Matthias Wandel is an easily recognized Canadian YouTuber, specializing in do-it-yourself – DIY – woodworking, but with a twist that sets him apart from the crowd, as he takes on the process from the perspective and with the expertise of a degree-holding engineer. This combination is apparently so effective that he found it easy to accumulate a sizeable audience on the platform, amassing more than 1.7 million subscribers by June 2024. He’s often praised for his insightful, well-thought out, and sometimes humorous videos, all of which strive to showcase a rarely-witnessed manner of engaging in one of the world’s oldest professions. His customarily entertaining and instructive style of content creation helps many viewers understand these mostly unique concepts, which easily keeps growing the fanbase and has everyone coming back for more.
What pulls the views in
The channel inevitably stands out without much difficulty due to its unusual fusion of engineering and carpentry – a combo yet unseen in the DIY niche. From designing specialized woodworking equipment to producing useful objects and difficult creations, the content spans a broad spectrum of topics that never fail to pique the viewers’ interest. The videos are easy to recognize for Wandel’s detailed step-by-step approach and thorough explanations, which help fans of all ability levels understand the intricacies behind his one-of-a-kind projects. Matthias is also known for designing and building his own equipment from scratch, often applying modern technology alongside plain old pieces of wood to maximize his efforts.
Very few other channels in the niche approach problem solving the way Matthias’ does, relying on a vast body of engineering knowledge to tackle even the most outrageous of ideas. Projects such as building a wooden air raid siren, kid-sized chairs, and a gun that can remove Jenga pieces from a tower without collapsing it are only a few samples of the unique work being showcased throughout the content. It’s undeniable that the YouTuber’s approach to the practice brings a much-needed breath of fresh air to the genre, blowing away the numerous competition that mostly rely on regular concepts to bring their ideas to life.
Wandel’s videos also extensively test a great number of woodworking tools and materials, as the channel is stacked with experiment videos and tests within others. He routinely examines various kinds of joints, including mortise and tenon, bridle joints, and finger joints so as to scientifically determine their true strength and longevity, offering the most optimal solutions not only to the audience, but also fellow woodworkers. Viewers trying to hone their DIY techniques are thus glued to the screen whenever he posts a new video, also thanks to the great many trials he’s undergone with plywood and hardwood.
Aside from standout projects that haven’t been attempted before, Matthias also likes to delve into some of the more conventional builds, offering plenty of quality material to the less ambitious woodworking aficionados who have no desire to venture out of their comfort zone. These videos are bolstered by the scientific knowledge he’s gained throughout the many experiments, thereby optimizing the advice given to an unprecedented level.
His best idea
The channel’s most popular video has brought more than 28 million views to the channel all by itself. In a very unconventional woodworking experiment, Matthias sets out to discover the smallest hole that a mouse can pass through. He starts by building a test device with varying chamber entry diameters, ranging from ¾” (19mms) to 5/8” (16mms), testing every hole using a live mouse. He leaves his trusty Raspberry Pi with a permanent-running camera above the test area for a few nights, tracking the rodent’s behavior and navigating skills as it attempts to get to the peanut butter placed inside the narrow-entrance chambers.
Wandel adjusts the entrances to the three wooden rooms depending on the mouse’s success, astonished by the physical characteristics enabling mice to compress their bodies and squeeze through unbelievably tiny areas. The mouse’s capacity to flatten its cranium and ribcage helps it easily pass through openings much smaller than its actual body width, which includes the first few holes. However, realizing that the animal can pass through the 11/16” (17.5mms) hole, but not the 5/8” (16mms) one, he re-drills the entrances so that the 8/12” (17mms) one is in between.
A shrew eventually invades the experiment’s area and manages to squeeze through the middle hole, while the mouse still struggles to achieve the same result. He leaves the test running for a few more days hoping to see increased dedication from the rodent, but to no avail, and eventually settles for the results he was able to obtain. The fascinated audience demanded that he repeat the test, as the mouse in question seemed overly plump for its species, and so was likely unable to shrink as much as most other members of his species.
Matthias Wandel has designed this very impressive wooden domino row building machine: https://t.co/kfRrgQ9Ouk pic.twitter.com/3F5TPOfGQc
— Wevolver (@WevolverApp) August 21, 2017
Who really is Matthias Wandel?
Although he has Canadian citizenship and resides there permanently, Matthias Wandel was born in Germany, to a father who was a wood business owner and a farmer. After his family relocated to his current place of residence, his old man turned to woodworking as his primary career, which gave the future star a wider perspective on what he would want to do later on. Growing up surrounded by woodworking, Matthias inevitably became passionate towards the craft, finding great enjoyment in tackling the many challenges of building things out of wood.
He attended the University of Waterloo, while still actively working on his design and woodworking abilities, graduating with a degree in Systems Engineering, which would later prove incredibly beneficial to his YouTube career. He undertook a number of ingenious projects during his time at the institution, such as creating a desk and dresser meant for mobility, which could be dismantled and reassembled at the university’s convenience, without using of any tools.
Following graduation, he worked for the Canadian tech firm Research In Motion, which ultimately became the world-renowned enterprise known as BlackBerry. In spite of the company’s success and Matthias’ exceptional job performance which was duly rewarded, he left the team in 2007 in search of other creative avenues, taking the time to concentrate on his side initiatives. Wandel wanted to build on his already existing a website, featuring woodworking pieces by adding video material.
By early 2008, he’d already been posting blogs on his website about the various kinds of woodwork he privately undertook, and ultimately decided it was a good idea to also show the readers exactly how the process looked. Hence, he started his YouTube channel in mid-2008 so as to post videos complementing his website entries, without any big plans for the video website itself. However, as the platform developed, he realized the growing potential and turned most of his attention to footage, hoping to appeal to a much wider audience. Dedicating his work to YouTube this early on makes him one of the first high-quality woodworkers on the platform, which is a title often overlooked even by his fans.
Apart from his content creation efforts, the internet star has participated in various other woodworking events and joint projects, being a frequenter of Maker Faires and other community activities. He always strives to pass on his vast knowledge to the curious audience, also hoping to share the boundless enthusiasm for what he does best.
What is his net worth?
Some of the most reputable sources have stated that Matthias Wandel’s current total wealth exceeds $1.5 million, thanks in great part to the high-quality, thought-provoking content he’s done his best to create over the years. Social Blade estimates his channel’s yearly ad revenue at anywhere up to $30,000, which is supplemented by various sponsorships, promotions, and reviews, seeing as numerous companies in the woodworking niche are delighted to have their products recommended by someone touted as ‘the God of woodworking’ on Reddit.
That said, Matthias does have a business website, but it still serves the original purpose of simply hosting articles that promote his YouTube content. He’s yet to start selling any type of merchandise online, and doesn’t even offer a members-only monthly subscription on his main platform. While this type of business model is undoubtedly less financially optimal than that of his counterparts, it also goes to show the world that some creators remain dedicated to what they do, solely out of love for the craft itself.
