Britain's Best Woodworker

[TRITON]

I've followed this thread a bit after missing the first 2 programs and off the strength of feeling hadn't bothered following the prog after that.
But thanks to YT i have watched the first program and totally loved it, both from a design and make aspect.
Furthermore I think many of the critical comments on this thread are completely unwarranted and dare I say it, a tad on the sour grape side.

What is clear is the entrants all love the aspect of creativity, their enthusiasm, and the judges are completely fair in their assessments, and without any mollycoddling.

Having spent 4 years at college learning furniture design, the critical nature is ,compared to this prog pretty tame, and during my class time all of us students were faced with a greater deal of in depth criticism, covering every single aspect of our design and craftsmanship, not only from the lecturers, but from fellow students.

I look forward to watching the rest of the series.

 

[Cooper]

I bet Misty is a much better designer than the architect, who I think is probably a bit envious of her design skills. I wonder what the architects woodworking skills are like?

I couldn't see anything about the snail that warranted staying in the competition, though in previous shows she has demonstrated good design and making skills.

Why has Radah's really irritating laugh got to feature so much? He has good woodworking skills but I would like to hear less of him.

 

[TRITON]

I wonder what the architects woodworking skills are like?

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was a designer,Frank Lloyd Wright was a designer, Charles Eames was a designer. They didnt craft that they designed, that was done by someone else.

 

[hlvd]

I'm sure if Misti were to team up with a competent woodworker we'd see some spectacular stuff.

 

[Gareth62]

Misty, I think failed to impress just a jigsaw cut out from a template all the others put their heart and soul into their work

I feel joe should not have been the one to go this week

It should have been Charlie? (was it) with the snail or Misty or maybe Billy to go

Why the hell did Billy go so big as it was to heavy for the workshop floor

Still think the show is wrong, the judges should show them or tell them what they want them to make and they should all have to make the same thing, like on bake off or pottery throw down how can you compare joes lion to mistys zebra, the only time this happens is in the elimination round

 

[LBCarpentry]

The show is a bit lame in terms of woodwork for woodworkers. I mean, only one of them is actually qualifies with any real world experience. Radha is clearly going to win the series by a 100 yard mile.

Billy should go. Can no one see that billy is an absolute chancer?? The kid has natural talent but never does any plans to work to, and then produces sub standard work and gets frustrated. Christ if he build houses like he carves lions then you better be scared for future projects.

 

[baldkev]

I still havent watch it, but judging by the thread ( and the 14 pages so far ) theyve got people talking..... even bad publicity is publicity...... and if anyone, like me, hasn't watched an episode, but has read 14 pages of comments, they could have spent that valuable time making something, drinking cider ir sleeping

 

[Adam W.]

Maybe they like to get outraged before bedtime, so they can fume over Muffy and the others when they can't sleep at 3:30am

 

[Cooper]

Billy should go. Can no one see that billy is an absolute chancer?? The kid has natural talent but never does any plans to work to

I find the idea of working without plans difficult but I came across exam entries, when I was a GCSE moderator (a long time ago), where there were the sketchiest drawings in the folio but the final outcome obviously showed real style and flair. I remember teacher's really distressed that their star designer and maker hadn't hit all the boxes in the mark scheme. Where I could see that they could sketch and had powerful imaginations l always credited them with good marks, as the research and development were implicit in the final outcome. I never wanted to thwart the prospects of a talented student because they were too impatient to slog through the exam's tedious methodology. Perhaps Billy is one of those? He isn't a sculptor though.

 

[Lons]

I think the remit was "sculpture" rather than carving. I'm surprised so many of them went with large carved pieces. Incredibly hard to do. I thought Joe was a bit hard done by. I actually didn't think much of the snail as it looked unrecognisable as a snail to my eye.

That's a very fair point Nick, for some reason I thought they had been asked to carve an animal, shows just how little attention I was paying to the program, . I had to undelete it and watch the beginning to check.

 

[Adam W.]

I can't see what the hangup about a lack paper plans is.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I can't see what the hangup about a lack paper plans is.

I think it’s because other similar programs do this because it makes the competition easier to judge (maybe fairer). For example in:

Sewing Bee they have starting templates for one round that they need to adapt, and only in the final round do they do something completely unconstrained.

Bake Off is the same; round 1 ‘what is your twist on this standard thing’, round 2 ‘make this standard thing as well as possible’, round 3 ‘do something impressive’.

I think that woodworking being slower has made them reduce to 2 rounds, which means screw-ups are more significant, so less ‘fair’ by the audience’s perspective.

 

[Adam W.]

I'll have to try and sit through an episode then. I gave it 5 mins the first time and switched it off.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

I'll have to try and sit through an episode then. I gave it 5 mins the first time and switched it off.

Honestly it’s not bad, the issue most people seem to be having is that it’s not about the actual woodwork. If it was titled ‘Britain’s best amateur furniture designer who can make it in less than 2 days’ then I think it would all be fine.

Edit, maybe ‘Britain’s best amateur-designer of furniture that can be completed in a weekend’.

 

[hlvd]

Honestly it’s not bad, the issue most people seem to be having is that it’s not about the actual woodwork. If it was titled ‘Britain’s best amateur furniture designer who can make it in less than 2 days’ then I think it would all be fine.

Edit, maybe ‘Britain’s best amateur-designer of furniture that can be completed in a weekend’.

Sorry, it's terrible, it's school woodwork class skill level at best.
They have two days to actuallymake their projects, but are already designed by themselves and all wood prepared by the technicians in advanced.

 

[LBCarpentry]

I can't see what the hangup about a lack paper plans is.

I’m not saying that’s why he should go. I’m saying that’s what is currently letting him down. I don’t believe he does have ENOUGH natural ability to do it.

I agree with comments of Britain’s best school project though

 

[Adam W.]

Honestly it’s not bad, the issue most people seem to be having is that it’s not about the actual woodwork. If it was titled ‘Britain’s best amateur furniture designer who can make it in less than 2 days’ then I think it would all be fine.

Edit, maybe ‘Britain’s best amateur-designer of furniture that can be completed in a weekend’.

I did get to the bit where she was starting to make the green oak bed frame and went .....Oooh, it's heavy! That's where it ended for me.

 

[Lonsdale73]

Honestly it’s not bad, the issue most people seem to be having is that it’s not about the actual woodwork. If it was titled ‘Britain’s best amateur furniture designer who can make it in less than 2 days’ then I think it would all be fine.

Edit, maybe ‘Britain’s best amateur-designer of furniture that can be completed in a weekend’.

It's better than nothing but it could be a whole lot better. It has very little to do with the quality of the finished item or the route to get there, it's all about the individuals. That said, when you see Misti's zebra 'sculpture' in the opening credits, it looks a helluva lot better than it did at the judging stage, far more 'polished', shall we say? Joe was robbed.

 

[cisamcgu]

Was the Zebra even the minimum 1 metre tall that was a parameters ?

 

[akirk]

Was the Zebra even the minimum 1 metre tall that was a parameters ?

I expect so - just the stand was quite large - I would guess 1 - 1.5m ?