I was watching Mr Marks turn a vessel the other day on a lathe that looks as though it is big enough to turn the main shaft for the Titanic. Where does he get these giantic tools like the jointer wide enough to do an entry door?
This website has an episode guide for Norm and the tools he uses I was wondering if anyone did something similar for Woodworks?
"RayV" wrote in
Mr Marks is an interesting guy. I only recently began to watch him. My cable company finally picked him up. He is half artist and half woodworker.
His tools seem to be half exotic and half recycled old iron. He has a small oldtimer lathe that he learned on that he still uses. He keeps the old ones around for sentimental reasons.
The lathe you saw was a Oneway lathe. See them at
typical of why the wRec can lead you to, or be, a veritable treasure trove of information, free for the asking.
Take heart ... DJM was once a newbie himself. With the same amount of interest and dedication to woodworking, who knows what "big iron" may lie in your future?
You mean the joiner that doubles as the flight deck for an aircraft carrier?
David does an show where he walks you thru the shop and talks about the tools.
BTW, you can watch him on the web at:
Let's think about it - how many hobbyists need or could use such a machine? Or even have a place to put one? My DJ-20 is as big (and as expensive) as I can have, for many reasons. My opinion is that that's likey true for most other hobbyists too. Pros on the other hand, may have the need and business justification for such equipment.
Norm has his share of "exotic" tools too. Like that machine for making mouldings. Or the big thickness sander. Just to name two off the top of my head.
I think Norm's projects are more accessible to the average woodworker.
Many of David's are lot more involved. Lots of steps to take before being able to make the object. Setups, templates and so on. And even then, the shows of several of his project don't give enough info to make a duplicate yourself. And there's no plans available either. If you're determined to make one of those, better get out the drafting board or cad program and work out what's missing for yourself. And even then it won't be exactly like what was shown in his program.
David and Norm approach woodworking a bit differently, which helps to understand how each develop their projects. Norm was a construction site carpenter first, who learned the practical methods of building furniture. He uses brads profusely, but his projects are easily understood if not doable in a weekend (tell me that the Mahogany Victorian dining room table he just built takes 20 hours :). David on the other hand was schooled in fine arts and learned from "fine arts" craftsman. Norm was mostly self taught. Both are very talented in their own rights and I would never say one is Better than the other. They are different is all.
I've met David a few times and have taken a class from him. He's a very practical woodworker actually. His tools were mostly acquired for a reasonable amount, and a fair bit of elbow grease :) The jointer is an excellent example as is his 20" Delta / Milwaukee bandsaw. The Oneway is definetly high end, but was purchased for large outboard turnings (big bowls and those circular plaques he makes).
One other thing, a number of David's project plans are available for purchase from his website
Michael
George Max wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
A cabinet making buddy of mine has a 12" jointer in his shop. Picked it up in an auction for $600. Some things really suck.
My problem is too many tools for tha space I have, and needing to roll a bunch of stuff to the driveway, in order to make something...
Patriarch
Especially because now you don't need your own 12" machine for occasional 12" jointing tasks.
He's talked about both of those things on various episodes. One was the "shop tour" episode. He bought the jointer used, and he talked a bit about hunting for old iron when building your shop.
I got the distinct impression that he bought the lathe new, after he began to make a name for himself. I don't know why, but I suspect it was a present he bought himself after getting paid for one of his first big-money commissions.
In that shop tour ep, he also showed off his first bandsaw, a standard
14-inch with an extended table he built, and the one he usually uses on the show: a monolith in the same class as that aircraft carrier of a jointer.When the pros get paid like pros, they get a proper-size shop and they buy the big iron.
In my case, as in others, I couldn't fit even one of those things in the shop and still have room to swing a board.
B A R R Y wrote in news:wCAPg.2541$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr12.news.prodigy.com:
I got a pretty sweet deal on a completely rebuilt, 50+ yr old Delta Milwaukee last spring. 8" wide, long bed, relatively quiet. Sees not too much use, though. A buddy of mine may buy it next month.
See, there is more crunch in space in the shop, than in space in the wallet, most months. Tools should be appreciated, used. And my lathe is getting a lost of the attention these days...
Patriarch
" snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:
I had the privelege of visiting in David's shop for a few minutes last summer. There were four bandsaws, at least. One of them was at least a
24" version. MiniMax, IIRC.The work that David did for the show is just the sort that can be shown in
18-22 minnute segments. His REAL stuff is mind-blowing artistic, and of a larger scale than most of the more mundane machinery will handle. His shop, though, is pretty humble, as is he. Seems to be a pretty good fellow. As Norm is reported to be, by those who have met him.Patriarch
36" MM, biggest one they make ;)
He is indeed a humble and unassuming guy. Much like Norm's reputation.
He made an offhanded comment about some of his projects that weren't for the show that took in excess of 500 hours with some exceeding 1000 hours.
Awesome work, work I aspire to.
Michael
I don't think *any* of his stuff is unreasonable, or undoable, it's just that there's plenty of projects, like the elliptical mirror or that koa floor lamp that don't have plans available and important dimensions are not given during the show for them.
Plus, as in the case of the floor lamp, he only says that the alabaster lamp shade is available from any number of sources. Huh? Where? I tried to find one and didn't. So I didn't even try to work out the missing dimensions on that one. Without a shade that looks like the one in the episode, I'd be disappointed in the result.
I'm in the process of working out the elliptical mirror, but again, important dimensions are not given and there's no plan. This one is somewhat simpler in that I only have to draw something that looks about right.
Norm will name a source for project parts. That's useful. There may be other sources too. At least having one source means I can make my own copy for myself.
Beg to differ:
Mon, Sep 18, 2006, 10:09am leemichaels*nadaspam*@comcast.net (Lee=A0Michaels) doth sayeth: They are a high end, big buck, industrial kind of lathe. Not many little guys can afford (or house) such a monster. But they are well engineered and purty!
There is a however, as always. The however is, people have made their own versions, for a lot less, and even larger. Somewhere around here I've got enough info on how it has been done (on hard copy) to make your own. I've got plans around for a wood lathe, that can basically be made about any length you reasonably want, say 6-8 feet between centers. The metal ones are really hevy duty, including on that a guy turns bowls and stuff up to about 6 foot thru. Depending on what you're after one could include a car/truck axle, possibly one, or more, car/truck transmissions. If they're not heavy enough, some have hollow legs, so they can be weighted down - even more - with sand, lead, whatever. You might want to have a real strong floor too. I haven't pursued any of this because, for now, my HF lathe answers all my needs. I would imagine some of this stuff is somewhere on the web.
JOAT I am not paranoid. I do not "think" people are after me. I "know" damn well they're after me.
to get all the programs and put that site together. It would be very difficult now for someone to try and duplicate the effort, since there's probably not any source for programs from the first eleven or twelve years of the show except to buy the videos from NYW (at $15 a pop or more).
Moreover, there are a LOT of the tools used in the early years that would be very difficult to find pictures or information of now. I also must acknowledge the help of a lot of friends from the Wreck and other woodworking fora plus several visitors to the site who steered me toward some tool IDs (and corrected some) and in some cases even provided photos.
I didn't get DIY channel for any of the years that Wood Works was first run, so I'm a latecomer to his show, but I think I've seen all the episodes. There haven't been any produced since '02, I don't think, and I've heard DIY didn't renew the contract for more. I did give some thought to doing a similar page, but I just don't have the energy for it, and I'm afraid some of the same locatibilty issues might arise with some of his tools similar to those mentioned above from the early years of NYW.
Although I've never met Norm, I did meet David a year or so ago, when he was invited to a picnic of local Florida woodworkers in the Orlando area while here for a WoodCraft presentation. He was very affable and clearly glad to be with us as fellow woodworkers.
I've had that vessel and several others of his projects in my hands. TV does not do them justice. If you've ever seen the bowl he turned out of maple with an ebony ring, that was another I've held. I remarked to him that it just wasn't fair that there wasn't a single sanding mark on it. He replied that there was a considerable amount of off-lathe sanding on his work. Something learned.
Another of the picnicers and I made a Krenov style plane (friend did the wood work, I made the iron out of an edger blade) for him at the picnic before food was served and before he got there. He later emailed us and said it worked great. That was cool.
Nice, down to earth guy.
Please post the URL to get Mr. Mark's plan for the sculpted elliptical mirror and the bent laminate lamp.
I didn't say that there were no plans available at all. What I said was
"the shows of several of his projects don't give enough info to make a duplicate yourself. And there's no plans available either. If you're determined to make one of those, better get out the drafting board or cad program and work out what's missing for yourself. And even then it won't be exactly like what was shown in his program."
Of course I could be wrong.
I think a lot of time has passed from those last 3 seasons. Surely there's been enough time to have drawn up a plan. However, I know Mr. Marks is a very busy man and if he's the one that creates the drawings that's probably why there are no plans for some projects. If that's the case, he could hire someone like me to make the drawings for him.
I was lucky enough to have taped all the "Wood Works" shows. It comes out to 13 DVD's. It was nice when it was on twice a day in the morning.
Gary
It's even nicer with TiVo.
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