We have conjoined elements of media to produce a more interactive presentation to teach woodworkers. We want to know that it works and the best way to do that is to let you test out our efforts to see if it is indeed truly interactive. We invited some woodworking buddies from our woodworkingmasterclasses.com site to try it first and we did indeed get feedback resulting in corrective work, but now it’s a question of testing it worldwide. This can make our work much more widely used and of course it makes what we do all the more an inclusive entity. Of course this is not just a watch and tell but a watch do and tell in the workshop and at the bench. No matter your skill levels, brand new or seasoned woodworker, and no matter your age or gender either, will you take your smartphone, tablet or computer into the workshop and make the spatula following the steps by steps to the letter. If anything trips you up please make notes and forward your thoughts to us and we will make changes as we see fit.
We are not planning to change the Woodworking Masterclasses site to this format.
You will need to register a new account for this test site (this is because the site keeps track of your progress and needs an account to personalise the experience to you).
This course is aimed at brand new woodworkers to help get them started.
There are videos for some steps but just pictures and text for others.
There is a feedback form at the end of the course which we would like as many people to fill out as possible.
It is important to make the spatula as near as possible to the exact pattern given so for this go round please resist the temptation to add any twiddly doodads until after you’ve done your testing. Hopefully this will equip you to do more creative things in the future as you adapt the techniques to your own designs.
Over the years your input has changed and informed many of the way we do things and we therefore value your input so this is a good point to thank you for all the support you’ve given to us through the years. I say us because, yes, in the beginning my blog was very much me with a great few nudges from Joseph. Today all we do goes way beyond just yours truly and reaching a global audience is a tremendous responsibility.
15 Comments
I recently finished my Paul Sellers style workbench and the finish is still drying on my first project, the foot stool. So I happily signed up for this test course and look forward to trying it out. I had skipped making the spatula as in Paul’s first book there is no template provided and I didn’t trust myself to come up with one on my own.
You really do not need a template. Just make something close and go with it. There will be times where the wood splits the wrong way or you just mess it up. Then you will have to change the design a little to compensate. Use you imagination and have fun. If all else fails, you will have some kenneling for the fire.
This was an excellent course. I like the way list of tools and materials, which is very helpful for a beginner. The places you stopped the video in the process where nice also.
As always, a well put together demonstration. I will have to talk my wife into following it. That would be a real test.
Thank You Paul , Joseph and team I enjoyed this immensely and will be making the pattern this afternoon. This will be a good project to work with my 8 1/2 year old Grandson and make a great presents for the Family.
Steve
I wish you the best of luck on this new endeavor. Been following you for several years now and your style of teaching is detailed and thorough as well as sincere and inviting. Thanks for what you are doing and I hope it’s a great success. At present I have a task list to complete which requires working with my carpentry skills outside as the MN weather permits. I plan to apply what I’ve observed watching you ( especially your patience 🙂 now and again when I go indoors to work.
Very nice concept! My compliments for all the work that has gone in this! I will try this out very soon.
Great timing also, my wive had just asked me if I could make a few spatulas for her 🙂
Just registered for the test site. Great idea of providing text and images only. I feel that it’s actually more productive in terms of the number of projects since the film making process is not required. It will work great with woodworkingmasterclass. Love the idea.
Appreciation to the efforts mate.
Hello Paul,
I’ve just finished my spatula (though I made a couple of these already) so now I can tell you what I think about the new output. I guess it’s a good teaching way to split the making into individual steps, yet a bit uncomfortable it the present version of the output to “skip” one to go to another (maybe a kind of chapter divisions like on a DVD would be more practical?).
I must tell you I liked more the long videos for they were more “natural” in a way. There it seems to come like a more rigid, or less versatile way to practice, sorry about what I say.
Actually, I’m a bit afraid that woodworkers following a new course made in this manner start to think less about the many ways they could achieve a project.
I don’t know if it’s worth an example, but I found my personnal progresses were more valuable when I had less information, meaning when I only watched the youtube videos, and now there’s just this incredible flood of tips and ways of making things out of wood that I spend less time thinking of personnal solutions and more time copying your work. I don’t intend to do this for too long but anyway this saddens me a little bit on one hand, and makes me happy and proud of making things effectively on the other.
I don’t even know if I’m speaking English quite correctly enough to be understood, but I’d certainly like to have your thoughts about the way of teaching what you do.
Best regards from France, and thank you again.
Richard
FYI it looks like Aldi US is selling their chisel sets next week. Looks like a tool sale for fathers day.
Aldi US started stocking the chisels as a direct response to this blog. How amazing is that! Let’s hope that they always keep the standard. I am sure they will.
Thanks for the info. Guess I will be heading Aldi next week!
Was nice to go through it step by step! Interesting concept – I’m sure it will be a very successful way of spreading knowledge in this way!
Good to know you folks exist!
cheers!
I bought Aldi’s chisels last year. They are a wonderful buy and good tools.
If you need chisels, Aldi’s are a good addition to your tool collection.
I liked the course. I supervised my five year old son who’s first wood work project this was. I liked the way it was split into bite size chunks of information, it made it easier to follow for a complete beginner. My son was able to watch each section and complete that task before moving on to the next without getting confused. We had a great time together in the workshop with my three year old daughter watching, I’ll be making one with her too soon (she won’t let me forget). The best part was hearing my son say ‘I’m so proud of myself’ when he had finished, he can’t wait to take it in to school for ‘show and tell’
Well this is indeed how real woodworking begins and this is how to take back what children are now being denied by “progressive” educational changes.
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I recently finished my Paul Sellers style workbench and the finish is still drying on my first project, the foot stool. So I happily signed up for this test course and look forward to trying it out. I had skipped making the spatula as in Paul’s first book there is no template provided and I didn’t trust myself to come up with one on my own.
You really do not need a template. Just make something close and go with it. There will be times where the wood splits the wrong way or you just mess it up. Then you will have to change the design a little to compensate. Use you imagination and have fun. If all else fails, you will have some kenneling for the fire.
This was an excellent course. I like the way list of tools and materials, which is very helpful for a beginner. The places you stopped the video in the process where nice also.
As always, a well put together demonstration. I will have to talk my wife into following it. That would be a real test.
Thank You Paul , Joseph and team I enjoyed this immensely and will be making the pattern this afternoon. This will be a good project to work with my 8 1/2 year old Grandson and make a great presents for the Family.
Steve
I wish you the best of luck on this new endeavor. Been following you for several years now and your style of teaching is detailed and thorough as well as sincere and inviting. Thanks for what you are doing and I hope it’s a great success. At present I have a task list to complete which requires working with my carpentry skills outside as the MN weather permits. I plan to apply what I’ve observed watching you ( especially your patience 🙂 now and again when I go indoors to work.
Very nice concept! My compliments for all the work that has gone in this! I will try this out very soon.
Great timing also, my wive had just asked me if I could make a few spatulas for her 🙂
Just registered for the test site. Great idea of providing text and images only. I feel that it’s actually more productive in terms of the number of projects since the film making process is not required. It will work great with woodworkingmasterclass. Love the idea.
Appreciation to the efforts mate.
Hello Paul,
I’ve just finished my spatula (though I made a couple of these already) so now I can tell you what I think about the new output. I guess it’s a good teaching way to split the making into individual steps, yet a bit uncomfortable it the present version of the output to “skip” one to go to another (maybe a kind of chapter divisions like on a DVD would be more practical?).
I must tell you I liked more the long videos for they were more “natural” in a way. There it seems to come like a more rigid, or less versatile way to practice, sorry about what I say.
Actually, I’m a bit afraid that woodworkers following a new course made in this manner start to think less about the many ways they could achieve a project.
I don’t know if it’s worth an example, but I found my personnal progresses were more valuable when I had less information, meaning when I only watched the youtube videos, and now there’s just this incredible flood of tips and ways of making things out of wood that I spend less time thinking of personnal solutions and more time copying your work. I don’t intend to do this for too long but anyway this saddens me a little bit on one hand, and makes me happy and proud of making things effectively on the other.
I don’t even know if I’m speaking English quite correctly enough to be understood, but I’d certainly like to have your thoughts about the way of teaching what you do.
Best regards from France, and thank you again.
Richard
FYI it looks like Aldi US is selling their chisel sets next week. Looks like a tool sale for fathers day.
Aldi US started stocking the chisels as a direct response to this blog. How amazing is that! Let’s hope that they always keep the standard. I am sure they will.
Thanks for the info. Guess I will be heading Aldi next week!
Was nice to go through it step by step! Interesting concept – I’m sure it will be a very successful way of spreading knowledge in this way!
Good to know you folks exist!
cheers!
I bought Aldi’s chisels last year. They are a wonderful buy and good tools.
If you need chisels, Aldi’s are a good addition to your tool collection.
I liked the course. I supervised my five year old son who’s first wood work project this was. I liked the way it was split into bite size chunks of information, it made it easier to follow for a complete beginner. My son was able to watch each section and complete that task before moving on to the next without getting confused. We had a great time together in the workshop with my three year old daughter watching, I’ll be making one with her too soon (she won’t let me forget). The best part was hearing my son say ‘I’m so proud of myself’ when he had finished, he can’t wait to take it in to school for ‘show and tell’
Well this is indeed how real woodworking begins and this is how to take back what children are now being denied by “progressive” educational changes.