Mastercrafts cancelled

Chilli-head wrote:Interesting.  

Ricochet wrote:
Do You Have A Passion and Talent For Crafts?

Ever dream of becoming a professional crafts person and creating masterpieces with your own hands?

S'funny, that. There is always the assumption that a 'professional' must by definition be better than an amateur. Yet the amateur is usually not constrained by deadlines, clients with more money than taste or the need to make a living at their chosen craft. To quote Wikipedia, "Amateur comes from a French word meaning Lover of". In my previous field, I know plenty that make their main income through second rate work, and others who do exquisite things but just for the love of it.

So the aforementioned series in now here, as Monty Don's Real Craft on More4.

Just caught up with the first episode I missed whilst on holiday, Blacksmithing, on 4OD, here:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/monty-dons-real-craft/4od

Woodworking tomorrow, 9pm. Anyone else watching it ? Very similar format to Mastercrafts. I would prefer more technical content and less about the participants ailments etc, but FWIW I agreed with the selection - the first bench looked more interesting and less "standard" than the second, and #3 looked rather crude and industrial to my eye.

Oh, I didn't realise it was a new series - as I scanned though the programmes I thought it was a re-make of Mastercrafts. (Yes, I know it had a different name, but I wasn't really concentrating!!)Must have a look tomorrow though - thanks CH.

Hmm, thanks for that CH. I've just watched the first in the series on the iPlayer. It's so similar to the Mastercrafts series it makes it all a bit predictable, but quite enjoyable all the same.

Slowly catching up.  Watched the woodwork one last night.  For those interested, the final items are on the Benchmark furniture website -> here <- to look at or even buy !

An odd business.  The programme started looking at their practical building skills, which were clearly lacking.  But the final challenge was really one of design - both the tables have had a fair bit of revision in the forms they appear on the Benchmark site, particularly the Rowen table.   Presumably the commercial version is much more machine made - at ~ £500 less maybe £50-100 for materials, you would not make a living unless you can make a few a week !  I thought the judges were rather kind to them.  To make a three legged table which wobbles is quite an achievement in itself !

The interesting thing for me is the two sides - designing and making - and how they sit together.  They are quite different skills, and not often present in one person !  I find the making much easier than design, since I'm rather artless to be honest.  On one hand, it seems perhaps sensible to do what Benchmark did on this show - to look to creative arty people for eye catching design ideas - but get them made by someone competent !  On the other though, design is useless if it can't be made functionally - witness the design changes to the finished itens so that the tables don't wobble, or the little top tier break off.  My neighbour currently has this issue with his architect who has designed a very nice looking extension for him, which unfortunately can't actually be built, yet the architect not seem to think that is any fault of his ?

All of which brings us back to the fact that you cannot design without understanding the restrictions and disciplines of the material. It's useful to have your input CH - I shall watch the woodworking episode with renewed interest.