George Walker's design DVD

C

chamfer

Well-known member
Greetings,

I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate George Walker, fellow SAPFM member, on the recent release of his DVD, "Unlocking the Secrets of Traditional Design," from Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. He also has an article on graduating drawers in the current _Popular Woodworking_ magazine, and is going to become a regular columnist on design, there, early next year.

I knew the DVD was forthcoming as a result of an e-mail exchange with George some time back, and had been eagerly awaiting its release. Recently had a chance to watch it, and was not disappointed! Am tempted to get into more of a description/review but Chris Schwarz, editor of _Popular Woodworking_ and _Woodworking_ magazines, already has that covered in his blog:

http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/

The review of George's DVD is currently the fourth item down the page.

(And, following in Chris' footsteps regarding full disclosure, I need to acknowledge that I've also benefitted from the expertise of the folks at Lie-Nielsen in producing a couple of DVD's.)

Congratulations George! And I'm looking forward to your columns (maybe in both senses of the word?).

Don McConnell
Eureka Springs, AR
 
Don,

Yes I completely agree and add my congratulations to George for a well done DVD.

I recently purchased it along with another DVD from Lie-Nielsen and have enjoyed it immensely.

As I work through learning about and trying to understand the design aspects of period furniture so I can be better in my work; I've found that on more than one occasion George's explanation of things - perhaps to clear the air of some misinformation floating about - has clarified for me a concept or an application I was having difficulty with. He is a good researcher and communicator and I'm glad he will have a wider audience at Popular Woodworking.   

And the other DVD I bought? Why it was one about cornice moldings and extremely well done and a great compliment to George's. After watching it, I have to confess that I ran out to the shop to check my English snipe bills (snipe's bill?)  to make sure that the irons came down to a sharp point so that I could effectively start a rabbit from a gauged line as demonstrated. They do, so if I can't succeed in that operation, it won't be the fault of the tool.

Seriously, thanks Don for that DVD. You, too, deserve a lot of credit for expanding our knowledge of period design and practice and I hope you keep it up.

Well done the both you!

Rick Yochim
Purcellville, VA           

 
Well, I hate "me too" types of postings, but I have to agree with all of the above. I thought George's recent article was the best part of an exceptionally good issue of Pop Woodworking, so I was looking forward to viewing the DVD.  I've just finished my first viewing and it's really illuminated some new areas for me.  I've been trying to design a piece for some time now but was unsure how to get beyond the basic measurements I took from the piece that I'll be replacing.  With this DVD I think I have what I need - though I think multiple more viewings are called for with carefully taken notes.  Really, a companion book would be wonderful (hint, hint, George).

A couple of other notes about the DVD: 1) LN production has always been fine, but is exceptional in this example, 2) the music is great and integrated into the video, and 3) my wife, a non-woodworker, also found the DVD interesting.  It has application into furniture appreciation, not just for those of us who wish to build.

Lastly, I bought George's DVD at a recent LN event, where I also bought the set of DVDs on molding planes/techniques from Don McConnell and Larry Williams.  From my initial viewing of Don's first DVD, it appears these complement George's DVD really well.  George's DVD helps to understand what type/size molding to use, and the molding DVDs help describe how to make a customized molding.  Can't wait to get back to the shop and apply what I've learned.

Mark Maleski
Herndon, VA
 
Thanks for your encouragement for my work on this latest DVD project. Credit is due also to a number of folks in SAPFM. Mark Arnold really got the ball rolling four years ago by encouraging me to research and write about period furniture design for the journal. All the folks at the ORV and Great Lakes Chapters (Ohio River Valley and Michigan) who let me try out much of the material on them at chapter meetings. They gave lots of constructive criticism and much encouragement. Tom Lie-Nielsen who was willing to take on a project quite different from previous videos and the very professional folks at the Toolworks who did a fantastic job of editing. They took my ideas and really brought the material to life. One of my hopes for this video is that it will bring an appreciation of period furniture and design to a much broader audience. Most of you whether you study design or not, have a deep appreciation for our rich furniture heritage. Hopefully a much wider group of woodworkers will now take a longer look at the great pieces of American furniture next time they are in a museum.

There are a couple more design videos in the works, and if all goes to plan there will be a book out. Chris said in his review that I covered the classic orders in depth in the video. Actually, I only scratched the surface. A book would allow a true in depth treatment that I know the SAPFM crowd would appreciate. Thanks again for your kind words, it’s very gratifying.

George Walker
 
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