Woodworking YouTubers?

[Edward Weber]

As far as a race to the bottom, I couldn't disagree more. YouTube content in general is continuing to improve in quality due to the large number of ad dollars flowing in.

What part is continuing to improve in quality? (this is a serious question)

I see production values and the sponsored tools go up in quality but not the actual content.
Just because ad revenue is up, it does not directly translate into better or higher quality content.
There are MANY channels out there that have clearly spent more time, effort and money on the filming of the video than in the content.

I, for one, would much rather watch a one or two camera simple production of a skilled presenter/craftsman than a Hollywood production of some "content creator" using tools he has no clue how to use.

JMO

[Rod Dilyard]

These guys are amazing: https://www.youtube.com/c/Doucetteandwolfefurniture

[Roger Feeley]

The thing that annoys me is when the YouoTuber takes on sponsorships. Then they are beholden to the company and lose credibility.

Oh, and then they go from woodworking to "TOP 10 MUST HAVE TOOLS FOR UNDER $25!!!!!".

It's a shame.

check out “Tips from a Shipwright“ where Ryobi sends Louie an electric plane. He proceeds to tear it apart to fix all the things that he finds wrong.

[Prashun Patel]

The thing that annoys me is when the YouoTuber takes on sponsorships. Then they are beholden to the company and lose credibility.

That's not always the case. I will put in a plug for maybe the oldest of them all: Wood Talk. I really think Mark has done a great job attempting to keep it real. Rockler sponsors them, but it's clear that he is not biased to push their products. He's clear about when he's advertising. Now, the podcast annoys me for other reasons (usually because they always whine about all their haters) but media sponsorship bias is not one of my beefs with them.

[Bryan Lisowski]

The biggest thing that bothers me about YT woodworkers is when they want to insert stupid pop culture references or trying to be subtly crass. If you are talented enough, just show the work or your skills. Unless you are really skilled do try being a teacher, also don’t show unsafe practices.

I don’t mind the sponsorships, because a lot of these guys are running a business. It takes time to film, edit and publish videos, so if that gives them a little security I’m ok with that. A friend does YT on the side, if he could do a simple project in 4 hours, it may actually take 2-3 times that, when you factor setting up the shot, and editing all the footage.

[derek labian]

I believe you are referencing the phenomenon (alleged) of people starting with production and woodworking coming second. I'm not sure who you are referencing but I'm sure that exists.

There are MANY channels out there that have clearly spent more time, effort and money on the filming of the video than in the content.

I'd have to take your word for that. I would say that in general, filming anything is going to add 2-4x to the time to accomplish it. So on its face, I would agree that most YouTube Woodworking channels are spending more time on the video than the actual product. There's a reason a 20 second television scene can take 8 hours to film.

Take a look at the channels posted above, they are very high quality and not gimmicky as far as I can tell.

Dylan Iwakuni
Ishitani Furniture
Kobeomsuk furniture
leaf-works
SQUARERULE FURNITURE
KASHO Furniture Studio

Overall there is more bandwidth, the tools are better, the quality is better, and there are more choices. Seems like its moving in the right direction to me and that is my point.

"Quality", in how you reference it, is subjective. I believe most people want the creator in the video to talk and build a "Human" connection. Entertainment value doesn't mean content is void of knowledge or education. In any event, it's a personal preference.

I also not blind to the general point being made either: There are a lot of channels that are really about eliciting 1) clicks, 2) engagement, and 3) product sales. It's still personal preference and its easy enough to avoid anyone you dislike.

"

production of some "content creator" using tools he has no clue how to use."

I don't see much content where the content creator has "no clue" how to use a tool. It is true that there are all different skill levels though. You don't have to be a master craftsman with 20 years experience in a trade to make informative or useful content. It's just targeted at a different audience/skill level.

[derek labian]

I don’t mind the sponsorships, because a lot of these guys are running a business. It takes time to film, edit and publish videos, so if that gives them a little security I’m ok with that. A friend does YT on the side, if he could do a simple project in 4 hours, it may actually take 2-3 times that, when you factor setting up the shot, and editing all the footage.

I agree, however I've noticed some choices are clearly driven by sponsorship necessities. So anyone who is sponsored you have to take advice with a grain of salt. I think that is Clifford's point.

I will put in a plug for maybe the oldest of them all: Wood Talk. I really think Mark has done a great job attempting to keep it real. Rockler sponsors them, but it's clear that he is not biased to push their products.

I think this is a great example of the above point. Marc Spagnola I think does a pretty good job disclosing his relationships, but that doesn't mean he doens't have similar conflicts. For example, his Powermatic sponsorship ended and now he's buying Felder and SCM equipment. WoodTalk is sponsored by Rockler now and he speaks highly of it, but he rarely goes there (which he's discussed on past WT). He also has more recently mentioned buying wood at Rockler when he has made a literal "cringe" sound stating "don't do that" before they were sponsored.

At the end of the day, it's his livelihood and like anyone being sponsored, they are beholden to some extent.

On a side note, I do really enjoy Wood Talk, but mostly for the entertainment value.

[Patrick Kane]

I used to love youtube channels years ago; however, it seems most channels cater to the DIY/beginner crowd, because that is the most populous demographic. Their capabilities all appear to be similar, and that is not too skillful or well-equipped. I did watch a few of the Parilla(i think) videos, and i am intrigued. He seems to build more intensive products and i like his shop is fitted with more pro-level kit. I wish there were higher end channels with top tier shops putting out high end product. I have yet to stumble upon it yet.

[Rob Luter]

There are a few I like to watch. I'm pretty selective though. I like to learn new things and new techniques. Cosman has some good tips. Ishitani Furniture is fun to watch. I've learned a couple things from Paul Sellers too. The Samurai Carpenter has a few good project videos as does the Third Coast Craftsman. FWW has a number of worthwhile videos up as well. Like others here, I have no use for the 900th guy to post a video on how to clean up a flea market plane or use water stones. Been there done that.

[Alex Zeller]

Maybe it's time to add a section to SMC called "Woodworking videos" with several sections inside it. One for requesting videos and then sub categories like "furniture, cabinets, wood turning, cnc, etc". Between some of the very talented people here and the HELPFUL videos, like have been posted in this thread, you wouldn't need to search YT and deal with what's popular, not what's great.

[Jim Becker]

Folks I watch include:

Matt Cremona
Bent's Woodworking
FourEyes Furniture
The WoodWhisperer
Andy Rawls
Bourbon Moth Woodworking
YouCanMakeThisToo
Mike Farrington
3x3Custom (Tamara)
Tim Sway
Michael Alm
Frank Howarth
Blacktail Studio
Jay Bates
Third Coast Craftsman
Crafted Workshop
lignum
Burls Art
Darrell Pert
RR Buildings

[Edward Weber]

I believe you are referencing the phenomenon (alleged) of people starting with production and woodworking coming second. I'm not sure who you are referencing but I'm sure that exists.



I'd have to take your word for that. I would say that in general, filming anything is going to add 2-4x to the time to accomplish it. So on its face, I would agree that most YouTube Woodworking channels are spending more time on the video than the actual product. There's a reason a 20 second television scene can take 8 hours to film.

Take a look at the channels posted above, they are very high quality and not gimmicky as far as I can tell.



Overall there is more bandwidth, the tools are better, the quality is better, and there are more choices. Seems like its moving in the right direction to me and that is my point.

"Quality", in how you reference it, is subjective. I believe most people want the creator in the video to talk and build a "Human" connection. Entertainment value doesn't mean content is void of knowledge or education. In any event, it's a personal preference.

I also not blind to the general point being made either: There are a lot of channels that are really about eliciting 1) clicks, 2) engagement, and 3) product sales. It's still personal preference and its easy enough to avoid anyone you dislike.



I don't see much content where the content creator has "no clue" how to use a tool. It is true that there are all different skill levels though. You don't have to be a master craftsman with 20 years experience in a trade to make informative or useful content. It's just targeted at a different audience/skill level.

There's a lot to cover, I'll try to be short.
Yes it takes time to make good videos, when it starts to take too much time, the actual content can suffer.
When I said, some have no clue, I'm talking about the hundreds of times I've seen people almost lose a finger or similar from simply not understanding what they're doing. Just because no one gets hurt, doesn't mean it's safe to do. IMO many don't have enough knowledge/respect for their tools and it shows in how they use them, it is a difficult thing to explain. You can tell by body language more than anything.
No, you don't need to have 20+ years of experience, BUT you should have an idea of where you are in the grand scheme of things, a general understanding of what you know and don't know.
Those of us that do have decades of experience often see things differently (more critically) than the beginners precisely because we have that experience.
Watching someone cut corners or skip important information, it's frustrating to say the least. Then add to that the fawning comments of the subscribers, who simply don't know what they don't know.
Some content creators take on the personality that "I must be good, I'm popular, look at all the positive feedback I get"
This just reinforces mediocrity or a race to the bottom, as Derek Cohen wrote.
(They've also removed the thumbs down count from public view)

[Keegan Shields]

Can we collectively move past complaining about the quality of the content on YouTube? Its not relevant to the question the OP was asking...

I'm excited to view some more recommendations people have! Keep 'em coming!

[derek labian]

Matt Cremona

Something wonderful about watching him saw a log or learn how to put up a pole barn etc. He comes across as a very genuine person.

[Jim Becker]

Something wonderful about watching him saw a log or learn how to put up a pole barn etc. He comes across as a very genuine person.

He's that way in conversation, too. Social, funny, thoughtful. He's been really busting his butt with the daily videos from the post frame barn build...working an entire day out there with Donavan and the others and then spending many hours editing video from four or five separate camera sources. He's only been doing that because he knows folks want to see it because they are truly interested. My singular concern with things I see is sometimes there is a little inattention to "stuff lying around" 'cause I'm very anal about not letting anything be in the way.