What do you make of Stumpy Nubs?

[Frederick Skelly]

I just stumbled onto his website. Im not sure what to think but I found some of his inventions intriguing. And I definitely liked his attitude of saving money where you can. (Lets me buy tools I cannot make myself, like Veritas planes!)

But I cant decide if hes worth listening to or if hes a crank because his silly humor distracts me. What do you folks make of him?

Fred

[John McClanahan]

I've been watching for awhile. He is about half humor and half information. Go to his web site and read his bio. It may help to make sense of him.



John

[paul cottingham]

It's nice to see a woodworker who doesn't take himself too seriously. A lot of his gadgets are pretty cool.

[Dave Zellers]

If you're going to call yourself Stumpy Nubs, seems like you should have stumpy nubs.

But I guess it's smarter than calling yourself Stumpy Nub.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I like him. Funny, light hearted, competent, and free. Hard to argue against that.

[Rick Potter]

He has fun, and that's great. Some of his stuff is pretty well thought out, some is just for fun.

Rick Potter

[Julie Moriarty]

I think he's funny. And it's obvious he has a creative mind and puts a lot of thought (and testing) into the things he builds. I don't know how long they last, but in the relatively serious world of woodworking, he's a nice change of pace.

[Richard Wagner]

If you are a no nonsense, super serious sort, turn him off and go do your own thing. Stumpy has a lot to offer to anyone who will take some time out and listen. His projects are worthwhile and his delivery is refreshing.

[Jim Matthews]

He's ripping off Steve Smith from "The Red Green show".

If you're going to be a comedian, get your own material.
http://www.redgreen.com/

(This sort of self-promoting drivel is why I left Lumberjocks, in the first place.)

[Harold Burrell]

He's ripping off Steve Smith from "The Red Green show".



Really? I don't see that at all...

Granted, Stumpy's humor can be a tad "distracting" (Personally, I like it...most of the time. Other times, however, I think he tries too hard.). I also tend to agree that he is pretty self-promoting, but...I guess...in that "business" one needs some of that...

Regardless, you cannot argue with his ingenuity. He is really quite clever with the stuff he comes up with.

I actually look forward to his episodes.

[Bill White]

I've heard folks say that Sir Roy is too frenetic, Norm is too mechanical, and The Stumpster is a clown.
All I can say is that I watch 'em every chance I have, enjoy the shows, and will continue to do so.
Any person can be a critic. Not everyone has a widely watched show.
Bill

[ken masoumi]

I think he is a very smart and talented hobbyist I have a lot of respect for people like that but unfortunately I can not bring myself to click on his posts simply because I get distracted easily and his sense of humor /presentation style is distracting to me,another well respected talented woodworker I can not watch is the woodwhisperer,his over explanation of the subjects makes me stop watching his videos halfway through,may be because I am "the bottom line" or "straight to the point" type of guy.I respect them both nonetheless.

[paul cottingham]

Really? I don't see that at all...

Granted, Stumpy's humor can be a tad "distracting" (Personally, I like it...most of the time. Other times, however, I think he tries too hard.). I also tend to agree that he is pretty self-promoting, but...I guess...in that "business" one needs some of that...

Regardless, you cannot argue with his ingenuity. He is really quite clever with the stuff he comes up with.

I actually look forward to his episodes.
+1.
Stumpy has lots of clever, simple, cost effective ideas. And he's giving the the info out essentially for free. And I think an awful lot of the self promotion is pretty darn tongue in cheek.
Which is more than I can say for a lot of other video bloggers.

[Ellen Benkin]

I'm not a fan of sitting in front of the computer watching others do woodworking. I did watch this show for a couple of months but then was so bothered by the nonsense that I just couldn't do it anymore. He offers some very creative ideas but I can't stand the fooling around. Maybe I am too serious, but that's my take.

[allan kuntz]

I am a fan. I check all the time for a new clip

Al

[Rich Harkrader]

Stumpy is a breath of fresh air in a hobby that takes itself waaaaayyyy too seriously. Add to that the fact that he has actual woodworking chops in terms of his jig designs and builds. Seriously his Sketch up plans are the best woodworking plans I've found online in terms of presentation, detail and usability. Yeah his humor can be hit or miss, but I find it hits more often than not.

As for the self promotion, that's a necessary evil. Woodworking and the show are his primary form of employment, so he has to sell the product.

Rich;)

[David Bardin]

I am a hand tool guy and most of Stumpys show is home made devices to improve your shop. He gets that done and I like t see the ingenuity he uses to produce his products. The humor is great and I think the show is well written. Look at it this way. He is directing, producing and staring in a one man band. That is pretty good stuff. It doesn't cost me a dime to watch and I get a laugh to. I say more power to him and keep up the good work.

[Matt McColley]

Stumpy is a really nice guy.... His humor on the show is decidedly NOT PC (which to me is like a breath of fresh air) yet he is courteous on the boards...Even when people attack him, and is never vulgar or profane. He often helps people to develop their own design ideas, and I've even seen him offer to send guys his plans for free.

The show is called BLUE COLLAR woodworking.... And not everybody gets that or likes that style. I say to each his own, and if that's not your bag, click on something else. Either way, the production quality of the show is very good and continually getting better.... The guy has got some serious cake invested in camera and computer gear and editing software.

I think the Red Green comparison comes up short when you consider that Red never made anything that actually worked :^), and he's hardly the originator of the country buffoon genre anyways.

Making a go at a business model that involves something you love and hanging out and collaborating with your dad... I'm jealous!

[Charles Neil]

Well obviously I like Stumpy. I agree he has quite an imagination , both in his humor but more so in his Woodworking and clever inventions.
It is obvious he takes the woodworking information he provides quite serious, but not himself, which I like.

He and I have become good friends, and I am proud to say that, he has alot to offer to all of us.

[Jim Colombo]

+1 Usually can't wait to see what he'll come up with next.
I am a fan. I check all the time for a new clip

Al

[Harold Burrell]

Well obviously I like Stumpy. I agree he has quite an imagination , both in his humor but more so in his Woodworking and clever inventions.
It is obvious he takes the woodworking information he provides quite serious, but not himself, which I like.

He and I have become good friends, and I am proud to say that, he has alot to offer to all of us.

Mr. Charles Neil...I didn't know you were a member here. I am very glad you are. You too have alot to offer to the woodworking world...and you have already given much. And I, for one, appreciate it.

[John Coloccia]

I like his videos. They're entertaining and there are some great ideas in there too.

[Gary Liming]

I like his work.

I wouldn't comment about him personally as I've never met him, but I somehow think that we would probably share some laughs together. I've built two of his plan projects (the box joint jig ((posted here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?203148-Two-box-joint-jigs) on SMC)) and his drill press table) and they are both 'best in class" for use in my shop. I think he has a great sense of humor, and I look forward to his episodes.

I can see why not everyone likes his style, but if you're gonna live in a free society, the only way for it to work is to learn tolerance - you might also miss some very good technology.

I wish him all good fortune. Now, if I can just get the polka music out of my head...:)

[Julie Moriarty]

It is obvious he takes the woodworking information he provides quite serious, but not himself, which I like.

And I like that too. Taking yourself too seriously often means missing out on a lot of the fun in life. :)

[Alan Schaffter]

Like a few others have said, I can't say anything about him personally since I don't know him, but being an old codger, I find his delivery and humor lacking.

As to his inventiveness, I think that is certainly up for debate- a lot of "his" designs in reality are versions of jigs, etc. previously made by others like Mathias Wandel, Lynn, David Marks, Leigh Jigs just to name a few. Some of his ideas are devoid of sound engineering like his rectangular wooden dust collection duct- just about the worst engineering approach ever for a number of reasons. You would be better "rolling your own" or using cardboard carpet tube. I joined a discussion he started about box joint jigs that got quite adversarial. I pointed out in one post that there are some weaknesses/issues with screw driven jigs like Mathias Wandel's, Lynn's jig, ShopNotes/Woodsmith (and Stumpy's) etc. The issues are not show stoppers but they should be seriously considered before anyone makes or uses one of those jigs. Stumpy's reaction was quite heated- seems I was saying things he didn't understand and that he didn't like because he thought they would impact sales of his plans (permitted on Lumberjocks). I tried to take the discussion offline but he blocked my PMs and even blocked my participation in the ("his") thread (also permitted on Lumberjocks ?). I didn't just fall off the turnip truck when it comes to designing woodworking jigs and accessories, and am certainly not uninformed about box joint jigs (think I-BOX.) I wonder what he would say about my lock miter bit setup jig?

As to his humor, I guess you have to develop a taste for it; I haven't. I found his rant about Daylight Savings Time, both uninformed and humorless. He blamed it on farmers who, in reality, had absolutely nothing to do with suggesting or implementing it!!!

[Chris Padilla]

I just watched a couple of episodes since I never heard of him. Seems all right...didn't see too much that was funny but I've only watched a small sample and it will probably stay that way. :D

[james maichel]

I have watched a few of his videos and would watch more if I had time. The great thing about Stumpy is that his content is FREE! If someone does not care for what he produces then they can simply choose not to watch.

[Jim Gallo]

Stumpy, in my opinion, is the epitomy of what is good about the world of woodworking and the internet. His videos are informing and entertaining. His inventions are practical and they work. Most times better mass produced junk that you can purchase. Plus the fact that you build these projects yourself, giving you a sense of pride and, for us somewhat new to woodworking, some valuable experiece. I have built some of Stumpy's projects and ran into some concerns about how to proceed. Stumpy was patient and kind and walked me thru the remaining steps.
Jealosy and hate are rampant in this world, and for someone to get on forums to disrespect another, they just need to get a life.

Jim Gallo

[Harold Burrell]

Jealosy and hate..

That's it! THAT"S the way I feel when I watch Stumpy's vids...I wonder why he should be so smart and talented...and not me. ;)