MatthiasWandel

MatthiasWandel is the channel of Matthias Wandel, a Canadian engineer and woodworker. He was an early employee at Research In Motion, the company behind BlackBerry, before focusing on his woodworking channel and website.

He describes his approach as an engineer’s approach to woodworking. Many videos involve building his own woodworking machines from wood, including saws, sanders and jigs. Others test things properly, such as how strong a joint is or which tool cuts better, with real measurements. The style is calm and methodical, with plenty of close-up shots of mechanisms.

Some highlights include:

He builds a so-called free energy machine and then shows exactly where its energy really comes from.

A series of tests on finger jointed timber to find out how strong it really is compared with solid wood.

A side by side comparison of two types of planer cutter head, measuring noise, finish and performance.

The channel has over 1.7 million subscribers.

Matthias Wandel is a good way into mechanical engineering and product design. His videos show the engineering habit of testing an idea rather than assuming it works. Building machines from wood also makes gears, linkages and forces easy to see. It connects to careers in mechanical design, manufacturing, materials testing and structural engineering. His website also shares plans and write-ups, so viewers can follow the reasoning behind each build in more detail.