Tommy Mac Rough Cut Woodworking

[toolmiser]

I tried to watch Tommy Mac on one of the shop building episodes.  I didn't even realize it was a shop, they were putting windows and doors in.  It seemed like he was drinking way too much caffeine that day.  Pretty annoying.  I never missed Norm either, most of the shows now I can take or leave, and I can take a lot of woodworking!

[tnff]

Norm just always came across as a regular guy.  Someone you could have burgers and beer with while watching a ball game.  Norm was a buddy. 


My wife feels the same way about the new house and decorating shows vs the old Hometime with Jojo.  The hosts and projects seemed approachable for a young couple.  Like Norm with his nail gun may not be fine woodworking, but the projects felt like something I could do, she felt the same about the decorating projects back then.  She doesn't even watch most of the shows on HGTV or DIY anymore.  The hosts just aren't likeable.

Actually we both watch Tim Yoder's videos now.  He comes across as a guy next door and his shop is something most of us can see within reach.  Tommy's new shop is beautiful, but outside my budget.

[WaterlooMarc]

I don't even have DIG and HGTV anymore. Don't miss it at all.

[Mark A Smith]

Watching the Norm reruns on the Internet reminds me of how wide he ranged with his projects. Garden, house, furniture, do-dads, kid's stuff. He probably had no where near the ability David Marks displayed, at least creativity-wise, but I could see myself making a lot of what Norm made, and precious little of what David made. None of the shows today excite me at all. (I will watch St. Roy on the Internet at times. He's entertaining and instructive, but his style of woodworking is not what I see myself doing.)

[Coffee Man 2]

I miss Norm!!!!!!

[AHill]

Watching the Norm reruns on the Internet reminds me of how wide he ranged with his projects. Garden, house, furniture, do-dads, kid's stuff. He probably had no where near the ability David Marks displayed, at least creativity-wise, but I could see myself making a lot of what Norm made, and precious little of what David made. None of the shows today excite me at all. (I will watch St. Roy on the Internet at times. He's entertaining and instructive, but his style of woodworking is not what I see myself doing.)

Agreed!  Marks' stuff was cool, but often required resources I don't have.  Still, I liked his blend of hand and power tools.  Didn't particularly like a lot of the Asian-inspired style in some of his projects, but you can't say he wasn't a penultimate craftsman.  I'm getting tired of Roy Underhill's repetitive guests with the Schwarz, Peter Follansbee, and Peter Ross.  While instructive, a lot of the carving and blacksmithing things are not stuff I'd ever do.

[Harold O.]

Just caught a Rough Cut episode wherein Tommy Mac is using his new shop to build some outside doors.

His new tools are way above anything I will ever have or use. He's always had very good equipment but if he uses tools beyond my access, I will have trouble following his projects. Tommy has a casual way of interacting with the viewers, has more energy than lost, and makes interesting things that seem like things I might like to try. And part of watching those shows is a Walter Mitty belief that I can make that [chest of drawers] too. But TV projects get further over my head when even the required tools are out of reach.

Norm caught some flack from "real woodworkers" for his embrace of new tool gadgetry but much of his aim was to show us that this kind of thing is possible.

[WoodTinker]

Tommy Mac used to post here sometime ago. He has impressive hand tool skills.  He got started doing podcasts and was given AV equipment from Bob Vila. Can you get to his podcasts anymore?  Tommy is a very likable and nice guy. I met him once at a WIA several years ago.

I do miss the David Marks' "Wood Works" program. Back then I was setting my VCR to record them and watch.  I think they aired around 6am at that time here. I am not a morning person.

Norm was that foot in the door guy for me. Got me interested and hooked on woodworking.  The format of NYWS had good timing. Made it seem you could finish that project in sooner than the 30 minutes for the show.

St. Roy will nudge you into the hand tool world and give you a little education along the way. Watching him and Frank Klaus show what is happening in a mortise when you use a mortise chisel and a small thick piece of glass as the mortise wall alongside a piece of wood is inspirational. After some knowledge, hand tools aren't scary anymore.

[DogwoodTales]

It's cheaper to build up.than to build out.

I.like Rough Cut, but yeah, I wouldn't mind if Tommie would slow down his speech pattern a bit.

[YSU65]

Tommy Mac did the draw leaf tavern table and I chose that design to build a dining room table for my daughter.  Very similar to Tage Frid's table described in his book.  Table was much bigger and I had to modify the design but his program was my inspiration.