dyweller

Hi Matt,

The information you give in the video is first-rate, but it's also widely available in a number of articles from FW and elsewhere. The advantage to video tutorials, to my mind, is that they allow the viewer the opportunity to pick up on the qualities that distinguish a master craftsman from a good woodworker. The viewer has the opportunity not just to read a list of techniques, but to see them performed by a master. When the basic skills being performed are already familiar, the way in which these skills are performed becomes more significant. And that's where having a master performing the task becomes critical.

These differences in technique may have to do with a slight variation in the way a tool is held, or attention to body positioning when making a cut. It's somewhat difficult to be too specific in describing what I'm looking for since, by definition, I'm asking for techniques that I'm not already aware of. So perhaps the best way to answer your question is to turn it back at you. What kind of video tutorial would you like to see, that would improve upon the fundamental hand-tool skills you already have? And who would you like to see in front of the camera?

Dylan

I enjoy these informative competitions, and would like to see more of them in the future. I would strongly urge FW, however, to consider using master craftsmen in these tutorials. No disrespect intended to Matt, who does a fine job at his skill level, but so long as you're going to the effort of making these videos, why not use one of your many contributors who have been woodworking for 20 years? There are certainly some helpful techniques that can be related to the audience by anyone. But there are many more subtle and advanced techniques that can only be learned by watching a master at work. By providing a more experienced woodworker in these videos, I think you'll make them appealing and useful to a broader cross-section of your audience.