Beloved and I are headed out for a much-needed beach vacation, so the next week and a half’s posts will be on the brief side.

This mad genius woodworker with a way of looking at objects like no one else. Izzy Swan’s how-to videos are sometimes reminiscent of Chuck Testa’s commercials (though unlike Testa, Swan is in on the joke), but don’t let his aw-shucks dad-jokey videos fool you. The man is a full-on genius when it comes to inventing wooden and other gadgets. Granted, he uses a series of very fancy tools to draw and cut out the inventions’ pieces (lasers and auto-CAD are involved), but that doesn’t make them any less creative.

His website and YouTube channel are full of insider tips, woodworking plans, and insane contraptions. Many of his more innovative designs have to do with space saving, and you know I’m all about that! He has also invented some very fun and impressive workshop hacks (drill-powered hand saw?!?) that we’re looking forward to trying.

Swan has a wonderful speaking voice, and really fun patter, and the self-proclaimed he-man spends as much time poking fun at toxic masculinity (his 3-year-old daughter is the boss of him) as he does explaining his process.

You can see all of Izzy Swan’s mad inventions on his website and on YouTube.