Woodbrew’s Dylan & Molly: What’s In Your Toolbox?

This is What’s In Your Toolbox?, an occasional post series where we showcase tools and tips from our favorite fixers. Today we’re featuring Molly and Dylan from Woodbrew, who make DIY and how-to videos on YouTube when they’re not making custom furniture or other projects. Molly answered our emailed questions.

iFixit is partnering with and sponsoring Woodbrew videos for Fixit February. All this month, post a photo of something you’ve repaired, tag it #fixitfeb on Twitter or Instagram, and you’ll be eligible for one Pro Tech Toolkit that we give away each week.

iFixit: First off, explain to our community who you are and what you do!

Molly: We are Molly and Dylan! We are a husband and wife team who create videos on YouTube about woodworking and DIY projects that anyone can do! We have a mix of content for the avid woodworker and lots of minimal tool projects that weekend warriors can do as well!

How did you get started fixing and building things?

Dylan has been messing around, experimenting, and building since he was little. Right after we graduated high school and were in our first semester of college, we started a furniture restoration business together. That quickly turned into building custom furniture for clients in our area. Molly has learned “on the job” and through our time on YouTube.

What’s in your toolbox (or workshop)?

Where do we even begin?! iFixit tool kits of course! One stays in the shop and we have another that is for the house. We have learned that we are more efficient when we have the right tools for the job—so you can imagine, that takes up some space!

How do you organize your tools/devices?

Each drawer in our shop is for a certain purpose. We have a sanding drawer, screw drawer, hand tools drawer, tape drawer, bits drawer, etc. Then, we have a few storage cabinets where one shelf is for paint supplies, the next for paint, the next is epoxy, and somehow we have a shelf dedicated to chainsaws.

What are some of your most-used tools?

SawStop table saw, Festool sander, paint sprayers (because we hate hand painting!), and a vacuum!

What’s your most-coveted, yet least-used tool?

Dylan’s grandfather’s Stanley #4 1/2″ hand plane.

Is there a certain tool or material you use often, but seems unorthodox for your field?

We use OSB sometimes for projects and that is typically a construction material.

Every fixer/DIYer/device-opener has a brutal tool injury or failure story. What’s yours?

One time we were building a concrete coffee table and it was time to set it down on the ground from a table. Dylan on one end, Molly on the other. This table was the heaviest thing we’ve ever make I swear and as we were lowering Molly lost her balance and started to fall backwards and the coffee table ended up on top of her. That clip did not go in the video, lol.

Dylan drilled through his hand. Still has the scars to prove it.

What’s your advice for people who want to start fixing, modding, or building things?

Start doing it! You can watch all the YouTube videos you want, but you won’t ever learn anything without getting your hands on some tools and actually start messing around with projects.

Anything else you want our community of fixers to know? Feel free to pitch any new projects or content you’re working on or recently published!

We are restoring our 1994 F150! We are taking a ton of parts off and cleaning and/or replacing them. We are fixing rust spots and even painting the truck, and also doing a full interior detail, which will probably be all the difference! We have also been renovating our house, so anyone out there looking for ideas, we have several videos on that too!