Chris Badeaux was spending a day at the park when he decided to check in on a do it yourself woodworking video he’d posted to YouTube.
He couldn’t believe what he saw.
“It had 1,000 views,” Badeaux said. “I thought, this must be a mess up. The first few days, the only views were from me checking in on it … I kept looking back every 30 minutes or so and there was another 100 views, another 50 views and a bunch of comments. It took off from there.”
What started as a side hobby for the woodworking enthusiast has effectively turned him into a go-to guy for learning the proper and most effective methods of the craft. A little over a year ago, he established a YouTube channel called Sawdust and Wood that has been viewed more than 1.6 million times since and has almost 16,000 subscribers.
“It’s crazy,” said Badeaux, of Luling. “I honestly didn’t think anyone would watch it. I figured if I needed to know how to do something in the future, I’d be able to reference back at my channel to look at it. Maybe somebody out there would be struggling with it and it might help them. I never expected this.”
The channel’s most watched video, covering how to measure and cut angles for baseboards and crown moulding, has over 450,000 views. Other items covered include how to calculate and cut stair stringers, angle cutting on a circular star and how to cut and install baseboards using a homemade centering jig.
The video comments are filled with positive feedback — though the channel’s popularity as a reference speaks for itself.
“One says ‘You make it easy, and explain how it’s easy,’” Badeaux said. “‘Great information, a tough job explained in an easy manner.’ It makes me go even harder at it and want to produce more.”
[pullquote]“I thought, this must be a mess up. The first few days, the only views were from me checking in on it.” — Chris Badeaux[/pullquote]
Badeaux’s father was a carpenter. Though the former initially had little to no interest in the practice, spending time helping his dad build what would be his house changed his tune and sparked his curiosity.
“I helped him cut the roof for it and got to see how it all came together,” Badeaux said. “I thought, ‘Man, I have to learn this.’
“I grew up around it. I never knew I had that love for it, but about 10 years ago, taking the wood, making something and watching it come together, it was just satisfying.”
He gets extra satisfaction from the attention his channel gets from those new to the woodworking craft.
“I find I mainly appeal to them,” Badeaux said.
To that end, he intends to put together some additional videos for the channel that will center around teaching children and younger people about woodworking.
“I’d like to do a regular series with kids and parents who’d like to teach them how to do woodworking,” Badeaux said. “To still have the regular videos but also put together some special ones with them involved.”
Sawdust and Wood
- YouTube channel Sawdust and Wood has tallied more than 1.6 million views and has almost 16,000 subscribers. It was established just over a year ago.
- The most viewed video on the channel has more than 450,000 views.
- The channel’s videos teach how to accomplish different woodworking projects and is especially popular among those new to the craft.
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