Best Woodworking Podcast...

PartySawrus Rex

Festool Dealer
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Jan 17, 2019
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16
Hey All,

While sometimes fun and often a diversion, I find myself listening to Podcasts all day long. My gamut varies from This American Life and Marc Maron, to The Debaters and Someone Knows Something. As you can see I'm missing a killer woodworking/maker focused podcast and I want to know what you guys think are the best ones and why. Also, if you could create your own industry focused podcast what would it be about?

K...Go!

Thanks for commenting! Appreciate it.
 
I listen to a variety of industry podcasts (general construction, fine woodworking, building science, etc...). I can tell you that I've unsubscribed to a number of them because they seem to spend an inordinate amount of time talking about how their listeners should really be on Instagram (and follow them, while they're at it).

Unfortunately, many truly knowledgeable professionals are content to just execute their craft and call it a day. While I've found a handful of trade-related podcasts that are entertaining, I find very few of them actually informative.

For information, I've found much deeper knowledge bases in local trade guilds and associations.
 
I must confess to be a visual person, and can't stand just listening to several people trying to express their similar or opposite views on certain woodworking topics for half an hour or an hour. I'd rather read (magazines or books), watch (videos), or attend workshops, followed by time in the shop, to upgrade my knowledge and skills. I have never spent more than a few minutes on any podcasts that I might stumble into.
 
Only one I lesten to is the WoodWhisperer. Not a lot of detail, just chatting about woodworking and ansering questions.
But entertaining at the same time.
Dont know about any other Pod Cast
 
Two of my favorites that are not 'making' focused but still excellent to listen to...

Mike Rowe - The Way I heard it.  Short segments in a story telling format.  Not maker focused but true stories that will entertain you.  Each is only about 10 minutes long. http://thewayiheardit.rsvmedia.com/rss/

How I built This - Guy Raz and NPR.  Fantastic podcast on entrepreneurs that built amazing companies.  Each runs about an hour long.  Great tips on how to start and build a company.  Interview style format with a broad base of founders of companies. https://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510313

 
jobsworth said:
Only one I lesten to is the WoodWhisperer. Not a lot of detail, just chatting about woodworking and ansering questions.
But entertaining at the same time.
Dont know about any other Pod Cast

Sadly, as you may already know,  Marc has decided to call it a day and woodtalk is no more. Mortise and Tenon magazine have a pretty good podcast and of course there's Bob Rozieski's Hand Tools and Techniques but not much in either of these two for your average Festool enthusiast I fear.
 
Fine Woodworking and Fine Woodworking both have podcasts that are entertaining but not particularly informative.

The Fine Homebuilding guys seem like they worked construction jobs in college but their current knowledge seems limited to what manufacturer reps are telling them, and their experience seems constrained to New England practices.

The Fine Woodworking guys are entertaining, but I had to turn off the feed when, in a recent episode, they spent several minutes discussing their confusion about a Freud mortising bit (1/2” cutter, 5/8” bearing), and couldn’t seem to fathom what such a bit would be used for.

The above two programs are at least entertaining.

Beyond that, there are a dozen other industry programs, but again it just seems like a pyramid scheme for them to increase their Instagram followers....
 
OK, it has been awhile since I talked about something like this and the whole experience on the internet has changed.

Back in the days when I participated more rather than worrying about administering I set up a talk radio show called fogtainer radio.  Yes it was in the days following the Fogtainer project here.  I offered Festool the opportunity to participate at the time and also encouraged them to do a short tip segment thing.  Nothing happened and instagram has benefitted with #festoolsedge.

So I guess my question is:  Is there really a demand for a "radio" show for Festool users out there or has the image centric platforms eliminated the need?

BY writing this I am not implying that I will resurrect an almost decade old idea.  I am just wondering what do guys (male or female) like or want.

I fall asleep every night watching youtube but often just listening to it.

Peter
 
Peter Halle said:
Snip.
I fall asleep every night watching youtube but often just listening to it.

Peter
I usually don't have this problem of falling asleep, as night watching does not have anything to do with woodworking.

As a rule, I download woodworking youtube videos rather than watching them online, and I fastforward anything that is boring (long-windedness is always cut out).
 
I find that Fine Woodworking's Shop Talk Live ranges from very informative to just barely informative mainly because the participants (who are not always the same FWW staff and editors) get side-tracked easily. So, I continue to listen because there still is a good chance that something very useful will be discussed, including techniques and some tools. I haven't found others that are generally useful when it comes to furniture making, cabinet making, or general techniques. Plus, it's difficult to listen in the shop when machines are on and off the whole time. Not much other time in life to just listen to a podcast unless you are on a long trip somewhere.
 
After reading the above, I'd have to agree with most of what you're all saying. Growing up fixing guitars in my father's guitar shop, it was either news or classical music on the radio. I think that experience is why I can focus on my tasks at hand, while processing whatever "story" is on in the background. But like most of you, I can't stand nonsensical blabbering or endless self promotion. That's probably why most of the podcasts I subscribe to are commercial free and produced from Public Radio in the US and Canada.

I actually wrapped a triathlon based podcast I hosted and produced which was a lot of fun. From the positive experience I had hosting such a niche topic show, we're tossing around the idea of starting our own here at Burns. Lucky for me the Dealer Product Pushing / Instagram Promoting podcasts are all taken.  ;)

I highly recommend the podcasts Neilc posted. Guy Raz also has a fantaastic Podcast for kids called "Wow in the World". It's funny how a good story is often enough.

neilc said:
Two of my favorites that are not 'making' focused but still excellent to listen to...

Mike Rowe - The Way I heard it.  Short segments in a story telling format.  Not maker focused but true stories that will entertain you.  Each is only about 10 minutes long. http://thewayiheardit.rsvmedia.com/rss/

How I built This - Guy Raz and NPR.  Fantastic podcast on entrepreneurs that built amazing companies.  Each runs about an hour long.  Great tips on how to start and build a company.  Interview style format with a broad base of founders of companies. https://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510313
 
@PeterHalle,

I think the spectrum is pretty varied. #festoolsedge is great and very informative, but there is no way I would every want to fall asleep listening to that man... I'm not even sure that's possible. I do like your original idea of a talk show - something similar to the forum, where people can share their stories but also exchange tips and advice. Smart. Could be that sweet combo of entertaining and informative. Let me know if you want help making this a reality.

Peter Halle said:
OK, it has been awhile since I talked about something like this and the whole experience on the internet has changed.

Back in the days when I participated more rather than worrying about administering I set up a talk radio show called fogtainer radio.  Yes it was in the days following the Fogtainer project here.  I offered Festool the opportunity to participate at the time and also encouraged them to do a short tip segment thing.  Nothing happened and instagram has benefitted with #festoolsedge.

So I guess my question is:  Is there really a demand for a "radio" show for Festool users out there or has the image centric platforms eliminated the need?

BY writing this I am not implying that I will resurrect an almost decade old idea.  I am just wondering what do guys (male or female) like or want.

I fall asleep every night watching youtube but often just listening to it.

Peter
 
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