wizer
Established Member
- Joined
- 3 Mar 2005
- Messages
- 15,589
- Reaction score
- 1
Well I heard on the grapevine that Les Thorne had a new DVD out and, after meeting him at the S&B show, I jumped at the chance to buy it. This is my independent review of the DVD (no connection to any of the parties involved):
The DVD starts with a section for beginners. This covers the basics like beads, coves, tool control and sharpening. It is well delivered and holds good advice for beginners. Les's delivery can not be faulted and the camera angles are adequate but could have been a little better.
The DVD then moves on to the first of two projects which is a lamp. It covers what we've learned in previous segments, with beads and shaping cuts. It also covers the process involved with drilling out the middle for the cable. The lamp is ebonised to finish and this is a nice twist that sets this DVD apart from others. All in all this is a very informative project and Les takes his time and makes it's look straight forward.
The final project is one of his carved, coloured and textured bowls, much like what he did at the S&B show. It's full of tips on how to do the basic bowl turning but the real emphasis is put on the finishing techniques. This is why I bought the DVD as it's a process that interests me. He uses an abortech to carve a texture on the bowl and then chars it with a blow torch and finally sprays it black. To take it even further, he then adds a coloured rim to the inside transition and this really sets the piece off. I found my mind whirring with idea as I watched, it's quite inspirational.
The whole DVD has a very proffessional feel to it. I felt that the camera angles could have been improved slightly, sometimes we was looking at Les and not what the tool was doing. But generally this production is better than most I've seen. It has a nice faded split screen feature which is good for either seeing Les talk while the tool is working or more importantly what the other end of the tool is doing in relation to the business end.
Health and Safety is covered more than adequately, with Les wearing a dust mask for some of the sanding which is rare in a DVD.
There's no over egged comedy or ego. Les's delivery is calm and straight to the point. My only negative comment about the DVD as a whole is that they shouldn't have bothered with the beginner segments and concentrated on the decorative techniques. I realised they're trying to cover both ends of the market but I think I'd have like to see one more project instead of yet another demonstration of beads and coves (not that I can do them!). This is actually a minor criticism of what really is one of the better wood turning DVDs on the market.
I wish Les good luck with this and hope to see more.
The DVD starts with a section for beginners. This covers the basics like beads, coves, tool control and sharpening. It is well delivered and holds good advice for beginners. Les's delivery can not be faulted and the camera angles are adequate but could have been a little better.
The DVD then moves on to the first of two projects which is a lamp. It covers what we've learned in previous segments, with beads and shaping cuts. It also covers the process involved with drilling out the middle for the cable. The lamp is ebonised to finish and this is a nice twist that sets this DVD apart from others. All in all this is a very informative project and Les takes his time and makes it's look straight forward.
The final project is one of his carved, coloured and textured bowls, much like what he did at the S&B show. It's full of tips on how to do the basic bowl turning but the real emphasis is put on the finishing techniques. This is why I bought the DVD as it's a process that interests me. He uses an abortech to carve a texture on the bowl and then chars it with a blow torch and finally sprays it black. To take it even further, he then adds a coloured rim to the inside transition and this really sets the piece off. I found my mind whirring with idea as I watched, it's quite inspirational.
The whole DVD has a very proffessional feel to it. I felt that the camera angles could have been improved slightly, sometimes we was looking at Les and not what the tool was doing. But generally this production is better than most I've seen. It has a nice faded split screen feature which is good for either seeing Les talk while the tool is working or more importantly what the other end of the tool is doing in relation to the business end.
Health and Safety is covered more than adequately, with Les wearing a dust mask for some of the sanding which is rare in a DVD.
There's no over egged comedy or ego. Les's delivery is calm and straight to the point. My only negative comment about the DVD as a whole is that they shouldn't have bothered with the beginner segments and concentrated on the decorative techniques. I realised they're trying to cover both ends of the market but I think I'd have like to see one more project instead of yet another demonstration of beads and coves (not that I can do them!). This is actually a minor criticism of what really is one of the better wood turning DVDs on the market.
I wish Les good luck with this and hope to see more.
