You Tube vids - Actually making something, like furniture

[TRITON]

As i watch YT vids, im sometimes struck by the notion that the makers in their workshop dont actually make furniture, but instead make jigs and things for their workshop,
So you look at their vids and theres never - made table or made chair or such, but every vid is - made this push block for the table saw or made this fence for the router table, through to making machines like drum sander or even bandsaw.
Just seem odd really. Though best of luck to them and it is nice for someone to have at least done 90% of the thinking of such machines or jigs.

 

[thetyreman]

because most of them aren't professional cabinet makers, joiners or tradesmen, some of them are but it seems a lot of people make vids about weird jigs a workshop tidy ups e.t.c, which I don't find too interesting, obviously if you're doing it for a living there's going to be very little time to do it or they probably have somebody to do the filming, which frankly would slow them down a lot. I'm thinking of challenging myself to not watch ANY youtube for a whole month and see how it goes.

 

[Ttrees]

KillenWOOD is basically step by step ,hand tool orientated fussy specialist work, seemingly self made short videos which covers stuff in detail.
It might take most of a day to watch something being made.
Suppose one would need fancy kit to edit that into something for one who just wants entertainment, but it would still be a marathon for someone looking for that.....(for free)
This is a reason why IMO, as for the maker would need invest to make more than a clip or two, smaller than whatever megabytes is max for one who isn't really knowledgeable about computers.
But at the same time one who wants to do this will be dedicated to do this work, equipped with the hand tools and wouldn't mind watching.

Matt Estlea has some projects might suit for this, maybe Matt Cremona, and a few others like that if you want something maybe bit more of a modern take, but there maybe some modern takes on the tooling , some of what might be a bit posh for a hobbies to want.
The opposite side of the spectrum again and specialist Follansbee likely has the guts of a start to finisher.

I suppose you could say there maybe a lack out there of folks using tooling within reach for the common man,
But I likely am leaving some out.
Mitch Peacock, TWW, Frank's workbench, and others not coming to mind.
There's some lists of youtubers likely found in the search , which might be the best approach. To finding what your after.

I hadn't found something which would be exactly what would come across as both reasonable amount of kit, for a scrimper like myself,
no dominos ect
combined with work like freestanding somewhat fussy stuff i.e little sandpaper featured and hand cut joints, like say Cosman,
and not joinery, in a step by step deal, which doesn't involve other stuff.
Some good stuff to be found everywhere, but not all together to tick all of the boxes for something somewhat closer to my exact thinking on what's reasonably efficient but scrimpy at the same time.

 

[pgrbff]

I haven't been watching them for very long but I do find videos about techniques, using or making a shooting board, or dovetails, very useful. I'm self taught, mainly from Finewoodworking, and I have always used machines and jigs. The videos have inspired me to start using handtools more. It does sometimes look as though some of the people making very professional videos don't have as much skill as others but I just avoid them.

 

[Adam W.]

@Ttrees My thoughts exactly, they are doing it for free and most of them are made by shouty youtubers chasing ratings.

If you want decent videos, you could always get some streaming videos from Lie-Nielsen.* (See caveat below)

Spoiler: WARNING!

WARNING!
You'll have to part with some money.

 

[blackteaonesugar]

Most of the work in making can be making templates and jigs. If you're not showing that, you're not showing the making.

 

[johnnyb]

I liken something like hasluck as being the total opposite of youtube. no one could ever say hasluck is accessible or entertaining. but if you are making something(the books got in) and can decipher the drawings and text and read it a few times its obvious the person writing it has long experience not just a fleeting whimsy.

 

[Jameshow]

Paul Sellar does some good project videos but it's all subscription tbh.

 

[TRITON]

This isnt a negative comment by the way. It's just a wonder that some YT channels seem to thrive on jigs and other things.
I used to work in a cabinet shop-, and we had 1 designer, 4 cabinet makers, and one chap who did the electrics and dabbled in making jigs for about everything. He wasnt a cabinet maker, but at it long enough I suppose to pretty much qualify, but seemed happiest making jigs, fixtures, things like shooting boards at a range of angles.

 

[petermillard]

This isnt a negative comment by the way. It's just a wonder that some YT channels seem to thrive on jigs and other things.
I used to work in a cabinet shop-, and we had 1 designer, 4 cabinet makers, and one chap who did the electrics and dabbled in making jigs for about everything. He wasnt a cabinet maker, but at it long enough I suppose to pretty much qualify, but seemed happiest making jigs, fixtures, things like shooting boards at a range of angles.

Trouble is that making furniture or other ‘build’ type videos is generally time consuming, relatively expensive to do, and the videos end up longer which doesn’t always play well with the audience or the algorithm - while everyone *says* they want to watch a build video, very few folks actually do, comparatively speaking, unless you can dress it up in another way and get a different angle on it eg a ‘BasicBuild’where you use a minimal toolset, or a one-day Shaker table build with pocket-hole screws…

In comparison, jig and template type videos are often quick and easy projects to make, shoot and watch, which sits well with both the makers, the audience and YouTube, so no real surprise that they proliferate.

There’s other things at play as well of course (eg if you had a channel that just made furniture, what would you do with it all?) but time, space, and the desire to get your product in front of as many people as possible, for as long as possible, are driving factors for most YouTubers, wether they’re hobbyists or run a YouTube business.

The product being the video, of course, not the wooden thing that’s featured in the video…

 

[cmoops2]

Sorry to correct you - his name is Paul Sellers (will help the search) ...

 

[Ttrees]

Talking about jigs, I've yet to see a decent overhead crown guard build on YT, and not some flimsy thing, since everyone and their brother has their own take on the crosscut sleds.

@Adam W. I agree I've seen one or two of those LN videos, some of them folk know what there doing, and would reckon there's some good builds featured, much like what is available through other paid for content.
Definitely a gap in the market for someone who can properly edit (proper computer software)
and shoot the videos themselves,
and tick all the boxes whilst charging nothing.

It ain't easy to do, even if one chooses the... free to all, non fancy, strictly concerning skills, Tim Killenwood take on it.

For a scrimper who doesn't make woodworking videos, but likes to share jiggery and ideas,
I can attest it is very difficult to do the work at hand, but also show it,
since the camera wont work unless the lighting is right behind it, and that camera needs be plugged in at the same time.
Some of the most skilled stuff worth watching will require lighting in the right spot, so not so easy.
A proper pain it is to have to stop midway, as if left recording camera will blank off also,
even showing a few drill tips is very difficult to get done quick enough, as merging a few 1 minute clips easily goes over certain file size.

I for one aint getting a fancy camera, as I have focus on the work, and that means getting the thing into spaces where it just might get destroyed,
also have no decent computer to have edit software to compress file sizes,
no want to be a presenter as I live in the wild west, so like AvE's take on that,
and so on.
Plenty of dough for someone who can tick all the right boxes, and has no intention to concern themselves with selling stuff.

Cosman said he nearly starved making furniture, before selling LN tools, which is understandable,
but would think someone like him and also tech savvy, could make a few bob in todays world, doing a bit of both...
well for someone who doesn't have 10 kids to feed.

A tall order to achieve but you can bet there's a heckuva lotta folks out there who would subscribe to that.

 

[blackteaonesugar]

Ishitani furniture is good for pure making.

Most people want to make their own versions of things though, not the exact thing, so jigs and stuff are useful.
They can then apply the technique to their own interpretation.

 

[Distinterior]

Ishitani furniture is good for pure making.

Most people want to make their own versions of things though, not the exact thing, so jigs and stuff are useful.
They can then apply the technique to their own interpretation.

Reading this thread, Ishitani Furniture videos immediately sprang into my mind. Whenever I've watched any of his videos, I've always got the impression that his priority (quite rightly too!....) is the finished item he's making and the video is very much secondary.

I especially enjoy his mix of modern machinery/ equipment and the more traditional Japanese craftsman techniques.

 

[Jacob]

Talking about jigs, I've yet to see a decent overhead crown guard build on YT, and not some flimsy thing,

Not surprising really - the off the shelf offerings are better than all the DIY bodges I've ever seen on the media. Worst of all are so-called SUVA guards which are nothing of the sort; just feeble imitations.
Top of the charts is the simple riving knife plus plastic crown guard.