Reviews
Television Shows -
Please bear in mind that these reviews are only my personal opinions. If your opinion is different than mine, so be it. We all learn in different ways and, just like back in school, we all have different favorite teachers. As a side note, nowhere in the commercial television schedule in my locale is there a woodworking show. I don't know why this is. It seems that all the shows even remotely related to woodworking are home repair and home remodeling programs. I think this is a shame, but I guess the programming people know what sells, so I have to assume that woodworking does not.
If you wish to watch a woodworking show, you are going to have to rely on public television. Even here you are subject to the whims of the program managers of the local channels. Not all available woodworking shows are carried throughout the country. You can lobby your local public television station, but I don't know how affective that is. Of necessity, my reviews are limited to the shows available on my local public television channels.
One last note, not reviewed here is The New Yankee Workshop, as it is no longer being produced. I always enjoyed every show of its twenty-one years, regardless of whether I would build the project or not. I always learned something and Norm Abrams' presentation was spare and to the point. Accuse me of being a "Normite" if you wish, but NYW is the paradigm by which I tend to judge other shows.
American Woodshop -
Hosted by Scott Phillips and produced by WBGU public television in Bowling Green, Ohio. The show is shot at Scott Phillip's own woodworking shop. Season 18 will begin showing in the fall of 2011. Occasionally, Scott's wife, Suzy, will make an appearance in a show.
Try as I might, I have just not been able to warm to this show. Scott Phillips is, without a doubt, a very knowledgeable woodworker and seems to be a nice guy. However, there are very, very few shows devoted to projects that I would like to build. I just do not find them attractive at all, and part of wanting to build something is wanting the finished product.
Additionally, almost every show has me asking, "Why the heck are you doing it that way?" His methods of work, though they do get the project done, sometime leave me wondering if he is using that technique only to get the project done in the limited timeframe of a half-hour television show, or if he thinks it is actually the best way to do it.
Being of meager income myself and not being able to afford a lot of woodworking toys, I also wonder why he promotes the use of some very expensive tools. I suppose I can't blame him for that, though, since he has to gear the show towards a wide audience and maybe there are some people watching who have deep wallets. Breaking out the Festool portable circular saw and multiple guide tracks with an approximate combined retail price of over $1,000 does leave me scratching my head.
Having said all that, I watch every new show that comes out. There are too few woodworking shows to pass it up. Reruns, however, are passed over. I never know if I might learn something new or finally see something that I might like to build. Usually, however, I know that I am in for a half hour of waiting for the end of the show.
Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac -
Hosted by Tommy MacDonald and produced by WGBH public television in Boston, Mass. Taped in Tommy's shop in Canton, Mass. Season 1 started in 2010 and had 13 episodes. I am optimistic about this show and am looking forward to season two this fall. If that doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement, that is very perspicacious of you.
First, the good stuff. I watched the entire first season and I learned some new things. I am not a big hand tool woodworker (who the heck can afford hundreds of dollars for a freaking hand plane!?!) and it was good to see some of the hand techniques used in the projects. Tommy is also a very likeable guy and obviously very enthusiastic about his subject.
The projects, however, were mostly things I will not be making, at least not the way Tommy made them. It is hard to quibble with his approach, though, because I think he was trying to "begin at the beginning." He didn't jump right into making a roll-top desk, for example. He mostly did smaller or simpler projects (with some exceptions) that would not overwhelm the average or beginning woodworker, and used those projects to teach a lot of the basics.
Perhaps Tommy is trying to squeeze forty-five minutes of information into less than thirty minutes, but I do wish that he would slow down his speaking. Actually, I think this is just the way he talks and doesn't have any speaking speed other than full-speed ahead. I hope that this is just a matter of gaining experience in being a television host and learning that you can sometimes teach more by speaking slowly and leaving out superfluous words.
As I said, I am looking forward to season two. I think that it will be more polished and interesting - to me - than the first season was. We'll see.
Woodsmith Shop -
Hosted by Don Peschke and other members of the editorial staff of Woodsmith magazine. The web site says "sponsored" by Iowa Public Television, but I'm not sure if they actually produce the show. Season 5 starts fall, 2011.
This is a good, basic, woodworking show. The presenters of the material are not slick, professional actors. They are like the guys you know from your local woodworking club, who have been handed a script and told to deliver the lines. That's ok; for a woodworking show I don't need someone trained "in the theater" as a host. Besides, it's nice to see a host on television who looks more like I do.
You are not going to have to listen to this show with laser-like attention to avoid missing any details. The pace of the show is easygoing and the content easily fits within its half hour. The projects are usually not excessively difficult and are projects that I might like to do myself. Plenty of shop tips accompany the projects along with instruction on how to make and use shop-made jigs and fixtures, which can save you from having to buy high-priced commercial accessories or tools.
The previews for the next season show at least a couple of projects I might like to tackle. This is a decent show and, at this time, closer to the top of my recommended list than any other, but your mileage may vary.
The Woodwright's Shop -
Hosted by Roy Underhill and produced by UNCTV (University of North Carolina). I have always wondered if they tape in an actual workshop or if it is just a set. Would you believe thirty years of this show? Holy Cow!
If you want to use hand tools in an historic fashion, this is the show to watch. The only "power" in these tools is human power. It is easy to forget that woodworkers were making beautiful furniture long before there was electricity. I've learned a lot watching Roy over the years and while I am not a big hand tool user, I believe I have the basic knowledge to use them if I want (or need) to.
If you are looking for woodworking in a "modern" shop, you will be out of luck here, but don't let that dissuade you from watching. Even a shop full of power tools requires you to pick up a hand tool every once in a while. Knowing how to use it is a good thing.
The web site for the show is stressing the thirtieth year season, but I believe I have seen most, if not all, of those shows. That seems to indicate to me that the thirtieth season started in the fall of 2010. I do not see anything about a new season starting in the fall of 2011. I wonder if it was thirty years and out for Roy, or if he will be back for another season. If he is, put the show on your list to watch.