Review Show #3 – Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out

Title: Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out with Hendrik Varju
Run Time: 9 Hrs 52 Min
Production Date: 2010
Produced By: Passion For Wood
Price: $94.95 CDN (Buy Now)
Marc’s Score: 4.3 Grape Sodas out of 5
Matt”s Score: 3.5 Grape Sodas out of 5

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“Full outline of finish types and characteristics. Step-by-step demonstration of hand finishing techniques. Learn the lost art of rubbing out the perfect finish. Steps to achieve the perfect polyurethane finish. Real time project finishing demonstration.”

Matt: Hendrik Varju is an amazing woodworker and artisan with a reputation for building prized pieces for his clients and paying an amazing amount of detail to his work. As a teacher and instructor he brings a vast amount of information to his students and it shows in the extent of detail he dives into to make sure every topic is covered, no matter how big or small the detail is. It’s a great title for anyone who breaks out in a sweat when they think of hand finishing their projects. I’d recommend this to woodworkers all of levels of experience, but especially those for who spray finishing just isn’t an option and you want to be able to use a wide variety of finish types. But if you’re looking for a quick fix to your woodworking habit, or even just a refresher to a topic you already feel comfortable with or even if hand finishing isn’t your thing and you’re all about spray finishing, this title is not for you.

Marc: The best way to describe this DVD set is: a weekend seminar in a box. With nearly 10 hrs of footage, it really is like sitting in on a long seminar. That’s both good and bad. Hendrik delivers the information with the confidence of a college professor. And like most of the lectures I sat through in college, I was checking my eyelids for holes after about 20 minutes. Now I realize this is firmly in the realm of personal taste. But with all the presentation and visualization options available to us in the world of video, I hoped for a little less marker on the flip chart. All that said, this is an absolute treasure trove of finishing information. When new woodworkers ask me where they should start with finishing, I usually recommend one of the well-known books that grace most of our shelves. But from now on, I think I’ll be recommending this DVD set. Its a little pricey, but this is a resource you’ll be dipping back into repeatedly.

Entertainment Value: Marc 1.5/5 | Matt 2/5
Production Quality: Marc 3/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Information Quality: Marc 5/5 | Matt 5/5
Overall Value: Marc 5/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Keeps Its Promise: Marc 5/5 | Matt 4/5
Final Score: Marc 4.3/5 | Matt 3.5/5

And congratulations to last show’s DVD winners: Matt Meers, Matt O’Connell, and Jack Wilson.

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Review Show #2 – Bookcase with Bracket Feet

Title: Bookcase with Bracket Feet with Phillip C. Lowe
Run Time: 40 minutes
Production Date: 2010
Produced By: Taunton Press
Price: $29.99 (Buy Now)
Marc’s Score: 2.4 Grape Sodas out of 5
Matt”s Score: 2.7 Grape Sodas out of 5

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“Join award-winning woodworker and teacher Philip C. Lowe in this video workshop. Watch as he guides you through the critical steps and demonstrates the techniques needed to build this elegant bookcase with bracket feed – or with ogee feet, if you prefer. Follow along as he constructs a sturdy case and face frames, cuts curves with a bandsaw, edges plywood, shapes moldings, glues up, and adds masterful finishing touches. Includes digital SketchUp plan. Great for intermediate and advanced woodworkers.”

Matt: When it comes down to it. Phil Lowe is an experienced, master craftsman who understands design and construction and in this DVD he demonstrates it well. Overall, based on the description of the DVD case, I felt the vast majority of the topics were discussed and it lives up to what I expected to see. This is a title in which the person who’s purchasing it will definitely be learning something from it, because if they don’t, they’re obviously not watching.

Marc: Phil Lowe is an accomplished craftsman and its a pleasure watching him build a project in his shop, but the aggressive pacing makes it difficult to keep up. The editor tried to cram so much action into the voiceovers that its difficult to appreciate the actual woodworking that’s being performed. All this comes at the expense of details and overall comprehension. That said, an intermediate to advanced woodworker should be able to reproduce this project easily but with two caveats: they don’t mind pausing and rewinding frequently, and they actually want to build the project in the video, and not the one pictured on/in the case.

Entertainment Value: Marc 2.5/5 | Matt 2.5/5
Production Quality: Marc 2/5 | Matt 3/5
Information Quality: Marc 3/5 | Matt 3/5
Overall Value: Marc 3/5 | Matt 3/5
Keeps Its Promise: Marc 1/5 | Matt 2/5
Final Score: Marc 2.4/5 | Matt 2.7/5

Simply head on over to the Wood Talk Online Forum and leave a post in the thread for this review and simply post a picture of a bookcase you built previously, or one you would really like to build.

And congratulations to last show’s winners, SDWoodworker and SunshineGerl, who both won a copy of 12 Great Tablesaw Jigs with Jim Heavey.

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