Nothing Can Hurt Me When I'm Watching Woodworking Videos

“Nothing can hurt me when I’m watching woodworking videos.”

I’ve been mumbling this half-serious mantra to my wife (but really myself) when a woodworking video shows up in my YouTube algorithm. We’re typically sitting on the couch, idly looking at our devices. We could be reading books, but we can’t just constantly be reading, can we? In these instances, I’m watching woodworking videos on YouTube.

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I have no clue how I started watching these videos. My guess is that my YouTube algorithm observed that I was watching people build and repair guitars and transposed that to an interest in woodworking, which is interesting I have absolutely no skills on that front. I built sets for a bit in high school and college, but I was infamous in my high school scene shop for being incapable of drawing a straight line. I think power tools are cool as hell, but I am not a seasoned craftsman by any means, nor did I think I had any interest in the topic.

Nothing can hurt me when I’m watching woodworking videos.

Having recently moved to a new city in a new state, I’ve been navigating the pain of applying for new work, meeting new people, and applying for healthcare. The country I live in, already rather dislikable, is falling into the hands of very dumb technocrats, and the “opposition party” refuses to oppose in any meaningful way. As I write this, Los Angeles is on fire, and people are losing their homes. The faith I was raised in has been weaponized for probable cause by genocidal maniacs, and also it’s early January, a famously awful time in the Midwest. Why wouldn’t I feel comfort in watching a guy woodturning a bunch of gum seeds into a stunning box? Nothing can hurt me when I’m watching woodworking videos.

Regarding the content and style of these videos, I can not stress enough that I am not interested in the 2010s-era “le epic bacon man” woodworking videos that still proliferate the site. Sorry, Nick Offerman, I think you are very funny and charming, but your heirs apparent are annoying as hell.

I’m after videos with minimal commentary, maybe some narration recorded in post, but I am simply here to watch someone work. I do not need you to stop and talk about the knots in the wood while you’re working on this coffee table. There are power tools running near you, which, while sick as hell, are very dangerous. Save the commentary for the studio. For an example of my ideal balance of commentary and engrossing woodworking footage, check out Blacktail Studio. There’s a whole world out there of using epoxy to do some crazy-ass stuff with wood, and I’m really into that.

There is something really calming about watching people do something well, as has been explored regarding cooking videos and their proximity to ASMR. But even watching woodworking, which tends to be loud and, again, very dangerous, or ceramics, a famously messy endeavor, can instill a level of calm. Perhaps the confidence of the craftsman’s handiwork creates a sense of security for the viewer.

Nothing can hurt me when I’m watching woodworking videos.

Simply, there’s something very comforting about watching people create something with their bare hands in a world that frequently feels out of my control. If these people can competently see their projects through, then maybe we can take some initiative to make things just the smallest bit better for ourselves and our descendants. Or perhaps it’s just a nice, relaxing time. That feeling of safety, however manufactured, is important in a time of uncertainty.

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