HGTV disasters

[Frank Orzehoski]

Then again, had he been standing directly behind the plywood, he might have had enough control of the piece to not cause a kickback in the first place! Think about it--if you're standing off to the side of the plane of the blade, pushing a piece through straight is not a natural motion by any stretch of the imagination (think about trying to draw a straight line from the near-right corner of your desk to the far left if you're right-handed while sitting square to the desk). I've free-handed plenty of things on the tablesaw with nary a problem.

All that said, I think most of those DIY shows, whether on HGTV, TLC, DIYnetwork, etc. are a huge joke. They're like the TV version of fly-by-night contractors and just trying to ride the coattails of Norm's and Bob's successes.

Jason - took a course here at the local community college here in Bucks County, Pa that has a wood working program and standing directly behind the blade was not an option. If you were using the saw during open shop time and you stood behind the blade and the teacher/assistants caught you, you were told about it. We were taught to stand to the left of the blade so if kickback occured you didn't get hit.

[Jim Becker]

Jason - took a course here at the local community college here in Bucks County, Pa that has a wood working program and standing directly behind the blade was not an option. If you were using the saw during open shop time and you stood behind the blade and the teacher/assistants caught you, you were told about it. We were taught to stand to the left of the blade so if kickback occured you didn't get hit.

Yea, Mark runs a ship-shape-shop!

[Chuck Lenz]

I don't know if this was the same episode, but i also saw one where the carpenter/designer had used a dado blade to make a trench cut in a PT 2x4 (at least 6' length) to recess some pipe.

He did the dado freehanded (no gauge, no nothing) with two hands on the 2x4, one on each side of the blade! Also then proceeded to give it to the homeowner to dado it wider. Freehanded crosscut dado! My jaw almost dropped!

Julian, I believe thats the episode.

[Greg Just]

another well done show that has been on for many years is Hometime. Dean Johnson is pretty good at the jobs they take on and they methods they use to complete a job are normally within the realm of the average homeowner. I'm looking forward to Norm and his 20th anniversary series. TIVO is already to go!

[Gary Keedwell]

Yea...I haven't seen it in awhile, but that was one of my favorite shows. Does he still have 1st run shows?
Gary

[Ron Dunn]

That story about freehand trench cutting sounds almost as bad as the most stupid thing I ever did with a tablesaw.

I had some tree branches I wanted to cut into foot-lengths for a small stove. I removed the blade guard to get some extra depth of cut, held each end of the branch segment, stood in front of the saw, and pushed into the blade.

I think you can imagine the result.

Actually, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. The wood got slammed into the table top, rather than flying into my body. My hands didn't get dragged into the blade.

I don't think I stopped shaking for about 30 minutes.

[Mark Ebert]

Watched TOH yesterday and saw a guy installing trim in a kitchen freehand a scribe cut for base on the table saw, with Norm watching. Not the best way to do it.

Did you happen to notice that the guy free-handing the trim was also missing most of his thumb? I wonder how that happened .

At least it won't get in the way of the blade while making those free-hand cuts

[Frank Orzehoski]

Yea, Mark runs a ship-shape-shop!

Hi Jim. Yes, Mark does do that plus his work, especially his turnings are something to see.

[Frank Orzehoski]

Just like when they say mdf is better then plywood for makeing shelfs. These shows need to start showing proper techniques and better materails for what they are doing. I wonder how many of these homeowners have to have the work redone a few month later due to lack of knowledge and quality materail.

I sent a leter to PBS once to request more "woodworking shows" . They said that they already had several on including, this old house, home time,etc...... . I treid telling them that there is a difference between woodworking and home improvment. Maybe one of these days the networks will get there act together.

Hi Al, tried to do the same thing here in Pa. A complete waste of my time. They lump anything with contracting as woodworking.

[Chuck Burns]

My gripe about these shows is that they make everyone think things are so easy and fast to do. My wife doesn't understand why I take so much longer to do things. She wants to redo the master bath and has threatened to tear everything out so I'd have to do it. But she thinks I'll be able to move the tub and shower, move walls, redo the closets, build new cabinets, tile everything, put radiant heat in the floor, do the elctrical and plumbing in three days.

I told her that there was a reason a contractor would want 20k to do it - it would be a lot of work!

[Steve Rayboy]

Watched TOH yesterday and saw a guy installing trim in a kitchen freehand a scribe cut for base on the table saw, with Norm watching. Not the best way to do it.

I saw that one too, and commented on it to my wife. In 30 years of using a table saw, I've never freehanded a cut. The installer did a good job, but sent the wrong message. Norm should have commented on it.

steve

[Rich Konopka]

No comment about HGTV other than I agree with what has been already said. My local PBS station in Springfield Mass is now showing a new woodworking show that is pretty good. It is call Woodsmith shop. It is from the publishers of Woodsmith, Workbench and Shopnotes magazines. Not bad, a little too basic but a welcome show. It airs right before Norm. I was amazed that it is on PBS because all that out PBS stations show now are the Doo Wap pandering specials.

[Curt Harms]

Just like when they say mdf is better then plywood for makeing shelfs. These shows need to start showing proper techniques and better materails for what they are doing. I wonder how many of these homeowners have to have the work redone a few month later due to lack of knowledge and quality materail.

Then a few months or years later can Mike Holmes come in and go on about what schmucks the original guys were.

[Christopher Pine]

I agree with you all. Like someone said earlier I love watching Mike Holmes. He indeed is out of Canada Eh! (I am not nor ever have been Canadian but I recon I like the way they talk...hmmmm...) He takes it to the other extreme of atomic bomb proof in what he builds.
I used to watch "Trading spaces" until the comedy of it wore off. These designers, some of them, have there noses so far up in the air if it rained they would drown. Then you see what they put together in someones home and how ridiculous it is! I remember different shows where it looked like the circus was going to perfrom in the living room. I did think Paige Davis was nice to watch however. She is a very attractive lady. (No offense intended to any ladies here, I just find her to be a pretty lady).
I know what you all also mean about the networks lumping anything that includes the use of a hammer,nails or screws to be "fine woodworking". It really is interesting how networks think they know somthing that they just throw it all together and see what happens.. I think David Marks woulld have shown them somthing! I understand he turned them down initially when they wanted him to make some "mission furniture" and call it good. He said you can get a lot of other folks to do that. He had his own ideas about creativity and design etc... that is a big part of woodworking as far as I am concerned.
On the other side of that coin I do not like it when some woodworkers put their noses into the air and say "That is not fine woodworking"... they may be correct it is just the snideness of it that bothers me. You have to start somwhere. So when someone does basic woodworking it should be encouraged not looked down ones nose at! (No one specific in mind here just a general comment)
I am stepping off the soap box.
I enjoy you alls observations of these shows scenerios... I don't think I have seen any of the ones mentioned so far.

[Peter Quinn]

HGTV---ugh..how much crap can you make from MDF. I had a request to make a platform bed based on a "design" on some "Junk to spruce up your home on a Dime" type show. Trying to explain that MDF simply can't make the span shown in the show for very long, finally told potential client "That show lasted 30min, bed might last 35 min Tops, and while that may be long enough for you that's not what I do!" Luckily I didn't get that job!

On other fronts, I saw a recent This Old House where a cabinet installer was scribing 6" base molding over very pitched floors around a kitchen island. He was free handing the scribe through a bench top TS with @ 12 degree bevel off the line and finishing with a block plane. He seemed happy as a clam working that way. He never asked the home owner to jump in!When it was ready he put it in place, the camera focused in and Norm exclaimed "Nice job Brian, beautiful!"

Problem is the inside corner miter was opened by at least 3/16"! I guess thats show biz! I'm sure he eventually corrected it because the rest of it looked great. Time is money with the camera rolling. Would have been refreshing if Norm said "Jesus Brian, thats a mess man. Where is your coping saw, your gonna cope that inside corner right? This is a $2mil house we're building here, get it right!"