American woodshop

[Rick Potter]

I started watching Scott Phillips on American Woodshop a while back. Definitely not Norm, but still interesting to watch.

I find it fascinating to see just how much product placing he does on his show. The last one was filled with Kreg equipment, carefully placed bottles of Gorilla Glue ("the good stuff"), and the finish he used, never mentioning names, but obvious to any woodworker. It was almost like watching an info-mercial. Not complaining, mind you, just found it interesting.

On a different note, I really disliked Rough Cut when it first started, and didn't watch much of it until this year. Tommy seems to have mellowed quite a bit, and I find it more watchable now.

I am just a hobbyist, and glad to see any WW show. I even remember years back when there was a show where the host used all ShopSmith equipment. Oh, yeah....Then there was the Router Workshop, with Bob Rosendahl, and his son Rick. I had one of his yellow benchtop router table tops for years. 15 years ago I built a whole raised panel oak kitchen with it, using a PC 690 for everything.

Sorry, I tend to wander around a lot at my age. Meandering mind.

Rick Potter

[jeff vanek]

Do you watch any fishing shows? Now 95% of those shows are
ramming products down your throat the whole show. Aw doesn't even close to the product ramming. Him CONSTANTLY telling me about safety is what drives me nuts. One time,
ok....everytime he flips a switch on a machine gets old

[Brian W Smith]

Hey,I can't say too much.........20+ years ago;


I was heavily(dosen't do justice)into historic preservation work.Did around 10 or so really big,"book"(National register)houses/buildings.We had every kind and brand of onsite tools and equipment imaginable.Anyhoo,more of a joke than anything else.....we'd take turns with the tools.One day it would be all Milwaukee stuff,next it would be Makita...and this was also when Dewalt was really pushing their products hard.We'd set out the tools du jour,take a bunch of pics(before digital),with whatever project we were working on as the background........Then shamelessly send them to the respective co's marketing dept.I'd give them the rights to the pics,in return they'd send my guys,jackets,radios and anything else they'd give us,haha.Then we got tired of doing it?

So,it's..."There is nothing new under the Sun"

[John Conklin]

Scott Philips and Tommy what's-his-face are the 2 biggest reasons that I don't watch woodworking/DIY shows on TV anymore. I just don't care for either of them and find myself more irritated than interested. Same with 95% of the shows on HGTV. They just throw on a male model or a attractive woman and pay little attention to there actual content.

I've gone to watching woodworking/turning videos on Youtube. Of course they're all amatures, but some produce very interesting and watchable shows. You have to pick and choose, but I've probably got 35 saved as favorites with about 10 that I anticipate their next show.

[Rick Potter]

I agree, John,

I look at a lot of Youtube also. All of Somerfelds video's are there, among others.

I recently got an ad from Peachtree, which has some interesting sales. They were selling a track for circular saws. I already have a DeWalt track saw, but I watched it anyway. When it got to the end, I was slow in clicking it off, and it went to another video. Then I noticed a "playlist" button at the bottom of the video. It was a gateway to 79 woodworking video demos. Lots of Sorby stuff, and a good variety of others.

Rick Potter

EDIT: WOW, I got curious and just went to the Peachtree woodworking site, clicked on product videos, and got a whole bunch. They show several categories, and videos in each one are different. 26 under one, and 99 videos under another. All sorts of products, from Mirka, to Carter, to Sorby etc.

[Myk Rian]

I watched Tommy until I heard the first "Badda bing", and watched something else.

[Von Bickley]

I may be the odd ball, but I will watch any woodworking show that I can. Just to see what they are building, how they are building it, and the tools that they are using.

[lowell holmes]

Tommy is a little out there for me and I used to like Scott more than I do now. Scott is the best going in my mind.

However, I have tapes of New Yankee Workshop that I recorded when it was running. When I go back and watch them, they are not as interesting to me as they used to be.

Maybe the Woodworking Shows are a thing of the past.

This Old House has lost some of it's luster for me also. Maybe I'm the one changing.

[jeff shanz]

A big problem with some of these shows is that they're overproduced. An over-the-top example of this was the show 'This New House', hosted by the same guy that does 'This Old House', Kevin O'Conner. Ugly zoom-outs and zoom-ins and needless close-ups. When did the camera man become more important than the content?

Same goes for editing. I hate to use a show unrelated to woodworking but it is a good example. Take CBS's, 'Survivor'. You know it's bad when you can't watch a race and watch the 'reality' unravel to its conclusion. You have to watch silly little details from 10 different angles; there's no drama because you won't find out who wins until it's over.

Woodsmith could be a good show for lower income-minded folks if you like to work with plywood, but it's overproduced as well. It's a shame when content takes a back seat to editing because the content might be boring; so we have to make it more visual. The beauty in any production is simplicity. Let the viewer find what he or she likes about a show, don't try to guide the viewer by using close ups and views with unnecessary editing. I'm trying the watch the work. There's beauty in the imperfections.

'This Old House' and 'Ask This Old house' is starting to fall into this trap. It's not a big deal to me taking close-ups of Tommy's face when he's working but remember I'm watching because I'm interested in the work, not Tommy's face or a close up of a screw going into a piece of wood. Let me find the beauty in the show and please remember why the viewer is watching.

I suspect this problem will only get worse as editing and visual effects get better.
It's too bad, you could have a good show but you'd never know it.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Some of the independent stuff is pretty fun. I like Tim Yoder's new wood turning show produced with Pop Woodworking, and The Highland Woodworker with Charles Brock. Of course The Woodsmith Shop is also a great one.

[Mark Bolton]

Scott phillips and his wife built thier entire home with nothing but adds on their show trying to diguise them as content. Its no different than any of the commercial operators out there but what stings is its on PBS. The wood whisperer is the most flagrant opportunist out there populating an entire shop with freebies but thats the name of his game. He is a figurehead more than a woodoworker. I once scanned one of his videos and watched him, in his gleamingly appointed shop full of free tools, cut dovetails on a drawer with the pins and tails on the wrong parts of the drawer, making a drawer that was sliding sideways. Nothing worse than some boob trying to teach people who doesnt know what hes doing innthe first place. Never watched again.

Phillips' proects are often so ghastly its painfull to watch, but again, he is a forester not a woodworker. I too have a tough time with him calling out all the technical specs of the piece of sandpaper he is installing on his sander and other totally dorky specs. as well as the brutally redundant safety stuff. I mean heck, edit out him standing there waiting for the router to spin down instead of "always wait fir the router to come to a complete stop".

All that said, I do watch about all of it just from interest in the craft but it sure can be painful.

[Larry Frank]

I gave up on Philips with all his Kreg stuff and when he used a couple hundred pocket screws on one piece....I know a slight exaggeration but way too many for me.

I kind of like Tommy Mac and some of his projects.

The guys on the Woodsmith show just are too slow.

I bet it is difficult to try to produce a show to fit as much as the audience as possible. Who do you aim the show at? Beginners....intermediate...advanced? Whatever they do, someone will complain. While I may complain about some of them, I will take a quick look at what they are making and decide if I am interested.

[Shawn Pixley]

I haven't seen Scott Phillips show so I can't comment. I rather like Rough Cut. Admittedly, he is a high energy guy but I am too. I just don't talk much. His part-time assistant from the NB School I like even more as he uses and enjoys the hand tools. I never cared for Norm's show (sacrilegous, I know). He seemed to thrive in using as many tools as possible on a project unnecessary as that may be. Admittedly he was a carpenter first and learned furniture making on the job.

Part of the problem stems from the 30 minute time slot. They are forced to abbreviate and make simpler projects than I would prefer. However everyone's taste is different and we vote by our viewership.

[jeff shanz]

Scott phillips and his wife built thier entire home with nothing but adds on their show trying to diguise them as content. Its no different than any of the commercial operators out there but what stings is its on PBS. The wood whisperer is the most flagrant opportunist out there populating an entire shop with freebies but thats the name of his game. He is a figurehead more than a woodoworker. I once scanned one of his videos and watched him, in his gleamingly appointed shop full of free tools, cut dovetails on a drawer with the pins and tails on the wrong parts of the drawer, making a drawer that was sliding sideways. Nothing worse than some boob trying to teach people who doesnt know what hes doing innthe first place. Never watched again.

I remember watching that series where he built his home. I enjoyed the series but it lacked necessary detail. I remember thinking of him as a show-off and didn't know he was a woodworker until the end of the show where he showed everyone his tools.

Where's another WoodWorks when you need it.
Bring back some real genuine, honest, woodworking.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Of course The Woodsmith Shop is also a great one.

Ah geeze...that was supposed to be The Woodwrights shop (with Saint Roy). I always learn something when I watch.

[Dale Murray]

Maybe I am a junkie but I will watch most any woodworking show I can find, even if the hosts suck and the project are uninspiring I can usually find some bit of useful information in there somewhere.

[Rod Sheridan]

Ah geeze...that was supposed to be The Woodwrights shop (with Saint Roy). I always learn something when I watch.

OK, now I am in agreement with you......Rod.

[Jon Grider]

I sometimes watch Scott Phillips because I enjoy seeing other people's woodworking projects. I've come to have low expectations of him and he generally meets them but I continue to watch him. I'm just amazed at the way someone with such a well equipped shop and access to such fine materials can produce so many clumsy wood articles. I do enjoy the times when he visits skilled woodworkers for inspiration for one of his crude interpretations. If he would just spend the entire show with some of the talented woodworkers he has met the show would be of much more value. Oh well, there's not many TV options for the WWing crowd so I'll probably continue to watch him. On the other hand, Tommy Mac is a highly skilled North Bennett Street School trained woodworker. Some of his period furniture is of superb quality. He just has to work within the confines of a 30 minute show that, as Shawn mentioned forces him to make simpler projects.

[lowell holmes]

Norm occasionally had shows that stretched beyond one episode.

Rough Cut should consider doing so.

[Dick Latshaw]

My favorite Scott Phillips episode: He had cut some tapered table legs on the band saw and was going to clean up the cuts with a hand plane. Only problem, he was planing up hill on the tapers. Didn't seem to work all that well.:)

[jeff shanz]

I'd like to watch Rough Cut but we don't get the local PBS station he's on.
He's on PBS Create in the St. Louis area...I'd have to drop DirecTV and go with the local free stations. Go figure.
What a logical world we live in.

[Gary Muto]

I find Scott Phillips product placement almost insulting to one's intelligence. With the number of pocket holes in his project, I think he has a financial stake in Kreg. :rolleyes:

I like watching Tommy. His energy level, accents and colloquialisms have been toned downed quite a bit.

I think his best videos were when he was making the Bombe Chest/secretary. A raw look at a woodworking artist/craftsman in his own habitat. Just my opinions.

[Roger Feeley]

Around here, we get Woodturners Workshop with Tim Yoder. He comes off as a regular guy and, in my view, is very watchable.

[Jim Matthews]

The David Marks shows were the pinnacle of these kind of shows.

They all suffer from the same glaring fault;
it's not a reality show if everyone's wearing makeup.

To paraphrase; they make it look easy and neglect to mention the
expensive gear required, months of instruction to properly use a toolkit
and the shop elves hidden out of camera view.

Tommy Macs show gives me hives; it's like Martha Stewart on Crack.

I think the show could be improved by either lengthening the format
or sedating the host. Norm was hypnotic in his delivery, but no
less reliant on the format to hide the gritty necessities in making
useful things from trees.

The whole concept is a fabrication with little acknowledgment of what's required to get quality results.

Sure; I would like to make a reproduction Federal Highboy.
That would be the only thing I manage to make in my remaining years.

Nobody wants to make shows about closet shelves, picture frames and de-squeaking a door that won't stay shut.

[Paul McGaha]

I like most of the woodworking shows on TV. Roy's show, Tommy Mac's show, the New Yankee Workshop.

I wish those shows were an hour long. Maybe the guys wouldn't have to rush everything so.

PHM

[Jim Matthews]

I never cared for Norm's show (sacrilegous, I know). He seemed to thrive in using as many tools as possible on a project unnecessary as that may be. Admittedly he was a carpenter first and learned furniture making on the job

That's a fair assessment. Norm's shop was populated with a cabinet maker's tools of the day.
He never made any assertions about his skill set, and tipped his hat to real fine furniture makers.

It's important to note that he made lots of money as a carpenter and cabinet maker when fine furniture makers were struggling to pay the bills.

I liked the pace of the show, and hypnotic delivery of the instruction.

I found it unsettling to do the math on what outfitting his shop would cost when I first started out.

My brother in law said it best,
"Your first hall table will cost $50,000. After that, your amoritized cost falls rapidly."

[jeff shanz]

lol...initial costs suck.

I always wondered what Norm's home shop was like.
It's my understanding he geared the show toward the masses, which is why he kept the cost of his projects "low".

[Doug Hobkirk]

Boy, you guys are a tough audience!

Every once in a while a single pearl appears that stands apart from the rest. David Marks was that pearl. He pushed "woodworking" into metal work and artistic design and industry giants and the variety of tools and techniques that would solve a particular problem. His shows were planned to avoid most of the typical overlap. He had the gift of being humble comfortably. Yet it was impossible to miss his amazing artistic talent. WOW!

I love(d) Norm. He was a carpenter who turned into a woodworker before our eyes, but he always kept a healthy dose of the carpenter in his sole - carpenters constantly use tools and techniques designed to improve efficiency. The breadth of his projects was amazing. I can see why he tired of it but I miss him. I thought his workshop looked like a typical WW shop - get tools if you can that will make your job easier. His sanding machine was probably over the top, but who wouldn't have taken it if it had been offered?

Scott Phillips show is weird - it often seems that it's filmed more primitively than many of the better amateur YouTube videos. His projects seemed to be chosen based on what he needed in his house, not on teaching particular techniques or a progression of skill sets.

But why do you (mostly) hate Tommy so much? He's a real woodworker - he went to one of the best WW schools in the country. He has his mentors assist. He takes wood selection and matching very seriously. Ditto on finishing. Does a thick Boston accent and a fast pace wipe out those strengths? [Obviously 'Yes"] I happen to hate AND enjoy his "Road Trips" - the content is often interesting but there's just not enough time for it.

Now, Fox News...

-------
Maybe I'm biased? I live 20 miles west of Boston in the heart of the Revolutionary War land. I see people wearing period costumes and firing muskets every year. I believe the Yankee Workshop was located in Concord, the next town. But I don't have - or much like - a Boston accent. I happened to have seen Tommy "Mac" at a trade show once. And I do want public radio and TV to succeed - I think they improve the world.

[Dave Lehnert]

Product placement in woodworking shows is just the way it will always be. Whatever you do, cut off the money supply, and your work (show) comes to a stop.

I think woodworking shows are geared more to the person who is interested in how furniture or cabinets are made and the skill it takes but never build a thing. I use to like watching the early shows of American Chopper. All that kind of work was new to me. Like watching how things were made from metal but I had no interest in making a motorcycle.

[Loren Woirhaye]

I will note that merely getting set up to do square work can be a major undertaking. If you want to get into bending or veneering that's more set up. I wouldn't expect shows to cover the expense and intricacies of getting a small shop set up for doing high end work. It's just too fussy, so they default to featuring the latest power tools and basic hand tool shaping operations.

I dunno. Maybe you gotta specialize. I've specialized in a few things and drilled kind of deep into them. I read a lot of library books when I was starting out and still draw on the intellectual foundation I got from them. I've found detailed woodworking is a technical, mental process much of the time. I don't repeat myself enough to get into the swing of stuff like hacking down saplings and drawknifing chairs from them.

[Tony Streible]

As far as shows, I do the internet thing as well - but only occasionally. I stumbled upon Wood Working for Mere Mortals; what a hoot! A side note that applies here: My dad is a HAM radio operator. I've often made the accusation that if it weren't for the radios themselves, HAMs would have nothing to talk about! We are somewhat the same. SO - a while back I decided, right or wrong, to make furniture instead of reading/watching about it. I regularly "steal" ideas from shows, sights, and oddly, catalogs. As you look at the neat stuff offered, and learn what it does, you can consider applying it to your own wood working - the use of the tool teaches how something is done. The best part of any show, for me, is to consider how the project they are making helps me to visualize the project I want to do. Product placement? We have done that to ourselves.

Make some sawdust - Today!

[Von Bickley]

I enjoy watching the woodworking shows on my computer

http://www.bing.com/videos/?q=Norm+Abram

http://wbgu.org/americanwoodshop/index.html

[Rick Potter]

Von,

Thanks for the links.

Does anyone know if the Scott Phillips series on building his house/shop are on the net somewhere? I missed them.

Rick Potter

[jeff shanz]

Rick,
If memory serves I watched the series somewhere between 2004 and 2006, and I don't think he did it under the series American Woodshop. It was a country style home...large log home I believe. I could not find it either after searching.

[Dick Latshaw]

Does anyone know if the Scott Phillips series on building his house/shop are on the net somewhere? I missed them.

Rick Potter

Did he put it together with pocket screws?:D

[Alan Lightstone]

I can't watch Scott Phillip's show anymore after watching him put about 100 pocket screws into a project. I don't think he's ever met a piece of wood that he didn't put a pocket screw in.

Ive met Tommy at a Woodworking show and had a delightful conversation with him. And he is extremely skilled and hard working. I think his show would be 1000 times better if it was 1 hour long. And, perhaps, if we put him on Valium. Once you get past the hyperness, he is genuinely teaching with each episode. And his mentors/assistants (love Eli) are top notch woodworkers.