Caught a new show on DIY - "Freeform Woodworking". Hosted by a young gal and boy does she have the the TOOLS! A huge disk sander, a Delta TS, Jet 16" bandsaw (could be 18"), drill press, Festo circ saw, sander, guides, a metal cutting bandsaw - also Jet - and a sandblaster!
She was making a CD holder. I thought I'd be interested in it, but she started to use stuff I'd never own and to be honest, I didn't like the finished results.
I happened to catch that episode last night as well. I agree, she has some nice tools, but I wasn't nuts about how she assembled that particular project. How about you?
I do like the contemporary flair she seems to have (which is a refreshing change from some of the other legacy shows out there). I'll be giving this show a chance...
I looked ahead in the showguide on the website. Perhaps the other projects will be more interesting. She has appeared on other DIY shows - I think she was one of the lead carpenters/furnituremakers for one of the makeover shows.
I was with her until she did the brackets. I think something else would have been better then aluminium. Perhaps stainless?
I'll stay tuned and see what happens. With Norm pretty much gone from HGTV and DIY and Dave Marks in re-runs, she's about it for now? Wondering if they are pitching this show more towards women?
More like Political correctness. Women in "non-traditional" occupations. Sort of like why most of the talking head professors on History channel show yesterday were female.
I agree with the sentiment about gender roles. The only thing I was questioning was this show being pitched to women?
DIY seems to have a male/female sense of shows. Lots of jewelery making, scrapbook making, then on the other hand - rebuilding classic cars, RC Hobbies and the best show, in there lineup - Warehouse Warriers - tho they haven't seem to have filmed any new shows in quite sometime.
This new show seems to be short on techniques and more on "let's just get this done".
So.. I'm all for women furniture makers, tho I'd like see more of the kind that are featured in Fine Woodworking or Woodworks magazine.
I agree...I would have made my same comments had the host been male. Gender of the craftsperson makes no difference to me. If you're good, you're good.
Sorry, guess "the movement" has made a lot of weenies out of formerly thinking men.
These are paid actors. Dollars to dogturds they have nothing in their background in the way of tool sense. They were chosen because of their gender, not in spite of it.
Wonderful book called _The Language Police_ explains how it's done in textbooks. Too obvious in advertising to even bear mention.
- sorry, no direct link because it's needlessly Flash-heavy:
She..obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in furniture design from San Diego State Univeristy, and has completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in the field of funiture design at the Rhode Island School of Design.
A fine artist as well as designer, she has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums.
In addition to her artwork, she is currently operating a freelance design/build studio on Los Angeles and...is also preparing to launch her own modern furniture design show on [DIY].
She may not have much in the way of tool sense - and may be much too "artsy" for most of us here, choosing design flair over solid construction. Without having seen her work at all, she may be one of those "wood artist" type people who are in fact wholly unconcerned about construction details and are perfectly happy putting L-angle-brackets on the backsides of everything if it meets their design from the front. Or, she may not be, I can't tell from her website.
Presumably her gender (and looks) has had something to do with her being on TV. But I wouldn't say it's fair to characterize her as a wholly affirmitive action hire who has no knowledge of wood or tools outside of television. Further, it looks like her specialty is in furniture design (heck, she has a BA and Masters in it, so she's spent a lot more time thinking about it than I have), and, from the show description it looks like the point of it is the *design* of furniture, not the *construction* of furniture.
Anyway, I haven't seen the show, and it may or may not be any good (and may or may not be the sort of thing you or I would like). But it does seem like she has qualifications quite beyond "actress."
Still uneasy in locker rooms, are we? It's a law, you know, that if there are two men in a locker room, their lockers will be side by side.
Sounds to me as if they found someone with a good background to do the peripatetic Vila routine, remains to be seen if the producers searched out someone who was a woman and schooled, or someone who was schooled and a woman. Or if they made their choice because they wanted a particular demographic, or because they wanted a particular design emphasis.
Until I see her swing a hammer, I'll continue to believe that she was chosen more for gender than appeal to an audience which is predominantly male, even if some of those males go out of their way to tell us how unbiased they are.
I still remember early Jo-Ann on Hometime. Sure couldn't swing a hammer. Speaking of which, what do you think of the new distaff member?
I'd assume you mean Miriam? She's young, can talk clearly, interested in what's going on (or so it seems). She's no Robin or Jojo, but the show has shifted. Use to be that Dean had a "TV" wife (Jojo, Robin) and the two of them would do the renovation. I always thought that Hometime was the more "authentic" show over TOH after TOH went for more major remodeling and Dean and whoever did a lot more work then Steve and/or Norm. Now Hometime is doing this style of show where they interview the homeowner during the process. Kinda not interesting at all. Less is shown of the actual process and more highlighting of specific products. Oh, and about 3 years ago, it seems that HomeDepot became a major underwriter because the show hosts spend a LOT of time in the stores!
I'm not sure I like the implication I'm reading. Whatever "movement" you're referring to means nothing to me, and I'm not suggesting she's good or not. I'm only saying that IF she is, I couldn't care less who or what she is.
I'm trying not to be judgemental. Why does anybody give a hoot if the host is male or female?
There's a number of reasons why it makes a big difference, all depending on the target market. That's an aside from the proven fact that attractive people are more popular (whatever education she has). Only thing that will cement her position though will be sufficient demonstration of craft skills.
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