I have had this on my list of videos to share for a while now, but I never did for several reasons.

• It has millions of views and I like sharing lesser-known content here on Made You Look.
• It’s tangentially related to woodworking. Even the woodworking done in the video is done on machinist equipment!
• There aren’t any actionable woodworking items to take away from this video.

That said, the algorithm started pushing it to me again and I took another look, realizing there are a few cool takeaways from watching a crazy-expensive oboe be made.

First, I think the conservation efforts around African blackwood are commendable and I hope those efforts help keep the trees, the heritage, and the stock needed for oboes in consistent supply for centuries to come. Secondly, I think it’s incredible how the oboe manufacturers ‘stress test’ the wood. Most woodworkers would NEVER subject their stock to fluctuations in humidity and temperature on purpose, but when you sell an instrument for the price of a nice used car, the need to weed out the stock that will crack is real.

I found it all very interesting and I thought you might too.

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-Made You Look are videos that we’ve found on the web that we thought were worth sharing with our audience. Let us know if you find anything you think is worth a look in the comments below!