Anybody out there interested in being the Norm Abrams of metal
working? I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video series along the
lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking and needto
find an interested experienced machinist/toolmaker/enthusiast to be
the "main man". I have an old lathe,several other pieces of shop
equipment, a drill press milling table, an old and a new video camera,
some video editing equipment, several computers with video editing
capabilities,and a garage with room to build a shop.

First, understand that this is only an idea. I've never done it
before. I have the elements of an idea but not the experience. I have
some of the tools but not the know-how. There is no money available
but a lot of enthuisiasm.

The topics for the show(s) would be the basics: setting up a shop
area, rehabilitating an old lathe, choosing basic tooling for the
lathe, doing a first turning, milling with minimal equipement, basic
precision measuring with calipers, micrometers etc, basic lathe
operations, anything and everything an aspiring home metalworker might
be interested in. It would be pitched to the public television market.

If you live near middle Tennessee and would like to explore the idea
further, please let me know.

Mike Slowey

Mike Slowey wrote:

Anybody out there interested in being the Norm Abrams of metal
working? I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video series along the
lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking and needto
find an interested experienced machinist/toolmaker/enthusiast to be
the "main man". I have an old lathe,several other pieces of shop
equipment, a drill press milling table, an old and a new video camera,
some video editing equipment, several computers with video editing
capabilities,and a garage with room to build a shop.

First, understand that this is only an idea. I've never done it
before. I have the elements of an idea but not the experience. I have
some of the tools but not the know-how. There is no money available
but a lot of enthuisiasm.

The topics for the show(s) would be the basics: setting up a shop
area, rehabilitating an old lathe, choosing basic tooling for the
lathe, doing a first turning, milling with minimal equipement, basic
precision measuring with calipers, micrometers etc, basic lathe
operations, anything and everything an aspiring home metalworker might
be interested in. It would be pitched to the public television market.

If you live near middle Tennessee and would like to explore the idea
further, please let me know.

Mike Slowey

I spent about 10 years doing video production for a cable local
origination channel (not access). I thought about the same concept a
number of times, but never did run into a suitable on-air personality.
Another problem is the fact that it would have to be a rather large team
project with folks who have a lot of time to dedicate in order to make a
weekly series. A huge amount of time just to put together the
theme/topics/projects for each program, then time to scout locations
since you'd want to visit commercial shops for a lot of it, more time to
shoot it, post it, market it to cable companies, etc. Significant
investment in time and money to get it off the ground.

Pete C.

"Mike Slowey" wrote: (clip) I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video
series along the lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In order to do a show that is truly imitative of the Norm Abrams show, you
would have to have every high end dedicated power tool known to man. Might
be better to do a show patterned after the Roy Underhill show. Has there
ever been a metal-working pole lathe? ;-)

"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"Mike Slowey" wrote: (clip) I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video
series along the lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In order to do a show that is truly imitative of the Norm Abrams show, you
would have to have every high end dedicated power tool known to man. Might
be better to do a show patterned after the Roy Underhill show. Has there
ever been a metal-working pole lathe? ;-)


The OP's idea is too useful and educational for today's TV shows. There used
to be some great how-to shows like Norm's NYW and the above mention Roy
Underhill's Woodwright's Shop, a show just on router projects and
techniques, a furniture show, Modern Masters which on occasions highlight
welding/metalworking inspirations and few more others. Its mostly replaced
with shows with high drama depicting incompatible personalities under high
pressure working conditions and impossible deadlines - i.e., the new reality
motorcycle and hot rod fabrication shows.

Its mostly replaced
with shows with high drama depicting incompatible personalities under high
pressure working conditions and impossible deadlines - i.e., the new
reality
motorcycle and hot rod fabrication shows.


Thats right. The other night I was giving my son a little lathe lesson
making parts for his bicycle, and he kept a running commentary going along
the lines on "They've got to get this done tonight or the bike won't be
finished in time for the big race etc etc." It took a minute for me to
catch on, but then it occurred to me that to him, making parts in a shop
always involves crazy deadlines and teetering on the brink stress- just like
on TV!! So I stopped and said no, we're going slow and getting it done just
right. If we're not finished tonight, oh well...

He was quite interested, though, and he really catches on quick.

BTW - it's Norm Abram (no "s"). I was in Home Depot once and they had
signs up announcing a promotional visit by Norm. The signs had been
printed as "Abrams" and they all had the "s" crossed off. LOL
Bob

--You might want to take this thread to Jesse James' site; he's
got money, brains and a network that follows him around. He's just about
through with MG; this could be his next project! :-)


jim rozen wrote:
: Actually an interesting thought. Try this on for size: don't
: make it just studio, go out on location and visit with several different
: HSM types to get a feel for their shops. You can still have
: a 'local' project but mix in some material from a variety of
: viewpoints.

: Antique machinery

: Model making

: Small business shops

: Casting

: Home-build NC stuff

: Gunsmithing

: Car/motorcycle restoration

: etc.

: Jim


: --
: ==================================================
: please reply to:
: JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
: ==================================================

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Doodle doodle dee
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Wubba wubba wubba...
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

That'd be a great show, especially for newbies like me who's still just
getting started rehabbing this old South Bend lathe.

It's tough to do. Back in the early 90s I did a show "That Darned
Computer" for local cable origination. It took a huge crew all week
just to get a half an hour into the can. We were really too soon
though. The syndication route found no one willing to buy into the fact
that anyone would watch a computer/tech oriented how-to/news show. That
was about 3 years before ZDTV and CNET TV.

Tilman

tillius wrote:

That'd be a great show, especially for newbies like me who's still just
getting started rehabbing this old South Bend lathe.

It's tough to do. Back in the early 90s I did a show "That Darned
Computer" for local cable origination. It took a huge crew all week
just to get a half an hour into the can. We were really too soon
though. The syndication route found no one willing to buy into the fact
that anyone would watch a computer/tech oriented how-to/news show. That
was about 3 years before ZDTV and CNET TV.

Tilman

Video production is a little faster and easier now with non-linear
editing being the norm. Even so, to produce a seasons worth of a weekly
program would probably take a full time crew of about 20 about six
months.

Pete C.

"Pete C." wrote: Video production is a little faster and easier now with
non-linear editing being the norm. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What is non-linear editing?

On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 14:12:36 -0600, Mike Slowey
wrote:

Anybody out there interested in being the Norm Abrams of metal
working? I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video series along the
lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking and needto
find an interested experienced machinist/toolmaker/enthusiast to be
the "main man". I have an old lathe,several other pieces of shop
equipment, a drill press milling table, an old and a new video camera,
some video editing equipment, several computers with video editing
capabilities,and a garage with room to build a shop.

First, understand that this is only an idea. I've never done it
before. I have the elements of an idea but not the experience. I have
some of the tools but not the know-how. There is no money available
but a lot of enthuisiasm.

The topics for the show(s) would be the basics: setting up a shop
area,

Translation: Someone to help me build my shop.

rehabilitating an old lathe,

Translation: And help get this old POS lathe I've got working
correctly.

choosing basic tooling for the lathe,

Translation: Take me shopping.

doing a first turning, milling with minimal equipement,

Translation: And fix this old ****in' miller I found behind a
warehouse.

basic precision measuring with calipers, micrometers etc, basic lathe
operations, anything and everything an aspiring home metalworker might
be interested in.

Translation: And answer all of my incessant newbie questions from
hell.

It would be pitched to the public television market.

Translation: Th' videos will be thrown in th' garbage after my stuff
is done.

If you live near middle Tennessee and would like to explore the idea
further, please let me know.

Translation: C'mon suckah... I know yer out there, heh, heh.

Mike Slowey

Sorry man, couldn't help m'self. Good luck snerk.

Snarl

What is non-linear editing?

Linear editing is done tape to tape, so to get to a clip, you have to
move forward or backward through the tape. Non-linear editing is
possible now because of advances in digital video. With non-linear
editing, you can instantly move from one point in video to another in
either direction and final output is usually able to be done without
generational loss in quality.

Computer Generated graphics are also much easier to integrate thanks to
advances in digital technology.

By the way, on That Darned Computer we did employ early linear editing
technology. Even so, it still took 12 of us all week (10 hour days) to
put the half hour (21 minutes) in the can.

Tillman

Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Pete C." wrote: Video production is a little faster and easier now with
non-linear editing being the norm. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What is non-linear editing?

Computer based editing where you can randomly access and arrange /
preview segments, as opposed to the old tape based editing where you had
to work in an essentially linear fashion building the final edit master
and also had to sequentially search through your source tapes for the
material you needed.

Pete C.

In article , Pete C. says...

What is non-linear editing?

Computer based editing where you can randomly access and arrange /
preview segments, as opposed to the old tape based editing where you had
to work in an essentially linear fashion

Like a steenbeck table.

One step up from a moviola.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

It took a minute for me to
catch on, but then it occurred to me that to him, making parts in a shop
always involves crazy deadlines and teetering on the brink stress- just
like
on TV!!


You mean it doesn't! It sure feels that way to me!

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Pete C." wrote: Video production is a little faster and easier now
with
non-linear editing being the norm. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What is non-linear editing?

Computer based editing where you can randomly access and arrange /
preview segments, as opposed to the old tape based editing where you had
to work in an essentially linear fashion building the final edit master
and also had to sequentially search through your source tapes for the
material you needed.

Pete C.

cut & paste/drag & drop with video (and associated audio) clips rather than
text.

Thanks to all for your ideas and information. I am enlightened and
informed from all yourideas and suggestions. Admittedly, there is a
lot I don't know about doing such a project.

And to the last guy, I see how you got your nickname. Just keep
snarling from under the porch. Maybe someone will take pity on you and
throw you a bone. LOL

Mike


On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:26:10 -0800, wrote:

On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 14:12:36 -0600, Mike Slowey
wrote:

Anybody out there interested in being the Norm Abrams of metal
working? I'm thinking of doing a metalworking video series along the
lines of the New Yankee Workshop except for metalworking and needto
find an interested experienced machinist/toolmaker/enthusiast to be
the "main man". I have an old lathe,several other pieces of shop
equipment, a drill press milling table, an old and a new video camera,
some video editing equipment, several computers with video editing
capabilities,and a garage with room to build a shop.

First, understand that this is only an idea. I've never done it
before. I have the elements of an idea but not the experience. I have
some of the tools but not the know-how. There is no money available
but a lot of enthuisiasm.

The topics for the show(s) would be the basics: setting up a shop
area,

Translation: Someone to help me build my shop.

rehabilitating an old lathe,

Translation: And help get this old POS lathe I've got working
correctly.

choosing basic tooling for the lathe,

Translation: Take me shopping.

doing a first turning, milling with minimal equipement,

Translation: And fix this old ****in' miller I found behind a
warehouse.

basic precision measuring with calipers, micrometers etc, basic lathe
operations, anything and everything an aspiring home metalworker might
be interested in.

Translation: And answer all of my incessant newbie questions from
hell.

It would be pitched to the public television market.

Translation: Th' videos will be thrown in th' garbage after my stuff
is done.

If you live near middle Tennessee and would like to explore the idea
further, please let me know.

Translation: C'mon suckah... I know yer out there, heh, heh.

Mike Slowey

Sorry man, couldn't help m'self. Good luck snerk.

Snarl

jim rozen wrote:

In article , Pete C. says...

What is non-linear editing?

Computer based editing where you can randomly access and arrange /
preview segments, as opposed to the old tape based editing where you had
to work in an essentially linear fashion

Like a steenbeck table.

One step up from a moviola.

Jim

--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

But usually lower resolution. Of course audio is easier to deal with.

Pete C.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 09:36:30 -0600, Mike Slowey wrote:
Thanks to all for your ideas and information. I am enlightened and
informed from all yourideas and suggestions. Admittedly, there is a
lot I don't know about doing such a project.

And to the last guy, I see how you got your nickname. Just keep
snarling from under the porch. Maybe someone will take pity on you and
throw you a bone. LOL

It's called humor, Mike. You need to grow a thicker skin if you're
going to get along in the world of Usenet.

On 4 Nov 2005 16:03:06 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 09:36:30 -0600, Mike Slowey wrote:
Thanks to all for your ideas and information. I am enlightened and
informed from all yourideas and suggestions. Admittedly, there is a
lot I don't know about doing such a project.

And to the last guy, I see how you got your nickname. Just keep
snarling from under the porch. Maybe someone will take pity on you and
throw you a bone. LOL

It's called humor, Mike. You need to grow a thicker skin if you're
going to get along in the world of Usenet.

You're right, I'm sure. It's only a chigger bite. Not worth the effort
to scratch.

I stupidly got suckered into responding... And you stupidly got
suckered into preaching about it...

Such is life.

To all who gave useful suggestions, thank you.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 09:36:30 -0600, Mike Slowey
wrote:

Thanks to all for your ideas and information. I am enlightened and
informed from all yourideas and suggestions. Admittedly, there is a
lot I don't know about doing such a project.

And to the last guy, I see how you got your nickname.

I don't have a nick name, Snarl is my real, legal, name.

Just keep
snarling from under the porch. Maybe someone will take pity on you and
throw you a bone. LOL

Might throw something, but I doubt it'd be edible g.

Lighten up Mike, was just havin' some fun, albeit at your expense...
'tis life in th' fast lane of usenet man. We're *all* fair game in
here and if getting a little ribbing once in awhile is too much for
ya, perhaps growin' a carapice is in order?

Snarl... like I said before, good luck

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 13:52:30 -0600, Mike Slowey wrote:
On 4 Nov 2005 16:03:06 GMT, Dave Hinz wrote:

It's called humor, Mike. You need to grow a thicker skin if you're
going to get along in the world of Usenet.

I stupidly got suckered into responding... And you stupidly got
suckered into preaching about it...

I wasn't preaching, I was trying to _help_ you. Bye, Mike.

"Mike Slowey" wrote: (clip) I stupidly got suckered into responding... And
you stupidly got suckered into preaching about it...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And you stupidly continue to show resentment about it. I thought it was
pretty funny. Maybe the reason you don't is that it contains more than a
grain of truth.

You're right, I'm sure. It's only a chigger bite. Not worth the effort
to scratch.

You ever got chigger bits - those suckers can irritate you for weeks!
DAMHIKT

Tillman

In article ,
"Leo Lichtman" wrote:

"Mike Slowey" wrote: (clip) I stupidly got suckered into responding... And
you stupidly got suckered into preaching about it...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And you stupidly continue to show resentment about it. I thought it was
pretty funny. Maybe the reason you don't is that it contains more than a
grain of truth.

I thought when I went to this newsgroup I would be talking to adult
craftsmen honestly interested in sharing their interest in burning and
turning metal. I guess I was wrong.

I'm cured, now, boys.

"Mike Slowey" wrote: I thought when I went to this newsgroup I would be
talking to adult craftsmen honestly interested in sharing their interest in
burning and turning metal. I guess I was wrong.
I'm cured, now, boys.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If anyone feels a sense of loss because of what I said, I apologize.

--All true! Bottom line, tho, is that if we want to grow the
hobby something like this wouldn't hurt. I'd *love* to see a show about
machining. I think the real problem with a show like this would be the
projects that one would want to present. That is to say, even the
longest projects on NYW only take two half-hour segments to complete.
I've a feeling that even the *simplest* metalworking project would take
two half-hour segments; the really fun ones would take most of a
season, yes?

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Doodle doodle dee
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Wubba wubba wubba...
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

steamer wrote:

--All true! Bottom line, tho, is that if we want to grow the
hobby something like this wouldn't hurt. I'd *love* to see a show about
machining. I think the real problem with a show like this would be the
projects that one would want to present. That is to say, even the
longest projects on NYW only take two half-hour segments to complete.
I've a feeling that even the *simplest* metalworking project would take
two half-hour segments; the really fun ones would take most of a
season, yes?

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Doodle doodle dee
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Wubba wubba wubba...
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

You'd have to heavily time compress it for the short attention span
audiences. Even so you could probably still get away with 4-6 episode
projects as long as they were interesting enough. One episode can
certainly be a composite of a weeks worth of activity and a six week
(real time) project is not unreasonable.

Pete C.

Mike Slowey wrote in article
...

I thought when I went to this newsgroup I would be talking to adult
craftsmen honestly interested in sharing their interest in burning and
turning metal. I guess I was wrong.

I'm cured, now, boys.


You obviously did NOT lurk around the group before posting, otherwise you
would have caught an episode or two of "High School Confidential", "Sesame
Street", and "Romper Room".

There are a few true metalworking hobbyists here, but they are rapidly
being overwhelmed by people who prove that the computer has become
"user-friendly" to all levels of intelligence.....even those levels totally
lacking any trace of intelligence.

On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 22:36:54 -0600, Mike Slowey
wrote:

In article ,
"Leo Lichtman" wrote:

"Mike Slowey" wrote: (clip) I stupidly got suckered into responding... And
you stupidly got suckered into preaching about it...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And you stupidly continue to show resentment about it. I thought it was
pretty funny. Maybe the reason you don't is that it contains more than a
grain of truth.

I thought when I went to this newsgroup I would be talking to adult
craftsmen honestly interested in sharing their interest in burning and
turning metal. I guess I was wrong.

I'm cured, now, boys.

You've obviously never worked in a machine shop environment surrounded
by adult craftsmen. Even in the real world, as opposed to yours fer
instance, there's this phenomenon called levity.

Not to be confused with a physics term applied to what happens when
one straps buttered toast (butter side up) to th' back of a cat, which
is then dropped (upside down) from a height of say 4'. That would be
a perpetual motion levitation device[1].

However it would also be quite humorous (levity), which is where this
adult craftsman is going with this particular diatribe. Humor is
commonplace in vocations that involve th' very real potential for very
bad things to happen, every day, to those so engaged. Not that it's
limited to such professions, mind you, th' concentration is just
higher. As is th' IQ of humorists in general.

It appears that your humor muscle has been severely strained, perhaps
even completely torn. Dr. Snarl prescribes that you thoroughly
convalesce prior to returning for further interaction herein. Try th'
buttered cat experiment, it's been known to cure torn humor muscles
like magic. See! Even thinking about it made ya smile... hope it
wasn't too painful.

Snarl... or take yer ball and go home

[1] Attributions to th' buttered cat theorem goes to th' Mad
Feculator, world reknown lead physicist of Cats Ass Technology(tm).

In article ,
"Pete C." wrote:

steamer wrote:

--All true! Bottom line, tho, is that if we want to grow the
hobby something like this wouldn't hurt. I'd *love* to see a show about
machining. I think the real problem with a show like this would be the
projects that one would want to present. That is to say, even the
longest projects on NYW only take two half-hour segments to complete.
I've a feeling that even the *simplest* metalworking project would take
two half-hour segments; the really fun ones would take most of a
season, yes?

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : Doodle doodle dee
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : Wubba wubba wubba...
http://www.nmpproducts.com/intro.htm
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

You'd have to heavily time compress it for the short attention span
audiences. Even so you could probably still get away with 4-6 episode
projects as long as they were interesting enough. One episode can
certainly be a composite of a weeks worth of activity and a six week
(real time) project is not unreasonable.

Pete C.

Okay, guys. I'm over it. Yea, I like humor as much as the next guy. Next
time my BS filter will be better tuned to look out for it.

That said, let's look at the original idea.

There was a considerable response to the idea which says to me that
there is the germ of an idea here. And with respect to those of you who
have first hand video production experience, I'm sure you're right about
all the time and trouble it could cost to do something like this. But.
think about this...

Suppose each of you who have some metalworking project you are proud of
should take movies or stills of your project and then gather them all
some place. If you had a place where the more basic ones could be
stored, like your companion web-site, or a totally new web site, then
suppose you made the site have more appeal by word-of-mouth or other
promotion to the general public. Then, after several months do a little
site analysis to see what kind of viewership it generated. From this you
could get some idea of the amount of interest out there.

Assuming there is interest, you already have the web contents of this
site "in the can" to show to potential sponsors and you have your
viewership data (assuming there is good data and good results). Now, you
could feel confident about having a need in the market, and having the
people who could meet that need, i.e. those of you that have built the
web contents and those of you who contribute in the second step, so you
could proceed with getting a little more quality for a second project or
second episode.

Take a step at a time get the data, get the content, get the need met.
Grow a little bit after each step.

It could happen.

Mike