WT209 – 2014 in Review

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We’re abandoning our usual format today in favor of a fairly loose discussion of our year in review. Did we meet or exceed our goals? Or did we fall miserably short. Listen to find out! We’ll see you in 2015!

11 replies on “WT209 – 2014 in Review”

Marc,
I was really glad to hear you talk about getting back to your roots in a way by considering doing more detailed and substantial projects for the free site as you did early on. I appreciate everything you have offered to help me develop as a woodworker. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Great show.. No apologies needed for talking about each of your own video podcasts… After all, my guess is most of us follow each of your video sites. This audio podcast ties everything together.

Small thoughts:

Marc – years ago I stopped watching. But recently your ‘free site’ stuff is great. The Toy Chest was absolutely super.

Shannon – I’d love to see some ‘modern’ stuff – Maloff inspired? Nakishima Conoid chair? Or maybe a real challenge – a FLWW ‘Origami’ chair (Plywood though – really a Festool Track Saw project…) Krenov cabinet? (That I would REALLY like to see..) Something Wegner inspired?

Matt – I admit I don’t know as much about your stuff – but it seems you really are the ‘master of smaller projects’ among you three. Keep up the great work.

All of you – keep it up! The best sites – the best joint podcast going!

Chris

I whole heartedly second Mike’s comment. I found my way to your paid site through youtube videos of the gadget cabinet (awesome) first. Then I went through all your free content and now I am hooked. If it weren’t for the free content I would have never had the confidence to pay for another wood working plan/project/instruction because of poor experiences in the past. Now I find myself itching for the next project(s) (especially the Maloof chair) .

Wondering if there should be a companion site to this one perhaps, Wood Workers Anonymous?

i guess I am one of the love it or hate it people, because listening to this podcast (and filling out your survey) made me realize that I have two hobbies 1) consuming woodworking content and 2) woodworking. I really enjoyed the inside ball and I think it gives all of us an appreciation for the work you put into podcasting.

In terms of the balance between your pay and free site, I wouldn’t blame you if you moved all the content to the paid side. A guy has got to make a living. That being said, I think you are on the right track in providing free content that is a middle ground between the depth of the paid content and the 15 minute crafty knick knack videos that are starting to become common. I kind of lost interest with WWMM when he stopped building furniture and started building toilet paper holders.

And I know I am in the minority here, but I actually prefer written articles over videos. I can read anywhere, at work, on the train, while my kids are doing their homework or watching TV. Unfortunately with my schedule I just don’t have time to park myself in front of a video for 30 minutes or an hour.

Please do use all the tools in your shop! Multi-router, HCM, domino, drum sanders. Show people what these things do. Yes building a shop like yours is expensive, but if planned over a multi-year period it can be done. This is a life long hobby.

Dang nabbit, you are right. I went to your page to see what you are up to and of course I see something new I want to build…. the razor stand. I have been called “a$$face” more than once so I guess it is poetic that my dig about a toilet paper holder results in me wanting to build a razor stand :). Very cool design.

I like the format of the new site – looks cleaner and more organized. I see the MM empire is expanding!

I liked Shannon’s suggestion of the benefit of reviewing your year to feel good about your work. I take so long on most of my projects that it can feel like I hardly get anything done. But if you look back at a full two (or two) it is amazing that considerable quality work has been created. Very satisfying.

Always good to remember my wife’s comment: “Good thing you work slowly, because that wood sure is expensive.” Yep. Slow can be good.

Hey Marc, I just wanted to throw out there that I’d love to see you take on doing a video that was sort of a primer for people who have a little woodworking experience but would like to know more as they get into a bit more involved projects. I’m talking about the sort of information on wood movement and what surfaces can you successfully glue that people at the DIY end of the spectrum seem to have a hard time picking up. It’s the kind of stuff that often gets talked about piecemeal in project videos but I don’t think it really exists as a single reference video that isn’t an hour long snooze fest. If there is anyone who could make that video both informative and interesting I think it would be you and it would fit in with the sort of content you want to be putting on the free site next year.

I think there tends to be a rush to get into acquiring tools and learning skills and how to make joinery and people sort of skip over understanding the material that they are trying to work with. If you are going to be a potter then you’ve got to understand what you can and can’t do with the clay and the same for any other medium. It’s probably the first thing we should learn but it’s not talked about at all in the DIY crowd and somewhat taken for granted that people know it in the fine woodworking world.

Hey Mark, on the topic of not using expensive of hard to come by tools, you could just mention a different tool that you can use for a similar result and then we (your audience) could just look up “How to do (blank) with (blank).”

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