Any must watch woodworking documentary movies?

[tibi]

Hello,

can you recommend to me some good woodworking documentary movies? Either about some notable cabinetmakers of the past or about woodworking in general. I am interested more in historical videos than current ones.

Thank you very much.

 

[Mike.R]

Chippendale the movie isn't what I expected.

 

[Jacob]

Worth watching to the end it gets even more interesting

 

[shed9]

Sam Maloof: My Last Days?



Only a short but worth watching.

His chairs go for a small fortune these day (Sam Maloof: Works for Sale, Upcoming Auctions & Past Results) and they have his work in the Smithsonian. Even chairs with a Maloof inspiration to the design go for huge amounts of money.

 

[cowtown_eric]

not a documentary, but a captivating movie about a violin makers product and it's travels through history

The Red Violin

Eric

 

[Cabinetman]

Sam Maloof: My Last Days?



Only a short but worth watching.

His chairs go for a small fortune these day (Sam Maloof: Works for Sale, Upcoming Auctions & Past Results) and they have his work in the Smithsonian. Even chairs with a Maloof inspiration to the design go for huge amounts of money.

Thanks for that, most enjoyable. Ian

 

[D_W]

I don't know that anything is "must watch". If there's anything more encouraging than wanting to build something well enough that you'll learn what you need to and get in the shop, I don't know what it is.

Just wanting to be good at building but not knowing what it is you want to do and what style doesn't go very far.

That said, there's a nice 4 video series on youtube from the 1970s showing the instrument maker's shop at colonial williamsburg making violins and a spinet (and a spinet is more or less cabinet work with an instrument inside of it).

 

[tibi]

Thank you all for your recommendations, I will have something interesting to watch in the next few days.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Carved with Love was an excellent 4-part series on BBC 4 a few years ago, it covered Thomas Chippendale and Grinling Gibbons. Look like it’s not currently available on iPlayer, but may be on some other paid channels or YouTube.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pxx3r/episodes/guide

 

[Ttrees]

Interesting post, has got me thinking.
Hands, a good few of them to watch.


Do you ever watch "Highland woodworking" channel on youtube?
Some great stuff there comes up now and again.
There's 56 episodes of visits to others workshops, well presented most of the time
so I suppose would count as filmy.

 

[TRITON]

 

[city17]

There is a channel of a Japanese carpentry museum that has quite a few nice documentaries.

This one is from a series on Japanese planes (there's more videos after this one):



And this is a more recent one about a house made with traditional Japanese carpentry.

 

[D_W]

wait 'til the safety sallies see the bench saw.

 

[Ttrees]

Dicey for sure!
My fave bit of craftsman slagging, "you wouldn't make a nose bag for an ***"

 

[ALB]

I watched this recently: a little film about the Von Heune workshop. Really interesting stuff. Only made a few years ago, but it's fascinating.

 

[Smike]

Hello,

can you recommend to me some good woodworking documentary movies? Either about some notable cabinetmakers of the past or about woodworking in general. I am interested more in historical videos than current ones.

Thank you very much.

Good question. I look forward to the replies. It’ll make a change from James Bond over Christmas !

 

[Sawhead]

Hello,

can you recommend to me some good woodworking documentary movies? Either about some notable cabinetmakers of the past or about woodworking in general. I am interested more in historical videos than current ones.

Thank you very much.

There's always plenty of Norm Abrahams videos on You Tube!

 

[davin]

I quite enjoyed these German documentaries, ( think you can add subtitles)
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC4-a6QWRyBlzTFGdS-T_wfw
If you don't mind not being in English, there is a whole world of interesting woodworking videos. I particularly like Russian makers. Seem to be able to make very high quality work, with very basic setups.

 

[Adam W.]

Old school.

Kaare Loftheim - Master cabinetmaker at Colonial Williamsburg making secret dovetails.

 

[bourbon]

Just be aware that the yanks aren't too hot on safety when you watch the you tube videos. for example, no riving knives or top guards on table saws.