"Brian Henderson" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 Apr 2006 02:54:51 GMT, "Charley"
wrote:

What Norm has really accomplished with his shows is to get a huge number
of
people interested in woodworking and furniture making who probably would
never have attempted it if they hadn't watched Norm do it. Watching him
makes people say to themselves "I could do that", and then many of them
actually have. With the large number of high schools discontinuing their
shop classes in recent years, the number of people even interested in
doing
woodworking would have been falling significantly faster than it is if it
wasn't for Norm. He is a very good teacher and he shows machining and
assembly steps well enough for people to actually learn how to do it by
just
watching his shows. I don't care if he's not perfect, he's a hero in my
mind
for what he's done for the woodworking public and for increasing interest
in
woodworking among our young generation, many of whom might not have ever
picked up a tool and built something out of wood if it wasn't for Norm. We
need him and more like him.

That's right, that's exactly what he is. He's the guy that gets
people who have never held a hammer to think they could do what he
does. But it doesn't take too long after you've got that hammer in
your hand to realize that what Norm does isn't what you should be
striving for. He's like the high school English teacher when you're
trying to be a professional novelist. He'll get you started, but it
doesn't take too long before you outgrow him and have to move on.

I watched him for the first time 18 years ago. I had a bit of a history
with tools, but I credit him for inspiring me. Even still I long to be able
to build what he builds.

The thing is, the mistakes that Norm makes, he could EASILY do better.

Can you give some examples, please? I watch his show and I see little if
anything wrong with what he does. I read Fine Woodworking, I lurk here, I
converse with woodworkers I know and I spend my own time and money working
wood. Am I retarded?

If you're trying to show beginners how to do things, you don't show
them how to do it easy and take shortcuts, you show them how to do it
right the first time. I don't think he's really quite sure what his
audience is. He produces servicable work, sure, but what he makes is
more suited to the weekend handyman with a couple of power tools, but
how he does it seems aimed at the dedicated craftsman with a huge
budget for every power tool under the sun. And the wood he uses seems
aimed at high-end artists who cringe when he paints over antique pine.
It seems to me that he's trying to be all things to all people and
isn't doing any of it particularly well.

I admit I don't like it when he stains and glazes a large cherry piece of
furniture, but I also admit that I usually like how it looks when he's done.
I won't do it that way, but I still think he does a good job.

I would also like to know how come he never seems to inflict all the tearout
I do when he's milling with power tools. Even with a freshly sharpened
blade I have to take the time (and lots of it) to score the fibres on a
piece that's going to show. I use backer boards and the whole bit, but I
never seem to be able to measure up to Norm's lofty standard.

If he's not so good, how did YOU get beyond him?

- Owen -