[OP]
Member
Just wondering how many on this forum keep up with "The English Woodworker's" posts and videos.
Many of my valuable takeaways have been from Richard's throwaway lines or watching how he sets something up such as his method of cutting half blind dovetails from the horizontal vs. vertical.
Anyway just curious if anyone else finds his work useful.
ken
Member
His videos are very well-done and spare us the ego-tripping banter that his countryman Paul Sellers is so prone to. Even his video set-ups are artful, right now to the snick-snick of a sharp plane used well. Both are accomplished for sure, but Richard is so much easier to abide.
Member
Updates about his blog go to my email and I'm subscribed to him on YouTube. Right now, I'm kicking around buying some lumber and a square or getting his spoon rack video. As near as I can tell, he's a fantastic teacher: succinct, funny, anticipatory of problems, and very clear. He reminds me of Graham Haydon but with more man bun.
As someone new to all this, he's one of my top five resources.
Contributor
Hi Ken I follow Richard's presentations on UT. I am not buying his premium presentations although have thought about it. I think his approach is interesting and he makes a living at it with his MacGuire Benches. He has some good info and just seems to do the work without much fanfare. Fun to watch.
Jim
Contributor
I like Richard's simple, no-frills approach. Very pragmatic, IMO.
I have absolutely no idea how he might be "ego-tripping" any more or less than Paul Seller's though.
I mostly ignore the philosophical ramblings of any woodworking instructor. I find them both interesting and have learned from both. Paul is clearly a more polished as presenter. I find Richard's stumbling speech and thick accent a bit tougher to follow but not enough to turn it off. I've never seen any of his paid videos. Perhaps they are better.
-- Dan Rode
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle
[OP]
Member
Nope, what you see is what you get....Richard is Richard.Originally Posted by Daniel Rode
His three videos on setting the cap iron are some of the best woodworking videos I've seen on any subject.
ken
Last edited by ken hatch; 09-21-2015 at 4:03 PM.
Member
+1. A very hardworking presenter, but just not the type I could spend a lot of time watching and listening to his speech. No online or TV woodworking teachers out there will suit everyone's taste; even Norm Abram had had his share of naysayers. But I always prefer brief, to-the-point presentations and that's why Rob Cosman's 5-minute dovetail youtube vid is great, but not his long-winded monthly subscriptions.Tommy Mac is good, but his pace (as dictated by the producer) can be too fast for many beginners and he tends to skip or skim over some essential details when compared to Norm.
Ego-tripping? Paul Sellers, if he indeed was doing it (though I don't feel any from his free videos), is more than qualified to do so, I guess, given his huge following.
Simon
Last edited by Simon MacGowen; 09-21-2015 at 4:39 PM.
Member
I bought the spoon rack vids and they are fantastic. Personally, I like both him and Sellers. I don't detect an ego from either. We're frigging woodworkers not Sports Illustrated swimsuit models....well ok some of us are.
Member
I find him quite entertaining, I do try to follow him. On which video is this half blind dovetail approach?
As far as Paul Sellers, I don't find him ego-tripping at all, perhaps it is an accent perception thing. I met him in person back when he was in Waco, he seemed very humble and quite helpful, there is something to be said about someone who gets things done (on video) with a handful of non-specialized tools, on the opposite end of that spectrum I find Norm, who has a tool for each step.
The videos I find very entertaining and I don't even like Windsor chairs much, are Chris B's. He is so pleasant to listen to, so full of knowledge (albeit in a specialized and limited area), but that guy is just awesome to watch, and if you are into chair building, he is an expert from wood selection to joinery, to tool, the whole deal, entertaining and educational.
Pedro
Member
I love his Youtube content. I am at a phase where I can't get enough of it. I appreciate all of the different approaches offered by these guys. Richard, PS, Fidgen, Cosman, Shannon, and others... They are all different, some are better craftsman, and some are better "Teachers".
As for Richard (English Woodworker) I would love to see more from him.
[OP]
Member
Pedro,
You will find his approach to sawing half blind dovetails on video #5 of the Spoon Rack series.
ken
Member
Looking at your list (and we can add 360 Woodworking to it), I just realized the pay-to-view field is crowded and it must not be easy to attract and retain subscribers.
Simon
Member
How is 360 Woodworking? Seems very power tool centered, doesn't it?
Member
http://www.vox.com/2015/9/22/9370895/man-buns
"For me, chairs and chairmaking are a means to an end. My real goal is to spend my days in a quiet, dustless shop doing hand work on an object that is beautiful, useful and fun to make." --Peter Galbert
Member
Not a subscriber of any online school, but I think Chuck B. is very skilled in hand tools and does use hand tools in addition to power tools. I have met only two woodworkers in the past 20 years who are going solely with hand tools; 99% of the people in my local woodworking club or I know use both, especially for stock preparation (bandsaw, thickness planer etc.).
Simon
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