New To WW - What Is With All The Norm Bashing?

Larry Jaques responds:

Don't bet on that. Tools and materials are almost certainly provided...remember Norm when he first cranked up.

IIRC, it was Bob Vila who got hassled out of PBS for doing exactly the kind of commericalization they're doing now (and were doing more quietly then, which is probably what pissed them off...he was getting the biggest share).

Charlie Self

"In the final choice a soldier's pack is not so heavy as a prisoner's chains." Dwight D. Eisenhower

Reply to
Charlie Self
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Don't know how this one slipped past my Norm/NYWS filters (note, the filter is to having to receive endless and completely useless posts on the subject, not because I have anything against Norm) but it did so.................

99.8% of the Norm bashing is done by people with more time in front of the TV then in the shop. It's done so they can feel like they are playing with the big boys and it is safe. It is hardly likely that they will be faced with confronting Norm on the various woodworking issues so, regardless of how inane the post, they get to spout off sounding like they know what they are talking about and need not be bothered with facts.

Now to recheck those filters.

Reply to
Mike G

Mike, Sounds like my Saturday mornings.

The point I liked was, with the two shows back-to-back {or even just 'available'} you got a 'balance' of technique.

It's nice to have a shop full of tools, but what happens if you have no power - the power tool is broken - or you are 'out in the field' ? {Or on the boat or 'on the hook'?}

I'm 'collecting' some of the power stuff that Norm illustrates, and used any number of Roy's techniques.

Regards, Ron Magen Backyard Boatshop

Reply to
Ron Magen

We could ask for David to broaden h is horizons beyond satellite tv - say, into cable so more of us could watch his show!

Renata

--snip--

Reply to
Renata

The same thing that happens if you have only hand tools and the hand tool is broken.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

Reply to
Nova

Charlie ...

Reply to
Lee Gordon

There aren't any deadlines either.

And I pointed out that David Marks does it all the time.

Reply to
Brian Henderson

Nope, David Marks did a show on his workshop and detailed where he personally bought EVERY TOOL IN IT. He has absolutely *ZERO* donated tools.

Oh sure, Bob Vila sucks, we know that, but just because you can point to one guy who is worse doesn't make it acceptable that someone else isn't quite as bad.

Bob certainly doesn't deserve to be on NYW or any other show as far as I'm concerned.

Reply to
Brian Henderson

Actually, I don't watch it anymore (I don't get PBS and they pulled it off DIY/HGTV). So long as they air on PBS, they cannot do any direct advertising, it's against the PBS regulations.

Reply to
Brian Henderson

Sure, a lot of Nahm-bashing is done by arm-chair woodworkers. Heck, this is Usenet, so most of what goes on here is done by arm-chair [insert name of hobby here]. :-} (To say nothing of the trolls.)

But there are legit gripes about Nahm. I know that many have credited him with bringing ww'ing to the masses, and I can't argue that. I know any number of folks here on the wreck who credit him for their interest. But for every one of those, it's possible that you could find someone who was totally put off by the appearance that it is necessary to own all sorts of power tools in order to make anything. I know I used to watch Nahm before I ever raised a plane in anger :-), and I sincerely thought it was way beyond my budget/abilities.

Other personal gripes I have are his finishing techniques (poly isn't really the best finish for everything), his bradnailer fixation, his apparent lack of knowledge about wood-movement issues (though I hear he's getting better about that), and his penchant for smearing insane amounts of galoo all over the place.

We may disagree on some of the above, but they are certainly worth discussing when they are being presented on teevee on a regular basis by someone who is looked to as an authority on woodworking matters.

As for the guy himself ... I like Nahm. He seems like a regular guy who'd be fun to share a couple beers with.

Chuck Vance Just say (tmPL) But first, a few words about shop safety ...

Reply to
Conan the Librarian

I wonder Norm reads any of this?

Reply to
Belleauwood

Probably not. He's probably having too much fun in his shop to worry about the negative stuff a bunch of wankers are writing about him.

Reply to
Mark

How many hand tool devotees do you know who only have one of anything?

Reply to
Andy Dingley

So, Andy just how many J.Kellogg 5/8" cove planes do you keep handy??

dave

Andy D> >

Reply to
Bay Area Dave

Hi Chuck

That's is why I said 99.8% and not 100%. Yes there are things done on TV that do make for good threads on pro's and con's but, unfortunately, digging them out of the load of bashing for the sake of being cool just isn't worth the effort.I started filtering all such threads back when there was a month long debate on which DIY hostess had the nicest ass. Granted that was an. extreme low point but not by much.

Reply to
Mike G

On Sat, 13 Dec 2003 13:42:02 +0000, Andy Dingley brought forth from the murky depths:

I happen to like Pournelle. His stuff isn't nearly as good as Larry Niven's, but I just picked up 3 more Niven/Pournelle books at the Leebrary today. Together, they're GREAT!

I believe Byte is still being put out and Pournelle is still writing for them. It was a very good mag for awhile there. I read it a few years back when I was still doing hardware sales.

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(Yup, he's still there.)

-- Save the Endangered ROAD NARROWS! -|-

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Ban SUVs today! -|- Full Service Websites

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Niven and Pournelle's "Inferno" is a good one.

-Doug

Reply to
Doug Winterburn

Back before the internet boom, I was on GEnie Online Network. It was a CompuServe, AOL competitor. Pournelle had his own forum and often posted. He was an arrogant asshole and didn't like the time I proved him wrong publicly in a very simple physics problem.

If you're curious, he originally stated that a head on collision, identical cars, both traveling at 50mph, was the same as hitting a brick wall at

100mph. Wrong. It is the same as hitting a brick wall at 50mph.
Reply to
Bruce

"that ain't workin' - that's the way you do it - money for nothin' and the chicks for free."

Regards, Tom Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania 19428

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Reply to
Tom Watson

I always found Pournelle to be tedious, particularly compared to Poul Anderson, Roger Zelazny, Robert Heinlein (in his earlier years before he became a dour, intolerant curmudgeon), or even Keith Laumer.

Reply to
Mark & Juanita

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