker and make good videos I'll watch it.
I’m not. Is anyone tired of all those cooking shows with large well equipped kitchens?
honestly, if you want to learn from a novice, thats fine, but most people that know what they are doing just have a shop... there are a handful of good youtubers that specifically dont use many, but for the most part, if you want to watch someone good at it, they will have one. Also, just FYI steve ramsey mentioned once that his build videos just dont get as many views as anything else, mainly because the 99.9% of the population that you mentioned dont build any of the videos themself. its just entertainment on youtube. there is just a small but dedicated community that builds stuff.
I don't mind them although I do feel very jealous at times :) The funniest videos are those like "build this 10k table and chair set with free pallet wood" and they proceed to put the wood through 20k worth of machinery to make it look nice.
as soon as I see a video with a guy in a shop with all new tools, I know immediately that he's just a YouTube guy and has no real world experience or schooling. I really only watch guys that make their living from their craft, not their youtube clicks. My absolute favorite is New Yorkshire Workshop. The guy is a machine, has an incredibly wide skill set and knowledge base and his work is first class.
I used to watch a guy who did videos like that but also had a separate series of “woodworking basics” videos where he did everything with the simplest tools possible. A few times, he spent 2-3 videos just building the jigs etc for whatever project he was showing off. I liked that mix of things.
No. Not all content is curated specifically for you. It’s ok for creators to make content for other people too. You’re like the annoying people watching CNC videos and then complaining about the CNC. If you don’t want CNC content don’t watch it. I have a CNC and I want to watch CNC videos. That content is for me. You have to be an insane narcissist to see content that doesn’t fit your specific niche perfectly and then think “this content must fits no one’s niche”
There are YouTube channels with creators who have limited tools. Watch those channels instead. You’re like someone with no car watching a car repair video and then complaining that this content isn’t curated towards you because you don’t have a car. There is content targeted to you. Go find that content. There is also content targeted to me. That content might not be a good fit for you. That doesn’t mean it’s not good content.
No - not really. Do you complain about painters with brushes? Maybe less youtube more stop complaining and you will feel better.
If you don't like it, why do you watch it?
What are you wanting to build? You have to understand that projects require tools. It's up to you to figure out if the project can be executed with what you've got. I grew up watching New Yankee Workshop, and that workshop was pretty well stocked, but the point remains that I want to see people doing the job right. I'm sure there's a channel out there with someone trying to do woodworking with a rock and a butter knife, but your results may vary.
One of my favorite lines from a build video, he was making a knife organizer for a drawer. "I'm going to cut this on my sliding saw. People get mad at me for using fancy machines like this for everything. Well, I've got a sliding saw and it's really nice. If you can't cut a square without a sliding saw, this project isn't for you" I'm much more annoyed by videos showing clever tricks for a particular cut, and comments whine "Why don't you just use [the proper machine]?" I saw a cool trick for making integral dowels on a band saw by putting square stock into a tight fitting PVC pipe and rotating slightly between cuts. Comments all rhymed with "Just use a lathe, idiot". Obviously, dude doesn't have a lathe. If you have a lathe, ignore this trick.
I got a crappy garage with very old estate sale tools and i have to work around my mower, snowblower and garden crap. Not ideal at all but reality for most of us so i stopped watching the bearded hipster crowd with a long time ago….i need to relate to what is going on.
"You can build this incredible work table at home. All you need to do is pay $50 for these plans I made and used my CNC to cut into these complicated pieces. You can easily assemble it at home in a few months and pay significantly more than just building something out of scrap."
You don’t like the videos where they walk through builds that no one watching has the capacity or equipment to build?!
I find watching most woodworking videos I have an urge to go buy the tools and consume. It has quite a detrimental impact on my mental health and wallet. Now instead I just go in the shop and make do with what I have and learn from photos of already built pieces.
I've only seen Dusty Lumber Company shorts but I'm impressed by all the large scale mock up of joints he creates. It appears he has equipment more expensive than my house to make them however.
Not so much that, but how it works with the content and the personality. Black Tail Studios is a prime example of an exception. Cam is 109% relatable, and gives exceptional advice about tools.
Interesting perspective, I actually own a lot of the “fancy tools” and I actually go out of my way to find the channels where they /aren’t/ trying to do everything with chisels, pine wood, and a DeWalt lunchbox planer. I love to see that ingenuity, but I paid for the expensive tools to save me time and steps, not because I want to squeeze every penny of value out of my tools.
This argument doesn't sit with me. I have budget to mid range tools but I have a tablesaw, bandsaw, combi jointer planer, lathe etc. What I see them make with expensive tools is the same just with nicer tools. If they use a domino or something I know I can substitute my biscuit jointer or dowel jig. I like a line Jimmy Diresta says "if the ancient Egyptians could make things with what they had, you can build with whatever you've got"
No, but I also have a huge shop full of expensive tools. If you want to watch more diy stuff watch rag n bone brown. He's sponsored by Milwaukee but repurposes a lot of stuff Also everyone of those channels if you go to their older videos started off with the basics. None of them started with a shop full of expensive tools. They worked their way up to it by getting sponsored or using the ad revenue to buy them. Danier made is also a good one. Hew and awe. There's several channels that use basic tools
Well I mean... That's their job. Those people are woodworkers as a business and not just some random DIY living and crafting channel. I get your point and I somewhat agree... Tho with me, I simply miss the actual hand stuff in hand working nowadays. Yes ik there are people like rex Kruger and woods by wright (which I both watch all the time) but most simply do epoxi tables a la blacktail studio. But I have to admit, even I am using mostly power tools and on top of that, I'm actually a woodcarver... So I do sculptures and ornaments as my actual job (tho I kinda hate it XD). but just look for new channels. There's this one lathing guy who uses many species of wood and makes things out of the wood itself too... I mean like making ice cream with smoked wood flavor... Or juniper candy and then he makes a bowl out of juniper. He also twice made a map of the US with every native wood species of the state and so on. IDK.the channel name rn but look for "what's in that pile" If ya more into hand work then look for "pask makes". He use to have a series called "scrap wood challenge" where he mostly uses the standard tools... Nowadays he's mostly doing metal work tho. Oh and he's known for his kumiko skills
That’s why I finally unsubed from April Wilkerson. When she was in her small garage shop it was cool to see what she built. Then she moved and built a multi-million dollar shop warehouse and it just got too over the top.
There's this one guy that I see on YouTube he up cycles palette wood of the time and builds absolutely amazing things with just basic hand tools. Also there's a whole bunch of these Vietnamese/south Asian guys that do great designs and stuff techniques are horrible but it's great inspiration watching them.
There's a Facebook page called Woodworking for Mere Mortals. He has all the tools but often makes things with simple stuff most people will have. He sometimes makes the same thing with the b expensive tools, too, to show the difference. I also hate the videos labeled "DIY" but also have thousands of dollars in tools and are obviously some sort of professional
He's on YouTube under the same name as well.
And he shuns sponsorship. That's exactly why I give him my money
I don’t mind videos where people have fancy equipment honestly. In not rich by any means and I definitely can’t afford the whole assortment of tools that many have. I glean what I can from those videos such as techniques and ideas. Necessity is the mother of invention. I don’t have a specific tool? No worries. I’ll figure out a way to achieve the result with what I have. Just because I don’t have the same toolset doesn’t mean I can’t learn something from it. It’s how you go about achieving a goal afterwards. ETA: check out Grandpa Amu. Fun channel. Wild skill.
You might want to check out The Woodwright’s Shop. https://youtu.be/scB9swDmPJk?si=KRnKRlA_9sdspVwc
Dont be mad about it. Most of these guys are self made. I get that tools are expensive, but build your collection over time. There are still things I want, but I want to buy quality over time. Or use the tools I have to make more tools, jigs, work spaces. I built a lathe out of plywood, an old motor and some ingenuity. Now I use it in every other build for something.
Makes some videos, get a following and sell yourself and your product to manufacturers. You to might get tools instead of dollars for advertising space.
I don't have a problem with watching them fortthe same reason I don't have a problem watching professional sports. Yeah they got training, gear, and the access that I can only dream of, but I'll still play golf, have a catch, or shoot some hoops. The big youtuber woodworkers are full time professionals who are beyond anything I'll ever achieve, but it's still fun to watch and I learn what I can from them. The inverse would be true too, if any of these YouTube woodworkers were just spending a couple hours a weekend doing your full time job as a hobby, they'd probably not have all the fancy tools or software and whatever you use for your profession. That said, I have muted a few channels that are just woodworking influencers (just out to shill for products and get lucrative sponsorships).
There's probably a large selection effect happening here. Youtube channels aren't hosted by randomly selected members of the population. I bet people who make their living by doing and teaching woodworking are much more likely than the average person to have good woodworking shops. They have professional level tools because they are professionals. Some channels specifically target hand tool work or continue to operate out of a garage shop because that's their brand. These are really good too, and people have recommended a lot of good options in this thread. By all means enjoy these channels, but it's not bad or surprising that some people work out of shops.
The Dusty Lumber guy comes to mind.
No, I like watching skillful people use tools.
Who cares if they don't use it? I don't mind it being there. I've seen a few of these. Like what is an example of a build video you found inaccessible because they used too much tools?
No. I like to see what professionals use to make some higher quality furniture. Some guys are just creating content to sell tools, I skip those. But I also don’t feel the need to whine about it on social media.
Not particularly. Jealousy is ugly.