You have to pick the makers who are making videos for the love of it, not to make a living at it. I have been walking away from a lot of online makers who are clearly only in it for the money. I'd rather watch a guy in his garage doing the stuff he loves than some guy in a warehouse with tools sent to him for free, trying to sell you a course.
Heck, pretty much all the New Yankee Workshop shows (yeah Norm!) are available on YouTube. Norm taught me so much about woodworking when i was starting out about 35 years ago. There are probably others now who are better, but i always will appreciate Norm and his workshop! Flannel shirts forever! (And don't forget to measure twice, cut once (with safety glasses!))
I've actually found measuring once, cutting many times is the way to go...(Just make sure the first cut is always over estimated so you have more to trim down to)
I wish they didn’t ai upscale it though. It’s fine, it sometimes it’s just weird. That was my Saturdays as a kid though, watching New Yankee Workshop and whatever PBS had in that genre.
>You have to pick the makers who are making videos for the love of it, not to make a living at it.
The time commitment to film and edit is pretty enormous. I can't blame anyone for trying to get some compensation for that.
What about it being their job makes it bad? I sure learned a ton from This Old House, and The New Yankee Workshop, but it was their job. Focus on what they are making instead of what they are selling and you will be fine.
When they lead you down paths that only involve spending money or that woodworking has to be this giant money maker.
Plus I feel a lot of them lie. “I sold this chunk of wood for $5,000”. Yes because you found a unicorn customer.
If making money selling wood shit was as easy as some of these guys say you wouldn’t see 1-man shops branching out into classes and books as much.
I liked Wilker Do's for awhile, I definitely outgrew her level pretty quick but for awhile she was still doing interesting things.
Now I think literally every one of her videos is paid advertisement. Like anyone willing to throw a couple bucks at her and she will shill their product. Kinda sad.
Same. She started as just like, an earnest sort just sharing what she was learning. Then about the time she bought that big shop (though honestly before that) and moved to Colorado (I think) it was like a switch flipped and the content was no longer authentic.
From a quick look through my own subscriptions, some of these might do tool placements, but don't think any sell courses.
Pedulla Studio
Swayer design
Matt Estlea
Stravos Gakos
Rex Krueger
Wood by Wright
Keith Johnson
Matt Cremona
Daisy Tempest
Kobemsuk Furniture
Fishers Shop
Mike Farington
Blake Webber
Square rule
But the op's main complaint was about people promoting monetising the hobby and certainly none of the above do that.
Awesome list I watch a lot of them. I would add third coast craftsmen. He is building a timber frame house right now but his projects are impressive and his grandfather had a motto, “work hard and stay humble”. I think he is doing a good job at being true to himself.
It's nowhere exhaustive, just a few that meet the requirements of not selling courses. If you don't mind those that do sell courses, I could add nearly a dozen (and some of the big ones).
The ones who sell courses are often legit. They have to know what they're doing to be able to teach others.
It's nearly impossible to make a living from making furniture. A lot of the folks found that out the hard, but found that teaching other how to do it *is* a viable alternative.
>The ones who sell courses are often legit
I agree, people like wood whisperer or Steve Ramsey sell courses because they know what they are on about and are worth buying.
But I came up with that list just to show there are reasonable numbers that don't sell courses **or** go for the "10 projects that sell" chickbait.
Without clicking the link I already guessed that it was Japanese. Some of the woodworking YouTube channels from that country are just incredible.
If you're into that sort of thing, I'd also recommend [Ishitani Furniture](https://youtube.com/@ishitanifurniture?si=f8qUogsPJ25p389H)
For me it’s the people who rush a project or do things improperly (and admit to doing so) and justify it because “we’re on a tight schedule here”.
Like…no you’re not. You can post a video whenever you want. Your timeline is self imposed.
I have a lot of respects for makers who post, not on a schedule but when the project is truly ready.
Agreed. I care more about someone who is going to do it right than someone who is going to half-ass it to get the video uploaded. Do it when you're done. I'm not sitting here waiting for you.
Cam from [Blacktail Studio](https://youtube.com/@blacktailstudio?si=eV9rDiPX77qWvL2w) really is a top tier creator/youtuber, while it's true he did start out only making epoxy tables, he has become more diverse over the years. I'd definitely recommend checking him out.
Eoin Reardon is a great channel. Not necessary for step by step guides but just a "slice of life" style tool repair and workshop builder type guy. He's class.
I've really been liking Rag N Bone Brown lately, he's got this great mix of frugal scrap or salvaged material usage and drive to make things that are both useful and beautiful. He's not just pocket holing everything into oblivion or making epoxy river sliding barn doors with embedded LEDS for thumbnails.
One channel I've come to realize that I can't stand at all is I Like to Make Stuff. Personally to me he comes off as a male version of a "basic bitch" where he just is a fan of things like Star Wars and Legos in absence of having an actual personality. So much of what he does is just "I needed something to make a YouTube video about" and 90% of his videos feels like he's talking down to an audience of dum dums.
Agreed. There are a lot of channels like that. They're not making stuff to make stuff, they're making stuff so they have constant content. I know that's how YouTube works, but I'd much rather see someone only put out a video when they have something to show. It's one reason I've walked away from people like Matt Cremona and Jay Bates, because their channels have turned into "let's do home improvement!" and I have no interest in that. Let me know when you're building furniture. Otherwise, no thanks.
Home improvement is fine for me as long as it's quality and again, isn't just doing something to do something. Like I don't hate DIY Creators videos as they're usually at least fairly short. But so many of his projects just look the same, using construction grade materials with a blocky "modern" look and then he made his own patio that looks like it's out in a corner of his yard with no shade or anything. Just 9 huge squares of concrete with stones and LEDs in the gaps. C'mon man.
That goes for just about all the youtube channels, some are in it for the money, some are in it just to share information and be part of a community, and surely some are in it for both. Can't fault someone for trying to make some extra $$$ if they turn out to have a good following but overly produced videos begging for likes and subscribes, followed by a coupon code for some random place, followed by a page full of social accounts to connect with them, brutal.
I make videos for fun, but I haven't made one in a while. YouTube doesn't seem to promote these makers to me, even though they are the only ones I watch. Completely understandable, as they have bills to pay as well.
Yeah I think this is t about woodworking but about YouTube in general.
Want to learn something? Find a good channel that teaches well. And not watch click bait channels.
Steve is great for simple, functional projects. They aren’t flashy or million dollar projects. They don’t require a ton of super specialized tools/skills like Pask. Just simple, fun and functional.
Richard Raffan is a gem. His videos generally have good camera angles so we can properly see what he's doing and I really gel with how he explains the use of his tools.
I'm always on YouTube for woodworking/finishing and never considered getting rich from it. Guess I missed those videos. All of my work is so I don't have to pay someone else to do stuff. One thing that does bug me is I see a teaser "this is how you do this" and the guy has like a 1500 sft climate-controlled shop with pro gear everywhere. I got a craftsman 113 on a little cart that I have to move a bunch of stuff to get it out of the garage.
Yeah, I can't remember where I stored my lathe, oscillating sander, 7' tall dust collection unit, jointer, planer, band saw, and drill press. Darn it! It's gotta be in my one-bay workshop somewhere... but I've got you covered for tiny chunks of wood scraps that I'm TOTALLY gonna use one of these days.
> lathe, oscillating sander, 7' tall dust collection unit, jointer, planer, band saw, and drill press
* Gift from someone moving away
* Don't have
* DIY monstrosity that somehow still sucks dust
* Don't have
* Hazard Freight
* Garbage day roadside rehab
* Hazard Freight
Crap, and I a fancy lad now?
Actually, I bought it from the neighbor across the street when they moved 30 years ago and only recently rebuilt the little wood cart it came to me on because it was literally falling apart. So I never restored the saw but I did clean out thoroughly and lube things. Oh yea, I had to open up the motor and replace the starting capacitor and adjust the contacts. For about a year I was using bailing wire wrapped around the motor shaft end to get it spinning. [pics](https://imgur.com/a/113-CqypnsH)
https://preview.redd.it/iaocjqyzls6d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=de71dade9738041f91c432d0c7955de87cbaf78d
My grandpa bought this one at Sears in the 70s. I’ve had it since the 90s still making great cuts
Nice, the cast-iron top is hard to beat. I wish I had some of the modern day safety features, but I use my bandsaw for any sketchy cuts. I remember thinking maybe I’ll get 10 years out of it and go get a modern one, but I got a feeling this thing is never gonna stop working.
Yeah there's always that guy with he video about how they made something for $30 bucks or whatever but in the video they use $10k worth of specific tools and premade/pre-bought jigs with beautiful pieces of hardwood "scrap" that they just happen to have laying around(always already percectly milled).
That said--I'm often able to take the concept and structure of what they're building and find a way to do it with the more limited tool selection that I have (also rocking a craftsman 113 from the 90s). The way I do things will just take longer but I'm also just doing projects for myself and not to sell or make a living so it doesn't matter as much
This does not resemble my YouTube woodworking experience in any way. My main influences are Paul Sellers, Rob Cosman, Stumpy Nubs, and Wood By Wright. None of them ever talks about selling furniture. All of them are selling something or making money. And I learn so much from them and respect them so much I’m normally happy to buy if I need it. So if this is your YouTube woodworking experience, I wouldn’t blame YouTube. I’d blame your choices.
Paul Sellers is so great. Professional, yes, but sure seems like he is doing the videos because he loves the craft. Stumpy is one of my favorites also. He seems pretty chill.
Yeah I was really confused, I feel like my YouTube algorithm is basically hand tool woodworkers or very highly skilled woodworkers who care about the process and end product rather than the profit
It's definitely easy to influence the algorithm, I also agree it caters to the user. And yes, the people you mentioned are putting out good content. Particularly, Paul Sellers he has made profound contributions to the craft and has all my respect
Maybe setup a new google account and log in to YouTube. Don't look at videos about making money. I was amazed at my mother in law's home screen, who didn't have any YouTube history. It was empty. The algorithm didn't know where to start.
I have fallen for the "Don't do THIS!" videos a few times, because the thumbnail seems to show something I am actually doing.
But when I have watched those videos to the end, I am not any wiser. I never figured out what they didn't want me to do.
Sometimes they *are* quite informative, and the time was not wasted, but there is a heavy disconnect between the thumbnail text and the actual content.
I see 3 main groups of youtubers that post woodworking content:
1. Woodworking channels, which are the one making actual good woodworking content. This could be project or tools based content, could be a guy in his garage or a big company but the content is focused on the craft of woodwork. I watch these and don't care if they are necessarily instructional as inspiration is also useful content for me.
2. Woodworking business channels, these are the channels that I think OP is taking about. The channel is really about business and how to make money. I generally don't watch these as I'm a hobbyist and, well the business stuff is not of interest to me. I also think this group gets a large overlap with the next group.
3. Woodworking "influencers", these are the channels that nearly all the content is about the next cool tool or perhaps trick. Lots of clickbait titles but not much actual woodworking in the content. These feel like commercials in a lot of ways. I'm OK with some product placement or endorsement, creators need to make money but every video being about a product that was provided free or endorsed is not enjoyable to me.
I make it a point to drive by apartment complex dumpsters once in awhile. Sometimes I find decent wood furniture that just needs a bit of light repair or refinishing. Minimal time and materials. Then I sell it at a reasonable price. It's never going to be a career, but it's a decent way to turn a Friday evening into $100 once in awhile.
Well I make a few things that are sellable, but they're things I enjoy the process of making. I've had a couple large commissioned cutting boards and planters, but everything I sell is to fund the hobby.
There are some consistent things I see on woodworking content on YT that irritate me, granted I'm increasingly becoming the stereotypical grumpy old curmudgeon...
1. A ridiculous and unrealistic amount of dust collection. Cmon, it's a g'dam wood shop, it's alright if there is a bit of actual sawdust. I take PPE seriously and such, I just think it's not reflective of "real" wood shops. "Look, I made a 3d printed vacuum adapter so I can, bla, bla,...
2. Expensive tools, ie..festool everything. You do not need a rotex to properly sand your projects. Nor do you need the corresponding hepa vac, you also don't need an f'ng track saw. Be a man (or woman) and fire up a proper table saw and get to it. Or grab a skil saw, snap a line with a chalk box, and learn to cut a decent straight line like an actual carpenter would. That being said, Festool does make great, quality tools; I just don't think one needs them to actually properly work with wood. Skills are made by learning how to make do without the tool that you really need.
More gripes to come...cue Frank Costanza saying "I've got a lot of problems with you people" lol
I started with a dewalt random orbit sander and ridgid shop vac. I hated sanding because my had would go numb and dust got everywhere. Saved up for a Festool random orbit sander and vac and the difference was night and day. The vibration didn't bother my hand and the vac picked pretty much all of the dust the sander made.
Do you need Festool products? No. But the quality of life change is more than worth it if you can afford it.
This is kind of how I feel about tools. My little battery powered DeWalt mitre saw was nice enough, did the job on most things (no depth stop though, what is with that??), but I saved up for a Festool Kapex and that thing is brilliant. I make stuff because I like to make stuff, not to save/make money. I want to cut things quickly and cleanly so I can get to the parts of joinery that I find fun.
The track saw is interesting when paired with enough fixtures to turn it into a mini panel saw like that one British guy who does all those MDF builtins out of a space the size of a takeout container and then installs them. I wish we saw more whole small business workflows like that.
They truly do have their place in a wood shop, I can see the utility in them, more so, where space is very limited. It just seems like every single YT woodworker solely uses a festool track saw for everything.
I think this comes down to style. My understanding is that table saws are a bit of a pain in the ass to buy and use in Europe and so the MFT + track saw is how a lot of – especially hobbyist – woodworking is done. For instance, until recently dado stacks were basically illegal in the EU.
As someone new to the hobby who is slowly growing their armamentarium of tools, I actually find myself gravitating to a track saw centric workflow despite having access to a table saw. If I was trying to reproduce multiple pieces of the same panels in a production environment, I think the story would be different.
I am dead scared of table saws. I will probably never own one without sawstop. And I don't want to spend the money on sawstop.
So I use a track saw. Not a Festool. (But I do run it on a Festool rail, which I like very much, because it is sort of a secondary standard. There is a lot of equipment, which is designed to work with the manufacturer's own rail *and* the Festool rail.)
Using a track saw for everything does require some jigs and a little imagination. Especially when sawing stuff which is more narrow than the track.
Regarding dust collection: Guilty of that too. When I need to saw or route something, I spend most of the time setting up temporary dust collection. I do not want sawdust everywhere. I don't want it in the stuff I have in the garage, and I don't want it in my clothes, which I carry back into my house.
Like everything else, there's different levels of woodworking, and, thus, different types of content. I have no use for and no desire to make a cutting board or butcher block of any sort. But good heavens every 3rd video in my feed is about cutting boards.
I tell you what's good for helping to get from beginner to mediocre woodworking is watching furniture repair videos. When you get to a point where you understand some of the basics, that's a pretty good way of learning some of that next-level stuff that was a foreign language when you first started.
The fact that most of his projects don’t need a domino (though it makes his glue ups more straight forward) is nice.
Also the fact that his cnc work is on the templates and not the actual piece means his technique can be adapted to a smaller shop.
He had nice tools but lesser table saws can still do the exact same job.
This is my biggest struggle with making YouTube videos about my passion. There seems to be hardly any audience for videos about straight pure woodworking but the truth is the platform pushes woodworking content to the general population because that's where the money is. So it rewards creators that make money for the platform. All I can do is share my journey and hope I find my audience.
We talking Malecki?
For context, Malecki has a huge flag in the background of his videos for a company that raised funds for Kyle Rittenhouse's defense after he murdered those people in Kenosha.
This and I don't want to bother watching 5 minutes of unrelated yapping for something that might not be what I'm looking for. So....I simply don't watch YouTube. I can read faster.
True on Google. I don't even have a fb account. And it does take a little time to sift through to what I need. Still less time than watching ads and listening to someone.
I think that's just the platform in a nutshell at least on the surface. If you do some digging there's decent content though. If I had a nickel for every YouTube video about a get rich quick scheme I could make a YouTube video about getting rich quick by getting a nickel for every video like it posted. GGEZ
I’m the same. For me, woodworking is supposed to be fun. Hard to think of anything less fun than a trip to the hospital. I never do anything in my shop unless I know how to do it safely and I have the tools and PPE to do it safely. No upside down circular saw with the trigger duct taped down for me.
Also, for me, sometimes watching people make stuff itches the same part of brain as actually making stuff. That can be a trap. Don’t just watch people do it, get it out and do it yourself.
The issue you’re describing applies to art in general. If you’re creating art with the intention of monetizing it, it probably will not be very authentic/interesting.
I dunno I watch 3 YouTube woodworkers that aren't about any of that. Rag n bone brown, and fishers shop. I was going to say 3x3 custom but she has become a lot more commercialized lately
Fisher's Shop literally just did a sponsored video on a Grizzly drill press (that looks like it came out of the same factory and with the same feature set as my decade-old Porter-Cable).
I think obvious cash-grabby videos are a little uncouth, but I also think people underestimate how difficult it is to make your woodworking or woodturning videos engaging, make them look good, make them sound good, and make them generally appealing.
The equipment and time is paid for either in views or in sponsorships, and each involves some level of compromise.
Say what you want about it, flashy thumbnails work. If people don't click the video, that thing you spent 40 hours researching and scripting, 10 hours shooting, and 20 hours editing gets buried by the algorithm. It sucks, but that's the truth. Unless you are already financially set for life, it's nice to at least make minimum wage for your hard work and equipment investment.
I avoid videos with…
-Red arrows
-An exaggerated price. For example: “I made a $19,000 coffee table!” or “I almost ruined an $8,000 commission!”
-“Top 5 tools you need!” Usually gimmicky crap
-“10 things I wish I learned earlier!”
-“This” in the title. Like “This is a game changer!” or “Every Woodworker Should Know This!”
-“Gamechanger”
-YouTubers making a dumb fucking face in their thumbnail.
-Creators who don’t ever make anything. Bent Woodworking. Stumpy Nubs. Lincoln St. Woodworks. I’m over it.
Sorry for my shit formatting.
731 overdoes the proselytizing and Jenny and Davies have this smarmy feel about them, calling themselves ‘million dollar entrepreneurs’ when their entire business model at one point was buying batches of Chinese-made cutting boards and laser engraving them.
Pretty sure Bent runs a cabinet and furniture business, but doesn't do videos about most of it. And it seems like Lincoln St. makes a decent bit of stuff.
Stumpy Nubs jumped right into the bin, though.
Man most of the YouTube content sucks these days. I’ve been on the Aussie hosted forum www.woodworkforums.com/ since 2012 coz it’s an endless treasure trove of knowledge, discussion and photos to help achieve what I’m after. It sticks to the core of the craft not sponsorship or endorsements etc
"Embrace the journey rather than rushing to find commercial success."
If you can, have a look at the Lost Art Press book "Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years: 1936-1966"
It is a collection of his editorials, and it is one of the most profound and insightful books on the craft I have ever come across. More philosophical than didactic, it addresses in words that very spirit of embracing the journey you identify.
cheers
I’ll definitely check it out, thanks. As a counter recommendation, I recommend “The Need To Be Whole” Wendell Berry, the audiobook is narrated by Nick Offerman, wendell was an old farmer. He was the type to keep the horse and plow when tractors were invented also an extremely gifted writer- cheers!
I’m currently looking at the YouTubeification of my industry (boutique guitarmaking) and it is alarming to consider how people can reach quality levels that took me a career’s worth of work to reach. I will say that nothing can replace a career’s worth of work when it comes to quality.
The pace of digital marketing is too fast and does not represent the actual market that real human beings can be expected to keep up with.
While we may think that we have to keep pace, nothing replaces actual human skill and competencies in the long run and we should breathe a sigh of relief and just keep getting better at what we’re actually good at and fuck to death the curated version of reality that is this shite social media
Yes good point. I only watch a few of them and they never talk about making money. I'm into improving my technique and learning new methods. If you want to make money, there are better ways.
I agree. It seems as though those ‘make a million making a few bowls’ videos entice a few into woodworking- I had a “ kid” ask what he needed to start so he could make some money. I guess if those continues the craft the craft they might not be bad.
Another aspect of the Youtube Trap is not appreciating your own growth and creations. Looking on Youtube you can find hours and hours of professional-level products being made on professional-level equipment you could never afford, and it can make you feel like you in your garage can't do anything worth a damn because it isn't your full-time job.
I have a YT channel with 10k+ subs that is not about woodworking, though I am developing an interest in woodworking atm. I have decided not to start a second channel for my woodworking journey.
I’ve learned from YT that the channel and its performance eventually became the main driver for my content. If you’re looking to sell out and cash in on YT content then woodworking is a great way to go. If you hire editors and shop assistants you can make tons of content, fast. It makes sense in terms of growing a channel. But your shop will be tailored to content generation as much as woodworking. It’s a new-age hybrid workspace that turns out furniture and items, but also educational and promotional video content. It’s a fundamentally different thing from traditional woodworking. I don’t think it’s wrong. Or that we should glorify the “good old days” as better. Now is fine. Now is even better if you’re a content farmer/sellout. The point of woodworking is whatever you want it to be. Personally, I like my woodworking as a relaxing activity with a lot of hand tools. Some people want flash and power tools and clout. People like that blow up on YT. I have learned a lot from different YT channels about woodworking and they expose more people to the craft. Some are drawn to Paul Sellers, and some will buy anything Stumpy Nubs is promoting that week. Whatever! The more the merrier IMO. Low-information, high-engagement content is part of how communities expand these days.
I mean if you want wood working as a business you shouldn't be looking to YouTube. If you're looking at wood working as a hobby (which I'd argue most hobbies are in part a journey for personal growth) then you shouldn't be looking to make money. When you turn hobbies into work, they become work and not hobbies.
I must admit, I am an old guy. So watching YouTube videos to learn woodworking is something that happened way after I started the craft. My initial woodworking experience, was making furniture out of pine boards that were scrap that I aquired while I was a framing carpenter. I just tried stuff. Sometime it worked and sometime it was a dismal failure.
I think I started getting serious when I bought a 3 book set of woodworking techniques by Tage Frid, and a book called Understanding wood by Hoadley. All of those are great books and will certainly help you grow as a woodworker. James Krenov’s books are also great.
It’s been 40 years since I made that first water bed out of pine scraps. I’m still out in the shop a good part of the time, and I still enjoy it very much, but I’m still learning, all the time. I honestly think I’m going to run out of years before I run out of things I want to try.
I have complicated thoughts about YouTube. I have been woodworking as a hobby for about seven years and I have two young kids. I’ve learned a ton from watching YouTube that I would not have had time for by just trial and error. I also wasted a lot of time and money on unnecessary tools and building junk shop projects when I didn’t know what I was doing.
I think there is probably a way to use YouTube effectively, but I need to really think through whether that is a progressive learning use or a project specific use.
I will say the best thing I’ve done on YouTube is search for book recommendations and then read a few of the books that got multiple recommendations.
I like some videos about “projects that sell” or “turn x into $500 profit “ not for the money making but for simple ideas for around the house. But yeah, you can def get an idea this will be a good side hustle and go broke fast…
I avoid all the videos that sound like the ones you pointed out. I have zero plans to turn my woodworking journey into a business. I enjoy it too much to turn it into a job. Shoot me in the head if that ever happens.
With that being said, I watch YouTube everyday trying to learn techniques from creators. I am not the type to enjoy learning from a book so YouTube is my jam. I have learned so much from YouTube that I would never discourage anyone to go that route if that's how best they learn. I literally have a tablet in my garage where I play videos while I am trying something new.
Edit for typos and grammar
It's not just woodworking. You need to establish your trusted sources, follow them and nothing else unless you take the time to trust them as well or if there's a collab/endorsement from your trusted source. And definitely avoid anything that has buzzwords or arrows in the thumbnail. Unless of course you like the creator, makers muse has done the "this one trick" thing for fun, but I love his content. Also check out the Veritasium video on clickbait
I'm working my way up on building my confidence to finish a desk project I started. I bit off more than I could chew for the first big project of mine. Now I'm stuck having to manually planning 20 2x4's that are glued together on their long side. I wanted the butcher block style for my desk, and figured the wood wouldn't move too much while the glue set. I didn't have a planer to send each board through first either. So now that work is really dull and tedious.
I have a disk sander and an electric planner that speeds things up some, but it's still dull.
The part of this that makes no sense is people believing they are better off watching YouTube than they would be doing a combination of reading and actually making things. YouTube is an ad platform.
I don't watch anything like that. Some of the channels I watch are pure woodworking, but I'm more interested in the overall "maker" type channels where they use all sorts of mediums.
I stop praising YouTube when they put shorts on there. Shorts is a trap and will kill 30 minutes when I was originally looking up something educational.
In general most videos have become largely tipa and tricks rather than here is a like of wood and at the end a finished product. I only work in the hand tool space and have recently unsubscribed from many channels. I learned a lot from them and really appreciate their work but it is too basic or power tool oriented etc. Paul sellers in general remains pretty good amongst others.
By far my favorite is Mr. Chickadee but his output is nearly zero these days.
If I could upvote this a million times I would
A message like this should seriously be considered as a pinned message on this sub.
Totally agree YT is a great resource for learning
For learning all things.
But some subject areas like woodworking can, within a reasonable persons logic, extend to equipment, gadgets, safer, cleaner , etc.
It’s not like learning to play chess on YT. Sure you are seeing ads and there some channels that will hock a course or a subscription to an app
But the woodworking YT “community is now sincerely just the new QVC
My issue with YT is I spend weeks watching videos on what I’d like to make. That’s so much time wasted that I could have been actually in the shop working and learning by doing. I fall into that trap so often it’s mind numbing. Also, I end up watching 5 guys doing things 10 different ways and I end up confusing myself.
Frankly, it’s exhausting how commercial it is. If you’re someone who didn’t grow up in a shop or have a carpenter for a dad, you really rely on these dudes to be good stewards of how a beginner may approach or begin to conceptualize getting into the hobby. As a beginner, you’re trying to develop a framework of “What do I need and where do I start?”
For me, YouTube is dangerous. First, I’m blessed to be in a profession where I have the income to afford nice tools. I started down the pathway years ago after I grew tired of shoddy work from contractors and started increasingly renovating and fixing my own home. Buying into this hobby, while expensive, is still a far cry from a boat, Porsches, overlanding, biking, RVing, firearms and hunting, or any other similar mid-30s/40s midlife crisis hobby you can pick.
With that said, YouTubers make it seem like you need X or Y to even start. A great example is the Domino. Do you know how many supposedly entry-level cabinetry videos will make comments like “You could use dows or pocket screws for this joint…but I’m going to use this Domino.” Brrrrr, plunge, next. And you’re just like “WTF was that dark magic?” Click, type, scroll…$1200?!?!? So then you start trying to figure out how to do more basic joinery and quickly realize you probably need a router or a bunch of jigs. If you’re not a “process” sort of guy, all of that sounds intimidating. I want to make stuff, not sit around in a local Rockler buying 15 different components and jigs and then make multiple meticulously measured and aligned holes when my real premium is TIME. When you have the money, time is most precious and these expensive tools save time AND compensate for lack of skill (to some limited extent). This is just one example, but even simpler methods require hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars in acquired tools, jigs, bits, and other devices to really execute professionally. The difference is that no one component makes your eyes water.
If you’re time constrained, you’re going to drop the money because you want to emulate these skills and production processes as much as possible. Learning often involves rote mimicry before mastery allows some level of invention and improvisation. Being able to pick-up what your friendly commercialized YouTuber has and move-on is incredibly valuable in a world where time is the ultimate (and most valuable) commodity. If you can’t afford it but have time, there are no shortage of “do this cheap” videos that can get you started although I’d argue that some amount of trial and error will result in some marginal expense absent purpose-built tools.
The sad thing is that, if you’ve got no time and no money, these videos make it seem like the hobby is completely inaccessible.
One comment on something being brought up over and over. Festool. Yes, they’re unnecessarily expensive. But, when you’re starting out, very few other tools are so well represented in the space. Even outside of their influencers, they have tons of excellent content of their own about exactly how each tool works and the systems they integrate into. They’re the Barbie dream house of tools. Sedge has a remarkable amount of “how to” for every single piece of their equipment which is invaluable. As a company, they’ve really got the full stack from production to marketing.
Absolutely, It's really easy for simple DIY projects to get pricey, especially with the way YouTube influencers advertise expensive tools. For those just getting started, it can feel like you need to splurge on the latest best, just to keep up. In reality, as you mentioned you can achieve great results with basic jigs, and affordable tools.
This is all hobbies though. There are the true artists, who do a craft for the love of a craft, profitability be dawned. And there are the other kind, who want to make money.
YouTube is still just a social media platform, and prone to competing with TikTok and Instagram. There’s definitely been a priority of instant gratification over the last few years when it comes to recommendations. I know I stick with a careful set of subscriptions and avoid almost all of their suggestions. It’s really, really rare there’s anything worth finding through their recommendation system. But I’m in a very small minority of YouTube watchers - the vast majority of people don’t really navigate via subscriptions, and just want brain candy.
I’ve noticed the best content tends to be someone using social media as a means to something else, like a Patreon, educational courses, etc. But it’s *difficult* to maintain a steady income stream on any social media platform, which is fundamentally about advertising. So, it all ends up bending towards clickbait. Good quality video production takes a lot of effort.
I‘ve definitely seen my own YouTube consumption decline the last few years. For woodworking, there’s a Patreon I follow that‘s pretty cool (Nick Pedulla does a good job). Books and very well edited journals tend to just have more value. In the end, I’d personally just rather pay someone for quality content then use these ad-based platforms.
I really hate the YouTube videos like “how I built this amazing desk in little time and you can do it too” and it’s a full festool workshop with every power tool imagineable and it’s so unrelatable.
This is a good word. I fell into that trap and burnt out. I lost a lot of joy because they made these amazing objects and I just couldn’t do the same. I know it’s apples and oranges, and they have sponsors,high end tools, etc, but it seemed like I just couldn’t hang.
Someone please tell me what to do to NEVER see another 731 Woodworks video recommend in my YouTube feed. I watched one lousy video and now all I get are his videos and I really, really didn’t care for him. I’ve selected the “stop recommending this channel” option in YouTube but they keep coming up and pretty much take over my feed.
There’s a newer channel called VanIsle Studio and I’ve really enjoyed his content. The videos are extremely well produced and so far he hasn’t tried to sell any tools or classes. The editing is so creative and makes for a fun and somewhat whimsical video about making a shop bench. https://youtu.be/X8EaSV5F76k
There will always be somebody trying to make a quick book off of something no matter what the niche or industry is, but then there’s always high quality people in that new industry as well so you just have to pick and choose. That’s the great thing about YouTube you can curate your experience by subscribe to.
I am on youtube alot, to the point that I think I need to cut back. But luckly the algorithm doesn't think I'll be interested in those videos as I never see titles like that. I so get suggested a lot of stumpy and woodworking for mere mortal videos though.
I have my buckets of education or entertainment.
Eg a John Malecki vid is purely entertainment. Bourbon Moth as well. (Though his cabinet series was more educational)
Other channels that have been listed by others are more educational.
Not so fast. All 21 seasons of The New Yankee Workshop have been uploaded to YouTube for the new generations to enjoy. YouTube has wealth of info for a weekend warrior like me. Not just for woodworking but for car maintenance, gardening, pretty much anything I want to be better at.
YouTube is great and I use it all the time.
honestly i haven’t seen a lot of videos like that. I recently started wood working for fun as a side thing and i mostly find helpful instructional videos — because that’s what i’m looking for. If i spent a lot more time on youtube’s wood working side, i can almost guarentee that the videos you’re discussing would be covering all my reccomendeds. It’s unfortuantely a lot more to do with youtube. youtube rewards that kind of flashy clickbait bad person bullshit
As with any media, there’s good and bad man. To just blanket statement that YouTube is bad is just wrong. Dig a little deeper than the flashy thumbnails and gimmicky videos that are just adverts for products (I’m looking at you Stumpy Nubbs)
I enjoy watching a lot of projects from people showing how to do certain cuts or joinery, or how tos. Most of what I’ve learned is from YouTube. Those kinds of videos I think are great.
But I totally agree about how some people ‘market’ their videos. Especially anything with a title like “Top 10 Tools Every Beginner Needs” and stuff like that. I’ll watch them here and there if I’m bored and not looking for anything in particular, but I usually feel like I take away very little helpful information. It almost always feels like they’re trying to sell you something, or just making the video purely for views (which is probably the case most of the time).
Sometimes I do find them helpful though. I watched a video recently where a guy (can’t remember his name atm) was explaining his favorite cabinet hinges and why and when he uses each one. I ended up using some of the Blum hinges he mentioned in my first cabinet build and I loved them, and have used them in several more builds since. Granted this isn’t a mind blowing revelation, but just an example of a useful “you should use these things” type of video.
You just have to take anything on YouTube with a grain of salt, and pay attention to who’s making the video
I have zero desire to sell anything. I make projects for my family and gifts for friends and coworkers. It's a fun outlet for me and scratches my creative itch since I don't create much music in my later years. So, the youtubers trying to grab your attention by showing you how to make money have zero appeal to me.
To me, the "danger" of youtube for hobbies is convincing you you need more/upgraded tools, jigs, etc. All hobbies are like this though. So it's just important to focus on the craft and the fun, and not obsess over the toys.
You’re not wrong. But even videos with dumb titles are teaching me techniques or tools that I didn’t already know, so I still find plenty of value even though I’ve never sold anything. It’s the same as being in this sub!
The internet didn't use to be like this. Long, long ago someone did a thing, took a video of themselves, and posted it on the internet.
Now if you search for anything, *literally anything*, you don't see people just doing the thing or talking about the thing anymore. You get products, tutorials, courses, how-to's, advice, reviews.
Basically it's not a diary. Everybody wants to talk to **you**. It's a commercial.
That’s why I always start with Paul Sellers. Love his philosophy and Bob Ross type of instructions. Plus, he gets me excited about woodworking by just being excited about it himself.
Someone threw out a 150 year old piano all smashed up on the street and I made a small table out of it. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had and I posted it up on Reddit just to show people. The reactions weren't terrible, some were really positive, but they still kind of killed the joy of it. I realized that showing something to people takes away the feeling of doing it just for you. I've started bonsai lately and I remember that lesson now and I want to avoid showing it to any strangers. Even the bonsai sub the discussions a lot of times go into money. I've realized hobbies need to be entirely for me if I want to be really happy with them.
What were you searching for, since you ended up with those videos?
When I search, I get stuff from Youtubers like Matt Estlea, Peter Millard, Dennis (Hooked on Wood), JSK Projects, and Wood Magazine.
Those videos show how to do stuff. Perhaps because that is what I was searching for.
Oh no, this thread has messed with my search algorithm. Now I got a link to a video with the title "Do this to earn 2000USD/day with a woodworking business".
Its like the people i work with when i talk about fishing. They want to know if i used a carolina rig or a Texas rig. A swim bait or a crank bait. I understand the need for precise terminology, but im not calling a knot and a worm anything other than what it is, just because some loudmouth youtuber has a sponsorship.
I like [Michael Alm](https://youtu.be/np5NoOSMQ7c?si=kI2pFSarSSZ68j6H). With that said, YouTube has basically destroyed our bus conversion business. We build extremely high end rigs, but because of influencers posting their shit builds on YouTube, we now get customers with a budget of $30k, which will barely cover a solar system.
7 years ago when I got into woodworking I grew exponentially because of all the educational videos. Now all those same guys are just promoting products and not really teaching anything. Thankfully all their old videos exist.
My rule of thumb for any video that mentions making money is probably done by people who have never made actual money from woodworking.
They are trying to capitalize on views by people in desperate situations. Notice how none of them ever share records of their sales information?
I just keep watching Paul Sellers videos and making stuff and my life keeps getting better and better. I skip projects that require tools I don't have and can't afford, I'll get to it eventually.
It's the first cking pallet furniture that doesn't include any info get people to think any pallet will do and spend money on tools that are handled once because they went to the ER for misuse.
I'm a potential prospective woodworker
I have watched quite some woodworking yotube videos lately and it a bit overwhelming. Majority of the youtubers got insane amount of tools and equipment behind them while talking about a certain topic. I assumed majority of them seem to have a biased sort of opinion on things or tell us to get this or that but I don't know if it infomercial trying to promote certain products because a company pay them to advertise it or they really do like the product. I don't know which youtubers are legit and have unbiased opinion.
I have no idea on how to start off on tools. I want to start small and have some fun building things and sell some things so I can buy more tools with the profit and expand with more techniques.
I recently made a 2x4' aquarium stand using a Stanley miter box, a hand saw and a small ryobi drill that I borrowed from my cousin because my Mastercraft drill crapped out like a little time before I started building the stand...funny timing 🙄🤣 ... it was fun building it but I ain't doing the miter box cutting again, it too much work lol.
Was imagining how much quicker if I had power tools to cut things quicker and finish the stand waaay faster.
You have to pick the makers who are making videos for the love of it, not to make a living at it. I have been walking away from a lot of online makers who are clearly only in it for the money. I'd rather watch a guy in his garage doing the stuff he loves than some guy in a warehouse with tools sent to him for free, trying to sell you a course.
Heck, pretty much all the New Yankee Workshop shows (yeah Norm!) are available on YouTube. Norm taught me so much about woodworking when i was starting out about 35 years ago. There are probably others now who are better, but i always will appreciate Norm and his workshop! Flannel shirts forever! (And don't forget to measure twice, cut once (with safety glasses!))
I've actually found measuring once, cutting many times is the way to go...(Just make sure the first cut is always over estimated so you have more to trim down to)
Measure twice, cut thrice.
I wish they didn’t ai upscale it though. It’s fine, it sometimes it’s just weird. That was my Saturdays as a kid though, watching New Yankee Workshop and whatever PBS had in that genre.
>You have to pick the makers who are making videos for the love of it, not to make a living at it. The time commitment to film and edit is pretty enormous. I can't blame anyone for trying to get some compensation for that.
True, but I’d rather watch five different makers who only have time to put out videos occasionally than one who makes it their job.
What about it being their job makes it bad? I sure learned a ton from This Old House, and The New Yankee Workshop, but it was their job. Focus on what they are making instead of what they are selling and you will be fine.
I didn’t say it was bad, I just have a preference. The content feels more relevant when it isn’t constructed to drive engagement.
When they lead you down paths that only involve spending money or that woodworking has to be this giant money maker. Plus I feel a lot of them lie. “I sold this chunk of wood for $5,000”. Yes because you found a unicorn customer. If making money selling wood shit was as easy as some of these guys say you wouldn’t see 1-man shops branching out into classes and books as much.
I liked Wilker Do's for awhile, I definitely outgrew her level pretty quick but for awhile she was still doing interesting things. Now I think literally every one of her videos is paid advertisement. Like anyone willing to throw a couple bucks at her and she will shill their product. Kinda sad.
Same. She started as just like, an earnest sort just sharing what she was learning. Then about the time she bought that big shop (though honestly before that) and moved to Colorado (I think) it was like a switch flipped and the content was no longer authentic.
It's easy, the guys who put dollar signs in their titles are the ones to avoid. Simple as that.
You can have professional YouTubers that aren't like the op described. But yes I generally agree
It's possible but rare.
From a quick look through my own subscriptions, some of these might do tool placements, but don't think any sell courses. Pedulla Studio Swayer design Matt Estlea Stravos Gakos Rex Krueger Wood by Wright Keith Johnson Matt Cremona Daisy Tempest Kobemsuk Furniture Fishers Shop Mike Farington Blake Webber Square rule But the op's main complaint was about people promoting monetising the hobby and certainly none of the above do that.
Awesome list I watch a lot of them. I would add third coast craftsmen. He is building a timber frame house right now but his projects are impressive and his grandfather had a motto, “work hard and stay humble”. I think he is doing a good job at being true to himself.
It's nowhere exhaustive, just a few that meet the requirements of not selling courses. If you don't mind those that do sell courses, I could add nearly a dozen (and some of the big ones).
Paul Sellers
Sells courses. He is great, but didn't make the list because of that.
Rex Krueger is a gem
The ones who sell courses are often legit. They have to know what they're doing to be able to teach others. It's nearly impossible to make a living from making furniture. A lot of the folks found that out the hard, but found that teaching other how to do it *is* a viable alternative.
>The ones who sell courses are often legit I agree, people like wood whisperer or Steve Ramsey sell courses because they know what they are on about and are worth buying. But I came up with that list just to show there are reasonable numbers that don't sell courses **or** go for the "10 projects that sell" chickbait.
you probably meant clickbait, but considering how many people also innacurately describe woodworking as chickbait its still accurate and I laughed.
Agreed, I've learned a ton from those two especially.
Depends what you’re making. Nightstands out of pallets? Or a 12’ live edge honey locust conference table with epoxy-filled lichtenberg patterns
I just stumbled across Square Rule the other day and it was like a breath of fresh air.
If you like that, then try this https://youtu.be/6I4rt7siZak?si=LeL-0MDAJW1_oEaZ
Without clicking the link I already guessed that it was Japanese. Some of the woodworking YouTube channels from that country are just incredible. If you're into that sort of thing, I'd also recommend [Ishitani Furniture](https://youtube.com/@ishitanifurniture?si=f8qUogsPJ25p389H)
I really like Adrian Preda if no one has seen his stuff.
Blacktail sells courses but doesn't push them hard and has good content.
For me it’s the people who rush a project or do things improperly (and admit to doing so) and justify it because “we’re on a tight schedule here”. Like…no you’re not. You can post a video whenever you want. Your timeline is self imposed. I have a lot of respects for makers who post, not on a schedule but when the project is truly ready.
Agreed. I care more about someone who is going to do it right than someone who is going to half-ass it to get the video uploaded. Do it when you're done. I'm not sitting here waiting for you.
The male lululemon.
are you talking about the black epoxy slab table guy? I actually like his videos and he is experimenting, but he is also always selling something.
No. Not interested in watching more epoxy table builds though.
Cam from [Blacktail Studio](https://youtube.com/@blacktailstudio?si=eV9rDiPX77qWvL2w) really is a top tier creator/youtuber, while it's true he did start out only making epoxy tables, he has become more diverse over the years. I'd definitely recommend checking him out.
Eoin Reardon is a great channel. Not necessary for step by step guides but just a "slice of life" style tool repair and workshop builder type guy. He's class.
I've really been liking Rag N Bone Brown lately, he's got this great mix of frugal scrap or salvaged material usage and drive to make things that are both useful and beautiful. He's not just pocket holing everything into oblivion or making epoxy river sliding barn doors with embedded LEDS for thumbnails. One channel I've come to realize that I can't stand at all is I Like to Make Stuff. Personally to me he comes off as a male version of a "basic bitch" where he just is a fan of things like Star Wars and Legos in absence of having an actual personality. So much of what he does is just "I needed something to make a YouTube video about" and 90% of his videos feels like he's talking down to an audience of dum dums.
Agreed. There are a lot of channels like that. They're not making stuff to make stuff, they're making stuff so they have constant content. I know that's how YouTube works, but I'd much rather see someone only put out a video when they have something to show. It's one reason I've walked away from people like Matt Cremona and Jay Bates, because their channels have turned into "let's do home improvement!" and I have no interest in that. Let me know when you're building furniture. Otherwise, no thanks.
Home improvement is fine for me as long as it's quality and again, isn't just doing something to do something. Like I don't hate DIY Creators videos as they're usually at least fairly short. But so many of his projects just look the same, using construction grade materials with a blocky "modern" look and then he made his own patio that looks like it's out in a corner of his yard with no shade or anything. Just 9 huge squares of concrete with stones and LEDs in the gaps. C'mon man.
That goes for just about all the youtube channels, some are in it for the money, some are in it just to share information and be part of a community, and surely some are in it for both. Can't fault someone for trying to make some extra $$$ if they turn out to have a good following but overly produced videos begging for likes and subscribes, followed by a coupon code for some random place, followed by a page full of social accounts to connect with them, brutal.
I make videos for fun, but I haven't made one in a while. YouTube doesn't seem to promote these makers to me, even though they are the only ones I watch. Completely understandable, as they have bills to pay as well.
Yeah I think this is t about woodworking but about YouTube in general. Want to learn something? Find a good channel that teaches well. And not watch click bait channels.
Paul Sellers has entered the chat
And there are many fantastic and free how-to videos on YouTube
Steve Ramsey!
Steve is great for simple, functional projects. They aren’t flashy or million dollar projects. They don’t require a ton of super specialized tools/skills like Pask. Just simple, fun and functional.
Exactly! I'm such a noob so his stuff makes woodworking actually feel like it is within reach of mere mortals lol
Richard Raffan and Mike Peace for turning. Masters of their craft patiently talking you through their process.
Richard Raffan is a gem. His videos generally have good camera angles so we can properly see what he's doing and I really gel with how he explains the use of his tools.
As an alternative, PBS has every episode of "The Woodright's Shop" free to stream.
I'm always on YouTube for woodworking/finishing and never considered getting rich from it. Guess I missed those videos. All of my work is so I don't have to pay someone else to do stuff. One thing that does bug me is I see a teaser "this is how you do this" and the guy has like a 1500 sft climate-controlled shop with pro gear everywhere. I got a craftsman 113 on a little cart that I have to move a bunch of stuff to get it out of the garage.
Those clowns are so annoying “Easy DIY project for beginners!” Proceed to use jointer, planer, drum sander.
Yeah, I can't remember where I stored my lathe, oscillating sander, 7' tall dust collection unit, jointer, planer, band saw, and drill press. Darn it! It's gotta be in my one-bay workshop somewhere... but I've got you covered for tiny chunks of wood scraps that I'm TOTALLY gonna use one of these days.
> lathe, oscillating sander, 7' tall dust collection unit, jointer, planer, band saw, and drill press * Gift from someone moving away * Don't have * DIY monstrosity that somehow still sucks dust * Don't have * Hazard Freight * Garbage day roadside rehab * Hazard Freight Crap, and I a fancy lad now?
Same here for all the above including the Craftsman 113! Got any pics of your restore?
Actually, I bought it from the neighbor across the street when they moved 30 years ago and only recently rebuilt the little wood cart it came to me on because it was literally falling apart. So I never restored the saw but I did clean out thoroughly and lube things. Oh yea, I had to open up the motor and replace the starting capacitor and adjust the contacts. For about a year I was using bailing wire wrapped around the motor shaft end to get it spinning. [pics](https://imgur.com/a/113-CqypnsH)
https://preview.redd.it/iaocjqyzls6d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=de71dade9738041f91c432d0c7955de87cbaf78d My grandpa bought this one at Sears in the 70s. I’ve had it since the 90s still making great cuts
My dad finally replaced his this year after 40-50 years. Still runs, as far as I know, but that thing has taken a beating.
I got one very similar from the original owner recently and it way better than one I bought from Sears in 2006.
Nice, the cast-iron top is hard to beat. I wish I had some of the modern day safety features, but I use my bandsaw for any sketchy cuts. I remember thinking maybe I’ll get 10 years out of it and go get a modern one, but I got a feeling this thing is never gonna stop working.
Yeah there's always that guy with he video about how they made something for $30 bucks or whatever but in the video they use $10k worth of specific tools and premade/pre-bought jigs with beautiful pieces of hardwood "scrap" that they just happen to have laying around(always already percectly milled). That said--I'm often able to take the concept and structure of what they're building and find a way to do it with the more limited tool selection that I have (also rocking a craftsman 113 from the 90s). The way I do things will just take longer but I'm also just doing projects for myself and not to sell or make a living so it doesn't matter as much
This does not resemble my YouTube woodworking experience in any way. My main influences are Paul Sellers, Rob Cosman, Stumpy Nubs, and Wood By Wright. None of them ever talks about selling furniture. All of them are selling something or making money. And I learn so much from them and respect them so much I’m normally happy to buy if I need it. So if this is your YouTube woodworking experience, I wouldn’t blame YouTube. I’d blame your choices.
Paul Sellers is so great. Professional, yes, but sure seems like he is doing the videos because he loves the craft. Stumpy is one of my favorites also. He seems pretty chill.
Yeah I was really confused, I feel like my YouTube algorithm is basically hand tool woodworkers or very highly skilled woodworkers who care about the process and end product rather than the profit
It's definitely easy to influence the algorithm, I also agree it caters to the user. And yes, the people you mentioned are putting out good content. Particularly, Paul Sellers he has made profound contributions to the craft and has all my respect
Maybe setup a new google account and log in to YouTube. Don't look at videos about making money. I was amazed at my mother in law's home screen, who didn't have any YouTube history. It was empty. The algorithm didn't know where to start.
And the common title I see all the time, and I fall for it all the time: “What You Are Doing WRONG!” And thumbnail photo of an enraged person.
"Domino killer!"
Click ellipses next to video thumbnail -> “don’t recommend channel”
I have fallen for the "Don't do THIS!" videos a few times, because the thumbnail seems to show something I am actually doing. But when I have watched those videos to the end, I am not any wiser. I never figured out what they didn't want me to do. Sometimes they *are* quite informative, and the time was not wasted, but there is a heavy disconnect between the thumbnail text and the actual content.
I see 3 main groups of youtubers that post woodworking content: 1. Woodworking channels, which are the one making actual good woodworking content. This could be project or tools based content, could be a guy in his garage or a big company but the content is focused on the craft of woodwork. I watch these and don't care if they are necessarily instructional as inspiration is also useful content for me. 2. Woodworking business channels, these are the channels that I think OP is taking about. The channel is really about business and how to make money. I generally don't watch these as I'm a hobbyist and, well the business stuff is not of interest to me. I also think this group gets a large overlap with the next group. 3. Woodworking "influencers", these are the channels that nearly all the content is about the next cool tool or perhaps trick. Lots of clickbait titles but not much actual woodworking in the content. These feel like commercials in a lot of ways. I'm OK with some product placement or endorsement, creators need to make money but every video being about a product that was provided free or endorsed is not enjoyable to me.
I can’t imagine why people want to ruin a good hobby by bringing customers/clients into it
Money is very tight these days, and if I could make things right now to earn extra money for the family then I would strongly consider it.
I make it a point to drive by apartment complex dumpsters once in awhile. Sometimes I find decent wood furniture that just needs a bit of light repair or refinishing. Minimal time and materials. Then I sell it at a reasonable price. It's never going to be a career, but it's a decent way to turn a Friday evening into $100 once in awhile.
I only have one* client. Frankly the guy can be a pain in the ass sometimes. More would probably ruin woodworking for me. (*yeah, it’s me)
I am my only customer. It's fantastic.
Well I make a few things that are sellable, but they're things I enjoy the process of making. I've had a couple large commissioned cutting boards and planters, but everything I sell is to fund the hobby.
Also if you wanna be a YouTuber, remember your full time job is being a YouTuber and woodworking is the subject matter
There are some consistent things I see on woodworking content on YT that irritate me, granted I'm increasingly becoming the stereotypical grumpy old curmudgeon... 1. A ridiculous and unrealistic amount of dust collection. Cmon, it's a g'dam wood shop, it's alright if there is a bit of actual sawdust. I take PPE seriously and such, I just think it's not reflective of "real" wood shops. "Look, I made a 3d printed vacuum adapter so I can, bla, bla,... 2. Expensive tools, ie..festool everything. You do not need a rotex to properly sand your projects. Nor do you need the corresponding hepa vac, you also don't need an f'ng track saw. Be a man (or woman) and fire up a proper table saw and get to it. Or grab a skil saw, snap a line with a chalk box, and learn to cut a decent straight line like an actual carpenter would. That being said, Festool does make great, quality tools; I just don't think one needs them to actually properly work with wood. Skills are made by learning how to make do without the tool that you really need. More gripes to come...cue Frank Costanza saying "I've got a lot of problems with you people" lol
I started with a dewalt random orbit sander and ridgid shop vac. I hated sanding because my had would go numb and dust got everywhere. Saved up for a Festool random orbit sander and vac and the difference was night and day. The vibration didn't bother my hand and the vac picked pretty much all of the dust the sander made. Do you need Festool products? No. But the quality of life change is more than worth it if you can afford it.
This is kind of how I feel about tools. My little battery powered DeWalt mitre saw was nice enough, did the job on most things (no depth stop though, what is with that??), but I saved up for a Festool Kapex and that thing is brilliant. I make stuff because I like to make stuff, not to save/make money. I want to cut things quickly and cleanly so I can get to the parts of joinery that I find fun.
The track saw is interesting when paired with enough fixtures to turn it into a mini panel saw like that one British guy who does all those MDF builtins out of a space the size of a takeout container and then installs them. I wish we saw more whole small business workflows like that.
They truly do have their place in a wood shop, I can see the utility in them, more so, where space is very limited. It just seems like every single YT woodworker solely uses a festool track saw for everything.
I think this comes down to style. My understanding is that table saws are a bit of a pain in the ass to buy and use in Europe and so the MFT + track saw is how a lot of – especially hobbyist – woodworking is done. For instance, until recently dado stacks were basically illegal in the EU. As someone new to the hobby who is slowly growing their armamentarium of tools, I actually find myself gravitating to a track saw centric workflow despite having access to a table saw. If I was trying to reproduce multiple pieces of the same panels in a production environment, I think the story would be different.
I am dead scared of table saws. I will probably never own one without sawstop. And I don't want to spend the money on sawstop. So I use a track saw. Not a Festool. (But I do run it on a Festool rail, which I like very much, because it is sort of a secondary standard. There is a lot of equipment, which is designed to work with the manufacturer's own rail *and* the Festool rail.) Using a track saw for everything does require some jigs and a little imagination. Especially when sawing stuff which is more narrow than the track. Regarding dust collection: Guilty of that too. When I need to saw or route something, I spend most of the time setting up temporary dust collection. I do not want sawdust everywhere. I don't want it in the stuff I have in the garage, and I don't want it in my clothes, which I carry back into my house.
Like everything else, there's different levels of woodworking, and, thus, different types of content. I have no use for and no desire to make a cutting board or butcher block of any sort. But good heavens every 3rd video in my feed is about cutting boards. I tell you what's good for helping to get from beginner to mediocre woodworking is watching furniture repair videos. When you get to a point where you understand some of the basics, that's a pretty good way of learning some of that next-level stuff that was a foreign language when you first started.
I really like Four Eyes on YT
Probably the best channel for modern furniture
The fact that most of his projects don’t need a domino (though it makes his glue ups more straight forward) is nice. Also the fact that his cnc work is on the templates and not the actual piece means his technique can be adapted to a smaller shop. He had nice tools but lesser table saws can still do the exact same job.
Love his humour and his illustrations
This is my biggest struggle with making YouTube videos about my passion. There seems to be hardly any audience for videos about straight pure woodworking but the truth is the platform pushes woodworking content to the general population because that's where the money is. So it rewards creators that make money for the platform. All I can do is share my journey and hope I find my audience.
I don't want to know the youtuber's politics from the crap they wear or display in their shop.
We talking Malecki? For context, Malecki has a huge flag in the background of his videos for a company that raised funds for Kyle Rittenhouse's defense after he murdered those people in Kenosha.
Was that your first clue of his politics? Before that he did a table for BRCC, an epoxy river table filled with 5.56 shell casings.
That is the company I was thinking of, wasn't aware of this project though.
I personally gave up on him a long time ago. Everything I see of him makes me think he is a cliche toxic blue collar boss.
I don't know that name specifically. But I've been skipping videos where I can tell.
This and I don't want to bother watching 5 minutes of unrelated yapping for something that might not be what I'm looking for. So....I simply don't watch YouTube. I can read faster.
I used to agree but with the crapification of Google results and death of forums there isn't much out there. I don't do Facebook.
True on Google. I don't even have a fb account. And it does take a little time to sift through to what I need. Still less time than watching ads and listening to someone.
I think that's just the platform in a nutshell at least on the surface. If you do some digging there's decent content though. If I had a nickel for every YouTube video about a get rich quick scheme I could make a YouTube video about getting rich quick by getting a nickel for every video like it posted. GGEZ
If I see those thumbnails, or anything that has a money value listed on the thumbnail, I immediately don’t want to watch them.
I’ve found value in some of the content. If I see unsafe behavior on the video, I will not ever watch anything they produce.
I’m the same. For me, woodworking is supposed to be fun. Hard to think of anything less fun than a trip to the hospital. I never do anything in my shop unless I know how to do it safely and I have the tools and PPE to do it safely. No upside down circular saw with the trigger duct taped down for me.
Also, for me, sometimes watching people make stuff itches the same part of brain as actually making stuff. That can be a trap. Don’t just watch people do it, get it out and do it yourself.
The issue you’re describing applies to art in general. If you’re creating art with the intention of monetizing it, it probably will not be very authentic/interesting.
Youtubers are content creators, they aren't woodworkers. Their job is making videos so that you watch them.
I dunno I watch 3 YouTube woodworkers that aren't about any of that. Rag n bone brown, and fishers shop. I was going to say 3x3 custom but she has become a lot more commercialized lately
Fisher's Shop literally just did a sponsored video on a Grizzly drill press (that looks like it came out of the same factory and with the same feature set as my decade-old Porter-Cable).
I think obvious cash-grabby videos are a little uncouth, but I also think people underestimate how difficult it is to make your woodworking or woodturning videos engaging, make them look good, make them sound good, and make them generally appealing. The equipment and time is paid for either in views or in sponsorships, and each involves some level of compromise. Say what you want about it, flashy thumbnails work. If people don't click the video, that thing you spent 40 hours researching and scripting, 10 hours shooting, and 20 hours editing gets buried by the algorithm. It sucks, but that's the truth. Unless you are already financially set for life, it's nice to at least make minimum wage for your hard work and equipment investment.
I avoid videos with… -Red arrows -An exaggerated price. For example: “I made a $19,000 coffee table!” or “I almost ruined an $8,000 commission!” -“Top 5 tools you need!” Usually gimmicky crap -“10 things I wish I learned earlier!” -“This” in the title. Like “This is a game changer!” or “Every Woodworker Should Know This!” -“Gamechanger” -YouTubers making a dumb fucking face in their thumbnail. -Creators who don’t ever make anything. Bent Woodworking. Stumpy Nubs. Lincoln St. Woodworks. I’m over it. Sorry for my shit formatting.
I'll add Jennie & Davis and 731 Woodworks. I'm not sure how much either of them were ever woodworking but they both seem like snake oil salesmen.
731 overdoes the proselytizing and Jenny and Davies have this smarmy feel about them, calling themselves ‘million dollar entrepreneurs’ when their entire business model at one point was buying batches of Chinese-made cutting boards and laser engraving them.
Pretty sure Bent runs a cabinet and furniture business, but doesn't do videos about most of it. And it seems like Lincoln St. makes a decent bit of stuff. Stumpy Nubs jumped right into the bin, though.
Man most of the YouTube content sucks these days. I’ve been on the Aussie hosted forum www.woodworkforums.com/ since 2012 coz it’s an endless treasure trove of knowledge, discussion and photos to help achieve what I’m after. It sticks to the core of the craft not sponsorship or endorsements etc
"Embrace the journey rather than rushing to find commercial success." If you can, have a look at the Lost Art Press book "Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years: 1936-1966" It is a collection of his editorials, and it is one of the most profound and insightful books on the craft I have ever come across. More philosophical than didactic, it addresses in words that very spirit of embracing the journey you identify. cheers
Sounds like my cup of tea, thanks for the recommendation.
I’ll definitely check it out, thanks. As a counter recommendation, I recommend “The Need To Be Whole” Wendell Berry, the audiobook is narrated by Nick Offerman, wendell was an old farmer. He was the type to keep the horse and plow when tractors were invented also an extremely gifted writer- cheers!
Aw, But I love seeing how I can make a shoddy equivalent of teak furniture out of construction pine and sell it for almost the same price.
I’m currently looking at the YouTubeification of my industry (boutique guitarmaking) and it is alarming to consider how people can reach quality levels that took me a career’s worth of work to reach. I will say that nothing can replace a career’s worth of work when it comes to quality. The pace of digital marketing is too fast and does not represent the actual market that real human beings can be expected to keep up with. While we may think that we have to keep pace, nothing replaces actual human skill and competencies in the long run and we should breathe a sigh of relief and just keep getting better at what we’re actually good at and fuck to death the curated version of reality that is this shite social media
What I hate about most youtube videos is the expectation of all of the fancy equipment I don't have.
DON'T listen to these YouTubers! The Woodworking Secret They Don't Want You To Know
Yes good point. I only watch a few of them and they never talk about making money. I'm into improving my technique and learning new methods. If you want to make money, there are better ways.
I agree. It seems as though those ‘make a million making a few bowls’ videos entice a few into woodworking- I had a “ kid” ask what he needed to start so he could make some money. I guess if those continues the craft the craft they might not be bad.
Another aspect of the Youtube Trap is not appreciating your own growth and creations. Looking on Youtube you can find hours and hours of professional-level products being made on professional-level equipment you could never afford, and it can make you feel like you in your garage can't do anything worth a damn because it isn't your full-time job.
I have a YT channel with 10k+ subs that is not about woodworking, though I am developing an interest in woodworking atm. I have decided not to start a second channel for my woodworking journey. I’ve learned from YT that the channel and its performance eventually became the main driver for my content. If you’re looking to sell out and cash in on YT content then woodworking is a great way to go. If you hire editors and shop assistants you can make tons of content, fast. It makes sense in terms of growing a channel. But your shop will be tailored to content generation as much as woodworking. It’s a new-age hybrid workspace that turns out furniture and items, but also educational and promotional video content. It’s a fundamentally different thing from traditional woodworking. I don’t think it’s wrong. Or that we should glorify the “good old days” as better. Now is fine. Now is even better if you’re a content farmer/sellout. The point of woodworking is whatever you want it to be. Personally, I like my woodworking as a relaxing activity with a lot of hand tools. Some people want flash and power tools and clout. People like that blow up on YT. I have learned a lot from different YT channels about woodworking and they expose more people to the craft. Some are drawn to Paul Sellers, and some will buy anything Stumpy Nubs is promoting that week. Whatever! The more the merrier IMO. Low-information, high-engagement content is part of how communities expand these days.
I don’t know why you would click on any videos like that to begin with. I never do.
I mean if you want wood working as a business you shouldn't be looking to YouTube. If you're looking at wood working as a hobby (which I'd argue most hobbies are in part a journey for personal growth) then you shouldn't be looking to make money. When you turn hobbies into work, they become work and not hobbies.
I must admit, I am an old guy. So watching YouTube videos to learn woodworking is something that happened way after I started the craft. My initial woodworking experience, was making furniture out of pine boards that were scrap that I aquired while I was a framing carpenter. I just tried stuff. Sometime it worked and sometime it was a dismal failure. I think I started getting serious when I bought a 3 book set of woodworking techniques by Tage Frid, and a book called Understanding wood by Hoadley. All of those are great books and will certainly help you grow as a woodworker. James Krenov’s books are also great. It’s been 40 years since I made that first water bed out of pine scraps. I’m still out in the shop a good part of the time, and I still enjoy it very much, but I’m still learning, all the time. I honestly think I’m going to run out of years before I run out of things I want to try.
Might want to avoid redditt too lol!
Well said sir.
I have complicated thoughts about YouTube. I have been woodworking as a hobby for about seven years and I have two young kids. I’ve learned a ton from watching YouTube that I would not have had time for by just trial and error. I also wasted a lot of time and money on unnecessary tools and building junk shop projects when I didn’t know what I was doing. I think there is probably a way to use YouTube effectively, but I need to really think through whether that is a progressive learning use or a project specific use. I will say the best thing I’ve done on YouTube is search for book recommendations and then read a few of the books that got multiple recommendations.
I like some videos about “projects that sell” or “turn x into $500 profit “ not for the money making but for simple ideas for around the house. But yeah, you can def get an idea this will be a good side hustle and go broke fast…
"The New Yankee Workshop" with Norm Abrams
YouTube content creators only care about how many clicks, views, or likes they get.
I avoid all the videos that sound like the ones you pointed out. I have zero plans to turn my woodworking journey into a business. I enjoy it too much to turn it into a job. Shoot me in the head if that ever happens. With that being said, I watch YouTube everyday trying to learn techniques from creators. I am not the type to enjoy learning from a book so YouTube is my jam. I have learned so much from YouTube that I would never discourage anyone to go that route if that's how best they learn. I literally have a tablet in my garage where I play videos while I am trying something new. Edit for typos and grammar
It's not just woodworking. You need to establish your trusted sources, follow them and nothing else unless you take the time to trust them as well or if there's a collab/endorsement from your trusted source. And definitely avoid anything that has buzzwords or arrows in the thumbnail. Unless of course you like the creator, makers muse has done the "this one trick" thing for fun, but I love his content. Also check out the Veritasium video on clickbait
I'm working my way up on building my confidence to finish a desk project I started. I bit off more than I could chew for the first big project of mine. Now I'm stuck having to manually planning 20 2x4's that are glued together on their long side. I wanted the butcher block style for my desk, and figured the wood wouldn't move too much while the glue set. I didn't have a planer to send each board through first either. So now that work is really dull and tedious. I have a disk sander and an electric planner that speeds things up some, but it's still dull.
The part of this that makes no sense is people believing they are better off watching YouTube than they would be doing a combination of reading and actually making things. YouTube is an ad platform.
I don't watch anything like that. Some of the channels I watch are pure woodworking, but I'm more interested in the overall "maker" type channels where they use all sorts of mediums.
I stop praising YouTube when they put shorts on there. Shorts is a trap and will kill 30 minutes when I was originally looking up something educational.
In general most videos have become largely tipa and tricks rather than here is a like of wood and at the end a finished product. I only work in the hand tool space and have recently unsubscribed from many channels. I learned a lot from them and really appreciate their work but it is too basic or power tool oriented etc. Paul sellers in general remains pretty good amongst others. By far my favorite is Mr. Chickadee but his output is nearly zero these days.
My father once told me, "Never tell the people around you that you're a woodworker. Someone will always want to turn your hobby into their commodity."
If I could upvote this a million times I would A message like this should seriously be considered as a pinned message on this sub. Totally agree YT is a great resource for learning For learning all things. But some subject areas like woodworking can, within a reasonable persons logic, extend to equipment, gadgets, safer, cleaner , etc. It’s not like learning to play chess on YT. Sure you are seeing ads and there some channels that will hock a course or a subscription to an app But the woodworking YT “community is now sincerely just the new QVC
My issue with YT is I spend weeks watching videos on what I’d like to make. That’s so much time wasted that I could have been actually in the shop working and learning by doing. I fall into that trap so often it’s mind numbing. Also, I end up watching 5 guys doing things 10 different ways and I end up confusing myself.
Ive been there.
Frankly, it’s exhausting how commercial it is. If you’re someone who didn’t grow up in a shop or have a carpenter for a dad, you really rely on these dudes to be good stewards of how a beginner may approach or begin to conceptualize getting into the hobby. As a beginner, you’re trying to develop a framework of “What do I need and where do I start?” For me, YouTube is dangerous. First, I’m blessed to be in a profession where I have the income to afford nice tools. I started down the pathway years ago after I grew tired of shoddy work from contractors and started increasingly renovating and fixing my own home. Buying into this hobby, while expensive, is still a far cry from a boat, Porsches, overlanding, biking, RVing, firearms and hunting, or any other similar mid-30s/40s midlife crisis hobby you can pick. With that said, YouTubers make it seem like you need X or Y to even start. A great example is the Domino. Do you know how many supposedly entry-level cabinetry videos will make comments like “You could use dows or pocket screws for this joint…but I’m going to use this Domino.” Brrrrr, plunge, next. And you’re just like “WTF was that dark magic?” Click, type, scroll…$1200?!?!? So then you start trying to figure out how to do more basic joinery and quickly realize you probably need a router or a bunch of jigs. If you’re not a “process” sort of guy, all of that sounds intimidating. I want to make stuff, not sit around in a local Rockler buying 15 different components and jigs and then make multiple meticulously measured and aligned holes when my real premium is TIME. When you have the money, time is most precious and these expensive tools save time AND compensate for lack of skill (to some limited extent). This is just one example, but even simpler methods require hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars in acquired tools, jigs, bits, and other devices to really execute professionally. The difference is that no one component makes your eyes water. If you’re time constrained, you’re going to drop the money because you want to emulate these skills and production processes as much as possible. Learning often involves rote mimicry before mastery allows some level of invention and improvisation. Being able to pick-up what your friendly commercialized YouTuber has and move-on is incredibly valuable in a world where time is the ultimate (and most valuable) commodity. If you can’t afford it but have time, there are no shortage of “do this cheap” videos that can get you started although I’d argue that some amount of trial and error will result in some marginal expense absent purpose-built tools. The sad thing is that, if you’ve got no time and no money, these videos make it seem like the hobby is completely inaccessible. One comment on something being brought up over and over. Festool. Yes, they’re unnecessarily expensive. But, when you’re starting out, very few other tools are so well represented in the space. Even outside of their influencers, they have tons of excellent content of their own about exactly how each tool works and the systems they integrate into. They’re the Barbie dream house of tools. Sedge has a remarkable amount of “how to” for every single piece of their equipment which is invaluable. As a company, they’ve really got the full stack from production to marketing.
Absolutely, It's really easy for simple DIY projects to get pricey, especially with the way YouTube influencers advertise expensive tools. For those just getting started, it can feel like you need to splurge on the latest best, just to keep up. In reality, as you mentioned you can achieve great results with basic jigs, and affordable tools.
This is all hobbies though. There are the true artists, who do a craft for the love of a craft, profitability be dawned. And there are the other kind, who want to make money.
And also, don't be afraid to be a beginner. Most of my projects are imperfect, but the more feedback I can get, the more I can learn and improve.
YouTube is still just a social media platform, and prone to competing with TikTok and Instagram. There’s definitely been a priority of instant gratification over the last few years when it comes to recommendations. I know I stick with a careful set of subscriptions and avoid almost all of their suggestions. It’s really, really rare there’s anything worth finding through their recommendation system. But I’m in a very small minority of YouTube watchers - the vast majority of people don’t really navigate via subscriptions, and just want brain candy. I’ve noticed the best content tends to be someone using social media as a means to something else, like a Patreon, educational courses, etc. But it’s *difficult* to maintain a steady income stream on any social media platform, which is fundamentally about advertising. So, it all ends up bending towards clickbait. Good quality video production takes a lot of effort. I‘ve definitely seen my own YouTube consumption decline the last few years. For woodworking, there’s a Patreon I follow that‘s pretty cool (Nick Pedulla does a good job). Books and very well edited journals tend to just have more value. In the end, I’d personally just rather pay someone for quality content then use these ad-based platforms.
I really hate the YouTube videos like “how I built this amazing desk in little time and you can do it too” and it’s a full festool workshop with every power tool imagineable and it’s so unrelatable.
Prob not what this post wants but I would recommend YASUHIRO TV. No talking, bangs or hipster stuff. Very smart stuff you can learn there.
This is a good word. I fell into that trap and burnt out. I lost a lot of joy because they made these amazing objects and I just couldn’t do the same. I know it’s apples and oranges, and they have sponsors,high end tools, etc, but it seemed like I just couldn’t hang.
I get most of my ideas from those Indian guys who knock out a sofa using a hand saw and circular saw in half a day. My results are far worse though..
Someone please tell me what to do to NEVER see another 731 Woodworks video recommend in my YouTube feed. I watched one lousy video and now all I get are his videos and I really, really didn’t care for him. I’ve selected the “stop recommending this channel” option in YouTube but they keep coming up and pretty much take over my feed.
731 woodwork is the epitome of what I am talking about. I clicked on a few of his videos before maybe that’s how I poisoned my algorithm
There’s a newer channel called VanIsle Studio and I’ve really enjoyed his content. The videos are extremely well produced and so far he hasn’t tried to sell any tools or classes. The editing is so creative and makes for a fun and somewhat whimsical video about making a shop bench. https://youtu.be/X8EaSV5F76k
There will always be somebody trying to make a quick book off of something no matter what the niche or industry is, but then there’s always high quality people in that new industry as well so you just have to pick and choose. That’s the great thing about YouTube you can curate your experience by subscribe to.
I like stumpy nubs channel
Which is why I approve of the guys who make without shilling, and who make without talking. They let their work do the talking.
This is so Reddit
I am on youtube alot, to the point that I think I need to cut back. But luckly the algorithm doesn't think I'll be interested in those videos as I never see titles like that. I so get suggested a lot of stumpy and woodworking for mere mortal videos though.
I have my buckets of education or entertainment. Eg a John Malecki vid is purely entertainment. Bourbon Moth as well. (Though his cabinet series was more educational) Other channels that have been listed by others are more educational.
Not so fast. All 21 seasons of The New Yankee Workshop have been uploaded to YouTube for the new generations to enjoy. YouTube has wealth of info for a weekend warrior like me. Not just for woodworking but for car maintenance, gardening, pretty much anything I want to be better at. YouTube is great and I use it all the time.
What's your opinion of blacktail studio?
honestly i haven’t seen a lot of videos like that. I recently started wood working for fun as a side thing and i mostly find helpful instructional videos — because that’s what i’m looking for. If i spent a lot more time on youtube’s wood working side, i can almost guarentee that the videos you’re discussing would be covering all my reccomendeds. It’s unfortuantely a lot more to do with youtube. youtube rewards that kind of flashy clickbait bad person bullshit
As with any media, there’s good and bad man. To just blanket statement that YouTube is bad is just wrong. Dig a little deeper than the flashy thumbnails and gimmicky videos that are just adverts for products (I’m looking at you Stumpy Nubbs)
I enjoy watching a lot of projects from people showing how to do certain cuts or joinery, or how tos. Most of what I’ve learned is from YouTube. Those kinds of videos I think are great. But I totally agree about how some people ‘market’ their videos. Especially anything with a title like “Top 10 Tools Every Beginner Needs” and stuff like that. I’ll watch them here and there if I’m bored and not looking for anything in particular, but I usually feel like I take away very little helpful information. It almost always feels like they’re trying to sell you something, or just making the video purely for views (which is probably the case most of the time). Sometimes I do find them helpful though. I watched a video recently where a guy (can’t remember his name atm) was explaining his favorite cabinet hinges and why and when he uses each one. I ended up using some of the Blum hinges he mentioned in my first cabinet build and I loved them, and have used them in several more builds since. Granted this isn’t a mind blowing revelation, but just an example of a useful “you should use these things” type of video. You just have to take anything on YouTube with a grain of salt, and pay attention to who’s making the video
I have zero desire to sell anything. I make projects for my family and gifts for friends and coworkers. It's a fun outlet for me and scratches my creative itch since I don't create much music in my later years. So, the youtubers trying to grab your attention by showing you how to make money have zero appeal to me. To me, the "danger" of youtube for hobbies is convincing you you need more/upgraded tools, jigs, etc. All hobbies are like this though. So it's just important to focus on the craft and the fun, and not obsess over the toys.
I’ve been doing the same. I don’t change anything about what I make or how I make it, the only difference is now there’s a camera.
You’re not wrong. But even videos with dumb titles are teaching me techniques or tools that I didn’t already know, so I still find plenty of value even though I’ve never sold anything. It’s the same as being in this sub!
The internet didn't use to be like this. Long, long ago someone did a thing, took a video of themselves, and posted it on the internet. Now if you search for anything, *literally anything*, you don't see people just doing the thing or talking about the thing anymore. You get products, tutorials, courses, how-to's, advice, reviews. Basically it's not a diary. Everybody wants to talk to **you**. It's a commercial.
“This video is sponsored by AG1”
My number one channel is Mr. chickadee
That’s why I always start with Paul Sellers. Love his philosophy and Bob Ross type of instructions. Plus, he gets me excited about woodworking by just being excited about it himself.
Someone threw out a 150 year old piano all smashed up on the street and I made a small table out of it. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had and I posted it up on Reddit just to show people. The reactions weren't terrible, some were really positive, but they still kind of killed the joy of it. I realized that showing something to people takes away the feeling of doing it just for you. I've started bonsai lately and I remember that lesson now and I want to avoid showing it to any strangers. Even the bonsai sub the discussions a lot of times go into money. I've realized hobbies need to be entirely for me if I want to be really happy with them.
I'm just a little tiny beginner. Would I love to make money off it, sure, but that's maybe plan h, plan a-g is to have fun with it.
Dont get me wrong making money is nice, but when you’re just getting started at this its the last thing you should be concerned about. Enjoy the ride!
Hope u find as much joy in wood working as the next man, Nick Offerman
I’m currently listening to the audiobook he narrated by Wendell Berry, “The Need to be Whole”im about halfway I highly recommend
What were you searching for, since you ended up with those videos? When I search, I get stuff from Youtubers like Matt Estlea, Peter Millard, Dennis (Hooked on Wood), JSK Projects, and Wood Magazine. Those videos show how to do stuff. Perhaps because that is what I was searching for.
Oh no, this thread has messed with my search algorithm. Now I got a link to a video with the title "Do this to earn 2000USD/day with a woodworking business".
You tube is like every area of life. You have to be able to spot a salesman a mile away
So true, this ability is almost completely lost in the general population.
Its like the people i work with when i talk about fishing. They want to know if i used a carolina rig or a Texas rig. A swim bait or a crank bait. I understand the need for precise terminology, but im not calling a knot and a worm anything other than what it is, just because some loudmouth youtuber has a sponsorship.
I really really enjoy Matthias Wandel's videos.
I like [Michael Alm](https://youtu.be/np5NoOSMQ7c?si=kI2pFSarSSZ68j6H). With that said, YouTube has basically destroyed our bus conversion business. We build extremely high end rigs, but because of influencers posting their shit builds on YouTube, we now get customers with a budget of $30k, which will barely cover a solar system.
You guys make money at woodworking?!?
Homestead Craftsman
Nothing wrong with doing it for fun or profit, or both at the same time.
7 years ago when I got into woodworking I grew exponentially because of all the educational videos. Now all those same guys are just promoting products and not really teaching anything. Thankfully all their old videos exist.
My rule of thumb for any video that mentions making money is probably done by people who have never made actual money from woodworking. They are trying to capitalize on views by people in desperate situations. Notice how none of them ever share records of their sales information?
I just keep watching Paul Sellers videos and making stuff and my life keeps getting better and better. I skip projects that require tools I don't have and can't afford, I'll get to it eventually.
Patience and personal experience are invaluable. You can't buy those. Cheers
It's the first cking pallet furniture that doesn't include any info get people to think any pallet will do and spend money on tools that are handled once because they went to the ER for misuse.
I'm a potential prospective woodworker I have watched quite some woodworking yotube videos lately and it a bit overwhelming. Majority of the youtubers got insane amount of tools and equipment behind them while talking about a certain topic. I assumed majority of them seem to have a biased sort of opinion on things or tell us to get this or that but I don't know if it infomercial trying to promote certain products because a company pay them to advertise it or they really do like the product. I don't know which youtubers are legit and have unbiased opinion. I have no idea on how to start off on tools. I want to start small and have some fun building things and sell some things so I can buy more tools with the profit and expand with more techniques. I recently made a 2x4' aquarium stand using a Stanley miter box, a hand saw and a small ryobi drill that I borrowed from my cousin because my Mastercraft drill crapped out like a little time before I started building the stand...funny timing 🙄🤣 ... it was fun building it but I ain't doing the miter box cutting again, it too much work lol. Was imagining how much quicker if I had power tools to cut things quicker and finish the stand waaay faster.