Has the term inspiration become obsolete? After reading the message I
think I know what direction I would not look for any. What does Cantor
expect? Watch a half hour program and the viewer will have the ability
to build anything?

These shows simply demonstrate what can be done if a person is willing
to apply themselves.

I don't mind giving Norm and all the others some of the credit for
inspiring me. I've watched many of those programs over the last three
or four decades and have learned a lot from them.

I started small years ago building furniture, a rec room and various
DIY projects, and ended up designing and building the house I live in
today.

When I say build I mean I did the building. I hired a contractor to do
the foundation. I did most of the rest of the work with help from
friends and family.

I'm presently building kitchen cupboards, much the same as I saw Norm
building cupboards on his show. I'll post a few photos of the house
and some utility room cupboards I built for practice on
alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking

As for Mr Cantor, I'd give him the credit for having the ability to
discourage someone from ever starting because it will be too hard.

Out of curiosity, has Cantor ever built anything or is he just an
inspector?

By the way, I worked all my adult live as a Technician and didn't know
the first thing about hanging a picture frame when I started. I
learned from my mistakes and kept at it. If Norm can do it so can I.

LdB



David Nebenzahl wrote


Well, I don't personally hate him. Don't even know the guy.

But that's the title of the latest piece by one of my favorite
columnists in the /Berkeley Daily Planet/, Matt Cantor, local owner of a
home-inspection business who writes a weekly column on home repair and
maintenance.

Here's a sample:

I do genuinely hate these specific shows: "Hometime," "This Old House"
and "The New Yankee Workshop." I hate them for one simple reason: they
make most people feel like idiots. Even if a show only demonstrates how
to build a basic chest of drawers, it does a lousy job of preparing the
average Joe or Joan for the task. In the end, the show provides nothing
more than boutique shopping and showing off. I suppose that would be a
lot of fun if you only want to learn that you—as a homeowner or stock
broker or bank clerk—know nothing about houses or furniture or nails and
that you’ll never stand a chance of doing more than hanging a picture on
the wall.

On shows like these, the jobs are made to look so darned easy. All the
materials are waiting for assembly and nothing is spoiled, the wrong
type or missing. The air gun never misfires and the compressor never
needs to be drained (yes, you have to drain compressors daily because
they fill up with water and will rust out if you don’t do so). That’s
another thing I hate: in actuality, there are many small details that
fill a contractor’s day (or your day when you play contractor) but
they’re neatly edited out, just as they are in a cooking show. Just pop
the raw one in the oven and Voila, the new freshly baked one comes right
out of the other oven.

(See article at
http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue.../article/33531)