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I really enjoyed this video. I read about making gravers on sherline.com, but seeing it done really made me understand. I really learned a lot about ornamental metalworking on a small lathe using a graver and no toolpost/crossslide. I did not think you could do it. It is amazing how much 1 graver can do. I like WR Smith's delivery and the opening is a classic. Straight good information. I am interested in the Sherline lathe and he demostrates on this too. Very good DVD. Lots that I can use for my wood lathe too and small ornamental wood turning opens up too (not on this DVD, but it got me thinking).

This video would be good for someone new to casting. I am not and I was disappointed. I was hoping for something for the home hobbyist. Dr. Leeper’s equipment was from a university and not typical for a home hobbyist due to cost. This was just a quick overview of casting. He uses petrobond sand. I did learn about bedding in a 1 piece pattern instead of a split pattern. A better video on home casting is Dave Gingery’s Green Sand Casting Techniques.

[ ADMIN NOTE: The Gingery video was out of print when we last tried to get a copy. We\'ll keep looking. ]

This should be required viewing for anyone with a drill press. Good camera work and lighting. Rudy is a great speaker and teacher. Covers the basics. Very good, although I was hoping for more about milling on a drill press. Jose Rodriguez' DVD is better for that though.

I am a big fan of Jose and this is another classic. Even though the camera work and lighting is bad at times, it is forgiveable because the information is solid & very creative. This gives me great ideas for building a small drill press mill for about $200, great for what I will need it for. You won't find this information anywhere else. I would get anything done by Jose. He offers great ideas for making things without spending a lot of money.

Great video and great information. I would never have thought gearmaking was within my reach. The demonstrations are classic Jose and lots of great information. Perfect for the home hobbyist on a budget as usual with Jose's videos. I think I will buy this one, it is that good. Better camera work this time and Jose's delivery is as dry as ever, but that is part of the charm.

This is an excellent video. I bought it a few years back. The video is very clear and shows exactly the tools and materials needed. Then, Will Borden takes you through actual repairs step by step. Color matching and spraying gelcoat are covered also. This is everything you would need to know for minor fiberglass and gelcoat repairs. I love Will Borden's delivery and dry sense of humor. He is the actual worker and has years of experience doing this, so it is not all just talk. I would like to rent his other video on transom repair. I am sure it is just as good.

Tremendous video. Great quality DVD picture. Filmed and narration is first rate. I wish I has this when I built my first cedar strip canoe last year. Great tips and techniques that they share from their years of experience. There is even a section on tool sharpening at the end. I like how they stress the importance of using good sharp hand tools. I like their idea of making the football bottom first; using washer head screws instead of drywall screws for the mold setups and stem glue up. I loved this video. I only wish they showed how they make the prepare the cedar strips. They do not. This is one I would will buy for my library. I am going to rent their video #2 of Fiberglassing now.

This DVD is a good introduction to glued lapstrake boatbuilding. David Nichols does a nice job presenting each section clearly. I was a little disappointed after viewing it. His methods for the interior provide for a very strong boat, but are very messy and a bit sloppy looking. This is not the definitive video on glued lapstrake like the Newfound Boatworks videos are to cedar strip boatbuilding. It is still the only one out there on glued lapstrake, so I commend him for that. I am glad I rented it, but it is not a video I would want to buy or see again.

I really enjoyed this DVD. Alan is a very good instructor and the picture quality is terrific. The instruction he presents on sharpening and customizing the skew is fantastic. I also like how he advocates the dead center instead of spur center. I avoided this tool because I did not really know about it. I have experience turning, but after watching this, I have so much more to look forward to now. I have used scrapers and parting tools and really got poor finishes that needed lots of sanding. With Alan's techniques on skew planning, peeling, parting, vee and bead cutting, the finish is perfect - on 2x4 soft practice wood. It is amazing how much this tool can do. I will consider buying Alan's DVD because the instruction is that good.

The title is misleading but the content was perfect for what I was looking for. I thought it may have a little heat treatment based on gunmaking and casehardening (which is different than heat treatment) based on the video picture, description and title. It is all about heat treatment, oil quench hardening and tempering of knife blades. The 2 presenters (Kim Breed and Gary Wheeler) are knifemakers, not gunsmiths. There was nothing on case hardening or gun parts or Bob Dunlap. That's OK, I was not looking for that anyway! This video was very good. I really enjoyed it because it is very practical for the home garage hobbyist. The video quality is similar to Jose Rodriguez, but the information quality is excellent. I am making a mortise chisel out of O1 steel. I have the steel all ground and ready for heat treatment, but really did not know how to proceed. This video now gives me all I need to know to finish it. They cover heat treatment in an oil bath quench, tempering in a kitchen oven and tempering the shank. They show it done with mapp gas, oxy-acetylene or a homemade forge. They draw pictures with a sharpie on a cardboard box. Even the DVD is burned on an Office Depot DVD with a hand written title on it. It is all based on low cost methods. That is what is nice about garage craftsmen. They don't try to sell you any expensive equipment. They share tips that they use to save time and money. Great stuff. It was just what I needed.

I really liked this video. It is extremely well organized and very professionally done. I learned so much from it. I was also frustrated because even though it was only an 800 sq. ft house, it was a TON of work. The owner had an army of people working on it at times. He even had the benefit of getting volunteers to help with the straw bales and mudding because it was for a workshop class they were taking. It is definitely not a 1 or 2 person DIY project unfortunately. The results were outstanding and the solar panel electricity generation is impressive.

I really like Pat Warner’s approach to woodworking. He works with wood but with the precision of a machinist. His website shows beautiful templates, jigs and fixtures but this video brings the techniques back to reality. He is a big supporter of safety which I appreciate. This video is filmed in his garage shop. It goes by fast so I had to watch a few times. This is a video I would consider purchasing. I picked up many tips by watching this video. I have been woodworking for 20 years and I still enjoyed his tips and techniques. It is for the newcomer, but as an experienced woodworker, I still got a lot out of the video. Just seeing him work, seeing his templates is very valuable I thought. As you get more experienced in woodworking, it is too easy to cut corners and forget the little things. This video is a great reminder to be safe, to work properly, to use quality templates and equipment, and to be accurate. Taking the time up front will eliminate problems later. Pat is the best source on router’s around.

This DVD is very outdated. The hosts talk about the highest quality formats of super VHS and Hi-8. Editing equipment they said was $20K. The on screen titles, colors and backgrounds looked extremely poor and amateurish compared to what is available today. The sections on VHS tape copying and dubbing is completely obsolete. Some of the tips were OK. Most of the rest was just common sense. I found the twin brothers very annoying. They are overestimating their appeal. At least they hired a narrator for some of it. It would have been unwatchable if they did the whole thing. This information could have easily been done on 1 DVD in under an hour instead of 2 DVD’s at 3 hours. I cannot recommend. I would just search the internet instead for tips and techniques on how to make effective digital camcorder movies. Watch others DVDs and incorporate what you like about them. These DVDs will NOT help you make money in special interest videos. Their attention getting title did attract me, but I would never rent or buy anything done by them again.

I really loved this DVD. This is one I would want to buy. The picture quality is excellent. It is not like one of the old VHS transfers. It is very well organized into sections and each step of the process is covered in thorough detail. A .pdf attachment is available on the DVD that includes all measurements for the chair and special shop tools. John uses all hand tools to build the chair. John is a great teacher and his love for this work really comes through. With patience, I feel confident I could build a chair like this. My only problem is finding a new white oak log.

What a great DVD. I never knew about the late Tage Frid but always saw his name in Taunton publications. The DVD follows him around his shop as he builds a cabinet. Just to see how he sharpens a chisel and cabinet scraper is worth the whole rental cost. Very simple and no expensive jigs are used. He is very likeable and I can see why he was so beloved in the woodworking circles. The bonus sections are very good too. I wish there was more available on this man and his work.

I really loved these videos. It is really a great project based on Rudy’s own design. I also really enjoyed seeing how the Sherline equipment works (lathe and milling machine). The finish he gets on his parts is like a mirror. I now want to rent his video on lathe tool grinding to see exactly how he does it. He does not go into it on this DVD set. Once he shows you something, he does not go over it again which is good to keep things moving along. It is a wonderful little project to build skills. The only complaint is that the camera is fixed most of the time and the shots of the part being machined are not that great. But he still explains everything he is doing in a descriptive way and detailed drawings are included. I would not hesitate to rent any Rudy K. video. He not only is a great machinist, but a great teacher too.

Very good video. The narration by WR Smith is monotone but his descriptions are good. This video is more toward those who have Myford lathes. I thought it would have more information on Sherline equipment, but only a little bit. It still is an interesting video to watch. You can see lots of techniques and methods used to overcome challenges. Each of the methods used looks like it involves lots of time, materials and skill to build the adaptive tooling. This man is a master and worth seeing. He refers to "Tooling the workshop for clockmakers", so it would be better to view that first before this one.

I loved this DVD. It is very well done. It is amazing what I learned as I went through each of the exercises. It is very well done. Highly recommended. I am seeing things differently now too. This takes you into a whole new world that lets you experience what an artist experiences. Great!

This video is more for an intermediate, than a beginning artist. A much better DVD for beginning artists is Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. This DVD showcases the speed and skill of this artist, but it did not really help me as a beginner.

I was disappointed in this video. Jim Orr gets caught up in himself too much. He starts injecting philosophical stuff (on honesty, confidence, etc.) which made me keep saying, "What is this man talking about!" The section on perspective drawing is OK.

You have to remember, you are watching a man with over 30+ years in Industrial Design. He draws very fast. This is NOT a beginner's instructional video. For learning how to draw, I will always point people to Betty Edwards, "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". After watching her, nothing else comes close. I would not recommend this video as it only showcases someone who draws very fast and offers little practical instruction. It is like he is saying, "Here, just do what I do, like this...."

Pretty good video and provides good example of how to do a nice video. Only 1 hour long, with very basic information that you can now obtain in various places on internet.

I don't like that it is about making fairly short videos and maximizing profits on them. This video sell for $39 or $45. It really should sell for no more than $10 due to the basic and limited content.

Pretty good. I am not sure I learned much to apply to my current airbrushing. The instructor's skills are very impressive, but that should not be the point of the DVD. The use of stencils was good. I would not buy this video for my collection to ever watch again.

Steve Driscoll is a fantastic airbrush artist. I really loved this video and it is one of the best I have seen on airbrushing. I learned a lot about the airbrush and even many techniques that will help my pencil portrait work. This would be one I may purchase for viewing many times. The portrait he does of Frank Sinatra is incredible!

This was very long and at times it was like watching grass grow. I was disappointed that the artist traced his image to start out. I guess this is used to save time, but I have seen great artists who are fast and do not trace. Also, I got a bit tired of Dru Blair always saying "Sorayama is doing.....". He says this every 5 minutes and it gets irritating. We know who it is by now. Quit saying his name. Not much in the way of airbrushing, which is what I got it for. I don't agree that this man "....is the greatest artist in the world". The finished illustration is very good, but after seeing I am not fond of the style of the out of proportion legs, body to small head size. I cannot recommend.

I have rented several airbrush videos here and I liked this one the best. Javier Soto is just a regular guy. I like his approach better than Cross Eyed. His use of color is fantastic. I would rent anything from him. I will try Cybergirl video next. Great stuff. I really loved it and so did my brother. He is a professional graphic artist and was really impressed by the video.

Great video. Lorenzo explains in detail everything he is doing. I picked up some great ideas like applying paint with brush very thin like watercolors, airbrushing with acrylic paint thinned down, etc. Erasing, masks, etc. It is long, but worth it. I watched in 3 separate nights. It is a lot a great information to take in. The face and hair that he renders is really great.

I really liked this video, especially the flag helmet. It took the some of the mystery out of taping too. Craig Fraser is great and makes it look so easy. I was surprised at how light a coat of paint is required. This is to not create a high edge. I would have liked to see him show how the helmets looked after clearcoating live on camera. This was shown at end in a still picture, but it was tough to see how good it looked. Recommended.

This video has all the steps in great detail shown by Platt Monfort. He is a real character and is funny without trying to be. He uses cheap and creative ways to get the work done. I have built a 14' Nimrod from his plans, this video and his materials. It does take quite a bit more time to build one than what is advertized on the website. I would not build the cardboard and wood strongback ever again. I built it but did not use. It was very poor. Also, I would not use cardboard for the station molds either.

Believe the reviews. This video is great. Great information on brushes, paints and prep work. I really like the idea of practicing each of the 10 strokes x 1000 times, for a total of 10,000. I plan to start this once I get a brush. It does take practice and patience. Wizard makes it look easy but his instruction is very informative and encouraging. Practice, practice, practice. This is one I will buy.

I liked this video. It is what you would expect from Craig Frazier. He does a lot in a short time and speaks very fast. Video and close ups shots are first rate. You get to see everything he does with no mystery. I liked seeing how how masked and freehand airbrushed the skulls. He makes it look very easy. The helmet is impressive and all, but not something I would want or try to copy. I am catching on that these are really sales videos. The design he uses maximizes the need to buy at least 3 different Iwata airbrushes, 2 artools templates, 4-5 masking products of various varieties, 11+ House of Kolor paints of all colors of the rainbow and HOK additives. To reproduce the helmet on this video would require a substantial investment. The big Iwata sign in the back is prominent throughout. I would love to see Craig do a video where he was not required to sell anything. I think his work is looking too much the same. He does say you have to keep trying new things and all, yet this helmet looks exactly like something out of his Cheap Tricks and Special Effects book. He has tremendous talent, but I think he is constrained by having to sell and incorporating as much merchandise in each piece that he can squeeze out. If you can get past the merchandising to see and hear his tips & techniques, it is very good. I don't fault him for being an artistic salesman. He wants to make a good living and he is excellent at what he does.

David R.'s Profile

31 Reviews