Who watches YouTube videos & are they helpful ?

[Harbour]

As well as the above I also watch, amongst others:

Segio Acuna Padin - very inventive (and I find his accent very entertaining for some reason)
Nick Ferry - slick content
Ana White - her vid for garage shelving was the first I directly copied from a youtube example
Average Joe - inspired me to build a simple workbench

I would never have replaced my "shed" with a "workshop" if it wasn't for discovering youtube woodworking vids last year. Youtube has also saved me callout costs for various white goods repairs in recent times. God bless it!

 

[thetyreman]

I like paul sellers channel, and a few others, mostly the handtool guys, the english woodworker is hilarious, it is comedy gold.

 

[transatlantic]

Some of the new ones I have found recently that I really enjoy :

KingPost TimberWorks - mixed tools, he just built a bath!
treebangham - all hand tools, long videos like Paul Sellers, great stuff
Essential Craftsman - this is more trade stuff, but very entertaining. His video on the 'skill saw' is excellent!
DownUnderWoodWorks - this is the most layed back guy on the internet. No worries!
The Homestead Craftsman - this guy is great!

One new channel (to me) I'm very much enjoying is Wranglestar. I don't know why I enjoy it, becauses it's mostly him telling little stories and driving his tractor around. But I cant stop watching. A bit like Paul Sellers. It's just entertaining to watch.

 

[AndyT]

One of the many benefits of video instruction is that it becomes possible to watch the whole process, at the sort of length that would never count as mainstream entertainment but is valuable when you really want to know something. I remember realising this when I came across videos by David Boeff showing how to carve a ball and claw foot which gave the whole job, start to finish. Instead of a few line drawings and a photo or two, I could see how much wood was removed with each stroke, get an idea of how long it would take an experienced, careful craftsman and see what it looked like at every step. I've not watched all of his many videos, but I've bookmarked him as a no-nonsense presenter, where the work is what matters. https://www.youtube.com/user/mrboop2/feed

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

There's absolutely no question that a medium that allows the public to upload footage of whatever they want, for as long as they want it, is so incredibly world beating as a learning aid that its potential is only just beginning to be realised. In woodworking, the arts etc. I mean look at the explosion in young musician talent.

When I was 12 I was learning guitar from Mel Bay books, doing banks of the Ohio in D major. Now the kids have the exact fingering close up in real time of Eddie Van Halen's most intricate solo!! If they have the focus and concentration they can learn it and they're doing it in droves.

But I'm completely with the poster who says he doesn't like the preamble.....get ON with the practical stuff is what I hear myself shouting at the screen when Mr Waldt is banging on about who sent him what in the last week. I DONT CARE.....turn the dam wood!

If you want to see a truly class act (for woodturners at least) go and watch everything from a guy called Steve Jones whose YT channel is called woodturner21. He's the opposite of the talkie brigade. He doesn't like the sound of his own voice, he lets his skew do the talking. Anybody who has ever used a skew, look closely at his technique and it will leave you in awe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bk-K_Ativs

 

[JSW]

If you want to see a truly class act (for woodturners at least) go and watch everything from a guy called Steve Jones whose YT channel is called woodturner21. He's the opposite of the talkie brigade. He doesn't like the sound of his own voice, he lets his skew do the talking. Anybody who has ever used a skew, look closely at his technique and it will leave you in awe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bk-K_Ativs

Been a long time since I turned anything, but back when I did, I thought I had most tools fairly well mastered, especially the skew and spindle gouge (I think that's what he uses?) This guy is on a different level though. Did he actually remove the first piece, and replace it with the lathe still running? WTHF???

 

[AndyT]

Thanks for that, Bob, that was a real treat to watch. Proper, no-nonsense craftsmanship.

 

[CHJ]

Did he actually remove the first piece, and replace it with the lathe still running? WTHF???

Yes, looks like he was using a spring loaded Stebb Centre or the equivalent.

Many production spindle turners did, possibly still do it with standard 4 prongs and softwood spindles, saved stopping the shaft belt driven lathe although they usually used profile cutters and lever operated tailstocks for quick loading and release.

Have seen modern spindle turners doing it with stebb centres during demos.

Image Source Stott Park Bobbin Mill.

 

[heimlaga]

I watch youtube when resting my back between scersizing it to get back in shape and fixing things around home to get my life back in shape so I will be ready to start working when I can.

Generally I think most video makers fall into either of three cathegories.

-The ignorant semi-silly person or sometimes even full fledged silly person who hasn't learned enough to realize how little he knows. Armed with all that childish self confidence he tries to teach things he doesn't know and doesnt have enough talent to ever learn.
-The run of the mill American garage woodworker who has every gadget ever sold by Jet or Powermatic. Yet he has spent between 5 and 50 times as much money as I have on tools there are still way too tight limits to what can be made using them because there is no versatility. He cranks out a wast quantity of products made to standard drawings using standard premachined materials bought from his standard DIY merchant. He never ever dares to think outside the incredibly boring socially homogenous urban consumerist American box.
-The brilliant woodworker and not too bad teacher doing his best to be an entertainer which he isn't and has no talent for. Every video he makes is a monument of wasted talent that would have come to it's right if he had dared to be less entertaining and more teaching in his attitude.

Amongst all that trash there are a few real gems hiding. Both woodworking and metalworking.
Curtis Buchanan https://www.youtube.com/user/curtisbuchanan52/videos
David Richards https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBdj-v ... Uag/videos
Keith Fenner https://www.youtube.com/user/KEF791
Keith Rucker https://www.youtube.com/user/ksruckerowwm/videos
Ronald Renmælmo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKveBk ... DRI-g/feed
Paul Sellers https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulSellersWoodwork/videos
Steve Hay: https://www.youtube.com/user/woodmasterclass
A German whose name I didn't get:https://www.youtube.com/user/tracheide2/videos
A Norwegian whose name I didn't get: https://www.youtube.com/user/Tradisjonsbaereren
A group of Swedish craftspeople: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCISZUm ... 0I1kmgMaMw

There are also some good videos scattered here and there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3J5wkJFJzE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQSMs-b0Jzg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE7QA1chUzw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4746vgMS-w

Unfortunately there is hardly anyone on the youtube working wood the way I do. Using very few rather basic heavy duty machines plus hand tools to make whatever I want or need or get paid for from very basic materials.

 

[Grawschbags]

I think I'm currently sitting at about 63 channels that I subscribe to on YouTube. Most of them woodworking related.

Some of them are gimmicky for entertainment value, some I am in awe of because of their workshop and kit, some inspire me to have a crack at making certain things, and some can be relied upon to speak good sense on the subject.

I think there is something for everyone on YouTube...

 

[Dirk12]

It is a very interesting insight to read people's opinions on this subject & I personally love viewing YouTube content for three simple reasons,
Firstly if I travel abroad I can get instant access to topics of interest that matter to me, secondly what a great platform for anyone to exercise their creativity where once upon a time it was much more restrictive & thirdly there are some brilliantly entertaining folks revealing things that I would never of found out about were it not shared by means of this media.
Great discussion.

 

[chippy1970]

One guy you should look up is Peter Millard. He's a member here who recently started a you tube channel. He's starting to get a good following already.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[AndyT]

I see that someone called Peter Sefton has just uploaded a bunch of videos...


https://youtu.be/D5DkFxhTnyE

That should raise the quality nicely!

 

[transatlantic]

I see that someone called Peter Sefton has just uploaded a bunch of videos...


https://youtu.be/D5DkFxhTnyE

That should raise the quality nicely!

Looks interesting! .. when will these be available Peter?

 

[Peter Sefton]

I see that someone called Peter Sefton has just uploaded a bunch of videos...


https://youtu.be/D5DkFxhTnyE

That should raise the quality nicely!

Looks interesting! .. when will these be available Peter?

Launched them on Friday at the Midlands Woodworking show we will be adding them to the tool shop website this week either as DVD or download. They have been six months of work with Artisan Media so we will see how they go down. It's very different talking to the camera than a group of students asking questions and even odder seeing yourself!

This is the first one in this series of five from last summers filming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aARdrr3_p-M

I think a couple of forum members picked up copies on the weekend so we will wait and see what they think.

Cheers Peter

 

[Bm101]

Two new channels subbed. Look forward to watching both.

 

[DoctorWibble]

I bet there are plenty on here who, like me, would simply never have been able to get involved in woodworking without YouTube and forums like this. If you weren't taught at school or didn't have a woodworking relative pre internet you'd be stuck with just a book - and possibly not a very good one because no-one reviewed woodworking books. Craftspeople guarded their skills like trade secrets. And you'd struggle to find decent affordable tools too. Now you can watch someone do virtually anything, find all kinds of tools on ebay and forums like this put you in touch with a staggering range of skills and knowledge. And a fantastically nice like-minded community. I for one am eternally grateful.

 

[cornishjoinery]

If you are new to woodworking, youtube can be a dangerous place. It seems now any guy with a woodworking shed and a camera can shoot a 'how to' video. The problem is that alot of guys have never attempted the process (ie, dovetail, routing etc) before they film them selves and then post it as a 'how to'. Unless you are dung hot at what you do, dont film it! i dont want to see some screw up time and time again or even worse show dangerous techniques using a table saw or router.
There really should be some kind of control on you tube to cut the weekend bodgers teaching something they dont know about, more for the fact they are teaching new guys techniques that are frankly dangerous.

 

[BearTricks]

The problem is "progress" isn't it. YT has become THE place to set your stall out now and has massively replaced DVD sales for special interest content. And of course why wouldn't it? it's streamable anywhere you have wifi and on multiple devices....doesn't get any more convenient than that for the consumer. So knowing it's the goto media of choice for people to consume knowledge, people that are adding value in that world have to find ways of shifting their revenue model to suit the new environment or their revenue will just taper until there's nothing left. it's one of those horrible business transformation realities when the traditional delivery method has been made obsolete by a transforming technology. If folk don't adapt to the new media, they're basically in trouble. But the consumer has to realise there's a price to pay for all that convenience and that's what you're seeing with all the promotion of the very means by which the content providers get their revenue ie through subs or product sponsorship. People gotta eat

There's an issue here in that Youtube has one monetisation model for all videos. In the past, you'd go and find DVDs or books on whatever niche interest you had, pay money for it and learn.

I believe that once you reach a million views YouTube pays $180 for every 150,000 views you get. That's for views that can be monetised, i.e. by people not using Ad-Block software to block adverts.

The problem here is that there are channels focused on people reviewing technology that get tens of millions of views and make more money in a year than some people see in a lifetime. Their viewership is what essentially dictates Youtube's payment model. They're making a CEO level salary, whereas someone running a woodworking channel is getting a fraction of the viewership releasing videos on a niche topic with falling audience numbers because people are less and less interested in the craft.

In the past, you'd go out and get a woodworking magazine or book or DVD off the shelf in the corner shop or bookshop or wherever, next to the technology magazines and you'd pay a few pounds for it. Now with youtube dominating the market for instructional content you can't physically offer your money up to this content unless they run crowdfunding alongside it. It's viewer numbers that dictate how much people get paid for videos, rather than a transaction. It's supply and demand, but it also completely saturates the market with whatever is most popular and relegates the niche interests to the sidelines. At least in the past small communities of enthusiasts were able to support niche interests, but now the method of earning doesn't allow for that. If a few million people aren't interested then it isn't given a place at the table.