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UNC-TV
has posted the shows from the new season of Roy Underhill’s “The
Woodwright’s Shop” so you can watch them on your computer – including
the two episodes I appeared in.
We
taped the two episodes right before I taught a sawing class at The
Woodwright’s School in Pittsboro, N.C. You can read about that August
trip on these earlier blog posts:
You Can Ride That Sawbench to a Very Hot Place
The Traditional Tool Section of Lowe’s
Sunday With Roy Underhill: 2 Shows in 1 Day
Taping
the episodes was fun. But I can’t stand to watch myself on TV, so I
haven’t watched these episodes. I’m told that I quote Borat at one
point. I don’t remember that.
One
of the shows was on sawing in which I show Roy some of the English
tricks for precision sawcuts that I’ve picked up through books. You can
also watch me awkwardly botch sawing in a Continental style (sitting
down) and this episode is also a snuff film for a certain broom. You
read that right. We kill a broom on camera.
The
other episode is called “The Tiny Tool Kit” and it’s about the
remarkably few tools used in the 1839 book “The Joiner & Cabinet
Maker” by the book’s hero, young Thomas. The only workshop items that
are abused in that episode are some nails. But they deserve it.
I’ve embedded these two episodes below. But you can watch all the shows from this season by clicking through to this page.
Watch the full episode. See more The Woodwrights Shop.
Watch the full episode. See more The Woodwrights Shop.
Speaking
of Roy, I’m going to be out all this week to teach a three-day class on
handplanes at The Woodwright’s School. So I might not be updating the
blog much. Then I return to the school to teach sawing again this
summer. I’m told there are still a couple spaces in that class. You can
read about that here.
— Christopher Schwarz
Can’t Afford a Class? How About These?
• The class I’m teaching this week is based on my book “Handplane Essentials,” a big old printed-in-the-USA brain dump on these essential tools. It’s available in our store and we offer free shipping in the domestic United States.
•
My handsawing class is one of the most popular things I teach. So much
so that we filmed one of the classes here in our shop and now offer it
on the DVD “Build a Sawbench” in our store. Watch me and 10 students construct a sawbench entirely by hand.
Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.
watched the first video and tried holding the saw like a bird, then tried cutting to a line. Previously tended to wander to the right previously when trying to saw to a line. NO MORE WANDERING. Great tip.
Thanks.
Those of you looking for the stamp as seen on TV, check out this post:
http://blog.lostartpress.com/2008/02/28/als-ik-kan-as-best-i-can/
that last one needs repeating, so I’ll do it:
These were two fine episodes. You and Roy are a great team. I hope you do more.
These were two fine episodes. You and Roy are a great team. I hope you do more.
John
I thought these were great. Like others above, I was also wondering where you got the name stamp.
I’ve also been wondering how on earth you and Roy walked away from the broom phase of the sawing eposide with all your various apendages intact.
Chris,
These episodes were an absolute hoot. I do have one question though, where can I get a name plate stamp made these days like the one you used to stamp your tools in the 2nd episode? I have a few tools that could use "proper" ownership marking.
Cheers,
John
I agree woth everyone else, the sawing episode was very informative and entertaining. You did very well.
I want to add that I honestly did not notice the "absolutely" thing when watching the video… I was just making fun because that is what all the cool kids are doing… and Megan seems to be encouraging it… but I don’t want to be part of creating a complex…
But if we are going to create the complex and make it a drinking game… the official drink has to be Absolute Vodka (I’m giggling like a school girl right now).
These two episodes were instantly my new favorites when I watched them! Roy played straight man perfectly. You should watch yourself because you are "absolutely" brilliant!
Brian
Just watched the "Sawing Secrets" episode. That may be the most information and entertainment packed woodworking video that I’ve ever seen. In fact, I’d say it absolutely(drink!) is…
I agree with a previous commenter that Roy played the sawing straight man very well.
Hope you two do more videos down the road. Roy is like peanut butter… Chris is like jelly… and we want more PB&J! (Megan is the salty chips on the side)
I cringed when y’all were cutting that broom with the knives…. I thought Roy was going to slice your hand open.
I just watched the Joiner and Cabinetmaker episode and am wondering where you got that nifty zigzag name stamp made. Going to watch the sawing episode now. I’m going to have all the episodes watched up and be pining for next years already.
Schwarz quote of the day: "Yeah, well, you’ve got really heavy nuts."
I watched the small tool kit episode, and I noticed you said that the character in the book was brown-nosing when he went the extra mile to make pilot holes, include the nails, and offer to go to the house to nail up the box. I didn’t read the book, so I don’t know how the acts were portrayed there, but I would consider it only being a considerate craftsman that is willing to go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy. Not unlike a shop owner that gives a discount to his regular customer, or a carpenter that returns to fix any problems with a renovation free of charge.
Okay, so I guess you don’t want to have any more kids? Or you are very very sure of your sawing skills.
Gary
David,
I was planning to turn that into a drinking game; every time Chris says "absolutely," one has to take a sip. Same thing every time I make a snarky comment in our shop…which would get you to hangover territory even more quickly.
Well, you’re not the only one that doesn’t want to watch videos of themselves. But you did a very good job – Roy’s show is about entertainment, with a lot of teaser knowledge sprinkled in. With only 30 minutes (more like 22 minutes when the "non-commercial" commercials are inserted by the local PBS affiliate), Roy’s show can’t help but to be mainly entertainment.
Teh only (very mild) critique I’d offer is that you over-used "absolutely" a bit. But who among us would actually WANT to be a hapless guest on Roy’s show (not me!).
I very much enjoyed the sawing programme, I have not watched any others. I know what you mean about watching yourself on the telly, I was also very critical when seeing myself make a coracle on Edwardian Farm for the BBC.
So what if you made a very small slip when sitting down and sawing, it just proves you are human, we all fumble or slip even if we are experts.
Some great tips on sawing I never knew, it was a pleasure watching you and Roy.
Sean
Is that a towards or away cut?
Found these over the weekend and they provided a welcome reprieve from yesterday’s pregame dreck. Very enjoyable. I found it generous of Roy to pretend he was a poor sawyer. IIRC the Borat quote ("very nice") came during your discussions on the French (didn’t know Borat was Gallic).
Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant.