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Visit with Matt Estlea

Writer's picture: Ivon HaywooodIvon Haywoood

Updated: Jul 2, 2022


After a 4-hour ride from Oxford to Basingstoke I found Matt Estlea’s workshop, where I was greeted with a big smile.

It had been almost 4 years since we last saw each other, there was lots of catching up to do, so, I propped my bike up against the wall and we wasted no time with small talk.

Many will know Matt’s workshop from his Youtube channel, but this was the first time I’d seen it in person. I was surprised how condensed it is. His arsenal of equipment is vast and it’s obvious that he has given a lot of care and attention to the flow of the space, how his things are stored and how to best utilise the room.

His storage solutions and the atmosphere make the space feel clean and tidy, even amidst the chaos of production. Matt talked a lot about the feel of the space; about how he believes that a workspace needs to be somewhere you enjoy being, somewhere with character, other than a sterile looking industrial unit. He was quick to turn my attention his stock of timber. An array of hardwoods, softwoods, exotic and local: Bubinga, Macassar Ebony, Padauk, Ziricote, rippled brown Oak, Bog Oak. I even think I saw some Coconut Palm in there, and the extra special Cuban Mahogany! Me and Matt studied together from the age of 16-21, by now we have known each other for 10 years, and have been practising our craft just as long. So, for us two talking about our experiences in the woodworking world always has a familiar context and relatability, despite the fact that we have gone down very different routes. Of course, many of us are aware of Matt’s booming internet presence and Youtube channel, but he’s also had lots of experiences teaching, primarily at Rycotewood school of furniture where he taught the City and Guilds students. This was the course that we did together all those years ago.


Big Bertha (his workbench) stood tall with a blue-lit backdrop accompanied by lights and camera equipment focused inward.


“always front and centre”

Matt jested to me, pointing at Big Bertha.

This behemoth Rubo-style workbench is the focal point of his videos, and always surrounded by a proud display of previous projects, tools and objects of sentiment in cabinets or on shelfs.



The lathe with Matts logo, in use

A pile of wood shavings beneath his Lathe, with a camera focused on the tool rest, told me that he had been busy turning.



Indeed, he was prepping knife handles, hundreds of them and their handle blanks, some finished and some ready to be turned, they stood in rows or in piles on his cutting table. He picked a shoe box from a shelf and opened it to reveal a secret project he has been developing… a new prototype tool perhaps?

Knife blanks ready to be turned



I moved my bike into his shop, we locked up and headed to his house. On the way we reminisced about school, and shared stories with each other. The subject of covid and the difficulties it brought came up. Matt explained that the experience of being in his workshop alone a lot of the time, mixed in with the challenges that are offered up after leaving university had made his practice a difficult experience. He spoke about post-uni depression, the feeling that while we were at uni we had the privilege of a social workshop and living situation. Not many things will prepare you for leaving a workshop with 40+ peers, and entering a workshop where you just have yourself. Especially with covid-19 looming around the corner.

Ferule's ready to be attached to the knife handles

Matt was also teaching at the time of covid and had to host online classes with his students, students who went to Rycotewood for a vocational form of study, and experience a solitary and theoretical version instead. Luckily Matt had the equipment and tech to make masterclass style courses unique to their curriculum, as a result he and the other teaching staff got the students through college with fantastic results, considering the circumstances.






Conversations like this are important because it shows you that the struggles of life and events are not singular to our own experience but somewhat universal, and this has an impact on the way we work as creatives. It’s becoming apparent that the average woodworker is subject to solitude as a normal part of their practice, but when solitary confinement is forced upon you, it can test your peace of mind. Matt was very candid about his experience during covid. We sympathised; without people to spend your days with, to jest with, to talk about work with, the whole creative process becomes hurdle-some. Connecting with people is certainly an influencing factor in my journey as the Crafty-Pedaler, and a large part is a result of covid-19. The next day we went back to his workshop for a full day of geeking-out about woodwork. I sat and watched Matt as he batch-turned the knife handles, one every 2 Minuets. All of a sudden, he turned to me and suggested that we should do a Live Q&A on his Youtube channel. Of course I said yes, and we both sprung to action. Matt darted upstairs onto his mezzanine-office and started clicking away on his computer. I grabbed a piece of Beech and decided to make an example Mortice and Tennon joint to demonstrate the Japanese technique of ‘Kirogoshi’, something Matt hadn’t seen before. An hour and a half later, we were both in front of a camera discussing woodwork to his audience. I’d never experienced this before so it was a fun exercise for me.


Camera poised and ready for the next shoot

Self-awareness towards one’s own skill, and perception of one’s own practice came up during our Q&A. Matt talked about feelings of imposter syndrome, and his ‘lack’ of industry experience both being negative. I can relate to this; we both seemed to have the impression that it would be too exposing to enter a professional workshop. But doing it our self’s is ‘easy’? There is something quite forgiving about making mistakes on your own time. I was surprised to hear this from Matt. When we studied together, I always felt he was a better student than I. But now he seems to struggle with things, such as order of preference while making and organising a production plan. Or simply, second-guessing the correct procedure’s involved when it comes to making or installing something.

Behind the scenes. Big Bertha centre stage

These self-observations and struggles are merely confidence-misplacements. After all we were both formally trained for 5 years, really we should be good at these things. Are these indications that the practice of furniture making is a vast, varied and difficult one, which needs a lot of time and dedication to learn? Will these personal mis-beliefs fade away over time? So long as we persist and hope that we are doing the correct things in our practice, in order to push our practices further and become better. That night I shared my experiences studying Japanese joinery with Matt. I could see a spark or excitement at the prospect that he too could study with Takami Kawai.

The next day we went to his workshop again, we had half the day before I was due to cycle back to Oxford. We spent this time messing and playing with tools, Matt and his house mate had a disgusting concoction of beard hair and blue epoxy, which they decided to make something with. Meanwhile I fettled a plane and took the tool to a piece of Padouk and that wonderful Cuban Mahogany, I made both bits of wood sing with a mirror finish, just for the sake of getting to use timbers I wouldn’t normally have access to.

It felt to me like such a privilege to re-enter Matt's life from the perspective of a visitor in his workshop. We spent all those years studying together, developing though our formative years of woodwork in tandem. But now we have gone down different routes, learnt different things and come to appreciate sperate elements of woodwork.

I notice that Matt is very much a Youtuber. His skills in woodwork, albeit are of a high standard, have been superseded by his camera skills and his time spent in the workshop is overwhelmed by the need to keep his internet presence alive. I on the other hand have spent as much time as possible honing elements of my hand skills. And it felt like a huge compliment to be able to show Matt things that he hadn’t seen or had seldom practiced.

I look forward to the next time that me and him meet, simply because it was a fun exercise having the opportunity to see how we had both developed. I wonder how we will have both developed in the future. Perhaps matt will study with Takami? Maybe his next project, converting a van will offer up more opportunities for him to learn and develop as a practitioner and Youtuber. Matts ambitions as a Youtube wood-worker are to help expose the world of wood-work to a younger audience, in order to bring new energy and excitement to the industry. He hopes there can be more of a youthful presence in our industry in the future. I hope and feel that he is achieving this, our industry is small and deserves attention.


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