54 – Interview With Chris Schwarz

May 25, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer
Filed under: All Videos, On the Road 

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This past April, we had to good fortune of visiting with the folks at Popular Woodworking in Cincinnati, OH. We got a bunch of footage at the Pop. WW’ing headquarters (including a quick interview with Glen Huey) as well as a tour of Chris Schwarz’s home. We capped the day off with an interview with Chris in his own shop. The unfortunate news is that one of our tapes had a fatal flaw in it. So the only recoverable footage was this interview with Chris. Fortunately, it was a very fun interview and I think you will like it. Be sure to check out Chris’s Woodworking Magazine Blog as well as his Lost Art Press Blog. And while you’re at it, check out Popular Woodworking Magazine for some great woodworking content.


Comments

19 Responses to “54 – Interview With Chris Schwarz”
  1. Skee says:

    Great stuff. The power / hand tool stuff was good to watch and hear.

    I figure the messed up tape is like a piece of wood. They don’t all come out the way you want them to. Such is the nature of doing projects.

    As always, thanks for the effort and energy Marc,

    Skee

  2. Denis Rezendes (Teen Age Woodworker) says:

    nice interview Marc!
    you and Chris seemed to get along good! he has a nice shop there to.

  3. Vic says:

    Man, you get to do all the fun stuff and meet all the cool people!
    I was happy to see Schwartz’ shop isn’t much less messy than mine.
    Thanks for taking us places we wouldn’t have the chance to go on our own. It’s almost like you have some sort of magical powers..hmmm?

  4. MorningWood says:

    OMG!, OMG!, OMG! the SCHWAAAARRRZ!!!

    Nice interview Marc. Must have been a blast to meet Chris.

    Eric

  5. Allen in Ohio says:

    Hey Mr. Spagnolo, you spelled Cincinnati wrong. ;-)

    I know people who live here who spell it with two t’s, so I guess I can let you off the hook on that one.

  6. Don says:

    I loved this interview. I really enjoyed seeing Chris’s home shop, as it is the same size as mine (half of a 2 car garage), and it is a mess, like mine. I also loved the fact that he didnt have all the top of the line power tools to work with (old 12″ band saw, old powermatic planer, etc.) , and I liked the fact that he had his grandfather’s work bench in use.You also answered a question I have had for a long time….Which bench does he like most? Thanks for the interview.
    Don

  7. Tom Hoffman says:

    Wonderful interview. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris and his wife in Oakland, CA at the Lie-Nielsen, BridgeCity, Glen Drake, etc. demo day. What a wonderful guy.

    It totally amazes me the “prolific-ness” (is that a word?) of Mr. Schwarz’s writing. He has to be the most prolific writer, blogger, rumindator, woodworker known to mandkind, and this video interview explained why! Keep it up, Chris!

  8. Craig says:

    Marc,

    Nice interview! What I always find incredible about Chris is how he is immersed in woodworking all day at his day job, but still loves to build stuff in his basement shop when he comes home. He’s one of “us” which is why I think he’s become so “Popular”. Pun intended!

    Craig

  9. Christopher Schwarz says:

    The whole interview is accurate. I just want to point out that it really has been at least 37 years since I actually soiled myself.

    Chris

  10. Greg says:

    Great internview. I thought you asked all the right questions and got all the right answers. It was nice to see that Chris’ shop is a balance of hand and power tools. Too bad about the lost footage, I would have loved to have seen your time with Glen. He seems to be a great guy and actually took time to help me out personally by signing a his book for my brother’s birthday.

    I love the publication and will continue to be loyal subscriber. BTW…Chris’ book is at the top of my father’s day wish list.

  11. Ryan says:

    Great job, and Chris is a superstar. He’s been gracious and helpful since I met him at a Marc Adams class which was led by him. We’re lucky in Cincy to have him.

  12. Muddler Mike says:

    LOL Chris! Nice to see you dropped in to catch the interview. As everyone else mentioned, it’s nice to see that many of our woodworking “heros” have similar shops and shop time issues just like all of us Jon-Q-woodworkers – even if your job is all about woodworking. It keeps it real for many of us.

    Thanks Marc – well worth the wait!!!

    Mike

  13. Mattias in Durham, NC says:

    That’s great – thanks for posting the interview!

  14. Germain says:

    Great interview. I’m currently in the process of building Chris’s French Workbench. (Although, I can’t get Southern Yellow Pine in Colorado.) I notice his bench doesn’t have the floor vice or the crochet. He has a twin screw vice.

    What’s up with that, Chris? I though you liked the crochet?

  15. Ryan says:

    Mark-
    I know a lot of us would like to buy you a beer sometime. If you are even back in Cincy, its on me. Any chance of you putting up a travel calendar so these regional visits won’t go unnoticed?

  16. I am glad everyone is enjoying the interview. Chris is a good sport to put up with my nonsense, lol.

    And thanks Ryan. If I am in the area again I will take you up on that offer. In most cases, when we travel, we let everyone know where we are going, but only if we have time to socialize while we are there. The Cincy trip was not one of those times. lol. The real reason we were there was for a wedding. I decided to tack on a trip to Popular Woodworking and the Wood Werks Store. Quite a weekend! In the future, you can check the Woodworkers Calendar for our appearances and travel schedule.
    http://thewoodwhisperer.com/woodworkers-calendar/

  17. Allen in Ohio says:

    Hey Ryan, if Marc does make it back to Cincy with time to spare I’ll buy a round.

    Whereabouts in Cincinnati are you? Didn’t know there were other Southern Ohioans hanging about.

  18. Ryan says:

    Allen-I’m in Loveland. I can be reached at gugnheim@gmail.com

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