Denis Frechette has spent his entire adult life working with hand tools. He started woodworking at an early age, set up his first forge in 1979, studied pottery in college and worked for several years as a professional craftsman. In 2005 he began producing videos documenting his approach to early technology. In 2008 he transfered his collection of videos from his website to YouTube. As of 2021 his channel - DF InTheShop - has a library of over 300 instructional videos that have given many people the confidence to pursue blacksmithing.