Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac

[John Fabre]

Looks like the shows are starting Oct. 2 on PBS in Salt Lake city, UT. Trestle Table is the first. Has anyone seen his shows?

[alex grams]

I've looked for this on the Houston PBS website, but cannot find it listed on their schedule :(

Will the episodes be available online?

[Rob Young]

The October 2 date is a first airing. Other than his production crew, pretty much nobody else has seen the WGBH produced stuff.

Most, if not all, of his podcasts are down for editing and rebranding.

More information at : thomasjmacdonald.com/ and the forum area.

His two DVDs produced prior to the WGBH deal are available for rent through SmartFlix.

[Jerome Hanby]

The October 2 date is a first airing. Other than his production crew, pretty much nobody else has seen the WGBH produced stuff.

Most, if not all, of his podcasts are down for editing and rebranding.

His two DVDs produced prior to the WGBH deal are available for rent through SmartFlix.

Weird thing I saw. His video format must have chang4ed at some point. I can see the last few PODs fine on my Tivo, but the older ones all come up with video format not supported... Not much to do for the Tivo, but I'm sure they can be viewed fine on a properly configured PC.

[Fred Voorhees]

Looking forward to seeing his first show this Sunday afternoon.

[Matt Meiser]

Looks like it starts here at 12:30PM on 10/9 on Detroit 56.3 (DPTV's Create channel.)

[Phil Thien]

Not showing up in Milwauke.

Do you think we will be able to watch online?

[John Fabre]

I've looked for this on the Houston PBS website, but cannot find it listed on their schedule :(

Will the episodes be available online?


Not showing up in Milwauke.

Do you think we will be able to watch online?

Check 207 Forum, if not, they should be selling the DVD's.

[John Shuk]

I scheduled mine. I have Directv and in my area it is on channel 21.

[Doug Shepard]

Looks like it starts here at 12:30PM on 10/9 on Detroit 56.3 (DPTV's Create channel.)

Just did a google search to try and find a PBS Detroit link with info on the show and the first hit I got was to your SMC post. Small world,
Thanks for doing the research:)

[David Weaver]

Most, if not all, of his podcasts are down for editing and rebranding.


I'll never understand why this kind of stuff is necessary. Way too much planning, branding and image trimming - isn't WGBH a PBS station?

I have no idea if it's going to be shown locally here, but I'd rather watch the man himself doing his own videos, and am turned off enough by all of the hoopla to just skip the new show.

[David Cramer]

David, no disrespect intended, but I think all of the hoopla that you speak of is because Norm recently hung up his New Yankee Workshop toolbelt and a lot of people miss watching him. Now, with a new show coming out from the Boston area, people are excited.

A lot of people say the following and don't mean it, but I do. I don't care if the show is just okay and he annoys the crap out of me:eek:, it's a woodworking show and if it did bother me, I would look past it and get over it. But to be honest, I am happy that the lad has taken the reins and is giving it his best shot. He "IS" a skilled woodworker and I believe, worth watching. Seriously, I hope you change your mind David.

Respectfully,

David

[Chris Padilla]

Sweet...got the DVR all set!

[Michael MacDonald]

I contacted our chicago PBS stations last month and they all gave me a pre-canned, corporate, non-commital response.... so not sure if we will pick it up. if anyone catches wind of a channel on chicago comcast getting it, I wiould be interested to hear.

[John Fabre]

Shaker-Inspired Step Stool on PBS in Salt Lake City, UT.

[Rob Young]

I'll never understand why this kind of stuff is necessary. Way too much planning, branding and image trimming - isn't WGBH a PBS station?

I have no idea if it's going to be shown locally here, but I'd rather watch the man himself doing his own videos, and am turned off enough by all of the hoopla to just skip the new show.

Yes, WGBH is a PBS station. One of the largest in the country.

The rebranding, as I understand it, is to remove things like the old Bob Vila Home Again logos and remove a few other things. And possibly as part of the snit that Major League Baseball had about one of his logo's too.

The PBS broadcasts are NOT re-broadcasts of the old podcasts. The PBS shows are new content (with some basis in the content of the older podcasts) with WGBH production quality. Some (most) of the original podcasts were filmed on an inexpensive handy-cam. Fun to watch but sometimes you need a hit of Dramamine to get past the camera work. :)

[Dave Lehnert]

Got to meet and talk to Tommy Mac today at the Woodworking In America conference in Cincinnati. He seems very excited about his new show. Said Woodcraft has made it all possible with funding.
If I understood him correct. He said Norm retired 3 years ago. Just took some time for all the shows he had recorded to play through.
He found out in 2001 or 02 through some friends that Norm was set to retire. He approached WGBH about a show of his own as he was doing his own videos on line. The rest was history.
His first show is going to be shown tonight at the Conference dinner. Said PBS will start showing this weekend.

[David Weaver]

Some (most) of the original podcasts were filmed on an inexpensive handy-cam. Fun to watch but sometimes you need a hit of Dramamine to get past the camera work. :)

Figured they (the shows) were new content. Why not just leave his old videos up outside of the WGBH domain and leave everything on the videos with the exception of the major league stuff (which I can understand).

I don't tend to watch woodworking shows, anyway. I did like the rough videos, but when stuff becomes more highly produced, it also becomes less interesting. There isn't enough meat there for it to be anything other than themed entertainment.

[Dan Blackshear]

9:30 am Tomorrow morning (Oct 2nd) on KERA - the Dallas station

Woodsmith is on at 9 too, so a whole hour of watching other guys do woodworking instead of me being out in my shop doing my own :rolleyes:

I loved watching Norm, back in the day, he had a big part in making me believe I could do woodworking (I still can't build a highboy in 30 minutes).
I also enjoyed David Marks and learned a lot about design watching him.

I don't get caught up with who is more skilled or who makes better pieces, I just like watching the shows for ideas and inspiration, plus, it beats the snot out of most of what is on TV these days.

[Chris Damm]

My local PBS station will probably get around to showing it it 2015 or later. At the pledge breaks they're showing specials from the 1980s!

[Keith Starosta]

The Richmond and D.C. PBS stations were usually a week behind the rest of the country when airing NYW. Hopefully that's going to be the case with Tommy's show. It's not in this week's line-up... :confused:

[Glenn Clabo]

Here is Boston area schedule...

(http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)
Trestle Table
Saturday Oct 9 at 4:00 PM
WGBH 2/HD
Trestle Table (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)
Saturday Oct 9 at 4:30 PM
WGBH 2/HD
(http://www.sawmillcreek.org/tvchannels)

[Dave Lehnert]

The show is on at 5pm Saturdays here in Cincinnati. WCET 48.

[Gary Hodgin]

Begins on 10/9 at 4:00 ( next Saturday) on PBS in Nashville.

[AL Ursich]

In my area the Saturday Morning PBS shows dropped the traditional woodworking shows but sometimes have them on the afternoon... I say sometimes as they are begging for money 3 out of 4 Saturday's.

I look forward to finding the new show... I have a small band saw mill and want to see what he does with the logs.

It is sad that Norm Retired, but we are all getting old..... Back in 89 I was on a old Navy Tin Can in the days of Snail Mail before Sat TV on Ships and eMail... My ex was sending me Norm Tapes I had set up to record while we were in the Gulf a year before the first war. The Bootleg tape made it's tour of the berthing area TV's along with the Chief's Mess where I watched it.

AL

[John Shuk]

I watched it and it is good. The show seems to prompt good practices and planning when it comes to the wood being used. Tommy seems like a guy you could meet on the Creek and that is about as good as it gets for me.

[Steven Satur]

I saw it and was not impressed. Another show pushing a sponsers products. Why now show him in his own shop with the tools he really uses. I thought his work was sloppy also. The mortise in the table was so rough on the tail an the short side where the wedges go that it would need a half a can of wood putty to fill it. I guess that's why the call it Rough Cut.

[Dave Lehnert]

I saw it and was not impressed. Another show pushing a sponsers products. Why now show him in his own shop with the tools he really uses. I thought his work was sloppy also. The mortise in the table was so rough on the tail an the short side where the wedges go that it would need a half a can of wood putty to fill it. I guess that's why the call it Rough Cut.

No such thing as a free lunch. Everything takes money. What on TV is not pushing something? I did not feel anything was being "Pushed" to me. Kinda hard to make anything and not see him use a product being sold. I for one enjoy seeing a tool or any kind of product being demo. That's how I know if it's right for me before spending $$$.
I guess if everyone supported PBS with a donation there would be no need for a sponsor.
How many woodworkers support PBS with a donation????

[Mark Maleski]

I liked the inaugural episode, I think Tommy kept the most important elements from the podcast. I do wish it was longer so he'd have time to go into more detail on some of the decisions and procedures.

I also like that Tommy mentioned me by name in the first episode! (He solicited questions to answer on his forum a few months back, and I submitted the question on glue squeeze out). Yep, I think I'm the "Mark M" he mentioned at the end, as the credits rolled. Who wants my autograph?

[John Fabre]

Wall Cabinet will show on Oct. 16th on PBS in SLC, UT.

[David Weaver]

How many woodworkers support PBS with a donation????

For the sake of woodworking? Not me. I think my wife gives them some money, because we get the magazine that comes from them.

I think when watching the woodworking shows, you have to view them as entertainment (or edu-tainment), and not necessarily woodworking education, which can be much better user-directed by looking up topic material online, purchasing DVDs if you can find one in whatever you're doing or looking for tauntons big books on amazon used for cheap, etc.

I watched norm a lot when I was younger, less when I was woodworking. Most of the people I know who watched norm never really did anything other than paint their interior trim and maybe put tile on a counter. Based on that, if the mortise was sloppy in this week's show (I am just quoting, I didn't see the show), 95% of the viewers are probably not going to have a concept of it, and of the remaining 5% who do, most won't care.

I did make an order from woodcraft last week, though, so combined with my wife giving money to PBS, i did my share for a show I probably won't ever watch.

(btw, you can't even get away from product promotion in a lot of the instructional DVDs, even though you're paying for the DVDs).

[John Fabre]

Octagonal Lazy Susan will show on Oct. 23rd on PBS in SLC, UT.

What do you all think of the shows so far, he's down to earth kind of guy.

[Don Jarvie]

I only saw the 1st 15 minutes of the 1st show and it was pretty good. He was a little hyper and didn't give as my details on the steps he was doing as I would have liked.

The pace of the show will come once he gets a few more under his belt. I'm sure Norm didn't start out with a nice even pace.

It was a good start overall.

[Jim Tobias]

Have recorded and watched the first 2 episodes on PBS in my area. He seems to be very knowledgable and skilled. I hope he can gradually calm down and give better explanations of processes. The pace and flow is nowhere near either Norm or David Marks. One of the main draws(IMHO) of those shows was that you enjoyed the time with the individual as well as the project.
Tommy Mac seems like a nice, friendly guy but seems a little hyper for instructonal pace.
Maybe it is just me and I am too slow to keep up?
Anyway, he is just starting out on this and as in everything else, he should smooth it out over time.

Jim

[Ron Citerone]

He may need some fine tuning, but I really like what I have seen so far!

[John Fabre]

I agree, even the repeats are great to see again.

[Rick Davidson]

I have seen a 3 or 4 episodes now and I agree he needs to calm down just a little. But I am sure it will get better. Either way it's nice to have a new show to watch.