It's a food processor/blender basically. I just can't knead/mix pasta dough by hand anymore because my hands fall asleep thanks to carpal tunnel.

I'm not sure about the wood/metal. I have been making pasta since I did it with my grandma and my mom as a kid. I actually don't even eat pasta much at ALL unless it's homemade (and that's rare, because it takes more work than I usually want to put into it). But my family considers it a HUGE treat!