Now I’ll be honest, I haven’t delved too deeply into the world of traditional design simply because it bores the hell out of me. If you are not a Guild member, you missed a silly little skit of me falling asleep while my Design School teacher (Nicole) recited the Golden Ratio out to 10 decimal places. It was all in good fun, but that satire was rooted in truth. Most design conversations I have observed or been a part of usually don’t go much further than basic proportions and the Golden Ratio. And that, my friends, is why this DVD stands apart as a bright and shining beacon in a sea of sleep-inducing design talk. It simply gives me a basic set of tools that I can immediately put to use in my own work.

I have to admit though, the DVD didn’t have me at hello. Here was the interaction between George’s words and my brain:

George (walking out of old colonial meeting house): “What a great old building!”
My Brain: “Hey look at that nondescript boring white building.”
George: “I’d love to meet the people who built this.”
My Brain: “Here we go….. another guy talking about architecture, pilasters, buttresses and corbels………”
George: “The same principles that helped create this colonial meeting house can be applied to a table or a sideboard or a dresser.”
My Brain: “OK, you’ve captured my interest. Well played Walker…..well played! Now teach me something useful man!

And teach me he did! George did a tremendous job of outlining what he considers to be the fundamentals of good design, and how we can apply those to our furniture using simple whole number ratios. He even designs a piece of furniture right at his drafting table, in two different styles, all while justifying and explaining each and every choice. At some points, it gets a little deep and that just means I’ll be watching it again. But that may be one of the most amazing things about this DVD: I actually DO want to watch it again! I know I missed a few things so I am about to rev up my laptop for another go ’round.

Walker’s explanations and advice are incredibly useful and easy to understand. And as if that weren’t enough, the visuals, graphics and videography are second to none! This is a DVD that sets the bar very high in both quality and content. Kudos to the Lie-Nielsen crew who did all the behind the scenes work.

“Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design” doesn’t just throw terminology in my face and make me run away wondering why I wasted my time studying biology for 4 years when I should have been in design school. It breaks a few simple concepts down into usable chunks that I can actually apply to my woodworking. Such a simple concept, yet something I have yet to experience in my limited exposure to the world of design. And THAT, is worth way more than the price of the DVD. This is a must-have for woodworkers looking to design their own furniture. And if you are working your way “backwards” in your woodworking education, like me, I highly suggest checking out this title.

FYI:
George Walker is now writing a regular column for Popular Woodworking and is featured on the cover of the Feb. 2010 issue. You will also want to check out his blog, Design Matters. For a more detailed description of this DVD, check out Chris Schwarz’s Review. And if you are interested in buying this DVD, you can do so here.

So with a cold glass of citrus green tea, I sat down to 104 minutes of turning school, Popular Woodworking style. After hitting play, I was pleasantly surprised to see Steve immediately jump into turning a chisel handle. Instead of spending 20 minutes filling our heads with terminology and rules, Steve skips the foreplay and gets right down to business. I love this approach because it gives you time to think of questions. “What is that?” “Why did he do that?” “What do you call that tool?” By the time the chisel handle is finished, you are ready to have these questions answered and Steve does exactly that, from turning techniques to sharpening to tool terminology, its all here.

As a self-taught turner, I basically figured out what each tool does and I use it in the way I think it would work best. I don’t always know the how’s and why’s of what I am doing but I know it works. Well, with Steve’s descriptions and demonstrations of the cutting action of each tool, I can safely say that I’ve filled that gap in my knowledge. If I had this information when I did my first turning, I would have saved myself a lot of trial and error. If you are new to turning, there is really no substitute for getting in there and trying it yourself. But if you watch a DVD like this first, you will have a much more satisfying, safe and productive first experience.

Steve’s calm demeanor will guide you through just about everything you need to know to jump into the shop, chuck up a stick and start making shavings. I am giving this DVD a strong recommendation for anyone new to turning, or for those who are self-taught and feel like there may be gaps in their understanding of the fundamentals (like me). Experienced turners may want to take a pass, unless you just can’t get enough turning content.

And please enjoy this short trailer provided by the folks over at Popular Woodworking:

Bill Hall was the lucky winner of our free DVD giveaway! Congrats Bill!

Chris has a friendly and accessible writing style that makes this book read more like a great story than a reference book. A book that teaches you is good. A book that entertains you and educates you without you being aware of it is priceless. The book is chock-full of historical images and information on the workbenches of yesteryear as well as detailed explanations of their features and how they influence the workbenches we know and (sometimes) love today. But with Chris’s anecdotes and light-hearted story-telling, even a person who runs a powertool-focused shop will find that the information is not only palatable, but pleasurable.

I don’t want to create a spoiler here, but after reading this book, you will never look at a workbench the same way again. As I said before, my beautiful workbench that I spent weeks working on (ok maybe it was days, but it sure felt like weeks), is now a painful reminder of my lack of knowledge at the time that I built it. Like many woodworkers, I constructed the bench before I really knew exactly how I would use it. I actually came up with a simple design that reflected the fact that I primarily use power-tools. But now that I am beginning to focus more on the hand tools, it has become clear that a new workbench is on this year’s to-do list.

While Chris strikes me as something of a connoisseur of workbenches, he is by no means snobbish. In fact, he has very down-to-earth theories concerning workbenches, their design, their function, and their looks. One of Chris’s strongest messages is that workbenches don’t need to be made from the most expensive hardest wood. In fact, doing so is completely unnecessary. You’ll have to read the book to find out Chris’s opinion on the best woods for the job, but suffice it to say you will most likely find it at the local home center……..a refreshing change of pace.

The book contains two workbench plans: one English and one French. I am leaning toward the French version myself. The plans are very clear and just about anyone should be able to construct these benches with ease using Chris’s methodology. The Deluxe version of the book comes with a CD that contains bonuses such as the complete and searchable text of the book, 3D models of the two benches in the book, plus a bonus workbench plan and slideshows of the bench-construction process.

I would go so far as to say this book should be a required prerequisite for any woodworker who has any level of interest in workbenches. Whether your current bench is super fancy with all the bells and whistles, or simply a solid-core door on saw horses, you will have some real food for thought after reading this book. I don’t expect everyone to experience the ground-shaking revelation I did, but you will certainly walk away with a better understanding of a workbench’s intended role in a wood shop, and more importantly, YOUR workbenches role in YOUR shop. Now if you will excuse me, I have some day-dreaming to do.
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Chris was kind enough to supply us with one of his books for our January Wood Whisperer Giveaway. I will post an official announcement about that in January. But if you would like to purchase a copy of Workbenches, you can do so here. By the way, this package is an INCREDIBLE value. You are getting a 144-page hardbound book and a cd containing the complete and searchable text of the book, 3D models of the benches, a bonus workbench plan and slideshows of the bench-construction process. In case you weren’t counting, that’s 3 workbench plans in addition to the book. A killer deal for $34.

Check out Chris’s blog at Woodworking-Magazine.com/blog. And if you would like to see what other books and DVD’s Chris has to offer, check out LostArtPress.com/

Before I go into the details here, I would first like to talk about product reviews. I am by no means a “reviewer”. I don’t have standardized testing procedures and I really don’t care to. All I can do is tell you how a product worked in my hands. That doesn’t necessarily indicate how it will work in your hands. But I do feel the “everyday man” approach can sometimes be much more informative than the formal, over-complicated, and “out of touch with the real world” scenarios we read about in many publications. So please take my comments with a grain of salt. They are, after all, one man’s experience.

So why did I upgrade the fence in the first place? I was very happy with my Powermatic fence, but I really liked the idea of micro-adjustability and increased accuracy. I wasn’t convinced that I NEEDED it. I just WANTED it. I am sure you can relate. After all, Incra has a reputation for unparalleled precision and accuracy (excuse the pun). And who wouldn’t want a little more accuracy.

The system was pretty straight forward and the instructions clear. The kit came with a excellent DVD as well. Everything was going smoothly until it was time to align the fence with the blade. In my case I just used my miter slot. Alignment of the fence is accomplished by tightening down the 8 screws that hold the positioner in place on the far right side of the saw. Now for initial setup, I am not very picky. I actually use my fingers to determine whether the fence is parallel with the miter slot (surprisingly accurate, by the way). I would position the fence and tighten the screws. Then I would release the fence, push it all the way to the right and then back to the miter slot. When I would clamp it down, the alignment would be slightly off. I proceeded to go through what felt like a trial and error-style setup procedure for another hour. And when it was all said and done, I was still not confident the fence was locking into exactly the same position every time. Several week’s later, I felt the same way.

One of the great features of this system is the micro adjustability. Once you have your fence lined up for a cut, you can raise the cam clamp into the first position, which engages the lead screw. At that point you can use the little click wheel to make adjustments down to 0.002″. Pretty cool. To completely secure the fence for a cut, you pull the cam clamp to the second position and then tighten a small thumb screw at the user end of the fence itself. Despite the extra security, I really never felt confident that the fence was locking down perfectly parallel to the blade every time. It actually reminded me of the lack of confidence I used to have in my first Craftsman tablesaw fence. I remember having to make sure the fence was completely snug against the rail before clamping down, otherwise it would be skewed. Now the Incra wasn’t quite THAT bad, but the fact remained that I was still experience this lack of trust. On my Powermatic system, I can have the fence tweaked in one direction or the other, and when the clamp comes down that sucker pops into place whether it likes it or not. As a result I have complete confidence in the alignment of the Powermatic fence. Unfortunately, after several weeks with the Incra I was never able to build up that confidence.

To be honest, I was willing to live with these “issues”, or at least deal with them for a little while longer. But then came my first big project with the new system. I had to make a simple cabinet out of 3/4″ Baltic Birch. I thought it would be a great test of the new fence. And it actually revealed to me what, at least in my shop, proved to be the Achilles Heel of the entire system: limited rip capacity. The widest rip it could handle was 29″. Now I could certainly live with that if I had no other option, but apparently I had become so accustomed to having full cabinet saw rip capacity, that this was the deal breaker. Now I know you can shift the fence rails and readjust everything for the wider cut, but that’s just too much darn work for me. So I spent another day removing the Incra, and replacing it with my old Powermatic. And I have to tell you, it was like taking off a pair of uncomfortable dress shoes and slipping back into my perfectly worn Adidas sneakers.

I think I have been avoiding this write-up simply because of the overall negative tone. I have read so many positive reviews about this system that I began second-guessing my own experiences. So if you have experiences with the Incra system that differ from mine, please feel free to respond to this post. And if you are interested in this fence system, try to find a friend that has one so you can get get some hands on time for yourself. To be fair, the Incra system is a huge upgrade from most cheapo fences that come on contractor saws (although these are getting better every year). But if you have a decent t-square fence that is in working order, I don’t think I would recommend the Incra unit as an upgrade. To me, the things I lost were not worth what little I gained. But if you are the type of person who values micro-adjustability on a tablesaw and you don’t mind taking the time to occasionally change the setup for different cuts, you might thing this fence is a worthwhile investment.