Which woodworking YouTube channels do you watch?

[Joe1975]

I watch / have watched the following;

Matt Estlea - seems to have stopped recently, but some good technique videos
Paul Sellers - very good, and most aligned to what I want to do
H Carpenter - interesting joints hand cut (check this one out)
Pedulla Studio
David Barron
Foureyes furniture
Rob Cosman
Rex Krueger - watch sometimes but he’s a bit annoying

Any suggestions for quality (preferably British) channels would be really appreciated. Particularly interested in handtool work, and working in a small workshop. I have a bandsaw, circular saw and router, but otherwise just hand tools - looking to build creative and contemporary furniture.

 

[D_W]

None, really. There's not a lot to learn on youtube that has to do with making vs. just getting pumped up to make or being entertained.

I think if you want to use hand tools heavily, the best thing you can do is get a basic idea of their setup and function (Peter Nicholson and Holtzappfel probably have the best writing on this - almost anything modern is short of this and the folks who mention are really not set up to teach people, they're set up to keep people coming to them). .

After that, it's really finding a piece or a group of pieces you want to make and getting after it. don't hang around too long in joints or whatever, else, get to making and solve all of the problems (including understanding design) at once. Embrace solving the details vs. being concerned or frustrated by them.

I am a pretty good amateur maker (all purpose, more than just woodworking), but I have learned that it's the process of writing off the first one or two of something and giving yourself the freedom to that really makes things click.

 

[ps.harris80]

Most of mine are on your ls on your list, Rex is ok if a little annoying, Cosmans channel is more about selling his tools than real woodwork.

The English Woodworker is worth a look.

Many of the mainly American Chanel are more about video production than actual carpentry, alway dubious when someones shop is spotless, not much real world carpentry goes on in most of them.

There Are not a huge number of UK content so I tend to go with the less annoying American output

 

[D_W]

Most of mine are on your ls on your list, Rex is ok if a little annoying, Cosmans channel is more about selling his tools than real woodwork.

The English Woodworker is worth a look.

Many of the mainly American Chanel are more about video production than actual carpentry, alway dubious when someones shop is spotless, not much real world carpentry goes on in most of them.

There Are not a huge number of UK content so I tend to go with the less annoying American output

The chance of anyone getting past the algorithm on youtube with a truly worthwhile free teaching class is very slim. It's probably close to zero.

too, the bulk of the folks watching YT woodworking are doing it for two reasons - perhaps 90%
* it's easier than actually going out to woodwork
* they want to buy something to feel like they're planning

that group is far more likely to buy something form a link that they didn't pick (as in, if you have specific wants to make things, it will be particular tools or whatever. If you are just enjoying imagining woodworking or that watching and buying is productive, you'll perhaps watch a tool being demonstrated and do a cold buy, even though you weren't thinking about the tool at all or at least not to seriously buy before seeing the demonstration).

I don't think any of the above mentioned presenters have made woodwork for people to buy as the majority of their compensation for a very long time, but there *are* actually people still doing that.

 

[ChrisWiduWood]

I can highly recommend Bradshaw joinery Chanel BRADSHAW JOINERY .
As a joiner/carpenter myself i like his no nonsense approach , its all raw information without the guff.
He is a very talented and knowledgeable young man who could teach many of us something new.
It is a range of big workshop and hand tool work both modern and traditional.
Here is a nice example of him making some curved doors, its like being at work with him for the day. watch

 

[thetyreman]

Rob Rozaieski
Tom Fidgen
Frank Strazza
Mr Chickadee

a few of my favourites.

 

[Inspector]

I'll be honest. I don't follow videos that anyone makes or said another way, don't watch em. I'm from an era that read books and good magazines. Watching videos makes me nod off most of the time where the written word doesn't. If they make you happy go for it.

Pete

 

[Ttrees]

Didn't think this would work, what a super easy way to do it.
A good lot of these folk might suit, but I see no one stop shop for information on practically anything.
Phil Lowe's videos .. the art of woodworking, is a good introduction
Plenty of other channels I drop in on, i.e Highland woodworking, Fine + popular woodworking, Manor wood, Renaissance Woodworker, wortheffort, Jermy Broun and even Tom Fidgen's artistic videos, I'd have a glance at from time to time.

Some of the newer channels have some interesting stuff, but are too much to
deal with regarding being virtually hustled for nuthin.
That can certainly be said for a few above, but most to a much lesser extent.
I'd sooner weed out what content i find valuable from those newer ones.

 

[Orraloon]

Thats quite a list. Think I have had a peek at most of them. TV being so bad these days I often do a bit of web surfing of an evening. Woodworking videos for me are more to see what others are doing and of course to pick up the odd idea now and then. I do find a lot of "I would not have done it that way" and "Gees thats not safe" but sometimes even the less than good woodworkers have the odd thing you can use.
In general I have developed woodworking video likes and dislikes.
Tool sellers are a turn off.
Unboxing: WTF is that about. I just want the review.
Shed as clean as an operating room has to be suss.
Like everything in life woodwork videos have good and bad so there is always plenty of sifting needed to find the gems but there are some out there. Part of the fun is the search so you wont get a list from me.
Regards
John

 

[ColinDeVelen]

Not sure it really helps, but it is actually pretty simple to set up a channel (I know because on of my friends challenged me to do it, and I accepted. Search for DrevDeVelen if you can be bothered. It's done with a cheap webcam hung from above the bench), so instead of asking what people are watching, why not ask them to record a bit of what they do. That way you are not always having to look at polished, edited, sound tracked videos from folks who are trying to make a living that way; rather you are getting a glimpse at real people just doing their thing their way.

 

[DavidRa]

I watch / have watched the following;

Matt Eatlea - seems to have stopped recently, but some good technique videos
Paul Sellers - very good, and most aligned to what I want to do
H Carpenter - interesting joints hand cut (check this one out)
Pedulla Studio
David Barron
Foureyes furniture
Rob Cosman
Rex Krueger - watch sometimes but he’s a bit annoying

Any suggestions for quality (preferably British) channels would be really appreciated. Particularly interested in handtool work, and working in a small workshop. I have a bandsaw, circular saw and router, but otherwise just hand tools - looking to build creative and contemporary furniture.

Bradshaw Joinery

 

[johnnyb]

this guy is gold as are his vids. he is a craftsman that has rediscovered something very dangerous.but carry on ( until the accident) then goes about it an alternate way. he's definitely craft committed. and soothing to listen..

 

[Jacob]

this guy is gold as are his vids. he is a craftsman that has rediscovered something very dangerous.but carry on ( until the accident) then goes about it an alternate way. he's definitely craft committed. and soothing to listen..

Too long for me! 5 minutes my limit.
French cutters used to be common. My first machine had the slot.
They are very easy to shape and fit but people would take short cuts with little scraps of metal.
They need to be same thickness as width of slot (4mm? I never measured mine) double ended and have a locating cut-out top and bottom so they can't fly out of the slot.
It's a trailing cut more of a scrape which also stresses them. If they break they aren't going to fly as far as a big block cutter as the radius and edge speed is a lot lower, but still a hazard.
Never actually used them but I've got a few of the cutters in my collection.
They'd be good for small radii but I never tried it.

 

[BucksDad]

A few channels I don't think I've seen listed above which focus more on builds which are interesting

- Weber's woodshop
- Third Coast Craftsman
- Fisher's shop

 

[Tony51]

Could I recommend Pocket83 not always woodwork but always entertaining and thoughtful . He has other channels worth a look.

 

[NormanB]

Just to add the to the list - Not hand tools per see but I do enjoy Frank Howarth’s work and Matthias Wandel ( not confined to wood). On the carpentry and construction side Robin Clevitt is an absolute joy to watch.

 

[Joe1975]

I'll be honest. I don't follow videos that anyone makes or said another way, don't watch em. I'm from an era that read books and good magazines. Watching videos makes me nod off most of the time where the written word doesn't. If they make you happy go for it.

Pete

At least I know now that there is someone called Pete who doesn’t watch videos!

 

[Speaker]

The chance of anyone getting past the algorithm on youtube with a truly worthwhile free teaching class is very slim. It's probably close to zero.

too, the bulk of the folks watching YT woodworking are doing it for two reasons - perhaps 90%
* it's easier than actually going out to woodwork
* they want to buy something to feel like they're planning

that group is far more likely to buy something form a link that they didn't pick (as in, if you have specific wants to make things, it will be particular tools or whatever. If you are just enjoying imagining woodworking or that watching and buying is productive, you'll perhaps watch a tool being demonstrated and do a cold buy, even though you weren't thinking about the tool at all or at least not to seriously buy before seeing the demonstration).

I don't think any of the above mentioned presenters have made woodwork for people to buy as the majority of their compensation for a very long time, but there *are* actually people still doing that.

John McGrath - man in shed
Keith (Rag n bone) Brown

On a separate point, I use the Brave browser to watch YT videos, don’t know how it does it but it blocks all the YT popup adverts - almost makes the viewing experience pleasant I have also found that if you play the videos at increased speed they are still viewable and you get past the waffle quicker.

 

[D_W]

Agree - I don't use a special browser, but if not browsing on a small device, adblock is on. YT started placing ads on non-ad enabled channels a couple of years ago. I always figured if you just turn on the phone and talk about something without editing it and paring it down, then not having ads on is a fair trade.

That trade deal is ruined when YT puts on ads, anyway, but ABP brings back the parity (or any effective ad blocker).

this thread is interesting for me - I make the assumption that people will want to get good at making things, but the list of youtubers favored here are generally not much in terms of being makers, and I guess I'm wrong. Doucette and Wolfe are an obvious exception, but almost everyone else mentioned is an absolute dead end.

On another forum in the US, there were some fans of presenters like those mentioned here who want to talk about hand tools all the time - when I started (2005 or so?). When I browse posts there sometimes, they are watching the same presenters do the same thing 15-17 years later and still looking for the right honing guide, or tearout reduction method or whatever. And nobody has a clue about design - they're still testing dovetail saw guides.

So, I guess that's just the state of the hobby, and it's kind of hard to delineate. there's nothing wrong with not wanting to sort of go up the ladder as a hobby maker - it is nice sometimes just to build a bunk bed, a storage rack or whatever else. but when you do want to really learn, it's a big impediment.

I wanted to do something equivalent on the metal side two years ago. I wanted to see someone who was really good at heat treatment in a forge, and I'm sure there are at least a dozen people in the US who can really do it as well as commercial heat treat, but i couldn't find a single one and had to read texts and figure it out instead. the fact that there isn't much from people who do it well is a combination of things, but one of them is that nobody really wants to do it well, and learning about it can be a burden vs. imagining something simpler and more fun.

 

[Jacob]

I don't watch a lot of utube.
But Robin Clevett is good - I've only watched his saw horse demo which is excellent. He does loads of other building stuff but life's too short!
Paul Sellers is generally OK and very practical. He isn't trying to flog anything, but sometimes he's out on a limb and you can take it or leave it.