Subject: Re: Norm's technique

From: [email-masked] (Bob D.)
Date: 27 Mar 1997 08:44:26 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, Jack A. Zucker <[email-masked]> wrote:
>Not to put anyone here down but at least Norm spends his time DOING
>woodworking rather than posting on the internet :-)

Maybe he should once in a while. I think at least reading what other
folks in the profession think and do and holding discussions with them
(his woodworking "peers") on the merits and drawbacks of various
procedures and techniques would be a good thing. Also, not to put
anyone here down, but I count 133 posts (using DejaNews) to rec.ww
since 11/24/96 by a certain individual who shall remain nameless (and
recently posted a message which could be construed as critically
questioning of Norm's use of Polyurethane glue on biscuits).  :-)

I for one am darn glad the likes of Haubert, Peregrin, O'Deen, OleRay
(and even, sometimes, Bennett :-), etc. are regular posters and take
the time to share their experience/knowledge with the rest of us.  If
folks like these (and Jack, incidently :-) weren't participating in
rec.ww, why would anyone bother to read it? It would be nothing but an
endless series of unanswered questions and noise with no signal. I
*especially* respect/value the folks who have actual knowledge and
experience and are willing to take their time to *contribute* their
knowledge to rec.ww.  Maybe there'd be a net gain all around if Norm
participated here as well.  I also very much appreciate the legitimate
constructively critical reviews (that always seem to generate copious
flammage) of Norms projects as I certainly don't have so much time to
spend woodworking that I want to do anything over if I don't have to.
YMMV.

-- 
============================================================
...two thousand, five hundred Terabytes of spinning data,
all at home on the 'net....home to net wanderers, drifters,
and aliens...the name of the place...Internet '97.

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From: [email-masked] (Tom Perigrin)
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 17:25:16 GMT

> woodworking rather than posting on the internet :-)

How do you know he doesn't post on alt.sex.tv_stars ???

Tom

------

Due to the increasing prevelance of bulk mail senders that automatically
extract names from newsgroup postings, I have had to "bugger" my e-mail
address.   To send email directly to me, please remove the "*" in my e-mail
address.

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From: [email-masked] (JaneAustin)
Date: 29 Mar 1997 17:17:21 GMT

I've noticed a large number of addresses with phoney return addresses and
the real address towards the bottom of the note.

Any programmer worth her (his) salt can easily filter out characters (i.e.
'*') that don't belong in an address and derive a legitimate address. This
is not rocket science; any high-school kid could figure it out.

Point is, if you wish to doctor up your address (either your return
address or your address embedded within your note), make sure that it
blends in with the rest of the text. It must be well camouflaged so that a
program can't detect it.  yes, it's a pain. But we are, after all, a
democracy.

JA

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From: "Woody" <[email-masked]>
Date: 30 Mar 1997 04:31:35 GMT

What I think Norm does best is efficiently use the tools he's got.  Now,
granted the shows are taped, so if he does make mistakes, we'll never see
them, but I'm willing to bet he doesn't make many.  Keep in mind also that
his projects are more on the simple side than the complex side. (His book,
"Mostly Shaker" for example.)  We'll never see a book from Norm called
"Mostly Chippendale".
Let me post scrip this message to say I am a big fan of his and watch him
whenever I can. 
-- 
[email-masked]

Frank O'Donnell <[email-masked]> wrote in article
<[email-masked]>...
> John Paquay <[email-masked]> writes:
> 
> >What does bother me at times is that Norm has this 
> >fun show and all this state-of-the-art machinery and 
> >tooling to use, and all the while it's obvious that 
> >I'm a better woodworker than he is.  Most of us here 
> >probably are.  Norm's a great carpenter and a good 
> >contractor, but he's a so-so furniture and cabinetmaker.
> >
> > ...
> >
> >Oops, I didn't intend to start a new 'Norm' thread.
> 
> Me neither, but you raise a point that I can't resist
> asking for more on.  As a woodworking newbie I've been
> watching Norm for a couple of months and reading this
> newsgroup for about the same amount of time.  A number
> of people here have alluded at one time or another to
> being a better woodworker than Norm is.  Apart from
> his idiosyncrasies (the New England accent, the 
> standard litany on shop safety, the laser do-hickeys
> and other advanced power tools), the only fault I recall
> reading in terms of his actual woodworking technique 
> had to do with a comment in an adjacent thread regarding
> the use of nails in visible surfaces of furniture pieces.
> Just to help educate me, what else does Norm do 
> technique-wise that tells you he's a so-so 
> woodworker?  (Or, well, if you're sick of talking
> about Norm, then let the question pass ...)
> 
> Frank O'Donnell
> South Pasadena, CA
> [email-masked]
>

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From: [email-masked] (Garrett Lambert)
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997 06:57:17 GMT

Okay "Little Women", you've pointed out the problem, but what's your
solution. I assume from your alias that you're using "anonymizer" or a
similar filter.

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Rehrauer)
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:15:43 GMT

In article <01bc3cc3$4b93d4c0$6985d6ce@steveg> "Woody" <[email-masked]> writes:
>What I think Norm does best is efficiently use the tools he's got.

(Is there a tool he hasn't got?)

I won't pick on Norm.  He's better than I, a newbie wood idiot, am at
what he does.  I sporadically watch the NYWS, and it's entertaining.
I just wish there were more woodworking shows!  The media has been
hyping "500 TV channels" for awhile now; if 30 of them are going to
"home shpping" channels, why can't 5 of them be woodworking channels?

I wish there was a show on hand tool techniques.  I'd love to see some
of the masters you all talk about (Krenov, Kirby, et al) in action.  I
wouldn't mind if they devoted an entire episode (or several) to, say,
sharpening a plane blade.  Or cutting one set of dovetails.  Or
discussing how to deal with wood movement in design.

I wish there was a show on design techniques.  I sometimes look at a
magazine photo of a piece and just think, Wow, how'd they ever think
to do that??  Sure, I know, it's an artform.  But there's certainly
general principles at work, and even an idiot like myself could benefit
>from  them.

I wish there was a show on tuning up power tools, and making the best of
sub-optimal tools (like my crappy Sears tablesaw) and workspaces.  Many of
us could probably do about as well as Norm with a setup like he has.  How
about a "This Old Workshop" show, where the experts spend a couple of
weeks tuning up an average Joe's tools, rearranging stationary power tools
for better workflow, building storage areas, etc?  I'd nominate Scott
Landis to host it. :-)

I wish there was a show on finishing techniques.  I'm midway through
Dresner's book, and a lot of things are starting to make sense now.
I also intend to get Flexner's book.  Last night I watched an episode
of NYWS in which Norm built a small decorative wall mirror with a scroll-
sawed mahogany frame.  In the end, he just drenched the thing with dark
stain and it ended up looking, well, yucky.  I would love to see a
Flexner or a Dresner show how to do justice to such woods.  (I think
Dresner discusses using aniline dyes to add some undertones beneath a
pigmented stain?)

Heck, I'd settle for ONE show that covered topics like that!  --Steve
-- 
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All software is bug-free, assuming          | Steve [email-masked]
 sufficiently clever definitions of         | Massachusetts Language Lab
 "feature" and "expected behaviour".        | USDA Zone 5, more or less

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From: [email-masked] (LEE WARD)
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 97 16:04:00 -0600

When the WW materials suppliers wanna sponsor a tv show is probably

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