Help me to help you - video tutorials

[WOmadeOD]

Help me improve my video tutorials:

Hi, my name is Mitch, and I've been working wood for years.
Originally I was a power woodworker, but for the last decade I've concentrated much more on hand work and traditional practices.
I've reached the point where I would like to share my skills with a wider audience, and have started to film a collection of videos with that aim.
So far I am posting these on my YouTube channel, WOmadeOD.
Please take a look. Hopefully you may find something useful there, either now or in the future.

How you can help:
What topics would you like to see tutorials on?
Should they be single long videos, or split into a series?
What basic level of knowledge should I assume?

All comments welcome, thanks

 

[mseries]

I haven't looked at your channel yet so maybe you've covered this already, someone else has bound to have done. I'd like some instruction on setting up a plane properly. What do all the adjusters do ?

 

[Jacob]

I watched the start if your mortice and tenon video. Not too impressed - you need to brush up on marking-up procedures and using a rod. "Centering" a mortice is very amateurish - you should do all your marking from face and edge. Exceptions possible I suppose.

 

[Baldhead]

I've subscribed to your YouTube channel, looking forward to watching them later.

Baldhead

 

[Togalosh]

..erm..

Drawer making & fitting (do's, don'ts, why's & wherefors)
Dovetail marking & cutting by hand
Hand tool selection (what plane/saw for what job..in detail)
Hand Tool set up & care
Wood selection (what wood for what job ie quatersawn for drawer sides & Elm for chair seats. What is good qua;lity & what is not ie from same species or even same tree)
Wood storage conditions
Hand Saw blade Sharpening
Window frame making - esp Sash window (whay they twist/wind)
Door Making (why they twist/wind)
Chair Making with rush seat

Assume I know nothing but want to know it all in fine detail
Assume I am hard of hearing with poor eyesight (so good camera work & good audio is essential)

HTP

 

[WOmadeOD]

Cheer up Jacob. I'm primarily trying to get more people into woodwork as a hobby to start with, not to have them produce exhibition pieces from day one. There are more in-depth videos on marking out and component preparation for those who want it.

Teaching is a difficult process, and students appreciate seeing results. The finer points can be introduced along the way. Okay, that's a more modern view, but I find it works better for me.

If I can give people enough confidence to make their own tables and chairs, copying the over-priced, solid wood furniture that floods the place, then I've done my job. I should say, for the benefit of designer/makers, that I don't condone copying anything for profit.

Happy woodworking

 

[mseries]

I watched your plane renovation one last night and enjoyed it, thanks.

 

[Giff]

Hi Mitch

Just watched some of, not all yet, of your plane upgrade video. An observation, not a criticism, is that it was a bit long. Can you do a bit of editing / time lapse ? Really good though. Giff

 

[Flynnwood]

Help me improve my video tutorials:

Hi, my name is Mitch, and I've been working wood for years.
Originally I was a power woodworker, but for the last decade I've concentrated much more on hand work and traditional practices.
I've reached the point where I would like to share my skills with a wider audience, and have started to film a collection of videos with that aim.
So far I am posting these on my YouTube channel, WOmadeOD.
Please take a look. Hopefully you may find something useful there, either now or in the future.

How you can help:
What topics would you like to see tutorials on?
Should they be single long videos, or split into a series?
What basic level of knowledge should I assume?

All comments welcome, thanks

In terms of video length, try messaging Steve for some hints/tips. He has a lot of experience with exactly that and youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/stevinmarin/videos

 

[WOmadeOD]

Hi Mitch

Just watched some of, not all yet, of your plane upgrade video. An observation, not a criticism, is that it was a bit long. Can you do a bit of editing / time lapse ? Really good though. Giff

Hi Giff,

Cheers. I have split that up into a series, which tackles the main points seperately and quicker. But I take on board the length thing, not everyone wants to spend 110mins of metal grinding!

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks for this thread and I must say I found the first video I watched very informative, mind you I am surprised you have all your fingers intact. At my age I would not attempt some of your machining practices.

 

[=Adam=]

Hi WOmadeOD,

I just watched the moisture meter comparison as I have just bought the aldi equivalent.

The videos are very good and very informative. I like the quality of the image too! Keep up the good work!

Can you tell me how to calibrate the device please?

 

[mseries]

Hi Mitch

Just watched some of, not all yet, of your plane upgrade video. An observation, not a criticism, is that it was a bit long. Can you do a bit of editing / time lapse ? Really good though. Giff

Hi Giff,

Cheers. I have split that up into a series, which tackles the main points seperately and quicker. But I take on board the length thing, not everyone wants to spend 110mins of metal grinding!

I fast forwarded through the grinding parts

 

[Myfordman]

Not for me I'm afraid. Painfully slow delivery on the preparation of a blank.
If you set your machines up properly in the first place then you would not need all that hand work.

just my 2p

 

[Graham Orm]

Help me improve my video tutorials:
All comments welcome, thanks

Hi Mitch. Nice workshop. I've only watched the plane tuning video so far, something which is familiar to me. Good coverage of most aspects, well made video with clear pictures and descriptions of what's being done.

Negatives: Too slow, boring for folks who have been through the process, and probably also for those who are learning. You say you want to educate folks, the wooden bit at the back is called 'the handle'. I believe they call it a 'tote' somewhere out in the colonies, god knows why. You say at the start after a glance at the underneath of the lever cap that you can see it's never been tuned......how? I'm intrigued. You also negate to discuss the mouth squareness or the condition of the chip breaker or its mating surface.

It's clear that you want to help people understand how to tune a plane, and that you've put a great deal of effort and time into making the video's. But you don't explain why?

Sorry for the sarcasm, it's not meant to be offensive, but you came to a woodworking forum and asked for critique.

Graham. :wink:

 

[Sgian Dubh]

All comments welcome, thanks

Laudable aims and your delivery is clear. I found the speed of delivery very slow and I became bored, but that's possibly because I've done a lot of joinery over the years and don't need the instruction or guidance.

I watched a couple of your videos including this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9Rf6w6--Y which discusses and demonstrates your haunched M&T methodology. One of the criticisms I have here is the gentle pecking you demonstrate for excavating the mortice. Perhaps this is to ensure you get the message across, but I think you ought to also demonstrate how hand excavated mortices are usually cut, which is fast and furious with all the evidence of prissiness banished.

My second criticism is your proportions are unconventional for a corner haunched M&T. The mortice in your example extends close to the end of the mortised member leaving the end of this part liable to grain shear failure at the end of the mortice if the joint experiences racking-- the joint as you've set it out is sometimes known disparagingly in the trade as a "near bridle". Typically, in small members such as the ones you were demonstrating the rule of thirds come into play. That is, you divide the width of the tenoned member into three equal parts and the haunch takes up slightly less than 1/3 of the width towards the outside edge of the framework.

Lastly, you could speed up sawing by marking the haunch on the outside face of the wood prior to doing any sawing, and then do all the sawing with the grain prior to sawing across the various shoulder lines, starting by sawing the shoulder line for the haunch, followed by sawing the shoulder lines on the wide faces and for any tenon inset on the narrow inside edge.

Overall though I'd say a good start on your video endeavours, but I really think a faster delivery would help because, after all, the viewer can always slow things down and rewind easily enough if they miss a bit or want to revisit a section. I'm not your target viewer, but I've done a lot of demonstrating of techniques so I'm aware of how fast you can lose your learner or viewer if delivery is too pedantic, slow, and repetitive. I hope you'll find my comments from the point of view of someone with teaching experience useful. Slainte.

 

[WOmadeOD]

Not for me I'm afraid. Painfully slow delivery on the preparation of a blank.
If you set your machines up properly in the first place then you would not need all that hand work.

just my 2p

Definitely slow - perhaps too slow. I do find most 'how to' videos too fast, unless I have some previous knowledge on the subject, so I probably compensated too much.

Valid point about machine set up, but surely knowing how to do it by hand is worth it - what happens if the electric goes down?

However, I've never met a hobby or light trade machine that can match the accuracy I can achieve with my plane - I know most woodworkers aren't bothered with such accuracy, unless they aspire to exhibition standard of course. There certainly doesn't seem to be much of that standard on YouTube.

Thanks for the post.

 

[=Adam=]

Another comment I would make is that the majority of the vids seem quite lengthy.

Steve Ramsey made a video not so long ago and he said that he keeps his videos short (around 5mins) to encourage more views, the reason being that many people won't sit through 20 mins of footage. I personally will watch that length of video providing it is a topic that I am interested in learning about.

I think what you are doing is very good and should be admired as many people (including myself) would be too shy to step infront of a camera and film my own work.

Keep it up

 

[WOmadeOD]

Cheers for the critique Graham. No offence taken.

I must watch the plane tuning epic again! I didn't think I'd lost the chip breaker in the edit, but there you go. Yep, should have explained that the lever cap contact surface was like pebbledash and still covered in factory chrome - perhaps an annotation over the video is called for. Watch out for the mouth and other further tune-up tips - Anyone want to donate a rough no.4!

Mitch

 

[WOmadeOD]

Thanks, much appreciated.