maybe someone here knows of something/place I haven’t looked at yet, but it appears to be impossible to find ANY VHS of Roy Underhill’s Woodwright Shop show at the PBS website (I don’t think they even bothered to consider DVDs for this show). They are all listed as out of stock -even the 2005 season, and they don’t even have 2006 listed. Why are they even getting 1 cent of my tax dollars?
This is really a shame given how much knowledge, technique and neat projects these shows contain. I guess just not hoi poi loi (spelling?) enough for the elitists at PBS. They don’t even bother to run the show at a consistent time around here. (one more argurement in my mind as to why a stake should be driven through Public Broadcasting – it is an idea that has run its course with so many options available on satellite/cable/internet nowadays – there are basically no obstacles to getting small market shows exposed anymore, somehow.)
Since DIYnetwork picked up old episodes of This Old House, maybe with some encouragement they could do the same for the Woodwright’s Shop? Someone should at the very least get the rights to sell sets of the show on DVD. Maybe even one of the publishing companies that specializes in woodworking books/magazines could buy the rights to sell copies of Roy’s older shows?
Replies
Have you written your local PBS station to let them know it's important to you?
Have you donated to your local PBS Station?
It usually comes down to money, and public demand. The local station has to buy any programming they don't produce from someone. PBS, charges them a rate derived from total population based on the census data. The programming is not free.
With roll backs on government funding for PBS, combined with changes in the tax code which make it less advantageous for corporations to donate, either at the local or national levels, money is tight.
The locals are paying more for programming, because the national is strapped, and at the same time they too have been hit.
It's all a matter of money. Either write your legislators to increase the cash flow, or increase it your self. It doesn't have to be money. You can go volunteer to make sets, answer phones one day a week, or whatever you can do that saves them on their overhead, without spending a dime. Call around to local business owners and see if you can find a corporate sponsor.
So far as the availability of the videos, I did a quick search and found only one on Amazon, and one on ebay.
It was produced by UNC-TV, at the University of North Carolina. They may know of a source.
"The local station has to buy any programming they don't produce from someone. PBS, charges them a rate derived from total population based on the census data. The programming is not free."
Roy Underhill recently addressed a meeting of the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association. He told us that there is NO cost to local stations to broadcast The Woodright's Shop because the underwriters provide the show to local stations free of charge.
I have become increasingly disappointed with PBS in recent years. In Los Angeles, where I used to live, and here in San Diego, their programming choices just don't mesh with my interests; to make things worse, during their fundraising drives they typically show absolutely nothing in which I am interested. To add insult to injury, they seem to have as many commercials as any other shows - they just call them something else.
Underhill was simply amazing in person; 90-miles-an-hour with his hair on fire, abundant energy, and incredibly funny. The room was packed - standing room only - I don't recall the last time I heard so many belly laughs emanating from a bunch of woodworkers! It's a shame TV is too shortsighted to provide the distribution he so richly deserves.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Complain to your local station about the time they carry Woodwright's shop. The individual stations are independent operations that decide what to carry and when to show it. You can find which stations in your area carry it and when the next several shows will be broadcast at http://www.pbs.org/wws/schedule/index.html
Woodwright's Shop is produced by UNC-TV, not PBS. UNC-TV is a network of PBS stations in North Carolina which is associated with the University of North Carolina. They are probably the best folks to complain to about availibility of the previous shows. Try using the contact info on the show's webpage at http://www.pbs.org/wws/feedback.html or contact UNC-TV at:
UNC-TV
10 T.W. Alexander Drive
P.O. Box 14900
Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709-4900
(919) 549-7000
The PBS network distributes the programs to the individual stations.
I emailed UNC TV/PBS - no response from them either.
Being somewhat familiar with UNC through many friends and family, I don't think you're looking at any kind of quantum leap as a paragon of public efficiency over the PBS agency. Now if it were DVDs of college basketball highlights over the last 40 years, we'd be in luck. Good luck, I enjoy Mr. Underhill's shows, as well. THe books, also. Let us know if you find a source for the DVDs. Ed
We have the same problem in Chicagoland. I have one of those programmable digital recorders from the cable company, and I have every woodworking show set for "Series Recording", so every time one is on, the machine automatically records it, and stores it in "My Recordings" for me to watch at my leisure. Sometimes, they're on at 3:00 AM, so it's a good item to have for an extra $10 per month.
Jeff
I went through this awhile ago. I wrote to Public Television Station and to the University of North Carolina and eventually got St. Roy's email and wrote him! I received an email back in November, here is his reply:
I am sorry to be so long getting back to you. I let a minor shoulder injury knock me out for too long.
I enjoyed reading your letter and I thank you for your support. I am way behind on getting the DVD compilations together, but I am going to be speaking with the DVD duplication house today. I'll keep your address in a special folder so I can get back with you as soon as they are ready. One thing to tell the folks on the list is that the Woodwright's Shop is fully underwritten and is free to all PBS stations. It is cheaper for stations to run the Woodwright's Shop than it is to run the test pattern, so if they think people are interested, they can run it at no cost.
We had a fine season this year, including making a ship in a bottle, two episodes with Curtis Buchanan on making Windsor high chairs, Adirondack rustic furniture, vintage woodworking machines, Zen and the torment of woodworking, barleytwist carving, and Japanese woodworking tools, among others. I'm going to try to get this season out on DVD first and then work backwards.
I'm a one-man operation and keep wandering off on creative tangents like writing a woodworking novel over the last four years. Now I'm starting a new woodworking book with illustrations by my daughter Eleanor, but I awoke this morning with determination to get this DVD business on the road.
So many irons in the fire!
Best regards to you and thanks!
Roy
So there you have it.
With any luck it's in the works.
Best Regards,
David C
PBS should not get any tax dollars!
How's this for opening up a can of worm, Paul
Paul:You're absolutely right. Why would we want to fund NOVA when American Idol is on? Why fund The Old Woodwright Shop when Jackass will be going into its new season? And there are all those syndicated reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies...certainly wouldn't want The Newshour to be given an unfair advantage over Fox News. Long live the vast wasteland!!Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Hi Glaucon,
The thing is we are NOT funding American Idol or Jackass with tax dollars. So why are we funding PBS/ NPR ? As much as I enjoy The Woodwright Shop and Nova, I feel the government doesn't need to be involed here. Just wondering.....What's PBS' tax status? Profit or Non-profit?
:) Paul
If the people who make shows such as NOVA put out good products, someone will BUY them - its called capitalism (a word coined by the biggest commie and founder of it all, Karl Marx).
How is it that the History Channel and Discovery can put on the same sort of programs with no government subisidies?
Anyways, Roy's shows are the best, and I think there are enough woodworkers out there that would buy and/or rent his DVD's if the elitist socialists who run PBS didn't control their release, and Roy might even make a few $ more.
Thank you comrade.There are those who believe that funding PBS or similar organizations is never justified with taxpayer dollars. They are a minority, a vocal minority, but a minority.In 1961, Newton Minow, Chairman of the FCC, termed the television programming of that era "a vast wasteland". Concerns over the this led to the chartering of PBS (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) several years later.In 1994, the newly elected Republican congress firmly set their sites on PBS and Newt Gingrich vowed that it would be "zeroed out". They were spectacularly unsuccessful. The public backlash was severe, the lawmakers retreated with their tails tucked and they never attempted it again, although they did cut its funding.It's now 2007, does anyone believe that the televison landscape has improved?Capitalism has brought us a high standard of living, a burgeoning middle class, and the ipod. It has also brought us violent video games aimed at pre-teens, Howard Stern and "reality" television. Is the free enterprise system so perfect that it can never be supplemented? Or is anything the government funds or does "bad", by definition? If your answer to the latter question is yes, you may be saying more about yourself than about capitalism.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Why don't we let the government pay for everything? I could care less if PBS airs programing or not.Will I miss SOME of the programs? Yes. If private funding or advertising dollars keep it going, fine. The government does NOT need to fund it . There is a lot of garbage on TV, I just choose not to watch it.
A minority woodworker :) Paul
Paul,You don't have to fund PBS if you don't want to. You just have to move to another country that doesn't have public broadcasting. Like Chad.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Glaucon,
I do help fund PBS. Maybe I'm not making my point clear. I just don't think the government should be involved funding TV, radio, or newspapers. Where do you think that will takes us ? I don't agree with alot of the programing on PBS , but I do think freedom of speech is sort of important. So, without public broadcasting we will become like Chad? Get a grip
I think I need to do some woodworking, Paul
Paul,
"Where do you think that will take us?" I think it will take us away from the direction that the corporate lowest-common-denominator broadcasting is already taking us. I want MORE public broadcasting, not less. If you want to know where that takes us, look at countries like contemporary Germany.
-Andy
Actually, freedom of speech IS a reason to support the idea that government funding should be used for something like PBS. I'm interested in woodworking. Why? Because I was able to watch New Yankee Workshop and The Old Woodwright's Shop on PBS back when I was younger. That was my only exposure to woodworking, and it planted a seed. Certainly the other networks were not putting on those sorts of shows at the time. Were it not for PBS, I wouldn't be interested in woodworking today.If we take away broadcasting options like PBS, and let the market solely decide what is shown on TV, the number of viewpoints and interests and even hobbies shown on the air will decrease. Only those with enough dollars will be able to get their interests on the air.Just for the record, today only ~15% of the funding for PBS comes from the feds. Many people are surprised as to how small a role the feds play in the public broadcasting budget.
Not only that, but it's a very, very small budget as well for something that is present in all fifty states. They make the money go a long way.
Andy
Not much wood in Chad- you may have to bring your own...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
I guess you want the government to control everything.... Maybe you should move to Chad
Have a nice day :) Paul
<"I guess you want the government to control everything.... Maybe you should move to Chad">Actually, I have a beachfront vacation home in Chad. It's great in the off season...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
Glaucon,
Thanks I needed that....
Paul
All this distracts from the thing that most of us agree on: we'd like more local PBS stations to show Roy's program.
The question is, how to go about getting them to do so. Roy said that it is free to the stations. I bet their are some stations that don't know that some viewers would like to see that show -- they might not even know about the show.
-Andy
Edited 1/24/2007 1:30 pm ET by VTAndy
Hey Andy,
Maybe the place to start is to find out Who owns the rights to his show and contact them ( unless it's Roy ) and find out about a possible compilation of his shows. It could be there isn't enough money in it. To increase airing, maybe contacting your local PBS station and making your wishes known will help
Paul
To those who watch Roy, or any other program on PBS, would like to see more -- do you subscribe?? I don't know the figures for PBS, but public radio (NPR) gets subscription support from only about 10% of the people who actually listen. If it were 90%, there would be no need for gov't support. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Hi FG, I subscribe to my local PBS station but honestly, only after my local PBS station took the WWS off the air and then brought it back... Back in 2000 Roy was taken off the air in the cincinnati market after about a fifteen year run. I was upset about it and went to the PBS/WWS website and noticed that he was still making shows. I searched around the internet trying to see if the videos were available so I could by them at $15.00 a pop. I contacted the local PBS programmer and asked her if they were planning on airing the new episodes in the near future. She wrote back telling me they would in about six months when the new schedule came out. Once back on the air, I joined PBS and even write on my donation that I enjoy The Woodwrights Shop.
Good on ya, MV!! I've gotten on board with 2 of the 4 public radio stations in our area, so the next to add to the list are the 2 PBS stations. I watch The News Hour almost every night on Ch. 9; the other station I don't watch very often, but often enough that I should contribute.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Of course I subscribe, though I send more to our local public radio than to TV -- because I only watch an hour of PBS per week compared to about 5-8 hours of public radio. If we had the Woodwright here that would be more like 2 hours a week, I guess.
-Andy
"To those who watch Roy, or any other program on PBS, would like to see more -- do you subscribe??"
Hi Jamie,
I'm not reluctant to pay for something I value and enjoy, and suffer absolutely no guilt about withholding payment for a service that is of little interest to me.
I enjoy NPR while I'm driving, and I'm happy to pay them because of the generally good programming and paucity of commercials. When I lived in L.A. there were several NPR stations from which to choose. I routinely listened to two stations - to which I made financial contributions - and ignored the others.
PBS is a horse of a different color: I seldom watch any PBS programs, which is why I haven't subscribed for several years. I wrote to my local PBS station several times, asking for them to carry more of the kinds of programs I enjoy and fewer of kinds of programs they typically show during fundraising campaigns. They never replied. I have no interest in paying PBS to broadcast shows I have no interest in watching. If others want to subscribe, great. But, I choose to change the channel and withhold my financial support.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
"I seldom watch any PBS programs, which is why I haven't subscribed for several years." No reason to subscribe -- I was addressing the question to those who watch and don't subscribe (like myself, soon to be "adjusted" LOL).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Jazzdogg,
Regarding, " fewer of kinds of programs they typically show during fundraising campaigns" --- what is the deal with those shows? Several times a year I turn on the TV for This Old House and am greeted by a guy in a polyester suit, backed by an orchestra of caffeinated violinists, serenading a 100% caucasian audience. It's embarrassing! I wish they would just show most of the regular programming and interrupt for fundraising.
-Andy
Hi Andy,
You're right! I don't understand the rationale used by PBS for broadcasting programming during fund drives that bears little resemblance to their normal shows.
If they wanted me to watch (and be more likely to cough up a contribution), they'd have a Woodworking Marathon during fundraising. If they were smart about it, they would broadcast woodworking shows they don't normally share with us, like The Woodright's Shop, to allow their viewers to tell them whether it's a show they want to add to their regular broadcast schedule.
Tangentially, I wonder if anyone has posted any footage of Roy Underhill on the internet, e.g., YouTube?
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
"I do help fund PBS........... "
And I help fund the billions of US $$ that are unaccounted for in Iraq....
Democracy at work.
:)
oldfred,
It does have it's flaws........ but we still have the best thing going
always a patriot, Paul :)
We agree :)
Perhaps if we stop funding PBS, we can at the same time, eliminate handouts and subsidies for farmers in America(I come from a farming family, so no flames). The argument has always been to keep the family farm afloat, but Big Business has taken farming over years ago.I don't think my corner woodworking store gets subsidies and handouts, and it is a family operation.Nuff said.
Last I checked, it's actually the big corporate farms that rake in the government money. So the comparison to PBS has no merit.
,...... but Big Business has taken farming over years ago.
Big business has taken over most of the Media too. All the Maine daily papers of any significant size below Augusta are owned by a corporation in Seattle, Washington. And check out how few corporations own most of the television rights.
I want to see some of the broadcasting rights held by the public rather than all in the hands of corporations. That is what PBS does, keeps a small portion available for all of us. It's up to us to get on the boards and make the decisions if we want to change what it broadcasts, but with PBS we still have that right. The (relatively) small portion of PBS budget that the government gives is money well spent in my mind.
oldfred
.
"It's now 2007, does anyone believe that the televison landscape has improved?" Oh, Gawd. What scares me is that it'll get even worse!!
"Capitalism has brought us a high standard of living, a burgeoning middle class...." Isn't it now going in the other direction?? Smaller middle class, much bigger discrepancy between the richest and the poorest, with more falling in lower-middle and poverty level, and a much MUCH greater amount of wealth concentrated in a small percentage of hands? forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thomas Jefferson: "To compel a man to contribute funds for the propagation of ideas with which he disagrees is both sinful and tyrannical."
Some of the things I hear on what public tv and radio calls news, are disturbing. No, dont ask for specifics. It is just another outlet for liberal clap-trap. When a commercial outlet does this it is with their money, that's their affair. When it is done on my dime I get plenty piffed-off.
Defund PBS, and the sooner the better.
1. I agree that not everything on PBS is worthwhile.2. That is not the same as saying that nothing on PBS is worthwhile.3. The Republican congress attempted to "defund" PBS in 1995. They failed- badly. They were last seen being chased by Bert and Ernie down K Street.4. If the extreme wing of the Republican party failed to "defund" PBS at the high water mark of their powers, what do you think the chance is of them doing so now,when they have lost both houses of congress and the current occupant of the White House has a public approval rating of 31%:a) 5%
b) 0.5%
c) 0.05%
d) 0.000005%
e) all of the abovePlease use a #2 pencil when completing your answer.5. About 15% of funding for PBS comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is financed with federal tax dollars.6. All residents and citizens of the U.S. are requires to pay taxes on income, as well as certain other things. As long as you pay taxes, you are funding PBS (giggle).7. If you do not wish to fund PBS, you should a) renounce your U.S. citizenship (if you are a citizen) and b) leave the country. For Chad. I can get you a deal on some beach front property, but you will have to bring your own wood. And food. And water. And medicine...but they don't have Public Televison. Or televison. Or schools. Or indoor plumbing...BTW, your choice of Thomas Jefferson was a singularly unfortunate one. Jefferson was a liberal, the founding father of the Democratic party (egad), an elitist (he had one of the largest wine collections in the 18th century in the U.S.), loved the French (he was a minister to France and broke with the Adams administration because he perceived they did not support the French Revolution), and worst of all he founded a university. Kinda makes your flesh crawl, don't it?And no, I wouldn't dream of asking you for "specifics". I certainly wouldn't want you to have to explain your position, or construct a logical argument, or think too much. Much faster just to blurt out your opinion and call things "clap trap". That'll let us all know whose boss...Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
The IRS won't recognize a renunciation of US citizenship if it's done to avoid paying US taxes.Our tax dollars also go to support all kinds of conservative clat-trap, e.g., 1) the Bush admin paid some so-called journalists to write articles supporting its policy positions (undislosed of course); 2) the Bush admin. also had the heads of the EPA distort and eliminate findings of reports, paid for by our tax $$, when the scientific findings were contrary to its positions on such issues as global warming.
Hey Glaucon,I'm with you 100% on Jefferson! My favorite story about him involves his "editing" of the Bible. When right-wingers quote Jefferson I like to ask them if they agree with his theology as well. He predicted that by now, most Americans would be Unitarians. Well, I guess he wasn't right about everything -- but we can't blame him for hoping!!!-Andy
Does anybody out there do woodworking?
Paul
Paul, If you watch the Woodwrights Shop with any regularity, then you are a woodworker. If you watch Norm and The New Yankee Workshop and consider him to be your hero, then you're probably a carpenter who is a tool junkie..
Me and my buddy went to The Woodworking Show in Columbus, OH a couple of weeks ago and I stop by Lee Valley and was checking out their hand planes on display. My buddy noticed the price on their rabbet plane at $179.00 and said that was a really expensive plane. I told him it was, but more likely worth it when you have to fine tune your joints. He looked at me and said if it can be done with a power tool then he'll do it that way. To each is own. I prefer fine tuning my work with hand planes and he'd rather have precision power tools with micro adjustments do the work. The benefit I have is my hand tool skills are endless in design possibilities while he is limited to the capabilities of his jigs. He likes Norm. I like Roy.
Edited 1/27/2007 9:02 pm ET by mvflaim
Edited 1/27/2007 10:00 pm ET by mvflaim
Exactly...If it works for you, use it.
Learn something new everyday and enjoy woodworking, Paul
"Does anybody out there do woodworking?"Um, Paul, you WERE the one who started this discussion.Remember typing this, back in the 7th post in this thread?"PBS should not get any tax dollars!"
Yes , I know. My mistake. Live and learn
Paul
Paul,
Whatever, it's harmless. It's funny if someone thinks that more woodworking is being done if the discussion is about woodworking than when it is not. Either way, people are sitting at computers typing rather than woodworking.
Anyhow, I had a good day in my shop yesterday, chopping out mortises by hand. I probably would have chopped harder and faster if my mind had been on politics, but alas, I was just thinking about mortises.
-Andy
funny! i guess that answers the question, "what were you thinking?" now if we could only answer that for the politicians! incidentally, i'm thinking about woodworking (doing woodworking) this afternoon.
VTAndy, True. I was just trying to derail the disscusion that I started. This is a good place, though, for picking up woodworking tips not political ones.
Paul
Paul,
I think you accomplished the mission. A lot of twaddle in between but very effective.
We should all email our local PBS affiliate expressing our opinions, grassroots style or perhaps the feedback URL provided by VTAndy. I too miss Roy's show and think more than woodworkers are missing some valuable history of America.
Maybe that's the next logical step for Fine Woodworking?!!?!?!?!?!
Hint, hint Matt!Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
To refer to Jefferson, as a liberal in the modern sense of the term is specious. I too think some things on PBS are worthwhile, but Sir, my reference was to news, not Barney!
For example, a news outlet which presents itself as above that "vast wasteland" should present views garnered from the full spectrum of truth and not simply regurgitate propaganda from any particular political party.
The undeniable fact, is that the Democrat Party, used the struggle in Iraq, as a vehicle to regain power. A war is always unpopular, it was an obvious stunt. PBS adopted this party line and helped convey the opinion that withdrawal from Iraq will "end the war".
My opinion is that weakness or withdrawal from Iraq only means that the battleground will shift, the war will go on unabated. Instead of fighting with trained soldiers equipped and positioned for battle, and in a land far from home, it will be fought on the streets of our own cities, by unprotected women and children.
I think the management of PBS knew this, but it failed to make this evident to its audience, beause it was too juicy a political tactic to avoid..
You see it is not easy to find specifics because the sin is in what is omitted.
Your Item #7 is so ------ That it doesn't deserve a reply.
But do tell me Sir, why is it that liberals, when confronted with opposing views, sink to attacks upon the intellectuality of the person opposing them--- and this kind of personal attack from one of those, on this forum, who can usually be counted on as one of the voices of reason. Well , scratch a lib........
Most Disagreeably Yours , Russ
Glaucon, you're a hoot! forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
nice job! you can't get a better response to the op than that one. i enjoyed too. thank you.
So maybe a minor e-mail campaign is in order urging making DVD's available of previous Woodwright's shows. David Carr may be able to advise the best place to send the e-mails. How many folks are willing to part with money for DVD's of previous Woodwright's Shop?
thanks for the good info. hope the DVD compilations happen.
D Carr,
short roy underhill story-actually 2 stories .
about 14 years ago- the woodwright shows were run on Saturdays and sundays here-at reasonable times-not at 3:00 am like they are now.
my 2 young sons and I watched them all the time. my oldest son-at that time was 5-just before he started school-anyhow-at about the same time frame- i used to read( just before nap time)- laura ingall wilders'-"little house on the prarie"-series of books to my sons-in one book there is a lot of time spent detailing how "PA" made a particular door for a cabin-my son loved that idea and decided he had to share it with good old Roy Underhill--so my son wrote a short letter-and off he sent it.
really-not long later-underhill sent my son a post card back with a nice little letter- mentioning that he LOVEd reading the "little house" series to his daughter-and that the door idea was a great idea that he should consider it.
i don't know if he ever did it or not
Probably 8 years after that-- the same son and myself were in pleasant Hill ,KY---visiting a shaker village--- in a conversation with one of the staff-the staff memberremarked that he had met BOTH roy-and of course Norm Abrams-commenting on how down to earth Norm was-but how nervous and pressed and hectic Roy was
thinking on it now-Norm probably has a whole production crew traveling with him ironing out hassles-and it seems roy has a pretty tight budget, low manpower show----------
gotta admidt- i love it when roy cuts himself-and keeps right on filming-or when he sweats all over the work piece.-ya just know norm would do about 8 takes-and edit all that out of the show-roy just runs it warts and all ! LOL
Best wishes, Stephen
I'm a huge fan of Roy's as well. My girlfriend can't stand when i watch him because she thinks he makes boring projects but I keep telling her it's not what you make but how you make it. He teaches the techniques to woodworking which is more important than just making a copper planter box.
When the DVD's are available, they'll probably be sold here:
http://www.woodwrightsshop.com/
Hopefully Roy will have a sign in page someday so he can track all of his fans and use it to promote his show. Looks like he hasn't updated it awhile. Long Live Roy!
Mike
I wrote to Roy himself a few months back and he said that any PBS station can air his shows for FREE if they want to. So it wouldn't hurt to write to your local PBS station -- they could at least show it during "off" hours so that you could tape it.
For anyone who is genuinly interested in where the money for PBS comes from, check out this link:
http://www.cpb.org/stations/reports/revenue/2005PublicBroadcastingRevenue.pdf
-Andy
Edited 1/21/2007 5:06 pm ET by VTAndy
thanks for the reply and info you you got personally from Roy Underhill. I have found that writing to PBS headquarters about this to be a total waste of time. Not even the courtesy of a reply.
I was unaware that the program runs for free. I will be in contact with the local PBS station, but their preference is to run and rerun their local cooking show. also stuff like greatful dead and other concerts late at night - no surprise with that group I suppose. Even if they get 20-25% from government to run - why? I can't say about other PBS stations, but I see no difference in a 30 second spot from a local or national business in underwriting and a commercial. Maybe there are tax implications? If other networks can run on their own, so can PBS. If they make good stuff, people will watch, advertise, and buy or donate.
I like the news about the DVD compilations.
Hi Andy,
Do you know where I can get Roy Underhills email address?
I have a tool that belongs to a friend (see Want some benchdog holes drilled - Hand Tools) that looks an awful lot like the one he is pictured holding on the PBS link to the Woodwrights Shop.
I would like to find out what it's called.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,
I went through the website:
http://www.pbs.org/wws/feedback.html
and Roy responded.
Cheers,
Andy
Heck my local PBS has messed around with everything so much that I can not even find NYW much less Roys show. I used to watch Roy, and Norm and TOH and Hometime all in a row on Saturday mornings. Now I cant find anything. Heck I was a member of the local PBS getting the local PBS mag (2 out of the 12 months I should have gotten it) and I still could not track these down. I think the PBS's like to mess with this. Odd being as they are some of the most popular shows they do as far as the info my local station put out a while back.
Good luck getting the show you want I used to enjoy it when I could find it.
PS I live in the Detroit area. If anyone knows when these shows are on now let me know.
Doug Meyer
Have you tried the PBS website? Plug in your zipcode and this link should tell you when Woodwright is on in your area. They have similar links for all of their programming. Hope it works for you.
http://www.pbs.org/wws/schedule/index.html ------------------------------------
To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)
WFUM, Channel 28, from Flint carries Woodwright's Shop on Saturdays at 3 pm. At least some of the Comcast cable systems in the Detroit area carry this channel.
WTVS, Channel 56 from Detroit isn't currently carrying Woodwright's Shop. They showed the 2006 series last summer/fall on Saturdays at 11:00 am. Currently New Yankee Workshop is on in that slot, and before that it was a Scott and Suzy Phillips house show. I won't be surprised to see Woodwright's Shop back on this summer.
WTVS carries This Old House and Ask This Old House on Thursday evenings at 8:00 pm and 8:30 pm. On Saturday mornings they have TOH at 9:30 am, ATOH at 10:00 am, Hometime at 10:30 am and NYW at 11:00 am.
Not that I have the address, but you are correct, he does have a "portable" drill much like you had in the previous post. He has used it a couple of times this season on the show. From what I remember, it is much as you thought for boring hole for peg on post and beams. The show is on Sat. afternoon, 3 P.M. from the Maine PBS - Milton, NH. We get both NHPBS and the Maine PBS on our local cable system.
Donkey
Thanks Donkey,
I responded to the feedback URL that VTAndy provided and hope to hear back from St. Roy. I nderstand that he responds to feedback himself! Quite impressive.
Best Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Bob,There's a discussion at the Old Tools Archive site, http://tinyurl.com/2pj6qq from back in May of 2000 on what to call your machine. Not really conclusive, but you might like to look at it. Perhaps more useful, in the same site, at http://tinyurl.com/2kbsqh is a message from a Joe Parker, dated this day, which says, "For those interested in which TV channels, analog and digital, are carrying St. Roy and when, the link below shows 230 stations now carry it..." The link ishttp://research.backchannelmedia.com/programs/Woodwright%27s_Shop Dan
Dan,
Most appreciated.
I think I found a WEBsite that shows the one in your provided link as well as what I think is the one I have. Mine (my friends) has a wooden frame on both articulated parts where the other is cast iron on one and wood on the other. As best as I can determine, the one I have is called a Schwann Beam Drill.
Interesting to note is that the operator sits/operates the drill on the wooden portion. I was trying to figure out how it would have been operated and should have surmised that. At my age, oh well............
Thanks again,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I worked with Roy Underhill on two occasions in the last five years.He said interest in his show was the main factor whether he was on or off the air, and how far and wide that interest extended, not just in local markets. He seemed positive but realistic about facing an uphill battle. Perhaps PBS is just staying with its "proven stars" like Norm, and the klutz who does standard home repairs.
Expert since 10 am.
I beg your pardon, but my high school shop classes are intellectual feasts.
try your local public library
or contact roy underhill
jquinn and all,
Half way through this thread I posted a comment about " not funding PBS with tax dollars" . Although I think I have a valid point, this is not the forum to express it. I hope you got the information you were looking for.
My apologies to YOU and ALL,
Learn something new everyday and enjoy woodworking, Paul :)
Woodwright Shop episodes. Are you looking for a particular subject? I have lots of copies of episodes over the past 20 years. Some are much better than others. If there are episodes you really want to see, let me know maybe I have a copy. Dan
Thanks Robert, it means so much, coming from you...
Kinda gives me a warm feeling inside... that drips down my pants leg...
As for PBS going the way of the dodo, if I'm not mistaken it was the right wing hit man, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson who had to go the way of the dodo:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/03/AR2005110302235.html
As for "forcing(like chattel!!) all of us to pay for a nonessential service which is enjoyed by relatively few individuals using any tax revenue..."- well that is really simple. When a majority of citizens, through their elected representatives, desire to fund a program, it will receive tax dollars. In my country, we call that democracy. I think you may want to increase your blood pressure medicine (and your SSRI) a bit, as I think you may be in for a good deal more of this.
Sometimes I don't know what I enjoy more...watching PBS, or watching it pi$$ off you and Russ...
Gotta go, my quilting show is on. This week we're doing reversible in-stitching!...
Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
So I wrote to my local PBS station -- they responded that they already air "New Yankee Workshop" on Saturday mornings.
I wrote a polite reply, noting that the two shows are quite different, and that NYW didn't have much appeal to me.
-Andy
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