DIY Donn, Created Near Otepää, Videos Are a Favorite of Millions

DIY Donn, or Donald Dorch, is a unique Estonian YouTuber whose days are spent tinkering with various machines in a Southern Estonian workshop. He posts videos on his YouTube channel about the manufacture, repair, and maintenance of various machines. Donald's channel is about to reach one million subscribers, and his most popular video has been viewed more than 17 million times.

The Happiest People Are Those Who Follow Their Calling

Donald stumbled upon the idea of sharing what happens in his workshop with the wider world. His first video was a slideshow of the making of a three-wheeled motorcycle, which can comfortably push snow in the winter and carry loads in the summer. The video became popular, and Donald soon realized that he could make money from this activity. The decisive factor was his desire to live in the countryside on his ancestral farm and to give up the traditional nine-to-five office job, which lacked excitement and surprises. Donald became a YouTuber, sharing with the world every day the projects he loves and in which he is truly talented.

Demanding Projects Are Driven by Practical Needs

Although Donald studied wood technology, most of his projects are related to metalworking. The ideas for each machine are born from real needs. For example, the amphibious vehicle project, which brought Donald a lot of fame, originated from the need for a vehicle that wouldn't get stuck in marshes. This was the main problem when using ATVs and lighter vehicles. Thus, a tracked amphibious vehicle was born that travels on land, water, and marsh, climbs steep slopes, and carries heavy loads.

CNC Plasma Cutting Machine Construction

Among DIY Donn's projects, the most complex has been the construction of a CNC plasma cutting machine, which also involved making controllers, stepper motors, and other electronics. 

The CNC plasma cutter, built with a friend, stands on a steel frame. The water bath is also made of steel. The axes are cut from aluminum profiles to which linear guides are attached. 

The connection plates between the axes were milled on a small CNC milling machine. Various additional millings and drillings, which invariably come up during work, are done on the metal milling machine Koneita NOVA X-45 SUPER.

Homemade Four-Wheel Drive UTV and Crane-Equipped Logging Trailer

Kõige rohkem jäi Donald rahule 4 × 4 UTV projektiga – see jõuline nelikveoga masin on tubli töömehe asendamatu abiline. UTV ületas kõik sellele seatud ootused nii töökindluse, jõudluse kui ka funktsionaalsuse poolest. UTV on parempoolse rooliga, sest roolipaigutus oleneb diferentsiaali võllide ja mootori väntvõlli pöörlemise suunast.

Among Donn's favorite projects is also the homemade four-wheel-drive logging trailer, which, together with the UTV, forms a powerful set.

In logging activities, the Forstman hydraulic crane trailer, along with the powerful UTV, is indispensable.

Golden-Handed Workman Needs Quality Tools

The range of machines used in DIY Donn's projects is truly diverse. For milling and drilling, he mostly uses the metal milling machine NOVA X-45 SUPER, along with a chip collection magnet. For cutting materials in his small 35 m² workshop, Donald always relies on the metal circular saw NOVA S-350, which is small in size but powerful. Also part of DIY Donn's machine park is the metal band saw NOVA 310HD, which is larger in size and even more powerful.

Daily use for cleaning wheels and differentials is also found in the sandblasting cabinet NOVA SBC990P. One of Donald's recent favorites is the newly acquired NOVA digital angle gauge, which makes it easy to level various objects during construction and, for example, to set everything at the right angle with a hydraulic tube bender NOVA TB-1000.

Great Things Are Born From the Heart

Donald definitely plans to celebrate the milestone of reaching one million subscribers with some particularly exciting projects. We wish Donald success and are always here to help with selecting metalworking equipment. We also invite all our fans to follow DIY Donn's activities:

• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@DonnDIY
• Instagram: instagram.com/donndiy
• Twitter: twitter.com/donndiy
• Facebook: facebook.com/t2pit2ht
• Kodulehekülg: youshouldbuildit.blogspot.com/
• Patreon: patreon.com/DonnDIY