If you’ve ever found yourself watching woodworking videos online and thinking “I wish someone would just show me how to do this without making me feel lost,” then you’ve probably already stumbled across 731 Woodworks. And if you haven’t yet, you’re in for a treat.
731 Woodworks is a YouTube channel that has quietly built a loyal following among hobbyists, DIYers, and folks who simply want to build something with their own two hands. What makes it stand out in a sea of woodworking content? That’s exactly what we’re going to dig into today.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at what the 731 Woodworks channel actually offers, the types of projects it covers, and whether it’s a good fit for someone who is just getting started. Whether you’ve never picked up a saw in your life or you’ve dabbled a little and want to level up, this breakdown will help you figure out if this channel deserves a spot in your learning rotation. Let’s get into it.
Who Is 731 Woodworks?
If you’ve spent any time searching for woodworking tips on YouTube, there’s a good chance you’ve already stumbled across 731 Woodworks. It’s one of the more recognizable names in the DIY woodworking space, and the story behind it is pretty straightforward and relatable.
The channel was founded by Matt Outlaw in May 2017, and it’s based out of a garage shop in Monticello, Arkansas. Matt didn’t just pick up a saw one afternoon and start filming, though. His trades background stretches all the way back to 1995, covering general construction, carpentry, and woodworking. That kind of hands-on, real-world experience is exactly what makes his tool reviews and technique advice feel trustworthy rather than theoretical. When he tells you a tool is worth buying or warns you about a common beginner mistake, he’s speaking from decades of actually working with his hands.
The channel name has a neat origin, too. The “731” references the area code covering southeast Arkansas, grounding the brand in a strong regional identity that reflects where Matt lives and works. You can find the channel at youtube.com/@731Woodworks and explore his full resource library at the official 731 Woodworks website.
The growth since that 2017 launch has been impressive. By mid-2026, the channel had climbed to roughly 895K to 912K subscribers, racking up approximately 258 million total views across around 1,900 videos. That’s a serious body of work built consistently over less than a decade, covering everything from tool reviews and buyer’s guides to beginner project builds and shop setup advice.
What 731 Woodworks Actually Covers
So now that you know who’s behind the brand, let’s talk about what 731 Woodworks actually puts out on a day-to-day basis. The content breaks down into a few clear categories, and understanding each one helps you figure out how much value it offers for your specific needs.
Tool deals are probably the most active part of the operation. The site runs daily-updated deals pulled from affiliate partnerships with Amazon, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Rockler. You’ll find discounts on brands like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, and Harbor Freight, and many of these are genuinely time-sensitive offers that disappear within hours. If you’re building out a beginner shop on a budget, this kind of curated deal hunting can save you real money without spending hours browsing retailer sites yourself.
Tool reviews and buyer’s guides round out the core content. Matt tests tools in his actual shop rather than just reading spec sheets, which gives the recommendations more real-world credibility. The focus leans toward budget and mid-range equipment, which lines up well with what most beginners are actually shopping for. The 731 Woodworks YouTube channel houses most of this content, with close to 1,900 videos published as of mid-2026, according to SocialBlade tracking data.
The store sells downloadable project plan bundles priced between $19.99 and $32.99. These cover outdoor furniture, shop builds, and beginner-friendly projects, complete with step-by-step instructions and material lists. They’re designed to pair naturally with the tool recommendations already on the channel.
Beyond YouTube, two channels extend the content further. The Cut List is a free daily email newsletter focused on deals and updates. The Live Edge Woodworking Show is a podcast with 200 or more episodes covering projects, business tips, and Q&A.
The platform reach is genuinely wide. Instagram sits at roughly 146K followers, TikTok carries short-form clips, Facebook adds another layer of community, and Patreon hosts around 1,200 members with 750 or more posts for those who want deeper access.
Sawdust Startups: The Business and Coaching Side
Beyond the free YouTube videos and tool deals, 731 Woodworks has built a separate paid layer called Sawdust Startups, and it’s worth looking at on its own terms. This is a coaching community specifically designed for woodworkers who want to stop thinking of their shop as just a weekend hobby and start treating it like a real revenue source. It lives on the Skool platform and has grown to over 500 members, which is a meaningful signal that there’s real demand for this kind of structured business guidance within the woodworking space.
The content inside goes well beyond what you’d find on the free YouTube channel. Members get access to templates, marketing playbooks, pricing frameworks, and step-by-step guidance on finding buyers for handmade goods, whether that’s through platforms like Etsy or local in-person sales. One of the signature programs is a “7-Day Selling Challenge,” which gives members a focused action plan rather than just passive video watching. There’s also reported access to 40-plus build plans that members can use or adapt for products they want to sell. Pricing sits around $59 per month, with a yearly option for those who want to commit longer term.
It’s worth being clear that Sawdust Startups is a genuinely different product from the free community and course content Matt Outlaw puts out elsewhere. The free channel serves a broad audience of hobbyists and tool shoppers. This community targets people with an entrepreneurial mindset who want accountability, peer support, and structured monetization strategies. If you’re a beginner who simply wants to build furniture for fun, the free content will likely serve you well. But if turning your woodworking into a side income is on your radar, Sawdust Startups represents a separate evaluation entirely.
Where 731 Woodworks Delivers Real Value
If you’re a beginner trying to figure out where 731 Woodworks actually earns its reputation, the answer comes down to a few specific strengths that genuinely matter when you’re just getting started.
The deal aggregation alone is worth paying attention to. Matt and his team curate tool deals updated daily from retailers like Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Rockler, and they push those deals straight to your inbox through a free newsletter called “The Cut List.” For a beginner trying to build a shop on a tight budget, this saves real time. Instead of bouncing between five different websites hoping to catch a price drop, you get vetted, time-sensitive offers in one place.
The mistake-avoidance content fills a real gap that most beginner woodworkers don’t even know they need. Learning that you’re holding a router wrong, or that you’re missing a key table saw accessory, before you buy or before you get hurt, is genuinely useful. Matt frames this as “testing tools so you don’t have to,” and with his background in construction and carpentry since 1995, that framing holds up. His advice comes from decades of hands-on trades work, not just hobbyist experimentation.
Scale matters more than people realize. A library of nearly 1,900 videos means that whatever question you have about your first table saw, router setup, or shop layout, there’s probably already a video covering it. That kind of depth is hard to replicate.
Finally, for beginners who want more than passive watching, the layered community through Patreon and Sawdust Startups offers ongoing access, live calls, and structured guidance that goes well beyond a standard YouTube subscription.
Honest Criticisms Worth Knowing Before You Subscribe
No channel with nearly a million subscribers is going to be perfect, and 731 Woodworks is no exception. Before you hit subscribe, it’s worth knowing what the community actually thinks after years of watching.
The clickbait title problem is real. Reddit’s r/BeginnerWoodWorking and r/woodworking forums have flagged this repeatedly, with users pointing to titles like “This GENIUS Tool Just Changed Woodworking” or “This NEW Woodworking Jig Is CHEATING” as prime examples. Over time, when nearly every video promises a revelation, viewers start tuning out the hype before they even click. That kind of audience fatigue is a common complaint in woodworking Facebook groups too, where members have called out the pattern of “game changer” language that rarely delivers on its promise.
The affiliate angle raises honest questions. The channel openly uses affiliate links across Amazon, Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Rockler, which is completely standard for YouTube creators. But some viewers on Reddit have raised fair concerns about whether commission availability quietly shapes which tools get highlighted. That doesn’t mean the recommendations are bad, but it’s a reasonable thing to keep in mind as a beginner who might not yet know how to cross-check advice.
The format itself may not be what you’re looking for. If your goal is watching someone build a detailed piece of furniture from raw lumber to finished product, the deal-and-review format can feel thin. Many viewers who want deep creative construction content end up seeking out other channels to fill that gap.
Two content areas are notably thin. Wood restoration and finishing care topics, things like fixing scratches, pulling out water stains, or bringing dry damaged wood back to life, are largely absent from the catalog. Similarly, detailed measured builds with full cut lists and technical drawings aimed at homeowners working without a dedicated shop setup are underrepresented compared to the overall volume of tool content. For beginners working in a garage or spare room, that gap can be frustrating when you need practical, home-friendly construction guidance most.
What Type of Woodworker Will Get the Most from 731 Woodworks
Not every woodworker will get the same value from 731 Woodworks, and that’s perfectly fine. The channel has a clear identity, and knowing whether that identity matches your current goals saves you a lot of time.
Budget-conscious beginners setting up their first shop are honestly the sweet spot audience here. If you’re regularly browsing Amazon or making runs to Home Depot and Lowe’s, the daily tool deal content was practically built for you. Matt tests items personally and filters out the junk, so instead of gambling on an unknown brand, you’re getting a real recommendation from someone with shop experience dating back to 1995. That kind of practical guidance is genuinely hard to find for free.
Aspiring side-hustle woodworkers will find the clearest fit with the Sawdust Startups community. If your goal is to eventually sell projects and turn woodworking into income, that paid program covers pricing, marketing, and business structure in a way the free content simply doesn’t. With over 500 members working toward similar goals, the community aspect alone adds real value.
Intermediate woodworkers looking for honest tool comparisons can get a lot from the free YouTube content and blog reviews without ever joining a paid program. The in-shop tests on things like track saws, routers, and budget power tools are straightforward and skip the hype.
However, if you’re a homeowner focused on wood care, furniture restoration, cabinet refinishing, or finishing techniques, 731 Woodworks is likely a poor fit. The channel leans heavily into shop setup and tool purchasing rather than finishing or restoration work.
Similarly, pure project-build fans who want measured drawings, cut lists, and full construction walkthroughs may want to check what the broader woodworking community recommends as supplements, since 731 Woodworks has shifted focus away from detailed project tutorials over time.
Woodworking Resources That Cover What 731 Misses
If 731 Woodworks has a blind spot, it’s the hands-on, skill-building side of the craft. The channel does a solid job helping you decide what to buy, but once the tools arrive at your door, you’re largely on your own. That’s where a few other resources step in to fill the gap.
In community spaces like Reddit’s r/woodworking, channels like 3×3 Customs and Woodcraft by Suman come up repeatedly when people want actual build inspiration rather than buying guidance. These creators walk you through real projects from concept to completion, covering joints, jigs, furniture builds, and custom pieces in a way that teaches practical skills rather than pointing you toward a product listing.
For homeowners specifically, the finishing and restoration side of woodworking is where the biggest gap shows up. WoodStuffHQ addresses this directly with beginner-friendly guides covering how to fix scratches, remove water stains, degrease cabinets, and restore dry wood using simple household products you likely already have. That kind of practical, low-barrier content is hard to find on tool-focused channels.
There’s also a meaningful difference between watching deal content and following a measured build guide with a real cut list. When you’re working from raw lumber toward a finished cabinet or piece of furniture, you need dimensions, materials, and a clear sequence of steps. Structured build guides eliminate a lot of the guesswork that causes beginner frustration.
Cutting board care is another area where 731 leaves an opening. Guides covering board oils, wood conditioners, and proper maintenance routines help homeowners protect what they already own, which matters more to most people than the next tool sale.
Finally, the restore-versus-replace question for kitchen cabinets and wood furniture is a genuinely practical topic that deal-focused content rarely explores. Understanding when a simple refinishing job or scratch repair can save a piece worth keeping is exactly the kind of decision framework that homeowners need most.
Common Questions About 731 Woodworks
Is 731 Woodworks free? Most of the content is, yes. The YouTube channel gives you free access to tool reviews, buying guides, beginner tips, and daily deal roundups. The paid layer kicks in when you want project plan bundles, which run between $19.99 and $32.99 on the official website and Etsy storefront, or when you want to join Sawdust Startups, the business coaching community priced at $59 per month.
Who is Matt Outlaw? Matt is based in Monticello, Arkansas, and has been working in trades since 1995, covering general construction, carpentry, and woodworking. He launched the YouTube channel in May 2017 and left his job as an Arkansas State Trooper in 2021 to run the business full time. That real-world background gives his tool advice a practical grounding that resonates with beginners.
Is Sawdust Startups worth it? It depends on your goals. If you want to sell projects and need help with pricing, marketing, and business structure, the community offers live coaching calls, 40-plus build plans, and a supportive network of 500-plus members. Pure hobbyists focused on skill-building will likely find free YouTube content sufficient.
Where do you buy project plans? The official website store and Etsy storefront both carry individual plans and bundles.
How big is the community? Close to 912K YouTube subscribers, 146K Instagram followers, and roughly 1,200 Patreon members reflect a well-established presence in the woodworking niche.
The Bottom Line on 731 Woodworks
731 Woodworks is genuinely worth your time if you fall into one of three camps: you’re shopping for tools on a budget, you’re setting up your first shop and need guidance, or you’re exploring how to turn woodworking into side-hustle income. Matt Outlaw has built something real here, with nearly 912K subscribers and over 259 million views backing up the channel’s reputation as a trusted, practical resource.
The strengths are honest and consistent. The tool testing is hands-on, the deal coverage is timely, and the beginner-friendly framing helps newcomers avoid expensive mistakes early on. That’s not nothing.
Where the channel runs thin is on wood care, finishing, and homeowner restoration projects. If your next question involves conditioning a cutting board, refinishing a piece of furniture, or choosing the right finish for kitchen cabinets, 731 Woodworks won’t take you very far down that road.
That’s exactly where WoodStuffHQ picks up the slack. For practical guides on cutting board care, wood restoration, cabinet finishing, and measured builds complete with cut lists, WoodStuffHQ is built specifically for DIY homeowners who need that finishing layer. Start with the cutting board care guides or the cabinet finishing content, and you’ll have a well-rounded foundation to complement everything 731 Woodworks already gave you on the tool side.
Conclusion
731 Woodworks has earned its loyal following for good reason. The channel delivers beginner-friendly instruction, real-world projects, and a teaching style that makes woodworking feel genuinely approachable rather than intimidating. Whether you are just starting out or looking to sharpen your existing skills, the content meets you where you are. The project variety keeps things fresh, and the clear explanations mean you spend less time confused and more time actually building.
If you have been sitting on the fence about picking up woodworking, this channel is a great place to start. Head over to YouTube, search 731 Woodworks, and browse through a few videos. Pick a project that excites you, gather your materials, and take that first step. The best woodworkers in the world all started as beginners. Your first build is waiting.
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