Series 3: Britain's Best Woodworker

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thats one of the most offputting things about the show for me. i was trying to figure out why i had such a love/hate with it, i like watching the builds, i've no assumptons on the skill levels of those computing being the best woodworkers. but every year at this time i watch masterchef the professionals and love it, and i was looking at why, and this is one glaring difference, in masterchef, the judges are absolute masters in their field and when they jduge, you know its coming from a position of experience and expertise.

the two judges in this have no expertise, it's obvious they are being fed lines to say, especially the attempts to make the female judge comment on joinery at every opportunity when its obvious she has no idea what she is saying (and not bashing her, one look at her instagram shows she doesn;t do joinery in any of her work).

so no woodworker on the judges, an artist and a "design academic". no wonder that whenever any of the contestants doesn't get a bit of their design done it immediately becomes the most vital piece of the design, if you don't know what you are judging you'll take the easy pickings.

so i think its the overall format that is broken, you have a whole show that is focused on the actual build, but then 2 judges that can and do only judge on the artistic impact. one of those elements need to change to make the show align, either make it about the build or about the artistic merits of the end piece, but in its current format it doesn't work

Tbh anyone could see the mistakes the judges see....

It's not Britain best woodworkers, it's anyone free for half a dozen weekends and wants to be on TV!

If Derek in Oz, Custard and Doug71* were on it the judges would be out of thier depth in an instant!

*Other first class woodworker's are available!
 
What amazes me is the judges - the current crop is billed by Channel 4 as "The judges are entrepreneur and woodworking expert Sophie Sellu and design academic Tom Dyckhoff" - how either of them can qualify is beyond me -

Sophie Sellu's experience appears to be carving spoons and making brushes from wood - very much "design" rather than woodworking skills.

Tom Dyckhoff (from his own website) - is a historian, writer, teacher and broadcaster about architecture, geographies, design and cities. [Pedant mode- it's "an" historian]

No practical experience of the PROCESS and SKILLS - just a design perspective . . . . I'm not suggesting David Linley should be a judge but at least have people that know what they are looking at - and while they're at it have projects that are more relatable to ordinary people.
 
Tbh anyone could see the mistakes the judges see....

It's not Britain best woodworkers, it's anyone free for half a dozen weekends and wants to be on TV!

If Derek in Oz, Custard and Doug71* were on it the judges would be out of thier depth in an instant!

*Other first class woodworker's are available!
Not wanting to offend anyone but would that really be the case? Have any of the amazing makes from real masters of the craft been completed, including finishing in two days?
 
The emphasis isn't on the 'h' sound? I don't know anyone who pronounces it "istorian". :LOL:
Yes as you say, it isn't 'istorian', unless you are of the estuarine persuasion, but the important bit was the word emphasis it isn't emphasised in the same way that it is in horrible, happy or hospital. Try saying them out loud you may be able to hear the difference. :LOL:
 
As this forum demonstrates every day of the year, woodworking is a broad spectrum, and anything that welcomes new people to it can't be bad.
Any tendencies any of us might have about being special or better than most can be easily cured with a few reels on Insta.
 
Not wanting to offend anyone but would that really be the case? Have any of the amazing makes from real masters of the craft been completed, including finishing in two days?
I'm sure I would be sent home first for using 2 days to take stock and have a think.

Well hold on, I need to do some research!
 
Things might have been better if they had a little mentoring. Wolfgang came a cropper trying to make half lap joints when all he had to do was stagger the short pieces in the middle like a sandwich. The lady with all the hoops over the bed didn't spot that they were asymmetrical - she repeated the first mistake with every glue up. They should show us the advisers giving design advice.
 
I watch it and has been said it is the title that grates, but that is not the contestants fault, much prep work is done beforehand that is obvious both in design and material sizing. The costs of some projects is totally unrealistic material wise and often wasted on the amateurish attempts to use it. But all said and done there are some good ideas even if the skill is not there to see them through, it still makes for an interesting watch.
 
To make anything in wood requires joints, so why are the so called skills challenges about crafting and not producing example joints ?
crafting is down to innovation and development of design skills. Whereas making perfect joints is a matter of practice.
 
I'll have to keep an eye out on eBay for poor jointed beds and ones with asymmetrical arches then!!

Phil
I could be wrong but I got the impression that they were taken home as a good source of quality wood for other projects. There was a lot of costly material in those beds!
 
It's a bit of an arguable point but it is because the emphasis isn't on the 'h' sound. Say it out loud, 'a historian' is technically correct but is a bit grating and 'an historian' is much easier to pronounce. Note though that 'a history' would be the used not 'an history'.

... same scenario applies to hotel - strictly speaking it's pronounced "an otel" as it's a French derivative word where in many instances the h is silent.
 

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