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Disk 1: I found this first disk to be really quite a good disk. As has been mentioned by others it has excellent audio and video quality. It is easy to follow and Alan Lacer does a good job of demonstrating many thing.
I found the "how to sharpen the skew" segments to be useful but in certain ways a bit limited. He talked only briefly about some of the things I wanted to know the most. And in some cases he references tools, grinder, honing devices etc... that I don't have but doesn't say anything about where to get them. Don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting catalog pages and part numbers but general information about "you can typically find them here..." Would have been very useful and would have saved time and money.
In talking about the cuts he is detailed and thorough for the most part. His explanations of the peeling, planing and V-cuts I found to be the very best I have ever seen. He has great skill and makes them look extremely easy. Which is at once both promising and annoying. Annoying in that if it "that easy, why can't I do it?" but promising in that it can be learned! :)
However on the end cut for truing up an end surface he for some reason goes way too fast IMHO. He mentions using a proper "clearance angle" but never defines it and never explains it. He never talked about how to do it, he just goes on to demonstrate it a half a dozen times. And for the first time in this video the camera work is sub-par and you see it all from basically 1 single angle. So it never became clearer. As this is one of the cuts I needed the most help with I was somewhat disappointed.
His suggestion to buy a safe driver that allows things to slip when you get a catch is one of the very best ideas I have ever seen/used when using the skew chisel. It is amazing what a difference it makes!
This video serves as a good starting point for learning to properly use a skew chisel. I just wish everything in it had had the same high level of attention to detail.
Disk 2: In my review of Disk #1 I stated that I really liked that disk in the main. I fear I found Disk #2 to be really rather disappointing. Disk #2 is a projects disk. That is fine. Learning to do different things with the skew chisel is good. Seeing them done over and over again is also good.
The problem I had was with the mechanics of the disk itself. I, like so many, learn best from repetition. I do SO much better hearing the explanation over and over again and then following that with seeing it done many times. In this video you do see the cuts repeated but the greater detail in explanations, or at least alternate explanations, that I was hoping for after watching the first one was missing.
Want good ideas on things to turn? This is a great video. What to actually learn to use the skew chisel better? This is not the video for you. Rent the first and skip this one.
I purchased both DVDs in this set and I just have to say that Bill is both a master wood turner and a master teacher. His teaching style is both entertaining and engaging while being extremely informative. His explanations are well thought out and clear. He does a great job of explaining and then demonstrating what he was talking about. He presented techniques that were easy to learn and once I did made a huge difference in my turning.
I have purchased a great many Turning DVDs and I have found these to be some of the very best I own! Highly recommended for turners of any skill level.
Pass! Pass! Pass! DO NOT WASTE YOU TIME OR MONEY ON THIS VIDEO!
I love woodturning. It is the best hobby and the most fun I have ever had. I have enjoyed every video I have seen about it (Raffan's/Lacer's/etc...) and learned something new from each one. Mike Darlows is clearly a talented turner with a great deal of information. But his presentation is JUST SO TERRIBLE that I literally fell asleep trying to watch it. Twice! I gave up and tried skipping around looking for what I wanted to know in the disk and even that wasn't worth it. Don't waste your time. Seriously.
Get a video from an actual teacher and you will 10x happier and learn 10x more.
