Do you think you're better than someone else?

[sailor55330]

When it comes to the professional woodworkers you see on TV (ie Norm, Roy Underhill, etc).

In other words have you seen someone who is considered an "expert" that you felt might have been over rated and perhaps you could have done equal or better work?

[cabinetman]

When it comes to the professional woodworkers you see on TV (ie Norm, Roy Underhill, etc).

In other words have you seen someone who is considered an "expert" that you felt might have been over rated and perhaps you could have done equal or better work?

I don't think "over rated" is a description I would use. Some are better at some things than others. Do I feel I could do equal or better...yes. I feel that there are many forum members that are also equal or better.

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[herb fellows]

In certain areas I might be as good or better. But the breadth and depth of their expertise is something I can't approach.
If it was my living, and I ate, drank and slept it, maybe I'd be there eventually.

[vaking]

Norm is a TV personality. TV personality needs to know how to behave in public, be likeable, etc. TV personality does not need to know much about stuff he/she demonstrates, at most few basics. For comparison Rachel Ray is a TV personality that demonstrates cooking though she has almost no cooking skills. All the real technical tasks on the show can be staged behind the scenes by people you never see. There are people at every show that know what they are doing but it normally is not the official "host".

[RAFlorida]

I agree with Mike. After seeing some of the

JPGs that members have uploaded, I know they are really great woodworkers. (actually 'artist' would be better to describe them). Norm's good at what he does, but just look at what this forum alone has offered!

[woodturner]

Norm is a TV personality.

Norm is a carpenter who became a TV personality - unexepctedly and eventually. He's still pretty "down to earth" - not really like a TV personality.

[Ed62]

In other words have you seen someone who is considered an "expert" that you felt might have been over rated and perhaps you could have done equal or better work?

That's easy for me. The answer is "No". But there are certainly others on this forum who could easily answer "Yes".

Ed

[Richard in Smithville]

As for me personally, I would say no. I do, however, have a few friends who are considered as big names in the Canadian woodworking community. I feel that they are better than some of these celebrity woodworkers but are too humble to say so.

[herb fellows]

Norm is a TV personality. TV personality needs to know how to behave in public, be likeable, etc. TV personality does not need to know much about stuff he/she demonstrates, at most few basics. For comparison Rachel Ray is a TV personality that demonstrates cooking though she has almost no cooking skills. All the real technical tasks on the show can be staged behind the scenes by people you never see. There are people at every show that know what they are doing but it normally is not the official "host".

Well now you've gone and shattered my life! To think all these years I thought Alex Trebeck was a genius.....

[dbhost]

Nope. I stink, but I am getting better as I get more experience... I no longer use framing nails for "Fine Woodworking" projects...

[Bruce Cohen]

This is kind of a weird question. Self comparison is always a dangerous action. Of course, there's that little voice in your head that will usually tell you that you could do a (much) better job than the guy whose work you're looking at. And sometimes, you'll be right.

But at least he tried and did do something, proudly showing it to strangers. He's proud of that job, even if it was second or even third rate. But no matter how YOU feel about it, you can never take away that proud feeling that he has.

Of course there are degrees of expertise out there most individuals will never achieve, for me that's Doug Stowe, a master at box making and someone I would be proud to end up being half as good as. But that's not really the subject.

I feel that anything that one makes is something to respect, regardless of the outcome. After all, everything you see, hear taste and feel is your perception of its value.

I know that when I was a creative director at my former ad agency, stuff I did that I thought would knock the socks off the client, was met by silence at best.

Comparisons do have a place in this world, but not when it comes to us woodworkers, whom for most of us, is a "labor of love"

Merry Christmas to all,

Bruce

BTW, say something nice about the other guy's stuff, even if it does suck.

[Shep]

Sometimes I feel like I'm as good as other woodworkers. My problem is that I seem to never make the same thing twice, and usually use my own plans. The project ends up taking more time than the timeframe I give my wife before I start. Sometimes I have to cut some corners to make it work, but I'm getting better at not making mistakes.

I do feel that I'm a lot better than most at being able to visualize and build a project. For example I just completed a rocking horse for my daughter for Christmas. All I had to go on was a small picture from the Internet. My wife wanted it to look like the picture only larger. I used a lot of "this should be about right" measuring. I'll post some pics in a couple days. I still need to finish it with some poly.

When I comes to building things, I'm always up to a challege. The biggest area that I feel is hardest for everyone to master is the finishing stage. This can make a project look and feel professional, or 2nd rate.

[leehljp]

Now, if I was only as good at making things as I am of critiquing . . .

[os1kne]

Like others have said, it's a difficult thing to compare. Many would say that David Marks is more skilled than Norm Abram - to me, it depends on what you want. Most of the woodworking projects built by DM on television seem to require more skill than most of the woodworking projects that NA builds on television - is this because one is vastly more skilled, or just that they have a different style or target audience?

Norm has demonstrated many years of being competent at a wide variety of areas related home building/improvement, and that led to him hosting NYW - a show that was successful for many years (and has probably helped more people get started or become better woodworkers than anything else in the last 20 years). There are plenty of people more skilled in certain areas, but he is likeable and has a pretty wide skillset.

[twistsol]

When it comes to woodworking, and the domain of hosts I'v seen, Norm, David Marks and Roy Underhill, the answer is a definite no. There are a couple of guys that do a router workshop that shows up sporadically on PBS and I'd say I'm probably on par with them, if and only if what they demonstrate on their show is their full range of talent. (not likely)

When talking about "experts" on HGTV and DIY in general home renovations etc., then I'd say yes in most cases. I often catch errors being made, unsafe use of tools, or things that you know might look good on TV from across the room but won't last or look horrible in the half second close-up shot you get.