Charles Neil Finishing DVDs

[Dave Mendoza]

I'm thinking of taking the plunge and purchasing Charles Neil's Finishing DVD set (10 DVDs). I've been building for quite some time, but I have never been satisfied with my finishing techniques. I've purchased several books, but it seems I can't get it right. I went as far as purchasing a Fuji HVLP to help with the finishing. It helped some, but I am still not happy. I wanted to know if there is anyone out there that took the plunge and is happy with their purchase. Thanks in advance.

Mods feel free to move to approriate area.

[Tony Bilello]

Maybe if you filled out a profile and members here know where you live, they might invite you to their shop and teach you how to spray.
Since I am not familiar with Charles Neil's DVD's all I can say is in general, One DVD is worth more than all of the books you can ever read. Watching body motion is something that cant be put into words.

[William Hutchinson]

I have the DVD set and consider it a tremendous reference for woodworkers learning and improving finishing techniques. I would suggest that you visit his website and watch the previews and the other free stuff. This will give you a taste of how the information is presented. The videos are not professionally produced and sound quality can be a distraction. If you want a step-by-step approach, this series will not satisfy your need.

On first viewing, these videos are overwhelming with information. On subsequent viewing, I acquired a better understanding of the process of making finishing choices for specific applications; or at least knowing the products to select when testing on scraps.

Mr. Neil is a professional woodworker whose livelihood depends on moving quality pieces of furniture out the door. He stresses that finishing should be considered at the conception of each project. He is opinionated and provides the explanations for the types of products he selects. There is no question of his abilities, but sometimes he takes off down a dirt road before returning to the black top. If you don’t like the southern self-depreciation and folksy style, these videos will leave you screaming. But where I come from, he sounds just fine.

[Dave Mendoza]

LOL, I live in Virginia, so the accent is not distracting. I took a look at all his previews online. I do enjoy his style. I frequent Woodcraft and have seen quite a bit of his video reviews. I enjoy his method of delivery. Very entertaining and some great info.

I also noticed I missed his 1/2 off sale from early this summer. I'm willing to the take plunge, I just wanted to check and get any reviews from folks that already own the DVD set. I appreciate your info.

[Tony Bilello]

How much does the entire set of his DVD's on finishing cost?

[Dave Mendoza]

Originally Posted by Tony Bilello

How much does the entire set of his DVD's on finishing cost?

Hartville Tool has them for a few cents under $122. Early this summer, Charles Neil had all his DVDs for 1/2 off, so it would have been $80 for the set plus $10 or so for S/H. I'm not in a rush right now, because I'm currently building a wall unit that will be painted.

[Jerry White]

I have the set and I think it is worthwhile. As William said above the sound could be better (the sound quality has improved on his later sets). The style is different from slick studio produced videos. Charles does not let a predetermined time limit stand in his way of presenting the complete "how to and why". The total viewing time for this set is just over 13 hours and it covers A LOT!

Tony, Charles lists his price as $135.95. Here is a link to Charles' video store:

http://charlesneilwoodworking.com/dvdstore.php

To see the finishing series description you will need to scroll down.

[Tony Bilello]

Thanks for the info. I didn't really want to order it, I was just wondering how much they cost because i was going to suggest that you might hire a refinishing shop to teach you how to spray. You can get the basics in less than an hours worth of practice. It's just nice to have someone there when you are spraying to say "closer, closer, a little faster movement" etc.
Hiring a refinishing shop is the ideal place to practice. You can practice on pieces that have to be stripped anyway. That way you get your practice on real furniture instead of being an expert on spraying cardboard boxes. I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but this could happen. There is a point at which you get too 'comfortable' in a safety zone and will never leave.

[Dan Mitchell]

Originally Posted by William Hutchinson

I have the DVD set and consider it a tremendous reference for woodworkers learning and improving finishing techniques. I would suggest that you visit his website and watch the previews and the other free stuff. This will give you a taste of how the information is presented. The videos are not professionally produced and sound quality can be a distraction. If you want a step-by-step approach, this series will not satisfy your need.

On first viewing, these videos are overwhelming with information. On subsequent viewing, I acquired a better understanding of the process of making finishing choices for specific applications; or at least knowing the products to select when testing on scraps.

Mr. Neil is a professional woodworker whose livelihood depends on moving quality pieces of furniture out the door. He stresses that finishing should be considered at the conception of each project. He is opinionated and provides the explanations for the types of products he selects. There is no question of his abilities, but sometimes he takes off down a dirt road before returning to the black top. If you don’t like the southern self-depreciation and folksy style, these videos will leave you screaming. But where I come from, he sounds just fine.

How very well put, William!

Dan

[William Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by Tony Bilello

Thanks for the info. I didn't really want to order it, I was just wondering how much they cost because i was going to suggest that you might hire a refinishing shop to teach you how to spray. You can get the basics in less than an hours worth of practice. It's just nice to have someone there when you are spraying to say "closer, closer, a little faster movement" etc.
... I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but this could happen. There is a point at which you get too 'comfortable' in a safety zone and will never leave.

Tony, I agree, taking an actual finishing course is an outstanding way to learn. I for one can't take the extended time or expense to learn at the knees of a master.

However, this DVD series is a fountainhead and will serve as a reference for a lifetime of finishing. While spraying techniques are covered what's, IMO, most important is learning the chemical properties of products to obtain a desired result. How and when to use water/oil based finishes, dyes/stains/pigments, and finishing-the-finish are all included as well. You will still have to learn with actual experience but the learning curve is not as steep.

These video will not improve your dovetails, but mastering the skills in this series will take your projects finish from an amateurish to professional.

[Brian Loucks]

Dave,
Like you I have never been quite satisfied with my finishing. Usually a coat or two of Minwax then maybe rub on a coat of wax. Decent results but nothing spectacular. Charles DVD 's opened up a whole new world of finishing techniques and products for me. He definitely has a different teaching approach. His meandering way and if he makes a mistake he shows you how to correct it is real world stuff. No glitz here, just good solid information. Check out his website and You Tube.
Best wishes, Brian