it's getting worse

[toolguy1000]

i just finished watching an episode of "rough cuts" with tommy "mac" where a small ball and claw foot bench was built. i was hoping that, over time, the show would improve. sorry to say, that doesn't appear to be the case. not only is he not entertaining, he isn't even instructional or interesting. everything is glossed over. he seems to be that form of individual who may be good at doing something himself, but he has no clue how to communicate or teach anything. the guest instructor (a short, bearded, chubby guy who t-mac has apparently known for a while and has appeared on a few shows) is much more informative. maybe i'm being overly harsh or maybe i am expecting too much. filling norm's shoes is appearing to be somewhat difficult.

[mpc]

I agree he isn't a good teacher. Usually the folks he visits on the "Rough Cut Road Trip" are better at showing/demonstrating techniques. The show with the ball & claw foot bench is a good example of this: the guy Tommy visits shows the basic layout techniques, the overall order of cuts/steps to making the ball at least, and the "trick" of using a gouge with the same curvature as the ball.

I don't find Tommy quite as annoying as others on BT3central seem to based on other posts/threads. But I don't go out of my way to catch his shows either while NYW was auto-recorded by my DVR. I don't know how many Rough Cut episodes exist but it seems to be only one to two dozen based on how many repeats I've seen - and I've only known about/watched RC for a couple of months. A few weeks ago the local PBS put RC on continuously for about 16 hours I think... and even that had numerous repeats.

mpc

[Cochese]

With how often they preempt programming for their fund drives, I'm amazed I've seen as many shows as I have. It's still better than nothing.

[rcp612]

With how often they preempt programming for their fund drives, I'm amazed I've seen as many shows as I have. It's still better than nothing.

I must respectfully disagree.

[JR]

Hmmm.....

I am happy to get today's lineup, which has one hour of ToH and AToH. I WISH I got Rough Cut. ToH is sandwiched between Yanni:A Living Legacy (are you effing kidding me?!) and Suze Orman's Money Class.

I think I'll go in the shop and listen to NPR while it's still available.

JR

[JSUPreston]

I've watched maybe 2 episodes. It's all I can handle. The only thing I can say about watching the show is that he is like a hyperactive chipmunk on speed or crack.

[natausch]

Chicago is a bit behind on the episodes, so this week's was the finish for the trestle table.

Truly, there is a time and place for BLO, Shellac and Wax... but not on everyday furniture and not on a table that will have hot plates, cold glasses and lots of food around it.

If he want's traditional then he should rely on varnish or laquer, pull out a or use an oil and urethane topcoat. Woodcraft sells GF so why not allow GF to receive some sponsorship?

And even then there simply isn't enough content for a finishes only program, if you can't describe different finishing techniques at the appropriate time then you need a co-host who can.

Can't they just say enough is enough and offer the job to Spagnuolo?

[Cochese]

The problem is the PBS station who finds the funds for this kind of program is always WGBH. Marc is in AZ, it won't happen.

[woodturner]

Truly, there is a time and place for BLO, Shellac and Wax... but not on everyday furniture and not on a table that will have hot plates, cold glasses and lots of food around it.

I'm not a big fan of BLO, but shellac and wax are great - I used them on nearly everything. Durable, water and alcohol resistant, non-toxic, and easy to repair - unlike many other finishes.

I don't find Norm to be a good teacher, and also don't find the Woodsmith shows interesting. First choice for me is Roy Underhill, but I do find RoughCuts entertaining.

[cabinetman]

Truly, there is a time and place for BLO, Shellac and Wax...

Not in my book. BLO is not much of a finish and provides little to zero protection. Shellac is just too soft IMO. And wax...great for vehicles.

but not on everyday furniture and not on a table that will have hot plates, cold glasses and lots of food around it.

+1. I agree. Furniture deserves a more durable finish. I prefer maintenance free ones.

.

[natausch]

I'm not a big fan of BLO, but shellac and wax are great - I used them on nearly everything. Durable, water and alcohol resistant, non-toxic, and easy to repair - unlike many other finishes.

I agree on easy to repair and non-toxic, but disagree on durable. If you look at the average cleaning aisle in any grocery store you'll see a host of products that rapidly damage wax and shellac surfaces.

Oil Soap - removes wax
Multi-Surface Cleaners - contain alcohol and water
Disenfecting Wipes - alcohol
Pledge/Furniture Polish - alcohol
Glass Cleaners - Ammonia

In terms of durability the only advantage is that they are both easy to repair.

As above, they have a great place in finishing, but formal eating surfaces such as dining tables need a durable finish. Little ones spill food, adults spill drinks and I simply can't make everyone use a trivet.

I'm certainly not diminishing the value of shellac, in my opinion it is a great binding coat in dewaxed form and a great top-coat for pieces that won't need extensive cleaning.

If you want non-toxic and close to wood but durable I think pure tung oil and buffed wax give a great look, tung oil does take forever to build up enough coats to get a film finish but you don't lose grain distinction and have a near bulletproof and easy to maintain finish.

[woodturner]

I agree on easy to repair and non-toxic, but disagree on durable. If you look at the average cleaning aisle in any grocery store you'll see a host of products that rapidly damage wax and shellac surfaces.

If you leave any of those products on a shellac finish for hours, they will damage the finish. However, if one exercises a tiny bit of care and does not allow alcohol-based products to sit on the shellac finished surface for more than 10 minutes or so, it's fine.

Also, the shellac used must be fresh and allowed to fully cure. Shellac ages rapidly when mixed - so it should be mixed from flakes and used within a week to be most durable. The pre-mixed liquid shellac will never harden to a durable finish because it is too "old" before it even makes it out of the factory.

FWIW, we have used shellac on commercial bar-tops with great success - it's a favorite finish.

If you want non-toxic and close to wood but durable I think pure tung oil and buffed wax give a great look, tung oil does take forever to build up enough coats to get a film finish but you don't lose grain distinction and have a near bulletproof and easy to maintain finish.

Depends on your comfort level with toxicity. The only truly non-toxic finishes are based on food products - mineral or vegetable oil and shellac (which is used in candy making and is called confectioner's glaze). Other finishes such as tung oil are toxic in liquid form but the claim is they are non-toxic when cured. In reality, they are less toxic when cured - they still contain harmful chemicals, and it would not be wise to ingest them.

[woodturner]

Tmac happened to be on last night, so I watched it more carefully.

I think the difference between the shows is the intended audience. Norm and Scott Phillips are targeting the rank beginner - so they explain every step in detail and do simplified projects. Roy Underhill is targeting the beginner to intermediate woodworker, but explains one or two things in detail in each show, so that over several shows one can learn the basics.

Tmac is targeting the intermediate to advanced woodworker. As a result, he does more complex projects and doesn't explain every step in detail - because we already know this. His focus is on sharing the tips and tricks that help the intermediate woodworker improve their skills and overcome common problems.

I like the show - he doesn't endlessly repeat information I already know, such as how to hand cut dovetails, but "fills in the blanks" with the tricks and techniques that I care about. For the intermediate to advanced woodworker, Tmac is really the only choice for TV shows, and it's a good one. I do find him entertaining and informative.

I would imagine that a beginning woodworker would find Tmac nearly useless - just as I find Norm's show to be a waste of time to watch (for me).