Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/12/28/the-best-maker-youtube-channel.html
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Cheers, I had to look twice to make sure I didn’t miss the link. Saved me Googling.
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While we’re on the subject, I’d love someone to point me in the direction of some quality home building channels that are more instructive and much less “HGTV-entertainment”. Concrete masonry/roofing, electrical, plumbing, etc.
This would be great for viewers with less access to the best tools, materials, and services. You know, for places on par with Mexico or Ukraine.
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Cody from Cody’s Lab is a treasure. I love his happy demeanor and how practical his approach for everything is, even channels that i love tend to fuss a lot about how they present things which i totally get and don’t ding against them but Cody is super pragmatic and i really appreciate that about him.
Lately he’s been doing a series every once in a while about his attempts to reforest his family’s ranch that i’ve really enjoyed.
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“It’s great but… it needs a little mayo.”
“Ffffff… wait here.”
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Home RenoVision DIY has a great no-nonsense approach to getting home projects done.
Essential Craftsman has a bunch of videos on construction tips and tricks, as well as blacksmithing and spec house building.
Another channel that is less informative but inexplicably captivating is Andrew Camarata’s videos. He does tons of different stuff, from building structures out of cargo containers, to excavating ponds and fixing equipment.
As for plumbing questions, I do have 19 years in the trade, if you need anything 
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I highly recommend Clickspring. Even if you don’t care at all about clockwork, it is a pleasure to just watch and listen to him work.
In the “Nichers” category, I would also add the guys at Bad Obsession Motorsport as they’re trying to fit a Toyota Celica in a classic Mini. All in insane details and skills sprinkled with a healthy dose of English humor.
And This Old Tony is the makers category.
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Wow, the first guy is thorough! This rocks.
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I’ll put in a recommendation for SeeJaneDrill. Leah is a journeyman carpenter and instructor and covers a lot of different home improvement topics in a way that just makes them seem easy and straightforward. “You. Can. Do. This!” I want her to be my best friend.
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@vrplumber
I have to say that there are extenuating circumstances sometimes. Here in Tijuana, you have a great deal of bad practices because of the “cost saving” mentality. Splicing extension cords in place of even minimally proper electrical wiring, etc.
I’d like to be able to encourage people who’d listen to understand the wastefulness and danger of improper building techniques.
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A few of my favorites, my tastes run to explainer videos:
Big Clive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axEqM8eBuxY
FranLab https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVExZh6xPGY
VWestlife https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz6y8xif4dM
Techmoan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSY1iZqH118&t=564s
Lazy Game Reviews, especially OddWare series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pBhEaMp8mw
Technology Connections https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyKRubB5N60
Captain Joe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWpwl-NPnrM
Mentor Pilot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGTgMkWqFGQ
(The videos linked on each channel are random/recent selections, without regard to my own favorites.)
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Thanks for this.
Clearly, I have been doing drywall the hard way. That trick with using a piece of scrap lumber and a long screw to make a “third hand” for ceiling installation… why the hell haven’t I thought of that before?
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thought this an interesting perspective
but you have to watch it
I nominate you for the BoingBoing Public Service Award. 
Seriously, though, thanks.
This old house?
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My husband watches his videos, too. And @Matthew_MW_Holl, See Jane Drill… and we love Franlab.
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Mmmm…I don’t really think so. For years, they’ve been plugging for tool companies and don’t really consider low-end consumers. But that’s only my opinion.
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Gene Youngblood is watching over all this and smiling.
A few more that aren’t on the list - worth checking out if you like this sort of thing.
Wintergatan - he’s known for a music video called Marble Machine, but it turns out that was just a prototype, and he’s now building a much improved version, “Marble Machine X”, which will play music live on stage by dropping tightly synchronised marbles onto things. It’s a huge undertaking and he’s documenting the whole thing, from CAD to assembly, including all his false starts and unexpected challenges. He’s a great presenter and it’s fun to follow him on his huge project.
Pocket83 - makes all sorts of things and muses / rambles about them. He’s primarily a woodworker and the videos often have the form of a woodworking tutorial, but he’s inventive with other techniques too.
kiwami japan - makes knives out of things like wood, resin, milk etc., using only hand tools and kitchen equipment, then sharpens them, then measures how hard they are. It’s an oddly entertaining mix of impressive engineering knowledge and straight-up weirdness.
Oskar van Deventer - makes mind-bending twisty puzzles, mostly by using a professional 3D printing service. I’m not sure how much he belongs on this list, since he generally shows the end result rather than the process, but he’s an incredible maker.
Luke Towan - makes incredible dioramas. He has a series in which he walks you through every step, which are fascinating even if you have no intention ever to make one.
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Is there a way to bookmark a discussion? This one seems like a keeper.
