New Paul Sellers Book - 'Essential Woodworking Hand Tools'

[D_W]

They appear to be finish planing in a video. I don't know what they know or don't know about using a cap iron, but ithey probably need someone like you to tell them that nobody finish planes, because they apparently don't know it. You could probably help George Wilson with that, too.

 

[Rhossydd]

I think production value and communication are two different things.

Absolutely not.
You can make fantastic polished videos that fail to communicate anything.
On the other hand you can make short simple videos that effectively communicate a subject concisely and succinctly.

 

[swagman]

I think production value and communication are two different things.

Absolutely not.
You can make fantastic polished videos that fail to communicate anything.
On the other hand you can make short simple videos that effectively communicate a subject concisely and succinctly.

A nice bit of self promotion Paul. http://www.paulholman.co.uk/

 

[Carl P]

I think production value and communication are two different things.

Absolutely not.
You can make fantastic polished videos that fail to communicate anything.
On the other hand you can make short simple videos that effectively communicate a subject concisely and succinctly.

I don't have an axe to grind here, but I believe you have just argued in favour of D_W's point,

Cheerio,

Carl

 

[Trafalgar]

They appear to be finish planing in a video. I don't know what they know or don't know about using a cap iron, but ithey probably need someone like you to tell them that nobody finish planes, because they apparently don't know it. You could probably help George Wilson with that, too.

Yeah, on second thought he does appear to be pretty clueless and lost in the weeds... :roll:

I thought I saw a guy doing some finish planing, yes, but also planing for fit, planing joints flush, shooting ends, etc., etc. Must have been a figment of my imagination.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Those who might care to get out of the do-loop of the blind leading the blind and would like to see hand tools being wielded with an incredible amount of skill by a bona fide professional should look here. Warning, these are polished videos if for some reason that's become a bad thing, but seeing what hand work (and machine work too) looks like when done by a craftsman building professionally in feasible time frames is always worth a look. Not a hand tool only shop but watch anyway.

Click on any of the videos. They're all amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ure+makers

It serves to show the huge gulf between those of us who've mastered the cap iron vs. those who've mastered the actual craft.

Charles - it's great stuff, and the resulting furniture is absolutely superb; but it's hardly guidance in the basics for the beginner, is it? After all, that's what Paul Sellers is about - getting the complete tyro up and walking, if not running. The 'peak of the profession' stuff can come later.

 

[Trafalgar]

I think it's interesting to watch how a superbly talented craftsman moves tools across workpieces. There's a good bit to notice in these videos but you're right a lot of the nuance would be lost for those starting out.

I couldn't draft one of the projects much less execute one to the level of fit, finish, and crispness obvious in the videos and online portfolio -- at least not in a time frame that would make any sense at all. Fitting a cap iron and all that rot would be the least of my worries if I couldn't get it down on paper, but that's a post for another day and thread I suppose. Then there's all the carving which would stop me dead in my tracks!

Lot's of Lie-Nielsen in the shop it appears. Thought I saw a No. 4 with a high-angle frog, too. Not sure though.

By anybody's measure it's a well-equipped shop both power and hand thought it's clearly not just for show.

 

[D_W]

I think it's interesting to watch how a superbly talented craftsman moves tools across workpieces. There's a good bit to notice in these videos but you're right a lot of the nuance would be lost for those starting out.

I couldn't draft one of the projects much less execute one to the level of fit, finish, and crispness obvious in the videos and online portfolio -- at least not in a time frame that would make any sense at all. Fitting a cap iron and all that rot would be the least of my worries if I couldn't get it down on paper, but that's a post for another day and thread I suppose.

Lot's of Lie-Nielsen in the shop it appears. Thought I saw a No. 4 with a high-angle frog, too. Not sure though.

By anybody's measure it's a well-equipped shop both power and hand thought it's clearly not just for show.

Yes, hundreds of years invalidated by one shop plus one troll heavy on the wine and high on misery.

 

[Trafalgar]

Dream on David.

I guess we've come to the point where actually building a fine reproduction for a paying clientele (as the originals were built) rather than just providing planing points has somehow invalidated a woodworking tradition. Wow. Talk about pendulums over-swinging.

You've shrunk your world, unfortunately, into proving that a Stanley No. 4 can plane a board tearout free. We believe you and we think it's wonderful. You're more than welcome to whatever accolades come with your efforts to make this known to the woodworking world though it seems people, like the fellow in the video, have a little bit of it already figured out or they're making do in the meantime. And boy, what a meantime. We should all have such a meantime until we get around to the cap iron.

All this horse crap about cap irons and how thick a smoother shaving should be is beyond quaint compared to the output as shown in the videos. It's world-class cabinetmaking on display, not somebody planing test boards with his Nissan and a push-mower in the background.

And the notion that woodworkers didn't 'finish' plane is just absurd beyond belief. The did so if for no other reason than to remove the inevitable grime, face and edge marks, minor dings, etc. all projects and workpieces pick up through the process. These passes would have been (as they are now) extremely light -- just enough to bring the surface back up. To suggest that this somehow wasn't necessary then, or now, is ludicrous. This may not have been necessary on some relatively coarse country piece that would receive paint as a finishg but most certainly was for high-end 18th century furniture making.

 

[MarkDennehy]

Click on any of the videos. They're all amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ure+makers

They're producing absolutely beautiful pieces of work and it's always a joy to watch skilled work being done well, but honestly, I didn't learn a thing watching those other than that I think tiger maple is pretty (I'd not seen it before).
They're just way too far beyond my very low skill level for me to be able to get much out of it. Whereas watching Graham Haydon or Paul Sellers or Richard Maguire or ... well, maybe "Woodworking for mere mortals" is just a bit too low a bar... building a bench or cutting a mortice and tenon or building a spoon rack or a small cupboard or putting on shellac -- these are all things that I can learn from at my level.
Hell, if you can't even freehand sharpen a chisel without it coming out with sixteen different bevels and looking like someone formed the front of it with a hammer, maybe you shouldn't be ordering tiger maple to build furniture with just yet

Not going to stop watching the high-end stuff, you understand - I do this for a hobby, I get to say what I do (which is a lot of the fun really) - but it'll be a while yet before I get much out of it.

 

[bugbear]

Not going to stop watching the high-end stuff, you understand - I do this for a hobby, I get to say what I do (which is a lot of the fun really) - but it'll be a while yet before I get much out of it.

Agreed - I've watched TV programs on building the Channel Tunnel, the Great Pyramid and an Ocean going yacht.

I don't suppose I'll ever get round to building examples of any of them myself, but it is (as you say) fun to watch.

BugBear

 

[Rhossydd]

A nice bit of self promotion Paul.

I'm not trying to sell my services here at all*, I work in broadcast TV, but you make the point that I do have professional expertise in TV production.

*I can't see any You Tubers being able to afford my day rate, but feel free to ask for a quote ;-)

 

[G S Haydon]

I'm shocked Mark! You don't rate my workbench made from stud timber high end :lol: (hammer) :lol: .

On topic, I bet the book is pretty darn good. Can't imagine it's easy bringing it all together. The price seems legit. If you're totally new to woodworking I can imagine it would be pretty helpful.

The hardest thing with new books is similar to new tools. There is such a density of fantastic second hand books on Amazon, boot fair, whatever for only a few pounds.

 

[MarkDennehy]

I'm shocked Mark! You don't rate my workbench made from stud timber high end :lol: (hammer) :lol: .

It's the black paint, it's not showing up that lovely metal inlay work you've done properly!

And if it makes you feel any better, I've just put in the order today for 320-odd feet of 2x4 and 2x3 to build a proper bench and some sawhorses. I figure, if a professional woodworker can get as out of breath as I do when sawing wood, then it's got to be at least attemptable

edit: Also, bloody hell, is everyone lurking in here? :shock:

 

[GLFaria]

Those who might care to get out of the do-loop of the blind leading the blind and would like to see hand tools being wielded with an incredible amount of skill by a bona fide professional should look here. Warning, these are polished videos if for some reason that's become a bad thing, but seeing what hand work (and machine work too) looks like when done by a craftsman building professionally in feasible time frames is always worth a look. Not a hand tool only shop but watch anyway.

Click on any of the videos. They're all amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ure+makers

It serves to show the huge gulf between those of us who've mastered the cap iron vs. those who've mastered the actual craft.

Thank you very much for the link, Charles. I found the vídeos there most entertaining.
I really am not expecting to learn a lot from them, certainly not any technique, they are not meant for that. But then, I also didn't learn a lot, technically speaking, from a video someone (deeply sorry, can't remember who it was) posted the link to in the forum:

http://www.rts.ch/archives/tv/culture/s ... -bois.html

Did I learn anything very specific from watching them? You bet I don't. But I did, and still do, enjoy enormously watching them.

 

[Trafalgar]

I thought the ball and claw feet carving sequences for the highboy were really instructive but maybe it's because I've been working on these myself. No doubt the videos serve a marketing function. It's hard to imagine a potential customer not having a great deal of comfort about commissioning a piece after watching the videos.

It is interesting to see how somebody of this caliber (bre) outfits their shop, too. There is no shortage of premium hand tools being used in the videos. I guess he didn't get the memo about buying an old Stanley and having it ready to go in 15 minutes. I suspect that Wolf gets what he needs and moves on. Maybe L-N comp'd a few tools. Who knows? He doesn't strike me as a guy who spends much time on Ebay.

He can also definitely wield a spokeshave without beating around the bush.

 

[Simonhi]

Just buy the Essential Woodworker by Robert Wearing, you can still pick up a used copy fairly cheap from one of the great tax avoiding websites !!!

If that fails then Classic Handtools hold the Lost Art Press version.

It is a book I continually go back to, well written, illustrated, succinct and easy to understand.

 

[memzey]

I have the same book. It's a great read for a cack handed amateur like me who aspires to improve his skills. Also recommend the technique of furniture making by Joyce. The ultimate woodworkers bible IMHO.

 

[Trafalgar]

Joyce, Hayward, and Wearing do pretty much cover the waterfront.

 

[Blevins]

Great advice all. Economics won in the end - I've ordered a second-hand copy of 'The Essential Woodworker' for less than a third of the cost of Mr Seller's book.