Free Online Classes by Tom McLaughlin

[Ohio Mike]

I'm not sure if this has been posted before.

Tom McLaughlin, host of television's CLASSIC WOODWORKING, is offering an online course on YouTube for free during this time of quarantine.  He's building a Shaker end table and there have been 6 sessions so far, each over an hour long. He estimates 2 more will be required to finish. 

Each session is broadcast live on YouTube allowing you to type questions for Tom in the chat window.  If you miss the live presentation you can still watch it later.   These are very detailed videos where every step in the build process is shown.  Tom's wife operates the camera and follows him throughout the shop.  She also reads questions from the chat screen aloud so Tom can answer while he works.


Session 1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJLAlcuwmcQ


Mike

[R Clark]

Thanks for posting. I like the Classic Woodworking show.

[Handplanesandmore]

Thanks for the share.

Tom is the real deal, unlike some social media stars who after building some projects or writing a book or two promote themselves as furniture makers and designers. They equate social media exposure (and likes) as hard-earned skills. Needless to say, they love to show new tools (sponsored or not) as if without new fancy tools, your work could suffer.

Another real deal is Chuck Bender. He has built thousands of pieces.

Simon

[Ohio Mike]

Tom is the real deal, unlike some social media stars.....

+1

Tom comes across as a genuinely nice guy, both on television and in these videos.

Mike

[Handplanesandmore]

A little over half way in his first video (51:30), Tom uses one of the best miter saws money can buy - the kapex. But he uses it without dust extraction!!!


Tom, what's the point of getting a kapex if it is not hooked up to a vac or something, which sets the gold standard for dust collection efficiency?

Simon

[Ohio Mike]

A little over half way in his first video (51:30), Tom uses one of the best miter saws money can buy - the kapex. But he uses it without dust extraction!!!
 

Tom, what's the point of getting a kapex if it is not hooked up to a vac or something, which sets the gold standard for dust collection efficiency?

Simon

In his shop tour last year he said he liked the accuracy of the Kapex and that he was moving it back and forth to his house for a remodel that was in progress.  I'm not sure if that's the reason for having no D.C. hookup.  

It sure spews a lot of dust into the air without it!


Mike

[Handplanesandmore]

Interestingly enough, he kept paying attention to the dust collector when he used the bandsaw, tablesaw and the combo planer/thicknesser. There is an opening under the kapex supposedly for a shop vac or CT, but it was empty. A shop vac wouldn't cost more than $100. Using the kapex without dust extraction is like turning off all your vehicle traction control. ABS etc. during a snow storm season.

Simon

[Rob Young]

Interestingly enough, he kept paying attention to the dust collector when he used the bandsaw, tablesaw and the combo planer/thicknesser. There is an opening under the kapex supposedly for a shop vac or CT, but it was empty. A shop vac wouldn't cost more than $100. Using the kapex without dust extraction is like turning off all your vehicle traction control. ABS etc. during a snow storm season.

Simon

He could just open the window behind it. Looks like most of the dust ejects out that port and hits the panes.

[Handplanesandmore]

Eagle eye.

Simon

[mdhills]

Thanks for posting -- I hadn't seen his youtube channel previously.

Right now I'm watching an older video (*) where he's gluing up some veneered table top pieces and find myself strangely captivated by the details of his gluing technique.

The youtube format works very well for giving insight into this level of detail that the 22-minute tv broadcasts often need to gloss over.
(although I think you need to be already pretty committed to watch a long glue-up :-)

(*) -- I stumbled across this one after noting the inca bandsdaw in the background of another video, and so was wondering if he had talked about it anywhere.

Matt