Thomas Jefferson's Famous Pasta

[@theDemong0d]

This guy needs to come back more often to teach us about 18th century woodworking

[@tanjrinaarena7379]

Roy Underhill made shows that are all about 18th century woodworking. I think he wrote books about it, too.

[@user-he7wb5in9e]

Agreed! Well spoken, clear voice, the tech words followed up with the what it means Havent seen this is quite some time, but it does work best! Such a great channel

[@fawrun]

Very cool would love to see more

[@LindaB651]

I've always wondered how wooden screws were cut and tapped- very ingenious!

[@dementious]

Yeah I really just wanted to learn about old noodles, turns out I get a double whammy of noodles and wood engineering!

[@Michaelfatman-xo7gv]

Wicked cool.

[@mumtrz]

Isn't it obvious? It's literally the same way modern screws are threaded

[@poephila]

That was super cool to watch and learn about!

[@WeskPei]

and now I'm wondering how they made those screw boxes

[@Nightkrowler]

Remembering how quiet and rather shy Brandon started of presenting on this channel, I am really amazed at how comfortable and "at home" he feels now, so it seems. Love watching your content and reliving the times I never witnessed myself.

[@CompleteAnimation]

Seeing the wooden screw getting made was the most fascinating part of the video! Not all that complicated, but somebody had to figure it out!

[@Michaelfatman-xo7gv]

Which means it's highly complicated. Tools, angles, math, tribal knowledge. This doesn't come into existence in a vacuum.

[@danielallan8061]

@@Michaelfatman-xo7gv That's the thing. Most inventions are simply applying the accumulation of knowledge someone has on a subject. They didn't think of everything themselves in most cases.

[@FruitMuff1n]

I love watching the progression of this channel -- e.g. at 9:30 he's eating with the utensils we saw them make in another episode.

[@thefinalkayakboss]

Hey not for nothing, a lot of us who work with our hands can do incredibly precise work... with modern tooling. Look at the fit and finish on his press, the thing is perfect, i can do that no problem down stairs in my shop, where theres tablesaws and drill presses and lathes and....electricity. this dude just did it essentially with some sharpened pieces of steel and patience. All the props. All the props my dude.

[@ianfinrir8724]

When I was a teenager and had nothing better to do, I learned how to make stone tools and I am continually amazed with what humanity was able to do with tools like that

[@terryt.1643]

This press is very similar to the screw press used for pressing olive mash for oil. Brandon makes it all look easy. I don’t think there are a lot of people today who have that ability anymore. I really enjoyed this one, thanks. 🥰💕❤️👍👍

[@toucanadian]

It would be cool to see how else they could use that press now that they have it. It would just be a matter of making new faceplates!

[@aetherblackbolt1301]

This is honestly astonishing, making a working version of such an old blueprint is beautiful. Your videos just become more and more vital for top tier history documentaries. I can't believe I'm watching this for free.

[@jodeum2]

One thought on the pasta dough. Usually when I make pasta I'll roll the dough out a little, fold it in half or thirds. Then repeat that a few times. it allows the gluten to form longer chains and it makes for a much smoother and softer pasta. It looks like you just went right from a ball to pressing it out. And the result looks 'rough' or not coming out as a smooth pasta. It looks more like little pieces just pressed together. You've got what looks like rough concrete consistency, and it should be more smooth peanut butter looking. I know I'm not saying that right. But once you do the kneading a few times you'll know instantly what difference I'm talking about.

[@themghicks]

I agree it looked like the dough needed to be worked a LOT more.

[@RebelCowboysRVs]

While I like it that way, I believe what he made is more traditional. The roughness was thought to trap the sauce more than smooth will.

[@alexburgdorf419]

I think it might be a combo of not enough kneading and also a very subtly rough edge on the die cast. Either way it looks pretty good all in all

[@Sphendrana]

I don't know much about cooking in a formal sense, but this stood out to me immediately. I was like "why isn't he rolling the dough out more before just going to the extruder?!" and the next scene immediately vindicated my concerns. I have made homemade pizzas with a non pizza dough recipe, and each time I do it I knead a little more than the last time, as I'm learning that it makes things much smoother once finished. I get it in layman's terms, but I really appreciated reading about how it works with the correct terminology (I'm a big fan of chemistry, and cooking is very much the edible side of chemistry lol)

[@SheyD78]

I'd be interested to see a side by side comparison of how the press works with the two different methods. I'd imagine Joh and Brandon are following the original directions that may well have been wrong, or simply designed to produce a different result to the pasta we expect today.

[@JintoLin]

The Townsends crew once again surpass my expectations and kinda should of expected it but that creation of the pasta maker with period tool was impressive and cool to see how people back then make the tools that would make the consumer products. kinda puts into focus another reason for small meals before bed. That is a LOT of work and effort after a long day outside

[@HLBear]

You'd be well off to have someone (a partner or cook) who prepared the food while you were in the field. Then everyone could enjoy dinner together. 😊

[@benjaminmcginty6302]

Thanks for showing us the process of making the machine!

[@jaydoggy9043]

I remember seeing the drawings that Jefferson proposed to make noodle presses more widespread and thought that looked interesting and wondered what it would be like in a real application? This is a very cool project, and that definitely took a lot of work (when he was talking about the thread and I realized how much work that'd be for just one machine I was awestruck).

[@growingaHome]

Bros hundred years old

[@the_eternal_paradox]

maybe a strange thing to say but the squeaking of the screw as it's pulled out from the screwbox is so comforting :D

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

Hey whatever gets you through the night my friend

[@ryandtibbetts2962]

Maybe Townsend should do an ASMR video?

[@meganlalli5450]

Looks delicious! Great job, Brandon, on making the pasta machine!

[@loganbutler1016]

I've got an antique rope bed from the early 1800s that's a family heirloom. It has wooden components that are threaded like are shown in this video and I've always wondered how they were able to make it without power tools. Now I know! Really interesting stuff.

[@unclebubba5584]

such an incredible amount of labor to make what we take for granted when we open that blue box of mac-n-cheese...

[@truelight2097]

That’s blasphemy comparing Kraft poison to homemade pasta…🤬

[@nova3752]

You still eat that kids food? Yuck. Boomers never change

[@unclebubba5584]

@@truelight2097 wouldnt know, never had homemade pasta...

[@jwalster9412]

​@@truelight2097😂

[@waffleson45]

​@@truelight2097all pasta is made the same way calm down there chef boy-are-dee

[@serenepeacefulrelaxingmusi3874]

I will never look at macaroni noodles the same way again. Respect! What a lot of work to make the machine and then form them. I will appreciate these little gems so much more now. Thank you! 😀

[@YourHistoryGirl]

This video brought back memories of sitting in my grandmother's kitchen watching her make cappelletti with her rolling pin. She would have gotten a kick out of the Thomas Jefferson-style pasta machine! Great video!

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Thank you for posting a fascinating video. Making one of these machines from wood took skill and learning. The resulting noodles have a rough outside texture that is toned down a bit today by using bronze dies. Those ridges catch the sauce perfectly.

[@jackdorsey4850]

Dear Mr. Townsends, I always enjoy your builds to see you and your staff create stuff using the same tech. they used back then . Keep it up.

[@jamesvatter5729]

Fascinating work. I still think you've been blessed by having Brandon travel through a time portal!

[@westtex3675]

Really neat to see the way the wooden threads were made. Brandon is very talented to get the tolerances on all those pieces correct & make it look easy. Glad the pasta came out well.

[@ThePressurizer]

"We have the screwbox lubed and ready to go." Excellent!

[@genericalfishtycoon3853]

@0:56 Annnnnd this is why I absolutely love you guys. Keep our history alive!

[@scottpeterson2692]

Amazing woodworking!

[@braxtonvestal777]

That's so impressive. Thank you, guys, for keeping history alive.

[@tareqzeidalkilani949]

as an engineer, I love authentic engineering (planimeter, pipe wrench....).. what you showed is touching this aspect of me. we in Palestine we made (my grandfather did) some tools for pasta (we call it RKaqat and other names). lovely, keep going.

[@FunAtDisney]

What a true craftsman making that pasta press! We went to Colonial Williamsburg a few years ago and I was so impressed to watch the trades people make all these daily use products, furniture, etc. all by hand. Amazing !

[@dmr6640]

Like Brandon's how to videos. So many things we take for granted today required real skill to make a tool just to make food. Well done. Really enjoyed this video.

[@prestongarvey7745]

Bang up job by Brandon on this pasta machine. The original drawing looks like so many other contemporary drawings of contraptions, a “thing”. But it turns out that with some work it can become a thing; no quotation marks! Also the final product looks delicious. I’m not even a a big mac & cheese guy, but that looks amazing.

[@psychosweetheart5977]

I'm not a doomsday prepper by any means, but my slight fascination with the concept of "what would happen if the power grid suddenly shuts down" makes me love this channel even more... informative in both a historical sense and a practicality sense

[@Michaelfatman-xo7gv]

Well if you're not, you'd best change right quick.

[@tomhowe1510]

Dude. It's the power grid. Sleep at dark. up at dawn. Amish.

[@teejin669]

​@@Michaelfatman-xo7gvbro thinks he's noah

[@ChibiPanda8888]

Same. It's so cool how it all started and developed. We should bring back these old ways of doing stuff.

[@the_quiet_life]

The Townsend team would probably be able to ride out societal collapse almost fine !

[@sheilam4964]

What an excellent project, perfectly executed by Brandon and I'm sure is a complete collaboration between the two of you from beginning to end. Thx guys for doing this, filming it and sharing it with us.

[@hollish196]

I really, really love the videos that show how things were done in the time. This is just wonderful!! Learning about the way people did things in the past is so interesting and so fascinating. Thanks for this one!

[@MarroktheWarrior]

I don't need to build a pasta press but now I want to. When the zombie apocalypse happens everyone will be jealous of my pasta and will make me their leader. Thank you both for your contributions to my empire!

[@ChibiPanda8888]

😂😂

[@nou8257]

Brandon is a dang good craftsman

[@sparklesparklesparkle6318]

wait did Brandon seriously lose like 100 lb in 10 months? he looks amazing wtf I missed his entire transformation.

[@andrewyoonhobai8453]

the best craftsmen build the best future

[@MrEp5]

No. I only ever made some pasta from an intruder.

[@ChibiPanda8888]

Did it come in-tru-da window?

[@elenaparis8268]

Really really nice job Brandon, what you just did is a far dream for me as a woodworker

[@ant-1382]

That was just fascinating watching that press being made.

[@SteinerHaus]

Awesome! Thank you for the detailed explanation of how things were done back in the day. Here in 2024, we take for granted how we get shaped pasta and other things. Knowing how the originals were made blows my mind.

[@jameskolczak6268]

Great video. I love seeing things made by hand like this whether wood or metal or something else.

[@Engulfing_Darkness]

Thank you for your content. This is incredibly heartwarming.

[@kevinleee3408]

I love these videos that include carpentry it was really cool to see how wooden threads can be made

[@RayanKhan]

Even with modern industrial equipment, jt isnt as easy as this. These guys are next level

[@cherylbootsveld1620]

Another interesting and informative video, I appreciated the effort the team has made.

[@Dexterity_Jones]

ok, making that screw press was very cool. Those screw boxes were ingenious.

[@alitlweird]

Pasta … aka, “nature’s candy”. 🤤 I love how you can build pretty much anything out wood. 3:33 to 3:52 That actually took about it a day and a half of work… but thanks to the magic of editing, they made it look like he knocked that out in 20 seconds. 🎞️ 😃

[@VBunplugged757]

You built the machine and then made the pasta. I'm honestly not surprised with this channel.

[@quezbeme]

You don't know me but I've been watching and supporting you for almost a decade. I just want you to know I'm so proud of you and how you grew as a channel with honest content, not click bait. Thank you for everything you've brought our way!

[@ladyjusticesusan]

Wow that’s a lot of work, and I thank you for it. That was a lot of learning in one video. Excellent.

[@gfr2023]

I'm Italian and I will try your pasta for sure !!! You made "fresh pasta type" the one we usually made for special meals like for example christmans.... I remember my grandma doing that. Never saw this pasta press... I'm thinking to make one. Ciao from Italy

[@anonymous-zk3mi]

Probably you never studied the topic. That kind of machine was very popular in Italy during the Renaissance and Baroque. It was just a torchio. Jefferson learned to make pasta by Mazzei.

[@korviscapetrova5269]

i love this channel so very much Edit: Woodwork of the bye-gone times and food of the bye-gone time is such a surreal experience, wonderfully done for this channel keep the videos going, i'll go shop for the firework kit. Congratulations on 15 years of videos Townsends. a fond viewer, K.P

[@Chickston]

The engineering and machining here is amazing. Really shows a level of ingenuity and industry that will soon be a sign of the time.

[@buckgulick3968]

Thanks for showing the traditional manufacture of the pasta machine. Absolutely fascinating!

[@LysSylva]

Thank you for showing how much work sticks in this simple machinery. So much we take for granted today....

[@RPSchonherr]

... Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni

[@barber0611]

absolutely amazing craftsmanship Brandon!

[@damienblauwald]

Very much enjoyed watching this build. Great idea make one.

[@poughkeepsieblue]

Pasta, a dry component that keeps for years, and only requires salt water to cook with. Perfect for voyages on a ship. Makes sense that exployers would keep it for use on navy boats, and exploration.

[@ComteChuckula]

one of your BEST videos yet. Yet, you have many grat videos.

[@bobbyhill5067]

Pilgrims: “I don’t know how to make this Pasta!” Etruscan Romans in 4th Century B.C.: “Amateurs..”

[@ourfamilyoutdoors7331]

I very much appreciated the wood working segment of this video. It was neat to learn about the screw box and how wooden screws were made

[@tomhowe1510]

Pasta. A Sandwich bag, Flour, Egg. Kneed. Poke the bag over boiling water. Pasta.

[@ChibiPanda8888]

Not bad!

[@misteramerica3610]

What a great video for your unique category and channel! 👏 Bravo, I got my education for the day!

[@QuantumRangerPower]

Very cool. Always interested to see the period woodwork. I never thought how one might make a wood screw like that.

[@jjpetunia3981]

That’s amazing! So much attention to detail and workmanship. Fascinating to see how macaroni was made back then!

[@brigitte1215]

It's fascinating to me how this basic design is so good that it's still in use today, hundreds of years later. There's an Italian company, called Bottene, that makes a hand-cranked pasta press that looks and operates in a very similar fashion. They make a metal version - look for the Torchio Bigolaro hand press pasta maker. They recommend the use of a separate wooden bench to which you attach the press - it functions similarly to your wooden frame.

[@adamwarlock8263]

wow!!! those wooden threads are incredible!!!

[@Cpneuma]

Love learning from Brandon

[@maksimfedoryak]

So, set of plates with different holes -> different shapes of noodles

[@ernstschmidt4725]

yes

[@McCandolin]

Very impressed that you guys actually cut the threads for the press mechanism!

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Wow. This was quite a project. I'm amazed that it worked successfully on the first try.

[@libbyjensen1858]

Brandon is SO talented!!

[@TheSaneHatter]

It's as amusing as it is baffling to think that all pasta in the age was called, "macaroni," even if certain song lyrics *don't* leap directly to mind. It seems that I could have showed up with a package of dried spaghetti to cook, had someone ask me when the "macaroni" was ready, and then had about of confusion set in to rival "Who's on First?"

[@natecus4926]

This is so awesome! Thank you for making this. I’d love to see a video of how those taps/dies are made

[@mayonnaiseeee]

Damn, love how technical Brandon was with designing and crafting this machine. Very interesting watch, thank you 😊

[@northernbackwoodsman263]

Excellent job building, videos are always good. thanks

[@beckypennington79]

This was very interesting and very informative for example making the screws and such very interesting thank you so very much I really enjoyed it

[@nunuvyerbizniz6803]

Putting the threads on the wooden screws was fascinating, probably more interesting than everything about the pasta! That was great.

[@maryexton7929]

Now, I understand how they threaded the tensioning peg of my antique spinning wheels. Really cool video. Thanks! 🥰

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for the awesome content and great videos!!

[@Katylest]

Wood working and food 🍝 the greatest things can come from the collaboration of skills

[@SheyD78]

Just looking at the large wooden screw, it is a thing of beauty. Such precision.

[@charlesrose7212]

Awesome job Brandon! 😀

[@KakavashaForever]

Loved seeing the device being made as well as used, really neat sort of combo episode.

[@kengiorlando7119]

My new favorite Townsend's video!

[@mikeskelly2356]

'that's using your noodle!'...

[@kylepearce-obrien1021]

I thought that was a pasta 3D printer in the thumbnail and thought, "Wow, people in the 18th century were advanced."

[@robertsmith4681]

Here I am looking at my 3d printer and going ... hmmm, I could probably make that ..

[@ianfinrir8724]

It kinda is a 3D printer, in a way.

[@nicholasguarracino1677]

Bigoli! That press you guys made is so darn similar to the kind still used to make "bigoli" in Veneto. Amazing to see what does and doesn't change.

[@janweber2889]

Bigoli is also typically using farina integrale as well, which gives it the most fantastic brown color. Also as I recall the eggs are usually duck eggs?

[@sailorknightwing]

Always happy to see Brandon in a video!

[@mumtrz]

Imagine being so sheltered you use wine glass as liquid measurement

[@ChibiPanda8888]

Well, it's better than "a glass" which some recipes say. Could have been any glass! At least a wine glass would be a more precise measurement.

[@robustdelirium9277]

Holy crap a wood working AND cooking episode?!? Sweet!

Thanks for making such wholesome content. The video was a blast

[@Nobody-s824]

I would love to see Brandon design more plates to make different shapes!

[@pek5117]

Amazing work as always

[@janknudsen145]

Thanks!

[@Sir_Loin_Tippe]

Wow I learned so much from this video it's crazy. Thank you for all your time and effort

[@alfredleite4000]

Very interesting. Simple techniques but impressive considering the tools they had to work with at the time. As someone who dipped into machining and woodwork a little myself in the past (in a modern setting obviously), seeing how they used to do things was super fascinating to me.

[@ChibiPanda8888]

Such a cool video! I'd love to do woodworking again. Also, i appreciate how neat and precise the technical drawing is that Brandon made. For someone like me who can't draw worth a lick, i appreciate it.

[@CEOofGameDev]

That's a nice recipe, will try it out in my kitchen one of these days. The noodles look cool too, I guess...

[@Convolutedtubules]

I must admit, the making of the press was even more interesting than the food side of things.