All Replies on Finally saw an episode of Rough Cut Woodworking on PBS

Great comments and I agree completely.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Yep, an excellent show, caught it this morning and was prepared with the DVR. Without that, this ol’ slow-talkin’ Texas boy wouldn’t stand a chance!
thanks,

-- Smitty

that tommy mac is an outstanding,polite respectful young man. he full of woodworking knowledge and very helpful. ya gotta love that rascal

Without that, this ol’ slow-talkin’ Texas boy wouldn’t stand a chance!
Gonna have to second that. He does move pretty quick.

The show is faced paced, especially with the road trip added in that’s for sure. It’s still a great show that could easily be made into an hour.

I like the show. I have a series recording set on the DVR. Personally the road trips can go. I want to see the wood not a shop or whatever. I still miss Wood Works but this a good start at replacing it.

-- Keep Your Stick On The Ice

I’ve seen it a few times and have been very impressed. Its kind of funny though to count the number of times he says the word GUYS. What about any gal woodworkers?

My kid and I counted 75 times he said GUYS in one show. :)

-- John - Tampa, FL - American components, Russian components..... ALL MADE IN TIAWAN!

Strange you should ask, John. I was just getting ready to post. I like the show overall. I like his easy going, humble nature. But the constant, “Now listen you guys” is too much. I’m not even being sexist. He could replace guys with gals or yous or anything. It’s just too much. As someone else pointed out, he’s probably just nervous. I’m hoping his director instructs him to talk a little slower and stop saying that. It’s distracting to me and I’d rather stay focused on his teaching than his annoying habit. The last show I watched he was doing it much less so people must be asking him to stop. I too wish he would drop the ‘road trip’ unless it’s really helpful or useful to the project.

-- Vicki on the Eastern Shore of MD

I just saw my first episode and also second the views of Slow Down, Drop the Road Show and lose the “Now listen you guys” comments.
I wish Norm would lose some of the road show time as well, but at least he also shows 2 or sometimes 3 ways of doing the same thing for those of us who don’t have $100,000 workshops.

I also saw my first episode a couple weeks ago, having never seen Tommy’s podcasts. I agree he moves waay to fast, but some of his techniques and tips are good. I’ll give him another chance, but his “guys” and “okay” make it like watching Joe Pesci / Loe Goetz from Letal Weapon doing a wood working show – it’s a bit much.

As for “guys” being sexist, in the Midwest, it is not. Most of us use “guys” as the equivalent of “you all” or “all you all”; it means a group inclusive of men and women. Not saying it makes sense, just how a lot of us use it.

Thanks mnguy for that clarifacation. I thought maybe he didn’t realize he might have female viewers too. Of course he’s not from the midwest, so not sure how New Englanders mean it.

-- Vicki on the Eastern Shore of MD

new englanders usually mean as a collective “you all” too… that doesn’t mean it isn’t inherently sexist if you get right down to it, it just means it’s not deliberately sexist :-)

We FINALLY started picking up the series, in Colorado.

My DVR is ready. Right, guys ? ;-)

-- -- Neil

I like to watch his videos on his web site but I haven’t seen one of his shows.

-- If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

Thanks Aaron.

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!! LOL

-- Vicki on the Eastern Shore of MD

I’m not impressed with the show….. I’ve watched 4 airings of it, and afterwards, deleted all of them….

-- " I started with nothing, and I've still got most of it left".......

Hi Folks, What is the web site of this show? Deke! I was wondering if the WoodSmith Shop effected anybody else like me. I like the basic woodworking nature of the show & I’ve picked up a few good ideas but the hose has the personality of a Coke bottle. Maybe a little better, but not much.

Pop

-- One who works with his hands is a laborer, his hands & head A craftsman, his hands, head & heart a artist

thanks for the info
I just set the dvr

-- Emmett, from Georgia

Pop:

http://www.thomasjmacdonald.com/

Re: Woodsmith Shop: Somebody else called it “New Yankee Workshop” meets “Leave it to Beaver.”

LOL !

-- -- Neil

Good one Neil.
- SY

- aka JJ

Heck! Neil, You’ve always got the Woodwrights Shop were old Roy shows us how they did it 100 years ago. That was then this is now. To quote Norm “I never met a power tool I didn’t like.” Me too!

Really, a lot of these shows or either infomercials or” let me show you dummys how it’s done.” I have also noticed that a lot of the videos are “this is how I do it & there’s no other way.”I hate a video or show were their the super expert & the viewers are a bunch of mentally retarded souls.

Pop

-- One who works with his hands is a laborer, his hands & head A craftsman, his hands, head & heart a artist

For any Rough Cut fans, here’s a glimpse into shop life for Tommy Mac. He’s working on Season Two projects already, but not telling what he’s got going on:

http://www.thomasjmacdonald.com/content/tmacblog/2011/01/20/rough-cut-season-two-sneak-peek/

I hope his delivery improves. I can’t determine what I was suppose to come away with at the end of the show. His delivery is so fast I feel exhausted when the show ends. I will continue to watch because I get good information from every woodwoking based show I watch. I will give him time to develop his TV persona. Slow down because I don’t listen as fast as I use to.

-- Bill - If I knew GRANDKIDS were so much fun I would have had them first.

Folks, I was in TV production for around 18 years. That was then This is now. I’m a dinosaur all I ever dealt with was analog. Now it’s digital. Everything has changed. I’ve been retired for 11 years now & when I was producing we were editing cuts as short as 15 frames (TV has 30 per. second). Now! I can only guess what the minimum is. Probably around 10 frames (1/3rd of a second). That’s moving on. I’m 70 and I edited so I can with effort keep up with this rate. The young folks. They don’t look at TV like we do. They are use to video games and such. they scan. To us old guys Tommy seem to blast through his show at break neck speed. I think to people his age it’s no problem. What can I say? We’re slowing down & every thing else is speeding up.

Pop

-- One who works with his hands is a laborer, his hands & head A craftsman, his hands, head & heart a artist

I love the show…they say ‘content is king’...his show has content…great content that is presented so the novice and the craftsmen both take away great tips and techniques.

I’ve mentioned it here on LJ before however…I think there is too much content for the alloted time. If he spread a single project out over 2 or 3 episodes I think that would be a substantial improvement.

As for the ‘guys’ or any other little quirk he has…that’s just his style. Can’t knock a person for his style…especially if it helped get him the show in the first place.

I think the show kind of sucks. It’s right up there with the “American Woodshop.” Don’t get me wrong, I know Tom Macdonald ( I refuse to call him “Tommy Mac” ) is a talented woodworker, but the show rushes through everything.

-- Tony, Ohio

Well Tony, ‘sucks’ is pretty strong of a word. :) I’ve got a different dislike of Tom’s show than I do of The Woodsmith Shop. I’ve watched most episodes on TV, never watched his podcasts until the show was announced. Now those podcasts suck. I’ve tried to give the show a chance, hoping it would improve, and it has. He is slowing down ever so slightly, and the audio has improved just a tad. However, it seems as though he makes one or more comments on every episode that just comes across as arrogant to me. I’m old enough that I can do without the arrogance. We’re not on the playground any more. And as for the teaching, he doesn’t come across to me as wanting you to learn anything. And yeah, I could do without his road trips too as someone already suggested. Hey, you can’t please all the people all the time, and I’m sure it will get better as time goes on, hopefully.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--

I have watched all the episodes and have enjoyed them and have learned some neat things but i wish he would slow down.

-- It has been deemed bad for you hence there for it is illegal.

Was hust checking out this thread.. Seems like everyone likes a slightly slower pace, but just as informative show.. Check out Charles Neil’s piesafe show on youtube.. Charles has that great southern personality and.his way of explaining how things work and why is very very good.. He pretty much leaves out the guessing or wondering when making pieces of furniture.. I like all the shows… But found that Charles is most thorough and understandable.. Just give it a try..wont kill ya and you’ll learn a whole lot too

-- Randall Child http://www.racfurniture.com/

I agree whole heartedly about Mr. Neil. He has the perfect blend of personality, giving background info, handy tips, and directions for the project. I like that he points out other tools to get the job done for those that don’t have all the expensive items. I’m working on the 5 board bench project right now and having a blast with it.

-- Vicki on the Eastern Shore of MD

The nice thing about Charles show..and the man himself is he’s approachable.. Meaning if your watching something hes doing.. But dont understand.. You can.e.mail him direct..and he will respond.. But not only that.. He will stay with you online and walk you thru whatever your doing.. And if somehow whatever your doing isnt going as well as you think it should.. He’ll walk you thru that too..l

if im working on the piesafes and its not.coming together at the same pace as his.. And i miss something.. He will bring me up to speed.. Hes very thorough in his explaining and any mistakes or potential mistakes that are lurking.. He will warn you ahead of time.. I enjoy myself everytime and i have made and used his jigs and suggestions with perfect results everytime..

-- Randall Child http://www.racfurniture.com/

I have nothing against anyone on this show !!
But this show SUCKS period .
Shows like this (Woodworking) are supposed to be educational .
Meaning to learn from..!!!
On a scale from 0 to 96 how much did you learn.
Well I got about 3 ”
This Show Is a JOKE

-- E J ------- Always Keep a Firm Grip on Your Tool

Just remember that all of these shows ”that will improve” WILL NOT IMPROVE. They will just go into syndication to be broadcast over and over ad nauseum in their original flawed/rushed/minimal format. At the very end of production, Tommy will own nothing and all rights will be with PBS who will aire them at will without compensating Tommy any further. We saw much the same thing with David Marks and DIY network. I feel sorry for the guy because PBS doesn’t have a very good record of taking care of their contributors, IMO.

-- HorizontalMike -- "Woodpeckers understand..."

I can speak to this Mike. I have two shows I am working on. Here’s the way PBS works. I write the show, I tape the show & I edit the show. The local PBS station provides logistical and facility support. They own the air rights to my show. I own the show. (I have the copyright). The local PBS station sells the show to other PBS stations. They keep the money. With the loss of federal support they are after every penny they can find to stay alive. In return I get the tape & DVD sells witch is were the real money is. I can buy DVDs for around a buck each including the package. 1000 cost $1500 after added up front cost. I sell those DVDs for $15 each plus shipping cost and I’ve made $15000. That’s the reason these folks keep making shows and why there’s ads at the end of shows offering tapes & DVDs.

Pop

-- One who works with his hands is a laborer, his hands & head A craftsman, his hands, head & heart a artist

I may have been a little harsh with my first comment.
You can learn from this show,techniques, tips, an order of doing things.
Something to refresh your memory, of something you forgot.
The time they have is short,and that is the biggest kick in the ass

-- E J ------- Always Keep a Firm Grip on Your Tool