Review by Mark Gezella – October 2006

As you may know, we occasionally receive library donations from various benevolent individuals. Such is the case this month. Our own Bob Colegate generously handed over three brand-new how-to videos that cover basic usage of several major power tools. The videos are produced by JET tool corporation, with additional sponsorship by Powermatic and Performax.

The host of the entire ShopClass Series is Gary Rogowski. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Mr. Rogowski, as he has been a professional furniture-maker and teacher for over 30 years. He is director of the Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Oregon, and has authored many articles and books in addition to his contributions as a skilled craftsman. He also hosted our Router Joinery DVD that I reviewed in February 2005 - a pretty good flick! Gary is obviously adept at woodworking and instructing, but it's his friendly disposition and cheery demeanor that get my attention. I enjoy his videos because he interjects facial expressions and little witticisms that provide just enough levity to keep things fun. He's clever with tips and tricks too. For example, do you know what a nickel brings these days? A perfect template for scribing corners! Or how about this sage advice; with any new power tool, first read the directions, then grab some stock and read the grain!

As I said, we now have three of these videos in our possession, which cover Table Saw, Jointer & Planer, and Bandsaw machines. There's actually a total of five in the set - two others were produced on Lathes and Shapers. The series was produced in 2004, so all are basically current with regard to latest tooling and industry practices. If you view one of our three new ones and find you'd be interested in the others, let me know! Maybe I can scrounge up the other two somewhere.

If you view more than one you'll find several topics are redundant, as they apply to virtually any power tool you might use. Each has obligatory segments on safety, cutting operations, etc. But after dispensing with this, you learn about the specifics of each machine. The show is over quickly, but there's adequate demonstration to get the idea. Here's the "Playbill" for each tape:

The videos run anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. Audio seems like it's slightly muffled from time to time, but overall it's no big deal. Cinematography is fine, with brightly colored tooling and a well-lit shop. In fact, these all take place at the Northwest Woodworking Studio, which pretty much guaranteed a proper setting. I consider these best suited to someone thinking of making a major power tool purchase. They provide an excellent introduction to basic usage along with suggestions for what to expect when considering a new tool. If you're looking for a demo of, or opinion on high-end machines and their operation, give one of these a try. All three videos will be available for check-out at our next general membership meeting.