# Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker



## JSW (11 Oct 2021)

*Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker*

Starts Thurs. 21st October 2021, 8-9PM C4 - 6 Episodes

Production Company's Website

Bake-Off for Woodworkers? Whatever next


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## Stigmorgan (11 Oct 2021)

May be worth a watcj


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## Adam W. (11 Oct 2021)

Hosted by The King of Wood......WOW!


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## RichardG (11 Oct 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Hosted by The King of Wood......WOW!



Great porn star name. "The King of Wood"


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## JohnPW (11 Oct 2021)

JSW said:


> *Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker*
> 
> Starts Thurs. 21st October 2021, 8-9PM C4 - 6 Episodes
> 
> ...



There was "The Chop: Britain’s Top Woodworker" on Sky. The first episode was broadcast in Oct 2020, but the rest got cancelled from airing.

It seems both programmes were commissioned at around the same time.


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## MARK.B. (11 Oct 2021)

Dissapointed that Jay has lost his crown as "king of wood"
Will the new fella have a shiney leather apron


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## Essex Barn Workshop (11 Oct 2021)

Looks interesting, I must have missed the heats to get into this 'final', was anyone else in them???
To be clear, I wouldn't have stood a chance to become tea boy! Not for a moment suggesting that I could compete, just that the title of Britain's best woodworker is a bit silly if the pool is so small.


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## Jameshow (11 Oct 2021)

Yea my fine dovetails did it!! 

I did get a call from a researcher looking for chaps to participate in a show being mentored by experts! Which I guess was jays Yorkshire workshop..... 

Cheers James


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## Cabinetman (11 Oct 2021)

Oh all right then, but I’m not wearing a silly apron. 
Especially leather, must be so restricting. Ian


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## dzj (11 Oct 2021)

"Over 2 working days the woodworkers will create hugely impressive big builds, and have to navigate the skills challenge…"

A hugely impressive big build in 2 working days! 
No doubt a sight to behold.


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## Distinterior (11 Oct 2021)

dzj said:


> "Over 2 working days the woodworkers will create hugely impressive big builds, and have to navigate the skills challenge…"
> 
> A hugely impressive big build in 2 working days!
> No doubt a sight to behold.



....The same thought crossed my mind...


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## Spectric (11 Oct 2021)

Will we get our own Norm !


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## paulrbarnard (11 Oct 2021)

JSW said:


> *Handmade: Britain's Best Woodworker*
> 
> Starts Thurs. 21st October 2021, 8-9PM C4 - 6 Episodes
> 
> ...


One could wonder about the definition of “handmade” too. I expect a lot of electrons will be sacrificed in this.


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## D_W (11 Oct 2021)

more garbage shows - kind of like forged in fire. At the end of season 1, forged in fire had two serious professional knife makers on their show (Murray Carter and another guy who actually beat him). The work they did was stunning, efficient, completely without drama and...

...boring to the average person who knows nothing about the topic and wants to see the regular format "fun contestants, contest starts, oohh...disaster!...zany humor, and then ...oh, it all works out!". 

But not before something is broken at the end, we need something broken and perceived as dangerous. 

Not that I'll see the BBC show, but our two streaming services show the first and then the last two years of forged in fire. I saw the last ones first, and then the first season. It actually started out as interesting with competent makers, but these shows aren't set up to show competent workers - they need to find something that actual knifemakers can hate so they'll tune in to get angry, and something that looks accessible, but risky to the average person ("I could do that, imagine if I heated a big piece of metal to yellow and hit it and it split in two!!!).


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## xraymtb (11 Oct 2021)

The wiki entry for the 'King of Wood' says exactly what kind of rubbish this will be...

_'In an aim to make design culture more public and less elitist...'_


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## D_W (11 Oct 2021)

xraymtb said:


> The wiki entry for the 'King of Wood' says exactly what kind of rubbish this will be...
> 
> _'In an aim to make design culture more public and less elitist...'_



Next stop, bringing granny from the beverly hillbillies in to discuss surgery with raccoon bone tools and medicines with cat hair and used tanning solvents.


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## doctor Bob (11 Oct 2021)

Sounds awful, and I suspect if you have a good wood working knowledge and skill set then it will be painful to watch. Then to see the winner paraded on every DIY TV program like a guru will be even more depressing. Probably earn very nicely out of it.

Bitter and twisted ..................... probably


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## Blackswanwood (11 Oct 2021)

Oh this has touched a nerve with some grumpy old woodworkers 

An alternative view may be that it will inspire a few more people to get off their @rses and have a go at making something.


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## Puggers (12 Oct 2021)

I’d like to give it a chance before deciding it’s not worth the watch.
If it’s a series of heart tugging stories, I’ll be disappointed.
If it suggests the skills required are minimal, I’ll be disappointed.
If it encourages others to develop new skills and I pick something up too, I’ll be pleased.
If it gives people a better understanding of the work required in making something (albeit over two days might be a push), I’ll be pleased.
I’m looking forward to it in the knowledge it won’t be to everyone’s taste and overall, hope it’s a success and we all generally agree there were some good bits to it.


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## Adam W. (12 Oct 2021)

I'll probably give it a watch, although I noted that ****The King of Wood*** happens to be an architect and not a carpenter, joiner or somesuch woody trade type.


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## Filament (12 Oct 2021)

Blackswanwood said:


> Oh this has touched a nerve with some grumpy old woodworkers
> 
> An alternative view may be that it will inspire a few more people to get off their @rses and have a go at making something.



Agreed. I’d much rather a flawed woodworking show than no woodworking show at all. 
Flawed or not, Forged in Fire encouraged my daughter and I to find other resources (more serious, to keep the grumpier among you happy) and ultimately to try blacksmithing. 

Surely that’s a good thing?


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## MichaelAD (12 Oct 2021)

I'll watch it - I have an interest in these type of programmes. 'Money for Nothing', 'Find it, Fix it, Flog it', 'The Salvager' (that's a blast from the past) as well as the similar ones from the USA.

It's because of these programmes that I've learned self control, how to breathe properly, how to take charge of my blood pressure and become more tolerant and 'zen like'.

Apart from the health benefits I also have a laugh or two, recognise I actually know a couple of things about health and safety and maybe my standard of woodworking is not so bad after all!


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## hlvd (12 Oct 2021)

I'd love to think this will be a programme featuring apprentice trained craftspeople, but more than likely it'll be a bunch of amateurs who've taken it up after being disillusioned with their chosen architecture/solicitors/advertising etc profession.


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## xraymtb (12 Oct 2021)

I get the impression (from who the judges are) that this could be more about the design and the fluffy spiel that can be spouted, than it will be about the actual work, the wood or the skills. As soon as anyone mentions 'design culture' or the like I think of that pile of breeze blocks at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park that is considered 'art'.

Willing to give it a go though like others say - it beats watching people bake, sew, date, get married to strangers etc.....


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## Jameshow (12 Oct 2021)

hlvd said:


> I'd love to think this will be a programme featuring apprentice trained craftspeople, but more than likely it'll be a bunch of amateurs who've taken it up after being disillusioned with their chosen architecture/solicitors/advertising etc profession.


Isn't that us on here!!

Cheers James


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## MARK.B. (12 Oct 2021)

Spectric said:


> Will we get our own Norm !


There can be only one Norm
all hail Norm


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## bourbon (12 Oct 2021)

The 'false jeopardy' that these programmes have to abide by. always annoys me.


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## hlvd (12 Oct 2021)

Jameshow said:


> Isn't that us on here!!
> 
> Cheers James


I think there's a few tradesman on this board judging by things I've seen.


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## D_W (12 Oct 2021)

bourbon said:


> The 'false jeopardy' that these programmes have to abide by. always annoys me.



well, the viewers don't like competent displays that seem inaccessible. Nobody feels good if they see someone doing things they discern that they couldn't do unless it's gee golly stuff ("wow..I could never sing like ella fitzgerald!!")

My kids love the format - it's like pro wrestling - first the intro, very friendly. Then the build up of the task "uh oh, I don't know how we'll do it with such limited options and equipment!!", then the initial start ("look they're really making great time!!"), then the disaster (oh, we're behind schedule or something broke or isn't available), and then the closer in the last several minutes where everything miraculously comes together. 

In the first season of forged in fire, murray carter finished one of the early stages in 2/3rds the time or something - I was impressed, but I get what he was thinking - he's experienced, he performed the things that he would do to make a good knife blank before finishing in the next steps, and there was no reason to overdo anything. Plus, murray's a little smug (he's well known on knife and razor forums), and he looked like he really enjoyed the time crossing his arms and looking at the camera showing how good he was. 

What he and the other professional maker did in short time then with their projects was nothing short of spectacular - they did superb technical and aesthetic work. There was no real drama and in the end, they used some torture machine that did manage to bend murray's sword, but his sword was clad, designed to bed and not break while allowing the core to be really hard. The reality is it was technically fine and the torture test went beyond what whacking anyone with a sword would cause, and an armorer would hammer the sword back to straight without anything more technical than that. It was a superb display. 

The kids were completely bored and couldn't manage to watch the whole episode. 

The later season opened up with a bunch of inexperienced guys trying to use coal forges (which few do) in bright sun with snow surrounding. Several of them heated steel so hot that when they picked up their billets, they broke in half (if the grains get large enough in steel due to overheating, it can break under its own weight before it cools). the end of the episode had some efforts that nobody would ever show publicly, but the kids loved it.


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## Jameshow (12 Oct 2021)

hlvd said:


> I think there's a few tradesman on this board judging by things I've seen.


Yes there are I was talking about myself!! 

Cheers James


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## Doris (12 Oct 2021)

I think I'll give it a miss. I'd rather be making things than watching others make it. Bit like watching someone else play a computer game, not as fun.


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## Spindrift (13 Oct 2021)

dzj said:


> "Over 2 working days the woodworkers will create hugely impressive big builds, and have to navigate the skills challenge…"
> 
> A hugely impressive big build in 2 working days!
> No doubt a sight to behold.



I guess it's fair to assume they won't be using some old pallets and a bag of 4-inch nails!


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## JSW (13 Oct 2021)

Spindrift said:


> I guess it's fair to assume they won't be using some old pallets and a bag of 4-inch nails!



Put it this way . . if one of them has a toolbelt on with a 24 oz. framing hammer in it, THEN you can start to worry


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## MARK.B. (22 Oct 2021)




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## Lonsdale73 (23 Oct 2021)

So has anyone actually watched it?


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## Phil Pascoe (23 Oct 2021)

Yes. Unfortunately.


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## JSW (23 Oct 2021)

Think the two threads need merging.

@Lonsdale73 This is the thread you need for discussion on the actual broadcast.

@MikeK or any other Mods online at the moment?


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## MikeK (24 Oct 2021)

Merging the two threads will not append either thread at the end of the other, but will insert each post into the date/time position it was made. This could make the discussion difficult to follow The best thing to do is close this older thread and put a link to the newer and larger thread.









Britain's Best Woodworker


So it has started! Watching?




www.ukworkshop.co.uk


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