Testimonials

Interviews as Expert Guest
on Woodworking Podcasts

Hi Matt, another Winner! A how to do on finishing coming from Hendrik Varju, that’s fantastic and you know it’s going to be in so much detail that you could not believe. We all need the guess work taken out of finishing and Hendrik is the one to do that.

It can be so frustrating working for weeks on a project that in minutes with a bad finish can look like a cheep #######. You know that even someone with a conscience wouldn’t give it to their in-laws.

This DVD set is a must to have at any skill level “PERIOD”.

Great show. Live interactive with Hendrik was like having an expert right next to you. The questions and answers were fantastic.

Matt, that was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having Hendrik (a fellow Canadian) as your guest is always a blast but being in on a live event is even better. Congrats on the first ever live event on MBW.

Great job Matt! Glad I could be in on it. Always a hoot when Hendrik is the guest on one of your podcasts . . . and now live from Michigan, USA and Ontario, Canada, it’s…. ok, enough silliness. There is always a first for everything and I hope this is just the beginning of these…

Congrats!

I wanted to let you know that I enjoy listening the MBW Podcast’s because of you. Thanks for sharing your experiences and wisdom. It’s appreciated. I have learned several valuable things from the Hendrik podcasts that I will put into practice in my own shop.

Fantastic show, Matt’s Basement Workshop. Again the best gets better, this two part series on finishing was entertaining, informative and with expert detail that can only happen with Matt Vanderlist and Hendrik Varju. When you two get together it’s like taking a test but having all the answers written in the palm of your hand (so I cheated) and its free. The broad topic was covered beautifully, it was like finding missing pieces of a puzzle. I see going back to this pod cast as a reference time and time again.

Thanks.

Matt, again a fantastic show. Your guest expert Hendrik Varju – when you two get together on a topic there is no other woodworking talk show out there that covers so much in detail and with professional knowledge that is entertaining. Any woodworker would benefit from listening to these podcasts.

Matt . . . that was a fabulous episode. Hendrik’s ability to cover aspects beyond what was asked in his “matter-of-factly” manner is the best part of your discussions. Those subtle comments like a woodworker’s need to “change technique” might be the problem not the machine. The bench heights for different woodworking tasks ending with the scissor jack, was a cool discussion. Every topic goes a little bit further when you throw out your related examples or morsels of thought. The manner in which the 2 of you took Shannon’s drift question was excellent, material thickness, blade sharpness, very, very enjoyable to listen too.

Again Matt . . . I thoroughly enjoyed Hendrik hang’in out in the basement, I believe Hendrik is picking up more of that Vanderlistian background humor and adding a Hungarian twist.
Great stuff.

Matt……again Hendrik is money!!! The direction he took Shannon’s question was super. He provided an excellent reference for compound joinery, but more importantly addressed the difference between the woodworker in business and the hobbyist. You’ve got a real gem as part of your show. I like how the 2 of you took the idea of something being complicated, the cost of a mistake, followed by a timely fix to minimize the cost, all being part of woodworking.

Very good information Matt…….. SUPER!!!!!

Very nice interview, Matt. As someone who is still green in the world of business, I value the words of a seasoned pro like Hendrik. Thanks for presenting that to all of us. Keep it up man.

Thanks . . . , glad to hear you enjoyed the talk! Hendrik really helps to add another level here at the show.

— Matt

Thanks, Matt and Hendrik!

In case anyone is wondering, I do listen regularly to Matt’s Basement Workshop podcast. I am sure a lot of you do the same. However, in case anyone missed it, (I really don’t know why anyone would read my blog over listening to his podcast, but I digress), you really should go back and listen to the recent interview with Hendrik Varju (first part and second part) on the science of wood movement and moisture content.

I suspect a lot of woodworkers are like me in that they know wood moves and absorbs and releases moisture, but don’t really understand a lot of the specifics surrounding the whole movement thing and either over design in an attempt to avoid any possible problem or else just ignore it totally never thinking that it might cause a huge problem when the ambient humidity changes.

In particular, this podcast hit home for me because I have a stack of pretty wet yellow pine out back that I have cut up into approximate size pieces to build Chris Schwarz’s English workbench. I knew it wasn’t stacked right, but I didn’t know exactly what would happen to it because of my oversight (ok, laziness actually).

After listening to Hendrik and Matt, I went out and took a look. Sure enough, it was just as Hendrik had said, it was bowing and warping and doing all sorts of strange things. At that point, I was just thankful that I hadn’t tried to make a workbench out of my warping half dried wood. I took a few minutes and restacked it properly yesterday morning and already, it is starting to straighten out.

Matt’s show is always good, but Hendrik is a special treat. He has a unique depth of understanding and a way of explaining difficult concepts and making them seem simple. I really don’t know how he does it, but it is almost as though he can see the listeners over the air waves and somehow know just what we are struggling with and aren’t getting, and then proceed to explain it in simple detail until we can all understand exactly what he is talking about.

Anyway, Matt and Hendrik, thanks a million for saving me from the potential misery of an overstressed and under flat workbench. I really enjoy listening to the show, and hope there are lots of others listening and picking up good stuff too.

— Luke Townsley
    UnpluggedShop.com

Hope you continue to feature Hendrik. The two of you make a good hand tool team. Congrats on your two years.

Hey Matt:

Really good information. The detail of a thicker blade closing the mouth to having a sliding sole is just great. I was able to visualize well until that dang bevel up came into the discussion by the time I had Hendrik’s description in my head he was on the wood plane….had to go back.

I appreciate your work on these Matt.

I’ve really enjoyed Hendrik on the podcast. I just finished watching Jointer and Planer Secrets and it was WELL worth the time and money. I learned so much about milling that would have taken me years to discover on my own.

Hi Matt……….chock full of information again. I’m senses Hendrik is loosing up a bit and catching on to the Vanderlistian humor. Love these episodes…..Hendrik keeps it real.

Hey Matt……… more good information from Hendrik. I like where he brought up building and understanding where ones experience level is.

Thanks,

Those were words of wisdom that I think most beginners are not aware of. Understanding your current limitations are important to taking that next step.

— Matt

Hi Matt………..now that’s an interview that should be bookmarked. Just plain and simply jam-packed with exceptional information. Nice job drawing it all out Matt!!!!

If you are reading theses comments. . . stop right now and go listen to this interview.

SUPER Matt!!!!!

Thanks,

The interview was a great chance to ask questions that I know everyone had sent in and that I knew I had all along. Hendrik is a wealth of knowledge!

— Matt

Great interview Matt,

I am a finishing newbie and the questions and answers with Hendrik were just what I needed to fill in some major holes in my understanding. Thanks Matt and Hendrik.

Hey Matt…….that was really good. Bet you felt real good. SUPER!!!

I liked your how you brought up body positioning at the jointer, and how the little tricks give a better quality. And Hendrik’s mentioning of milled lumber not really being truly milled. You got a lot of good stuff in the interview.

Thanks…….