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I don't really know. I have always tinkered with wood. Could be comparable to becoming good at computer programming.

Matthias is fantastic at engineering things and then building them out of wood, but I consider it very different than true woodworking. To me, the level of craft of someone like Sam Maloof is on an entirely different level.

Although Matthias does have metal tools, they're just items he hasn't gotten round to wood-ifying yet.

The man is truly unique among wood-workers. If he were given the task of building a suspension bridge, he'd make the damn cables out of wood if he could. (And he'd probably succeed at it, too).

Wood is pretty easy to work with, if you have some nice tools (these are also pretty cheap to buy second hand.)

Once you know what wood you like working with (I prefer something like oak, pine is too soft. Cheery is lush. Apple is also nice...) you just need something sharp to cut it with, a saw, a knife, some drills. Add some sand paper and off you go.