This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers • Hacker News Board

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#121

Post by dugmartin » Tue, May 21, 2019, 11:04 AM UTC

abakker wrote: post #15

Townley wrote: post #11

The intellectual successor to This Old House's take on the entertainment potential of skilled craftsmanship probably isn't drama-filled reality TV, but rather YouTube channels like that of Paul Sellers. My drama-detesting father-in-law and his grandchildren watch those videos all day long to appreciate the craftsmanship, learning opportunities, and creativity of final products. I don't feel particularly concerned by…

Agree so much with this. Frank Howarth, Abom79, This Old Tony, Welding Tips and Tricks, Jimmy DiResta, Stumpy Nubs, Stefan Gotteswinter - there's so much great content like this on youtube. TV was never a great place for craft because it has to serve a general audience. Youtube has so much niche specific content with pretty great production values.

I would add “The Crazy Framer” to the list. He gives a great insight into production level rough carpentry and also the shear amount of work one person can accomplish in a short amount of time when they are focused and competent.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#122

Post by turk73 » Tue, May 21, 2019, 12:33 PM UTC

x0x0 wrote: post #88

ChuckMcM wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed that there are some real gems on Youtube. What is more, the various presentations work for different people, so finding someone who can explain the process to you in a way you understand is more manageable. I think the subtext of the article which is that skilled tradespeople are to be admired just as much as skilled professionals (doctors, lawyers, Etc.) is sometimes overlooked. For young people, especially t…

Can you really? A sibling lives near an old industrial center; he drives truck for Sysco. We occasionally discuss different careers. Tool & die makers near him don't make more than truck drivers. I'm sure there are some examples -- if you can do eg old-style timber framing for people who can afford 10-inch old growth timber and want 30+ foot ceilings, there will always be a handful of well-paying gigs. But how common…

They're not. My dad was a pipe fitter at nuke plants and power plants and didn't make very good money. He did a lot of side work doing carpentry and later machine shop work. There was always a broken bulldozer blade or other heavy equipment sitting on our property that he was repairing for someone. He did a lot of side jobs to survive.

Also, the people he had to work with were just lovely folks. Lots of biker types and alcoholics. Extremely miserable personalities to have to deal with. He is a very angry, broken man in his old age. A truly miserable but very hard/tough man.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#123

Post by auiya » Tue, May 21, 2019, 3:47 PM UTC

skookumchuck wrote: post #28

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #5

I haven't seen This Old House in years. As an apartment-dwelling teenager in the 80's, I watched it every week. My grandfather had been a carpenter and I was amazed at the skill of Bob Vila and Norm Abram, who at first was a peripheral character. The current "reality show" home improvement shows all have the same flaw: no one cares about the actual work; it's all about the fake drama. We used to love the Restoration…

Try "Detroit Muscle", "Truck Tech" and "Extreme Off Road". They show how to customize/restore cars without any drama. Just straightforward exposition.

Wheeler Dealers is another good one. It's been on for decades and Ant Antstead does some incredibly engaging and informative work despite the fast pace of the show.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#124

Post by DuskStar » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:00 PM UTC

mcpherrinm wrote: post #118

DuskStar wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, there were almost certainly far better ways to do that. Not to mention they now have two lead keels, since they haven't done anything with Victoria's... (But I don't remember if they had bought Victoria as a parts ship yet when doing the Arabella pour) They have seemed to start taking PPE more seriously in recent episodes though, at least for welding bronze.

Victoria had an iron keel.

Well that certainly explains why it wasn't melted down to contribute to Arabella's lead keel then

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#125

Post by ken » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:38 PM UTC

0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #80

abakker wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree so much with this. Frank Howarth, Abom79, This Old Tony, Welding Tips and Tricks, Jimmy DiResta, Stumpy Nubs, Stefan Gotteswinter - there's so much great content like this on youtube. TV was never a great place for craft because it has to serve a general audience. Youtube has so much niche specific content with pretty great production values.

I used to think it was great, but now I think about a powermatic bandsaw. (AvE was involved. I chose wood shop because he said there weren't any old welders i.e. they don't live long)

That's a funny claim. I know welders of all ages. The older ones seem to tend to migrate to other work which requires less physical exertion, but that's true of every job I see.

I don't know any old dancers, but that doesn't mean dancing is lethal. It means they tend to shift to choreography or teaching or something else as they get older.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#126

Post by mcguire » Tue, May 21, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

mistrial9 wrote: post #97

mcguire wrote: post #19

Then there was that one season (roughly around when Bob Vila left) where they had new carpenter who was missing some fingers. One episode he shows up with a mass of bandages on one hand, gives a lecture on saw safety, and never appeared again.

here in the city, we do sew them back on now, you know..

Sometimes, we use toes, too.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#127

Post by digitalsushi » Tue, May 21, 2019, 8:05 PM UTC

abakker wrote: post #15

Townley wrote: post #11

The intellectual successor to This Old House's take on the entertainment potential of skilled craftsmanship probably isn't drama-filled reality TV, but rather YouTube channels like that of Paul Sellers. My drama-detesting father-in-law and his grandchildren watch those videos all day long to appreciate the craftsmanship, learning opportunities, and creativity of final products. I don't feel particularly concerned by…

Agree so much with this. Frank Howarth, Abom79, This Old Tony, Welding Tips and Tricks, Jimmy DiResta, Stumpy Nubs, Stefan Gotteswinter - there's so much great content like this on youtube. TV was never a great place for craft because it has to serve a general audience. Youtube has so much niche specific content with pretty great production values.

Matthias Wandel has some excellent woodworking from the perspective of an electrical engineer; Andrew Camarata's channel has hundreds of hours of practical ingenuity and problem solving.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#128

Post by BubRoss » Tue, May 21, 2019, 11:09 PM UTC

falcolas wrote: post #9

There's a YouTube channel that I feel espouses the values set forth by "This Old House" - and is as much fun to watch: Essential Craftsman I grew up on This Old House, and I relax to Essential Craftsman today. I hope someone else can find it as much fun as I do.

That guy is great. Every time I work on a project I remember him saying that scribing beats measuring.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#129

Post by aklemm » Wed, May 22, 2019, 12:00 PM UTC

VectorLock wrote: post #68

abakker wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree so much with this. Frank Howarth, Abom79, This Old Tony, Welding Tips and Tricks, Jimmy DiResta, Stumpy Nubs, Stefan Gotteswinter - there's so much great content like this on youtube. TV was never a great place for craft because it has to serve a general audience. Youtube has so much niche specific content with pretty great production values.

If you like them Essential Craftsmen is also a great channel. He is a bit more no-nonsense compared to like This Old Tony (who I LOVE) without being dry.

Love this one.

Re: This Old House: The Rare Home-Improvement Show That Spotlights Skilled Workers

#130

Post by EADGBE » Wed, May 22, 2019, 1:29 PM UTC

zrobotics wrote: post #76

EADGBE wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OCC was definitely dramatized. The parent comment's suggestions though are indeed TOH-style mechanic shows.

Which was such a shame, since the guys definitely had great technical skills & I really wanted to like the show but couldn't get past the screaming. I'm not really into choppers, but am into antique bikes (currently mounting a sidecar on a 73 HD), so it should have been right up my alley.

Not a bike guy, but definitely watched to see their creations in the end.