PDA

View Full Version : Did anyone see Roy Underhill last Saturday?


Bob Glenn
08-15-2007, 4:32 PM
Boy was he wound up! He carried on, non-stop for the whole show about the passions of wood working with hand tools. I just sat there in amazement. It was almost a religious experience.
Joe Meazle
08-15-2007, 4:48 PM
"Sprit of Woodcraft" is the name of that one and it is one of my all time faves. One of the few that has no blood in it.
Bob Glenn
08-15-2007, 5:15 PM
Yeah, didn't catch the name, but it was great. Wife just shook her head and left the room. He talked about David Pye and his book.
John Timberlake
08-15-2007, 8:34 PM
Sorry I didn't see it. Have two PBS stations in our area. One does not carry it, the other carries it at 4am on Sunday. Sounds like a good show.
Clint Jones
08-15-2007, 8:42 PM
Sorry I didn't see it. Have two PBS stations in our area. One does not carry it, the other carries it at 4am on Sunday. Sounds like a good show.
John, You can watch recent episodes here http://www.pbs.org/wws/schedule/26season_video.html online. The episode is "The Spirit of Woodcraft" and is an episode long ramble. Its one of the best episodes of WWS.
Mark Rios
08-15-2007, 9:42 PM
No, but I saw Roy underwood this weekend............... A tree fell on him.
Steve Beadle
08-16-2007, 11:45 AM
Yes, Bob, I watched The Woodright's Shop last Saturday, and I thought it was almost mind-blowing. I recorded the show and intend to watch it again, because I'm sure I missed some gems. As soon as the program was over I just had to call my brother in Atlanta (I live in Oregon) and tell him about it. The show was much different than the usual thing you see on The Woodright's Shop, and it really served to reveal the more intellectual depths of one of my favorite woodworking show personalities. Roy is quite a philosopher, as well as a woodworker whose studio set is sprinkled with his own blood. What I like best about Roy is his sense of humor; secondly, his poetic nature. He's just one interesting fellow, and I'd like to meet him some day.
Eddie Darby
08-16-2007, 3:13 PM
I didn't notice too many cuts, or camera changes in that show. Try saying all that he said, without having someone call "Cut!" . Impressive.
David Weaver
08-16-2007, 4:02 PM
He kind of reminded me of Michael Savage, but about tools and without anger or yelling. But the way he tied one thing to another in a string over and over again - he was on a roll.
Bob Glenn
08-16-2007, 5:54 PM
I was at the Windsor Chair seminar at Colonial Williamsburg two years ago and he was there with his spring pole lathe and a shaving horse. He would let you try either. He gave the after dinner speech and it was great. It was then I realized that he is not a workworker, but an actor that works wood.

He is very approachable and easy talk to. He said he is prepared to do three one shot takes for each show, and shoots with no cuts, pun not intended.
Stan Suther
08-17-2007, 1:10 PM
Thanks for that link. Didn't know that they've got that set up. Been watching Roy for many years and credit him with my interest in hand tools.
Wilbur Pan
08-17-2007, 5:30 PM
Somebody get Roy a cup of coffee. ;)

I think that anyone that can reference Thoreau and Caddyshack in the same breath is a genius.
Steve Clardy
08-17-2007, 7:15 PM
No, but I saw Roy underwood this weekend............... A tree fell on him.


:eek: :eek: :eek: :D
John Timberlake
08-17-2007, 7:27 PM
John, You can watch recent episodes here http://www.pbs.org/wws/schedule/26season_video.html online. The episode is "The Spirit of Woodcraft" and is an episode long ramble. Its one of the best episodes of WWS.

Thanks. I had been to their web site but had not seen the streaming video. I watched this episode and plan to watch them all. This episode reminded me of Sloan's book "Reverence for Wood". Really inspiring for whatever type of woodworking you want to do. The wood is the thing.
John Timberlake
08-17-2007, 7:29 PM
Yes, Bob, I watched The Woodright's Shop last Saturday, and I thought it was almost mind-blowing. I recorded the show and intend to watch it again, because I'm sure I missed some gems. As soon as the program was over I just had to call my brother in Atlanta (I live in Oregon) and tell him about it. The show was much different than the usual thing you see on The Woodright's Shop, and it really served to reveal the more intellectual depths of one of my favorite woodworking show personalities. Roy is quite a philosopher, as well as a woodworker whose studio set is sprinkled with his own blood. What I like best about Roy is his sense of humor; secondly, his poetic nature. He's just one interesting fellow, and I'd like to meet him some day.

I have seen him do demo/speeches two time. Once was at Hale Farm and Village near Akron, OH. He was hung over and did not give his best show. The other was a speech after the dinner at the 2006 Williamsburg symposium. It was great. I will try to see him anytime I get a chance.
James Mittlefehldt
08-18-2007, 11:05 AM
Have been watching the episodes and they are both entertaining and informative. The one on Japanese tools was very interesting and to my surprise that person he had on that show used the same method for cutting the tails on his dovetails that I do. That is he sets the angle of the board in his vice, by using a dovetail gauge to align it and then simply saws straight down, on his lines.

Now I am no craftsman, but it is nice to see a master craftsman use similar approachs.