Pat Germain
02-24-2008, 1:03 PM
On 23 February, I had the opportunity to participate in an all-day inlay class taught by David Marks. As most woodworkers are aware, David Marks hosted the television show Woodworks which still runs in repeats on DIY Network. And, like most woodworkers, I’m very impressed with David Marks and I’ve learned much from watching his show. I also like his design style. I was looking forward to meeting David and learning from him first hand. I wasn’t disappointed. It was a great class with excellent information and a lot fun to boot in spite of some challenges in the classroom environment.
David Marks is currently touring the US and teaching various classes at Woodcraft stores. The inlay class I attended was in Loveland, Colorado. Before this class, he had taught a few classes at the Denver Woodcraft store. The inlay class had fifteen people, larger than other classes, and a few students had also participated in the Denver classes. (Upon learning this, I joked we could all be like Dead-Heads and follow David Marks around the country in a VW Micro Bus. David seemed to find this quite funny. J )
Upon first meeting David, it became readily apparent he is a very down to earth, regular guy with a passion for teaching as well as woodworking. He quickly began interacting with the students and was glad to field any question at any time. It was also apparent David has a very high tolerance for situations which would frustrate other woodworkers to no end. He mentioned this and also commented on the hundreds of hours he spent on some of his projects, making them completely cost ineffective. Yet, he also pointed out woodworking projects considered “craft” could demand only a mediocre price, but those considered “art” could demand a very high price. He pointed out one example which fetched $20,000 through an art dealer.
The classroom environment was less than optimal. Because the inlay class was so large, we couldn’t fit in the Woodcraft classroom and were relegated to a very large back room storage area. While there was plenty of room, the setup was downright lousy. Many of the hardwoods for sale were in this back room. During the class, people kept wandering through to peruse the wood. Some would talk loudly and a few even dropped boards with a loud, “smack!”. (Apparently, only one customer actually recognized David and lingered a bit.)
David’s work area also presented a few challenges. His main work surface was a not-very-stable folding table. He had to carry in a DeWalt scroll saw from the showroom. A Woodcraft employee was assisting him and she brought in a Festool router with dust collector. A Power-Matic mortising machine was already in place when I arrived.
Another folding table was setup nearby holding picture books featuring many of David’s projects. There were also two turned vessels which he had patined. These vessels were absolutely stunning, (pictures don’t do them justice) obviously worth thousands of dollars and seemed somewhat strange sitting there like museum pieces on a plastic table next to a riser block in a storage room.
To begin, David pulled out his own mortising bit which he had honed and ground. He explained how he had prepared it. There was a big delay when it became obvious the mortising machine was not at all setup for work. He and the assistant had to struggle with it for a long while before he could actually use it. Interestingly, David said he uses his bit in a drill press and not a mortising machine in his shop.
The objective was to cut small holes into some cherry to demonstrate a very detailed inlay technique using metal and colored epoxy. The inlay required cutting some brass and aluminum tubing. Since we were all in the back room, we had to follow David out to the classroom where he used a band saw, then go back to the storage room.
While he was mixing epoxy and adding color, David answered numerous questions about the Woodworks show. He also talked about the many challenges and frustrations with taping it. The show’s producers, Scripps Publishing, owns the show outright. David receives no royalties from the broadcasts or anything else. I asked why the shows were never released on DVD and specifically if there were any legal conflicts involved. He explained there were no conflicts. Scripps owns the shows and simply has no interest in spending time and money to manufacture and release them on DVD. David later mentioned he has produced his own DVD’s, he had a few with him for sale and they were also available at Woodcraft stores as well as his web site. He never brought this up again and it was far from pressured sales pitch.
While the epoxy inlays were drying, David moved on to demonstrate a router technique using a brass inlay kit. Many of the students were familiar with this process, as I’m sure many woodworkers are, but I had never seen it. Also, I think everyone was glad to see it demonstrated by David Marks. At this point, we had another major delay when David realized his brass inlay kit didn’t fit the Festool router. His assistant went to get another base plate insert. While she kept trying multiple inserts which didn’t work, David answered more questions and talked more about the Woodworks show. He shared one particularly funny anecdote about the turtle toy box project. One of the producers brought in his little girl, about 5 or 6, who would be featured at the end of the segment. “Do you think the turtle has a name?” David asked her.
“Yes,” she answered. “His name is Louie. Louie the psycho turtle!” David thought it was funniest thing ever said on the Woodworks show and was disappointed it didn’t make it on the air.
At last the assistant found the right insert plate and David installed the brass inlay bushing. He had a template cut from ¼” MDF. This allowed him to quickly cut a circle into a piece of cherry, then another circle to go inside it from purple heart veneer he had cut on a band saw. He asked what kind of design we’d like to put into another circle inlay. One of the students suggested a kind of Celtic Knot from a pattern book David had.
This design was pretty intricate and proved to be a challenge when David moved on to the scroll saw to demonstrate a double-bevel inlay technique. Then there was another environmental challenge. There simply wasn’t enough light in the storage room to see the detailed drawing David had copied onto a piece of veneer. He had asked for a portable light. I heard one of the Woodcraft staff mention the owner denied this request because he wanted David to hurry up and finish the class.
In a somewhat absurd display, several students had mini flashlights which they literally had to hold over the scroll saw in order for David to see what he was cutting. By this time, it was getting late. The class was scheduled to end at 5:00 PM and the store closed at 6:00. I told David I got the feeling we were getting the bum’s rush. David assured us we could stay late as he did it all the time. About this time, one of the staff came in and interrupted to say, somewhat tersely, that if anyone wanted to buy anything with a 10% student discount, they had to do so now. About half the students had to leave the storage room to buy a few things before the store closed and thus missed a lot of cuts David made on the scroll saw.
As 6:00 was approaching, David wanted to finish up the metal and epoxy inlays. This involved make some cuts on a band saw and going over the surface with a card scraper. Again, we followed David into the classroom. As he went to use the 14” band saw he had used previously, he noticed it had a very sloppy blade. He moved to a larger band saw and made the cuts. Since he was being rushed, he said he could clean up the face with the drum sander. He set up the sander, but he popped the hood just before starting it to inspect the drum and found it to be completely trashed. So, we again went back to the storage room.
As David was going over the face of the cherry with a card scraper, the owner came in to say we had to get out. “You said I could stay as late as I wanted,” David told the owner.
“I said you could stay late. Not the students,” he answered somewhat angrily. I suppose it’s his store and he can do what he wants, but it sure was a lousy, and apparently uncommon, situation
Obviously, the way the class ended was downright awkward due to being rushed out the door. To be fair, I should mention I had invited David to lunch. We went to a nearby Red Robin restaurant, ate some sandwiches and came back. One of the students seemed annoyed that we had taken too long for lunch (the same student who wanted David to inlay the Celtic Knot). I didn’t think we had been gone long at all and lunch was nothing compared to the numerous delays due to a poor classroom environment and lack of setup ahead of time.
In spite of the environmental and managerial challenges at my particular class, I recommend anyone who has the opportunity to take a class with David Marks should do so. Even the most advanced woodworker can learn from him and enjoy the experience. I’m reminded of the question which often comes up about politicians; would you want to sit down and have a beer with him? In the case of David Marks, the answer is an enthusiastic, “Absolutely!”
David Marks is currently touring the US and teaching various classes at Woodcraft stores. The inlay class I attended was in Loveland, Colorado. Before this class, he had taught a few classes at the Denver Woodcraft store. The inlay class had fifteen people, larger than other classes, and a few students had also participated in the Denver classes. (Upon learning this, I joked we could all be like Dead-Heads and follow David Marks around the country in a VW Micro Bus. David seemed to find this quite funny. J )
Upon first meeting David, it became readily apparent he is a very down to earth, regular guy with a passion for teaching as well as woodworking. He quickly began interacting with the students and was glad to field any question at any time. It was also apparent David has a very high tolerance for situations which would frustrate other woodworkers to no end. He mentioned this and also commented on the hundreds of hours he spent on some of his projects, making them completely cost ineffective. Yet, he also pointed out woodworking projects considered “craft” could demand only a mediocre price, but those considered “art” could demand a very high price. He pointed out one example which fetched $20,000 through an art dealer.
The classroom environment was less than optimal. Because the inlay class was so large, we couldn’t fit in the Woodcraft classroom and were relegated to a very large back room storage area. While there was plenty of room, the setup was downright lousy. Many of the hardwoods for sale were in this back room. During the class, people kept wandering through to peruse the wood. Some would talk loudly and a few even dropped boards with a loud, “smack!”. (Apparently, only one customer actually recognized David and lingered a bit.)
David’s work area also presented a few challenges. His main work surface was a not-very-stable folding table. He had to carry in a DeWalt scroll saw from the showroom. A Woodcraft employee was assisting him and she brought in a Festool router with dust collector. A Power-Matic mortising machine was already in place when I arrived.
Another folding table was setup nearby holding picture books featuring many of David’s projects. There were also two turned vessels which he had patined. These vessels were absolutely stunning, (pictures don’t do them justice) obviously worth thousands of dollars and seemed somewhat strange sitting there like museum pieces on a plastic table next to a riser block in a storage room.
To begin, David pulled out his own mortising bit which he had honed and ground. He explained how he had prepared it. There was a big delay when it became obvious the mortising machine was not at all setup for work. He and the assistant had to struggle with it for a long while before he could actually use it. Interestingly, David said he uses his bit in a drill press and not a mortising machine in his shop.
The objective was to cut small holes into some cherry to demonstrate a very detailed inlay technique using metal and colored epoxy. The inlay required cutting some brass and aluminum tubing. Since we were all in the back room, we had to follow David out to the classroom where he used a band saw, then go back to the storage room.
While he was mixing epoxy and adding color, David answered numerous questions about the Woodworks show. He also talked about the many challenges and frustrations with taping it. The show’s producers, Scripps Publishing, owns the show outright. David receives no royalties from the broadcasts or anything else. I asked why the shows were never released on DVD and specifically if there were any legal conflicts involved. He explained there were no conflicts. Scripps owns the shows and simply has no interest in spending time and money to manufacture and release them on DVD. David later mentioned he has produced his own DVD’s, he had a few with him for sale and they were also available at Woodcraft stores as well as his web site. He never brought this up again and it was far from pressured sales pitch.
While the epoxy inlays were drying, David moved on to demonstrate a router technique using a brass inlay kit. Many of the students were familiar with this process, as I’m sure many woodworkers are, but I had never seen it. Also, I think everyone was glad to see it demonstrated by David Marks. At this point, we had another major delay when David realized his brass inlay kit didn’t fit the Festool router. His assistant went to get another base plate insert. While she kept trying multiple inserts which didn’t work, David answered more questions and talked more about the Woodworks show. He shared one particularly funny anecdote about the turtle toy box project. One of the producers brought in his little girl, about 5 or 6, who would be featured at the end of the segment. “Do you think the turtle has a name?” David asked her.
“Yes,” she answered. “His name is Louie. Louie the psycho turtle!” David thought it was funniest thing ever said on the Woodworks show and was disappointed it didn’t make it on the air.
At last the assistant found the right insert plate and David installed the brass inlay bushing. He had a template cut from ¼” MDF. This allowed him to quickly cut a circle into a piece of cherry, then another circle to go inside it from purple heart veneer he had cut on a band saw. He asked what kind of design we’d like to put into another circle inlay. One of the students suggested a kind of Celtic Knot from a pattern book David had.
This design was pretty intricate and proved to be a challenge when David moved on to the scroll saw to demonstrate a double-bevel inlay technique. Then there was another environmental challenge. There simply wasn’t enough light in the storage room to see the detailed drawing David had copied onto a piece of veneer. He had asked for a portable light. I heard one of the Woodcraft staff mention the owner denied this request because he wanted David to hurry up and finish the class.
In a somewhat absurd display, several students had mini flashlights which they literally had to hold over the scroll saw in order for David to see what he was cutting. By this time, it was getting late. The class was scheduled to end at 5:00 PM and the store closed at 6:00. I told David I got the feeling we were getting the bum’s rush. David assured us we could stay late as he did it all the time. About this time, one of the staff came in and interrupted to say, somewhat tersely, that if anyone wanted to buy anything with a 10% student discount, they had to do so now. About half the students had to leave the storage room to buy a few things before the store closed and thus missed a lot of cuts David made on the scroll saw.
As 6:00 was approaching, David wanted to finish up the metal and epoxy inlays. This involved make some cuts on a band saw and going over the surface with a card scraper. Again, we followed David into the classroom. As he went to use the 14” band saw he had used previously, he noticed it had a very sloppy blade. He moved to a larger band saw and made the cuts. Since he was being rushed, he said he could clean up the face with the drum sander. He set up the sander, but he popped the hood just before starting it to inspect the drum and found it to be completely trashed. So, we again went back to the storage room.
As David was going over the face of the cherry with a card scraper, the owner came in to say we had to get out. “You said I could stay as late as I wanted,” David told the owner.
“I said you could stay late. Not the students,” he answered somewhat angrily. I suppose it’s his store and he can do what he wants, but it sure was a lousy, and apparently uncommon, situation
Obviously, the way the class ended was downright awkward due to being rushed out the door. To be fair, I should mention I had invited David to lunch. We went to a nearby Red Robin restaurant, ate some sandwiches and came back. One of the students seemed annoyed that we had taken too long for lunch (the same student who wanted David to inlay the Celtic Knot). I didn’t think we had been gone long at all and lunch was nothing compared to the numerous delays due to a poor classroom environment and lack of setup ahead of time.
In spite of the environmental and managerial challenges at my particular class, I recommend anyone who has the opportunity to take a class with David Marks should do so. Even the most advanced woodworker can learn from him and enjoy the experience. I’m reminded of the question which often comes up about politicians; would you want to sit down and have a beer with him? In the case of David Marks, the answer is an enthusiastic, “Absolutely!”