The Woodwright's Shop
Encyclopedia
The Woodwright's Shop is a traditional woodworking
show hosted by Roy Underhill
on the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) in the United States
. It is one of the longest running "how to" shows on PBS, with thirty-two 13-episode seasons filmed. Since its debut in 1979, the show has aired over 400 episodes. The first two seasons were broadcast only on public TV in North Carolina
; the season numbering was restarted when the show went national in 1981. It is still filmed at the UNC-TV
(University of North Carolina Center for Public Television) studios in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
The host, Roy Underhill, instructs viewers on creating wooden joints using hand tools and machine tools.
, which are commonly used in carpentry.
Timber framing
techniques are often used in conjunction with the wood joints described on the show.
Proper handling and maintenance of tools is also part of the show. This includes sharpening tools and sometimes making tools, such as a scraper
made from an old saw blade.
. The host typically uses a treadle lathe, but has also shown the viewers how to build and operate a spring pole lathe. Roy often uses a gouge, in conjunction with his lathe, to remove material and smooth out a work piece.
One of the simplest types of machines used on the show is a miter box. This is used to create square and perpendicular saw cuts, or saw cuts at a specific angle.
Underhill pitched the show idea to the PBS affiliate in Chapel Hill in 1978 but was rejected. He tried again in 1979 and filmed a pilot. Only in the fall of 1979 was the show accepted. 1979 was the same year that This Old House
started airing on PBS. Underhill admits that he made up the term "woodwright" and that it is not an actual term. Initially, he was concerned using the made up term in the show's title, but decided to use it anyway.
In recent years, the show is filmed in one take with no editing and as a result, the host is often out of breath by the end of the 24 minute program.
used to hold unseasoned ("green") wood.
On one occasion, Roy seriously injured his hand with a hatchet. The scene was kept in the show because it was the last take of this particular scene. Underhill reviewed the take and felt it gave the show some realism.
Roy Underhill is the host and creator of The Woodwright's Shop. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.F.A. in theater direction. Roy went to Duke University for environmental studies in the mid-1970s. For his thesis, he did a live presentation titled "How to start with a tree and an axe and build your house and everything in it." Somebody told him "You ought to do that on TV", when he was finished with his presentation.
He went on to work at Colonial Williamsburg
as a carpenter, building houses the way they were built in the 18th century. During this same time, he also started producing The Woodwright's Shop television show for PBS. For 10 years, Underhill was a master housewright for Colonial Williamsburg. He helped with program development for another five years before he left over a disagreement about the authenticity of slave quarters on the project.
Roy has written several books on woodworking, most of which have been published by the University of North Carolina Press
. Some of the books include, The Woodwright’s Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft (ISBN 0-8078-4082-3) and The Woodwright’s Guide: Working Wood with Wedge and Edge (ISBN 0-8078-5914-1).
Roy lent his woodworking expertise to the 2005 movie, The New World, about the founding of the settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in the 17th century. He also taught actor Colin Farrell
about woodworking for the film and acted as an extra in the movie.
ing, spoon carving, cooper
age (barrels, buckets, canteens), lutherie (stringed instruments), whirligigs, archery, puppetry, basket making, spinning wheels and blacksmithing. Guest have also included famous people with a woodworking hobby such as Governor Mike Easley
. Roy's wife and children have appeared on various episodes over the show’s over thirty-year span of production.
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
show hosted by Roy Underhill
Roy Underhill
Roy Underhill was raised in Washington, D.C., and was the first master housewright at the Colonial Williamsburg reconstruction. Since 1979, he has been the host of the PBS series The Woodwright's Shop...
on the Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of the longest running "how to" shows on PBS, with thirty-two 13-episode seasons filmed. Since its debut in 1979, the show has aired over 400 episodes. The first two seasons were broadcast only on public TV in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
; the season numbering was restarted when the show went national in 1981. It is still filmed at the UNC-TV
UNC-TV
University of North Carolina Television, known on-air as UNC-TV, is a public television network in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is operated by the University of North Carolina, with studios located at the UNC Center for Public Television at Research Triangle Park...
(University of North Carolina Center for Public Television) studios in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
Overview
The Woodwright's Shop teaches the art of traditional woodworking, using hand tools and human-powered machines. Viewers learn how to make furniture, toys and other useful objects out of wood. Viewers also learn how to lay out wood projects and which tools to use for specific purposes. The show also teaches how to use tools properly.The host, Roy Underhill, instructs viewers on creating wooden joints using hand tools and machine tools.
Wood joints
The host often shows the viewers how to create several useful and strong wooden jointsWoodworking joints
Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining together pieces of wood, to create furniture, structures, toys, and other items. Some wood joints employ fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, while others use only wood elements. The characteristics of wooden joints - strength, flexibility,...
, which are commonly used in carpentry.
- Mortise and tenonMortise and tenonThe mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at an angle of 90°. In its basic form it is both simple and strong. Although there are many joint variations, the basic mortise and tenon...
– This joint is often used for two pieces of wood that attach at right angles to each other in a "T" shape. - Tongue and grooveTongue and grooveA strong joint, the tongue and groove joint is widely used for re-entrant angles. The effect of wood shrinkage is concealed when the joint is beaded or otherwise moulded...
– Tongue and groove joints are typically used for large surfaces such as a series of wooden panels on a wall or a table top. - Dovetail jointDovetail jointA dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joint technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart , the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front....
– This joint is typically used for the corners of boxes. - RabbetRabbetA rabbet is a recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece of machineable material, usually wood. When viewed in cross-section, a rabbet is two-sided and open to the edge or end of the surface into which it is cut....
– A rabbet joint is one of the simplest joints used on the show.
Timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
techniques are often used in conjunction with the wood joints described on the show.
Hand tools
Hand tools are a major focus of the show. All of the hand tools used on the show are manually operated (i.e. non-electric).- ChiselChiselA chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or wood with a sharp edge in it.In use, the chisel is forced into the material...
– The chisel is one of the most commonly used tools on the show and is typically used to shave down material and to square up holes. A wooden malletMalletA mallet is a kind of hammer, usually of rubber,or sometimes wood smaller than a maul or beetle and usually with a relatively large head.-Tools:Tool mallets come in different types, the most common of which are:...
is often used to drive the chisel in to the work piece. - Bow sawBow sawA modern bow saw is a metal-framed saw in the shape of a bow with a coarse wide blade. This type of saw is also known as a swede saw or a buck saw. It is a rough tool that can be used for cross-cutting branches down to size.Traditionally, a bow saw is a woodworking tool used for straight or...
– The bow saw is often used by the host to cut large pieces of wood and to make curved cuts. - Brace and bit – Most of the drilling on the show is done with a brace and bit which is a hand powered drill.
- PlanePlane (tool)A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood. When powered by electricity, the tool may be called a planer. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber or timber. Planing is used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfaces on...
– Roy uses the plane to level out surfaces and to square up joints. - HatchetHatchetA hatchet is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade used to cut and split wood...
– Large pieces of wood are cut down to manageable size with a hatchet. - DrawknifeDrawknifeA drawknife is a traditional woodworking hand tool used to shape wood by removing shavings. It consists of a blade with a handle at each end. The blade is much longer than it is deep...
– This tool is often used to quickly remove excess material. - AdzeAdzeAn adze is a tool used for smoothing or carving rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards his feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind...
– The adze is used to hollow out surfaces like a chair seat.
Proper handling and maintenance of tools is also part of the show. This includes sharpening tools and sometimes making tools, such as a scraper
Card scraper
A card scraper is a woodworking shaping and finishing tool. It is used to manually remove small amounts of material and excels in tricky grain areas where hand planes would cause tear out. Card scrapers are most suitable for working with hardwoods, and can be used instead of sandpaper...
made from an old saw blade.
Machine tools
The most commonly used machine tool on the show is the latheLathe
A lathe is a machine tool which rotates the workpiece on its axis to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, or deformation with tools that are applied to the workpiece to create an object which has symmetry about an axis of rotation.Lathes are used in woodturning,...
. The host typically uses a treadle lathe, but has also shown the viewers how to build and operate a spring pole lathe. Roy often uses a gouge, in conjunction with his lathe, to remove material and smooth out a work piece.
One of the simplest types of machines used on the show is a miter box. This is used to create square and perpendicular saw cuts, or saw cuts at a specific angle.
Early history
The show started as an idea that Roy Underhill had in 1976. He built a work shop and historic museum in Durham, North Carolina, in the mid-1970s. He called it "The Woodwright's Shop" and started teaching classes on how to build things out of wood.Underhill pitched the show idea to the PBS affiliate in Chapel Hill in 1978 but was rejected. He tried again in 1979 and filmed a pilot. Only in the fall of 1979 was the show accepted. 1979 was the same year that This Old House
This Old House
This Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
started airing on PBS. Underhill admits that he made up the term "woodwright" and that it is not an actual term. Initially, he was concerned using the made up term in the show's title, but decided to use it anyway.
Production
The show has a tight filming schedule. The show does not have a real script; instead, Underhill works out the story he is going to present and how to do it. He decides where camera shots are needed and sets work pieces and tools in those locations. The filming of different shots is limited to three takes because of the limit of work pieces used on the show.In recent years, the show is filmed in one take with no editing and as a result, the host is often out of breath by the end of the 24 minute program.
Injuries
The show also does not hide the nicks and cuts that come from wood-working with hand tools. The first such incident occurred in the third episode of the series, "Dumbheads in Action". A dumbhead is a clamping fixture on a foot operated shaving horseShaving horse
A shaving horse is a traditional woodworking tool used to hold a piece of wood in place while it is worked by a cutting tool such as a drawknife or spokeshave. They generally consist of a long bench that the woodworker sits on, while a pedal-operated clamp locks the workpiece into place...
used to hold unseasoned ("green") wood.
On one occasion, Roy seriously injured his hand with a hatchet. The scene was kept in the show because it was the last take of this particular scene. Underhill reviewed the take and felt it gave the show some realism.
PBS funding
- State FarmState farmState farm can refer to:*Sovkhoz, a type of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union*Volkseigenes Gut, a type of state-owned farm in East Germany*Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, a type of state-owned farm in People's Republic of Poland...
- Corporation for Public BroadcastingCorporation for Public BroadcastingThe Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
- John M. Olin FoundationJohn M. Olin FoundationJohn M. Olin Foundation was a grant-making foundation established in 1953 by John M. Olin, president of the Olin Industries chemical and munitions manufacturing businesses. Unlike most non-profit foundations, the John M. Olin Foundation was charged to spend all of its assets within a generation of...
Host
He went on to work at Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. The capital straddled the boundary of the original shires of Virginia —...
as a carpenter, building houses the way they were built in the 18th century. During this same time, he also started producing The Woodwright's Shop television show for PBS. For 10 years, Underhill was a master housewright for Colonial Williamsburg. He helped with program development for another five years before he left over a disagreement about the authenticity of slave quarters on the project.
Roy has written several books on woodworking, most of which have been published by the University of North Carolina Press
University of North Carolina Press
The University of North Carolina Press , founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina....
. Some of the books include, The Woodwright’s Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft (ISBN 0-8078-4082-3) and The Woodwright’s Guide: Working Wood with Wedge and Edge (ISBN 0-8078-5914-1).
Roy lent his woodworking expertise to the 2005 movie, The New World, about the founding of the settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, in the 17th century. He also taught actor Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
about woodworking for the film and acted as an extra in the movie.
Guests
Roy has had a wide range of woodworking professionals as guests on his show from many different fields of woodworking, Frank Klausz, Nora Hall, Steve Latta, David Calvo, Michael Dunbar, Dan Mack, Don Weber, Wayne Barton and Curtis Buchanan as well as many less well known specialists in the fields of tinsmithTinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
ing, spoon carving, cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
age (barrels, buckets, canteens), lutherie (stringed instruments), whirligigs, archery, puppetry, basket making, spinning wheels and blacksmithing. Guest have also included famous people with a woodworking hobby such as Governor Mike Easley
Mike Easley
Michael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
. Roy's wife and children have appeared on various episodes over the show’s over thirty-year span of production.
Episodes
Each season of The Woodwright's Shop consists of 13 episodes broadcast during the last 13 weeks of the year, typically starting at the beginning of October.Video release
The show was first released on VHS tapes in 1993. The series has not been released on DVD as of August 2010. The current season of the show can be watched online at the PBS video website. Also, the last few seasons of the show can be watched online at the official website.External links
- The Woodwright's Shop at UNC PressUniversity of North Carolina PressThe University of North Carolina Press , founded in 1922, is a university press that is part of the University of North Carolina....
- The Woodwright's Shop at PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....