[OP]
Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f33V...AprilWilkerson
Wow has she come a long ways in just a few years! Roughly $56K in Grizzly equipment in her commercial shop, plus she has a personal shop and a metalworking shop. 14" slider, 10 hp dust collection, 16" jointer, 20" planer, wide belt sander, 24" BS, 24" disk sander, plus three 4'x8' CNC's. Plus she just brought in a huge stash of live edge slabs from Canada. Wish her the best of luck!
NOW you tell me...
Contributor
I started a thread a few years ago on WoodTalk Online called " It's good to be April Wilkerson ". It quickly had supporters vs. haters going at it . I have to say I now am more of a supporter than then . Her viewership numbers from the start were helped by the fact she is attractive , which she can't control . It is obvious she is smart and has a long term goal , and works hard to get there . Did she have a " helping hand " getting started on her channel , possibly . I can honestly say if I put in the effort that girl did , my woodworking ventures would be miles ahead of where I am . So my hat is off to her .
I watch her videos from time to time, but don't subscribe to her channel. She's done very well and is producing content that has far more value than most reality TV shows.
Contributor
That's a pretty low barOriginally Posted by Frank Pratt
There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” - Dave Barry
Contributor
It goes without saying in today's world that honking sponsors can fuel a lot of energy and motivation. When someone like "the wood whisperer" can state openly that he is more of a personality than a woodworker and thrive we had a clear indicator of our current political conundrum.
My hats off to them for having the moral conscience to extract every last cent from an enterprise that was seen as a profit potential as opposed to a pursuit. Most of us were/are either not that smart or disconnected. Neither matters. Their capitalization is to be commended.
Member
To put it simply, she had an idea, she pursued it and she is successful at it. My hat is off to her and any haters are just jealous and wish they were as smart as her.
Contributor
So everyone who doesnt like a you-tube star is jealous and stupid. That sounds just like some of the nonsense we heard over the summer from various places. You have every right to admire her if you want to. But don't insult people who disagree.
Just another point of view......
Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 12-13-2020 at 3:32 AM.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Contributor
Personality does matter when conveying information. Someone enthusiastic, enjoyable and engaging to watch and listen to, with an adequate understanding of the subject will be more successful in transferring knowledge than someone who may be more skilled but dull as mud and painful to listen to. Remembering back to college, there were professors that could make the dullest subject interesting, and some that could make any subject, no matter how intrinsically interesting (e.g. war, sex, sports), unbearable to learn about.
When you think about some of the "classic" teachers of woodworking that people know- Norm, Frid, Klausz, Underhill come to mind- they are all interesting personalities beyond their woodworking. If you took a class with them, you probably wouldn't hesitate going to the bar afterwards and likely would hear some well told stories. Despite being the least skilled, Norm probably had the most outreach to the masses, due to the popular TV show. Then again it was popular because he was adequately skilled (more so in later years than the beginning), but more importantly he was pretty good at explaining things, engaging to watch, and caught your interest to where you wanted to watch again.
Moderator
It was very nice that she was able to score her partnership with Grizzly and a few others as she builds her business. Although I'm not keen on a lot of her designs, I admire just how much hard work she puts in and I don't think a lot of folks realize just how hard and time consuming it is to not only do all that stuff, but to also edit and publish it for her channel. She's also building a much larger and broader business on her brand and has put several people to work on payroll now, too, which is particularly notable given how hard it is to build or even sustain many small businesses right now.
The showroom and shop at The Wood Shed is pretty darn impressive.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
At the risk of getting philosophical, the question I have is whether folks like April Wilkerson and Marc Spagnuolo are ultimately good for woodworking? The positive perspective is they make the hobby interesting and approachable, and April likely attracts women, which are underrepresented. Cynically, one might say they are thinly veiled shills for their sponsors and reinforce the idea that you need a massive workshop full of expensive machinery to make even mediocre pieces. There, I just opened Pandora’s box
There is a very fine line between “hobby” and “mental illness.” - Dave Barry
Contributor
That's a good question. I don't watch either of them. But I'm thinking that they probably do more good than harm. I mean, Norm Abram still has a large fan base and many people have attributed their interest in woodworking to him. IIRC, he had a fair number of (sponsored) tools too.At the risk of getting philosophical, the question I have is whether folks like April Wilkerson and Marc Spagnuolo are ultimately good for woodworking? The positive perspective is they make the hobby interesting and approachable, and April likely attracts women, which are underrepresented. Cynically, one might say they are thinly veiled shills for their sponsors and reinforce the idea that you need a massive workshop full of expensive machinery to make even mediocre pieces. There, I just opened Pandora’s box
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Contributor
I’m subscribed to them both but just like any WW video on YouTube, some content is worth your time and some isn’t. I avoid the “shop tour” and “daily podcast” stuff but occasionally pick up a new technique from watching them make certain projects.
You have to have either a really compelling subject, a strong screen presence, or both to produce content that people will watch. That they are able to use YouTube to monetize something they enjoy doing is great, but I find myself watching a lot more content by youtubers that are more like me, one person in a small shop: I watch a lot more stuff on channels like Fishers Shop and 3X3 Custom and the like. Most though do clearly have sponsorships.
[OP]
Member
I guess my interest in her is more from a business growth perspective rather than pure woodworking. She can't hold a candle to the Wood Whisperer or most of you as far as skills. She is almost more of a arts and crafts person than a woodworker. Maybe more like King Woodworking where projects often take them outdoors. Apparently she is into production for sale on the internet given the stash of equipment she is able to justify. Who has three full size CNC machines unless you need them? She obviously has taken on a huge investment in property, buildings and equipment, even if she got a great deal from Shiraz.
Last edited by Ole Anderson; 12-13-2020 at 8:42 AM.
NOW you tell me...
Contributor
What they represent is the fake it til you make it mentality and to be a "brand" rather than a craftsperson. Its why everyone and their brother has got a youtube channel whether they have an ounce of knowledge or skill or are just hoping to get some free tools for their shop by blurting out any brand name.of this and that they can all in hopes to get free stuff, and to the point of channel monetization.
Whether many are good for woodworking is a wildly varied nightmare thread lol.
Contributor
You are not wrong. I was looking for ideas for a rolling lumber cart when I first found the April Wilkerson channel. Small little project where she had a simple shop and seemed to be just starting out. And she already had a full suite of Triton power tools. Like, every non-stationary power tool was a Triton. I didn't know they made anything but a giant plunge router that you'd see at Woodcraft once in a while.
(Yes, there are a gazillion rolling lumber cart videos on youtube)
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