♠ NOTE: This is NOT Sean's Woodworking, from Utah. His site is here ♠
Nope, this site is Sean's Wood, my personal woodworking site that eventually will serve as a gallery for my woodworking projects; maybe shop stuff, maybe even some videos? Because yeah, we need more online woodworking videos. I think a homeowner in Peoria crosscut a 2x4 - and DIDN'T make a video about it!! I dunno, I will get to it when I can. This site has been up in it's incomplete, temporary state for about 10 years, and I aint done jack to it yet.
Have fun, build stuff!
ABOUT ME
Well, I'm Sean. I live in Eugene OR. I run Shanahan Audio, and before that spent the previous 25 years driving all around the Western half of the U.S. with my instruments begging for stale bread and water. I also have a degree in Graphic Design, which I thought would be a nice supplement to my booming music income. I never said I was smart.
Content-wise, I am going to focus on small, single person shops. Garage workshops with tools most semi-serious woodworkers will have or can get easily. No "let's move to the multi-flipped zip router-presser - coincidentally available from my website for only $6000" crap. There's really nothing I could tell a production professional that they don't already know, why even pretend?
But that doesn't mean a "hobbyist" is not capable of turning out professional level pieces. You can. I've seen pieces by hobbyist that have blown my mind. It's turning them out consistently, on a schedule, with consistent level of quality, that makes the difference. It's not easy.
Woodworking is strictly, absolutely, 100% a hobby for me. A serious, expensive, time-sucking hobby - but a hobby. I make no bones about this, and have zero desire to turn it into anything but that. Sure, I have done some work for folks, mostly friends, but this is my getaway, my zen if you will. I do what I want, how I want, when I want to do it, say what I want, and don't give a fuck what anyone has to think about it. This site will be the same.
STUFF TO KEEP YOU BUSY
Here's some stuff I like, in case you care or are looking for info. Not comprehensive by any means, just off the top of my head.
YOU TUBE CHANNELS
There are a shit-ton of woodworking vids on youtube. No, seriously, a SHIT TON. There are so many woodworking videos out there, I did a google search for "hard wood" - and woodworking videos were the first 5 pages! Some are not particularly helpful (Hi, I'm Joe Handyman, and today I'm going to staple together some MDF) and at least half are just repeating stuff they saw someone more experienced say in another video. But some are really good, these are a few of the ones I like.
Matt Estlea
Fun videos, sparked by Matt's engaging personality. One of the new gen folk who have no problem at all switching back and forth from hand tools to machines, without making it some huge ethos or dogmata. Just use what works. I like that.
Laura Kampf
More of a general maker/builder than say a traditional Shaker Furniture builder, which I love. Great project ideas, really cool stuff. The videos are very watchable, fun projects that often seem fairly spontaneous; great personality.
Frank Howarth
Another fellow Oregonian. Great design sense, perhaps fueled by his background in architecture. His videos are very well edited and produced, the stop motion and overlays are superb. He made me seriously consider getting a pre-war Dewalt Radial Arm saw.
Paul Sellers
Works differently than I do and stylistically different (and about 1000 times more skilled), but I like watching how he works, and his approach.
DIY Creator
A different design aesthetic than me, but I like his videos a lot. Very clear, well paced and edited. The "where I'm at now" overlay (where he shows you what part he's working on as it fits in the piece) is brilliant. I also like how he builds stuff most folks might actually need and use. Check out the penny board vid, with the water dip paint finish. Gotta try that sometime!
DiResta
Spike gives zero fucks.
William Ng
Runs a woodworking school in Cali. Has great tips on shop/jig setups, things like that. His "5 cut to a perfect crosscut sled" video is one of the most imitated on YouTube. Comes from an engineering background, which lends to some really solid techniques for accuracy and efficiency. Teaches the concepts very clearly, personable guy. Just wish he had more vids.
Stumpy Nubs
James is one of the more well known and established YouTubers, I've been watching his channel since the Blue Collar/Old Timey Woodworking days. Been cool to watch the channel grow and improve. Very helpful shop tips, well made videos. He has 3 or 4 different types of videos, they're color coded. I don't know why people find that hard to figure out.
Bourbon Moth
Fellow Willamette Valley Oregonian, just north of me. One of the more entertaining personalities out there, also fast becoming one of the more imitated. (well, at least folks are trying, particularly with the "mini-me" thumbnails). He also is the only other person I've seen besides me with a sliding clamp rack. Must be something in the water out here.
3 x 3 Custom
I enjoy watching Tamar's videos, she's great on camera, knows how to keep things moving while being clear and precise. Some nice designs, easily done with common tools. Again, I like videos where they use tools we might have and use, not a giant shop of stuff I don't have. I particularly like her crosscut sled video.
Paul Timberman
Best. Workshop. Videos. Ever.
WOODWORKERS I LIKE
Frank Klausz
King of dovetailers, legendary woodworker. Engaging, personable guy who makes it seem so easy, and builds awesome furniture. His shop is rad.
David Marks
He used to have a show called Wood Works, has since focused on turning. Likeable guy. Modern ideas without looking dated or trendy.
Keiichiro Sato
Ridiculous joinery. Great at blending modern ideas with 1000 year old pieces without making it look "stuck on". He posts amazing stuff to his facebook, but sadly his youtube videos seem to have been wiped. There was one of him restoring a 300 year old temple that was just awesome.
James Shanahan
My pops, who has been building as long as I've known him, which is ... um.... 35 years? Anybody buying that? I see his influence somewhere in just about everything I build. Except he has a slightly less shitty attitude. Slightly. Also has sent me all sorts of cool stuff that populates my shop.
Nahm
He set the template. 90% of youtube videos are basically doing their version of New Yankee Workshop. I have a different aesthetic, and my workflow is different than his; but if you haven't been influenced at least a little by NYW, what the hell are you doing here?
WEBSITES
The Wood Whisperer
Was an early proponent, and is perhaps the best known, of online woodworking videos/blogs. Very easy to follow, well thought out videos. You could argue he kind of kicked off the online woodworking phenomenon. Also, maybe the only other woodworker I see with as many tattoos as me. (Bourbon Moth as well)
Reddit is kind of the modern usenet, just a website where various topics are discussed on various subgroups called, well, subs. This one is about woodworking. Duh.
I'm high, this is woodworking
I'm sober and haven't smoked herb in any substantial way in 15 years; but this Facebook group has some really impressive work, particulrly in finish carpentry. Also is one of the more chill places on facebook to talk wood without some brain damaged fuckwit whining about Brandon.
Lumberjocks
Sawmill Creek
Good woodworking forums. Rarely post there, and I don't do the "online forum as social hangout" thing; but the search functions can be very helpful.
Schwarz's Blog
Chris Schwarz's blog, which is somewhat workbench-centric, but a good read no matter what you're building.