The Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill DVD

For more than 30 years Roy Underhill has brought traditional hand-tool woodworking techniques to life on his much loved public TV show, The Woodwright's Shop. Now the treasure trove of historical information and inspiration contained in this great series is finally available on DVD. Released initially are the first 3 seasons plus his 20th anniversary 2000 season. More will come later. Each season's 2-DVD set runs for 6 hours. Play the trailer of the first episode at right.

Season 1 - 1980 - 2 DVD Set

• Maul & Glut - Roy makes two traditional tools by first felling a tree then shaping a maul and glut using period iron woodworking tools.
• Shaving Horse - Learn how to make a shaving horse one of the most important hand-tool shop fixtures for working with drawknives and spokeshaves.
• Hay rake - Roy shows you how to build one of his favorite projects: a hickory hay rake that is both strong and lightweight.
• Lathes - Join Roy on a tour of the history and development of human powered machines, including one of his favorites: the lathe.
• Rocking Chair - Learn how to build a classic armless rocking chair using traditional tools and techniques. Then create a woven white oak seat for the rocker. Plus, watch as Roy's guest Bryant Holsenbeck demonstrates how to weave a traditional basket.
• Log Cabin - Roy demonstrates the steps and hand-hewn joinery used in building traditional log cabins.
• Timber Frame Construction - Roy addresses the details of timber framing, including post-and-beam and mortise-and-tenon construction techniques.
• Dough Bowl & Pitchforks - Watch as Roy makes a pitchfork and a dough bowl, each from a single piece of wood.
• Blacksmithing - Spend some time at the forge with Roy to learn basic blacksmithing techniques and discover how to create a spike dog (a tool used in timber framing).
• Panel Frame & Dovetail - Roy discusses frame-and-panel construction for doors, and the basic steps for cutting a dovetailed joint.
• Colonial Williamsburg - Roy travels to Colonial Williamsburg to take a look at 18th-century craftsmanship including a visit with a wheelwright, a cooper and a blacksmith, as well as a look inside the Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop.

Season 2 - 1982 - 2 DVD Set

• Handles - Watch as Roy examines a number of tool handles, then creates an axe handle from a split of hickory and turns a chisel handle.
• Candle Stand - Follow along as Roy walks you through the steps of creating a classic walnut candle stand.
• Handplanes - Learn the history of a wide variety of handplanes as Roy explains their many and specialized uses.
• In Yer Drawers - Join Roy as he makes a hand-hewn, half-blind dovetailed drawer for his workbench, and discusses many of the techniques used in traditional drawer making.
• Findin & Fixin - See what Roy discovers at a scrap yard, antique store and flea market on his way to "The Woodwrights Shop. "
• Saws - Its all about staying sharp, and in this episode Roy examines the dizzying array of saws available, from familiar panel saws to bowsaws and pit saws. Plus, as a special bonus Roy shows you how to sharpen a bowsaw.
• Williamsburg Blacksmiths - Accompany Roy on a visit to Colonial Williamsburg to work with the living history museums blacksmiths as they make a froe, and forge a cant hook.
• Window Sash - Discover whats involved in handcrafting window sash as Roy walks you through the process.
• Boat Building - Join Roy on a visit to the Hampton Mariners Museum, where he discovers more about the history of small boat building.
• A Tale of Two Toys - Take a trip down memory lane as Roy looks at a collection of classic wood toys, then shows you how to create a Crow Chaser.

Season 3 - 1983 - 2 DVD Set

• Inner Woodworking - Roy looks at the mechanics of wood and how a trees growth affects how you work wood once you have it in your shop.
• Workbench - Roy handcrafts a grand, classic workbench using pegged and keyed mortise-and-tenon construction.
• Coopers Bucket - Roy and coopers from Colonial Williamsburg work together to make a coopers bucket.
• Blanket Chest - Roy builds a stunning nailed-together, six-board blanket chest with an interior till.
• Simple Gifts - Roy builds three simple gift projects, including a flapping duck toy, a small pine knock-down bench and a wooden egg beater.
• Whimsy Diddling - Roy walks you through the process of making a Gee Haw Wimmey Diddle, a quintessential mountain folk toy, along and a willow whistle.
• Furniture Carving - Colonial Williamsburgs Wallace Gusler joins Roy to talk about the techniques and tools needed for carved furniture.
• Whetstone Quarry - Roy takes a trip through the geological history of whetstones, then heads out on a hunt for rough materials to make your own whetstone for sharpening.
• The Gunsmith - Gunsmith Gary Brumfield of Colonial Williamsburg and Roy discuss the steps to making a handcrafted 18th-century-style rifle.
• Wood for the Weaver - Discover details about some of the traditional wooden implements used by weavers, including spinning wheels, clock reels and niddy noddys; and watch as Roy makes a swift and a tape loom.
• The Luther - Join Roy in learning the techniques and processes used to create a violin in the 18th century.
• The Basket Makers - Roy Black and Robert Watson show Roy how to make round-bottom and flat-bottom white oak baskets, starting from a log and using only hand tools.

Season 4 - 1984 - 2 DVD Set

• The Dominy Shop - A tour of the Dominy Shop at Winterthur Museum. The shop holds the tools and shop items used by three generations of craftsman from 1750-1850.
• A Spring Pole Lathe - Roy shows how to make a spring pole lathe.
• Ball & Claw Feet -Wallace Gusler form Colonial Williamsburg makes a cabriole leg with a ball and claw foot.
• The Wainscot Chair - Roy and his daughter, Rachel, make a child’s chair based on one from a 17th century book by Wallace Nutting.
• Tool Boxes & Chests - After exploring a recently acquired antique tool chest, Roy builds his own version..
• Chip Carving - Mack Headley of Colonial Williamsburg demonstrates chip carving.
• Good Fences - Roy examines early- American fences –from garden fences to portable fences to fortification fences.
• Raising the Shop - Roy help build the frame and timber structure of Anderson’s Forge at Colonial Williamsburg.
• Building a Boat - Building a small rowboat using traditional techniques.
• Rittenhouse Hygrometer - Roy addresses the problem of humidity in the shop and builds a simple 18th century hygrometer to measure the humidity in his shop. .
• Corner Cupboard - Classic pine Corner cupboard..
• High Chair - Roy build an 18th century highchair with rush seating for his new nephew..

Season 5 - 1985 - 2 DVD Set

• Rustic Rocker — Roy starts off this “Making Things From Nature” season by giving us some history of rustic furniture and walks through the steps necessary to make a Rustic Rocker. 
• Bark Bottoms — To finish up the Rustic Rocker, Roy shows us how to create the woven-bark seat.
• Baby Cradle — Roy takes us through the building steps for a pilgrim-style oak cradle.
• Chris’ Workshop — We visit with a 14-year-old traditional woodworker who sells his wares to make money to buy tools he can’t make for himself. 
• Iron Machine, Foot Power — A collector of  cast-iron, foot-powered woodworking lathes and fret saws visits with Roy.
• Hutch Table — Roy builds a classic early-American project that serves as a tilt-top table, chair and storage unit. 
• Iron Bloomery — Roy visits with blacksmith David Harvey to learn how to turn raw ore found in a stream into a woodworking chisel.
• Berry Buckets, Sussex Trugs & Bark Sheaths — Roy shows how to create three projects directly from trees and bark with very little refinement. 
• The Wheelwright — A visit with master wheelwright Dan Stebbins unlocks the mysteries and realities of making wheels for early American vehicles.
• Music Mill — Roy makes a hand-crank-powered, six-note music mill from wine bottles. 
• Secrets From the Cabinet shop  — Master cabinetmaker Mack Headley shares some of the secrets that were standard fare for 18th century – American woodworking. 
• A glass act — Sash joinery, or making windows, is the ultimate test of organizational skills, and Roy takes us through the many steps and details that must align to make a good window.

Season 6 - 1986 - 2 DVD Set

• A Turning of the Screw — Roy looks at the making of wooden screws for use in the shop.
• That Old Spoon Carver — Roy visits with expert spoon carver Roger Sandstrom to talk technique, wood selection and more.
• Don’t Crush That Bookstand — Create a classic wooden pliers whittled from a single piece of wood, and then expand the concept to a folding bookstand using similar joinery.
• A Folding Lathe — Roy shows how to build an 18th Century French lathe designed to fold up and store in the corner. 
• Jacobean Stool — In two parts, we learn how to create the traditional joinery for a Jacobean stool, and how to complete the turnings and carvings.
• Things They’d Never Make — We spend some quality time with Roy making small projects from scrap wood, including wooden ties, a pop gun, ado-nothing machine and a flying top. 
• Anderson’s Forge — Roy travels to the John Anderson Forge at Colonial Williamsburg to look at how nails, hinges and tools were made in Colonial America.
• The Botetourt Chair — Roy takes a look at 18th Century woodworking details found in furniture from the Colonial Williamsburg cabinet shop. 
• Lap Desk — Build one of the classic 18th Century projects with Roy; a Shaker lap desk.
• Rachel’s Wagon — Roy walks through the steps required to build a wooden wagon for his daughters – but manages to have some fun himself. 
• Toolmaker’s Art  — Roy visits with Peter Ross at the Anderson Forge to look at 18th Century tool making, in particular, a gentlemen’s hatchet. 
• House Framing, Doggie Style — Only the best for Roy’s pooch, Grit: a brick and Tudor framed doghouse is this episode’s project.

Season 7 - 1987 - 2 DVD Set

• Noveltails — Roy takes a look at the design and benefits of many traditional dovetails used in woodworking, then goes even further to look at some more unusual dovetails.
• Longer & Stronger — When you need a longer board (or rafter), then a traditional scarf joint may be the answer. Roy discusses the history, value and creation of this important joint.
• Country Comfort — Roy shows us the steps to create the perfect outdoor chair — the Adirondack.
• Shaker Boxes — After a look at a number foot-powered woodworking machines, Roy and his guest show how to use a few of the machines to make traditional Shaker oval boxes.
• Bookcase Ecology — This episode is Roy’s version of waste-not, want not. He shows how to build a coffin-shaped bookcase so that the materials involved aren’t wasted, but used during life — and after.
• Woodwork, Needlework — Blending two traditional crafts, Roy builds an adjustable needlework stand or French design.
• Whirligigs — Whirligig expert Andy Lundy stops by the shop to talk about the history, design and construction details of a variety of whirligigs.
• Felling & Hauling — Traditional woodworking starts with the trees. Roy shares the traditional steps necessary to fell a tree and get the wood into the shop.
• Bramble Work — Roy gives us a look at rustic Bramble Work furniture. He then creates a small table in this style, working with twigs fastened in geometric patterns.
• Farmwood — Roy works through the varied historical uses of lumber. For use in construction, furniture, heating on your own farm, and for sharing with others. No part of the tree is wasted.
• Old South Homestead — On a trip back to the Underhill homestead, Roy takes us on visit of some of the construction details used in building the 1850’s house and outbuildings.
• Gameboards — Roy shows us how to make a couple of classic board games: Fox and Geese; and a checkers (or chess) board.
• Woodcut Printing — We travel to the Book Binders Shop at Colonial Williamsburg to learn the history and reality of woodcutting for use in printing.

Season 8 - 1988 - 2 DVD Set

• Folding ladder — Roy shows us how to recreate an 18th-century folding library ladder that collapses into a simple pole shape. 
• The Four Harness Loom — In this two-episode project, we learn how to recreate an 18th-century loom for weaving cloth.
• Sled — A wonderful tradition, Roy builds a classic Yankee sled and a toboggan for enjoying the next snowfall.
• Woodworking Benches — Roy looks at the variety of benches used for woodworking, including a joiner’s bench, hacking benches, and a chair maker’s bench.
• Folk Toys — Roy loves his toys, and this episode is dedicated to making three folk toys: a fish hook; chickens pecking toy; and a Jacob’s ladder.
• Appalachian dulcimer — A traditional American stringed instrument, Roy shows us the steps to make a classic dulcimer.
• Danish Folding Stools — Recreated for centuries, Roy shares methods for creating two different classic folding stools.
• English Woodcraft — Roy visits Sussex, England to view classic building construction techniques and joinery.
• African Musical Instruments — Roy looks at a balaphone (or marimba), kalimba (or thumb piano), a banjo and couple of African drums.
• Tavern Table — Build a classic, small pine tavern table.  
• Mary Rose Tankard — To go with the tavern table, Lew LeCompte, a Williamsburg cooper shows how to make a tigg, or drinking mug.

Season 9 - 1989 - 2 DVD Set

• Making A Butterfly Table — In the first of a three-part project, join Roy as he builds the frame for this early Colonial two-sided drop-leaf tavern table.
• Making the Drop-leaf Rule Joint — Roy continues the building process for the Butterfly Table by creating the top using a drop-leaf rule joint.
• Dovetailing Drawers — In the final part of Making A Butterfly Table, Roy makes the half-blind dovetailed drawer that fits underneath the top. 
• The Dancing Toys — Roy makes three toys: a Limberjack dancing toy; an acrobat toy and a jointed toy.
• Gypsy Willow Chairs — This classic rustic chair is easily made by bending green twigs. Roy shows the steps to make your own.
• Tinsmithing for Fun & Profit — Roy visits with 3rd-generation tinsmith, Peter Blum, who shows how to make a candle holder, a heart-in-hand cookie cutter, a pie plate and a tin whistle.
• Boxes without Topses — Roy makes four boxes: a bamboo birdcage; a carved figure box with hidden valuables compartment; an exploding bank box and a snake box.
• Order in the Court — Roy visits the restoration site of the 18th-Century James City County Courthouse, in particular, the interior casework and millwork.
• Bricks without Straw — Roy visits Colonial Williamsburg to learn about the all-but-forgotten skill of creating bricks by hand.
• Log Cabin Building — In this three-episode project, Roy shows the steps to build a log cabin without using any nails.  
• Marquetry: Painting with Wood  — Roy welcomes Chris Lang to look at the traditional woodworking technique of marquetry, and how to create a shell medallion.  

Season 10 - 1990 - 2 DVD Set

• Make this rocking horse — Roy’s daughter Eleanor helps him build a traditional rocking horse.
• Beat your ash basketry — Jonathan Kline visits the shop to create a traditional Black Ash basket, stripping the material from the log.
• Make a revolving bookcase — Build an early 20th-Century revolving bookcase that holds an amazing number of books.
• Timber building in franconia — Roy visits the Franconian Open-air Museum in Bavaria to look at woodworking, timber framing and craftsmanship.
• Secrets of german woodcraft — Back at the Franconian Open-air Museum to look at early German building and construction techniques.
• Make a garden gate — Roy builds an open-frame garden gate.
• Hooks, crooks & walking sticks — One of Roy’s passions is walking sticks, here he shows how to make a walking stick with its own built-in flute.
• Make a music mill from bali — Build a charming, wind-powered, bamboo music mill.
• Dovetailing in the tool chest — Roy revisits an earlier tool chest project to show the value and importance of dovetailing.
• As the wood turns — Roy gives us an overview on turning and of three lathes: a spring-pole lathe, a folding spring-pole lathe and a foot-treadle flywheel lathe. 
• A boat to build with the kids  — Rachel Underhill joins her dad in the shop to make a canvass and wood kayak.  
• A rake’s progress  — Roy repairs one of his 10-year-old rakes, taking the opportunity to highlight the strength of wood when using the grain correctly. 
• Making wooden shoes  — Bob Siegel visits the shop to share his unique knowledge of making wooden shoes using only four traditional tools.  

Season 11 - 1991 - 2 DVD Set

• Make a Rocking Chair (Part 1) — Roy starts a classic post-and-rung rocking chair using traditional greenwood techniques.
• Rollin’ on the Rocker (Part 2) — Work on the rocker continues; shaping the tenons, boring the mortises and creating the splats. 
• Splittin’ and Sittin ’ (Part 3) — Work on the rocker is completed with the creation of the rockers and adding a hickory bark seat.
• Hewing A Dough Bowl — Roy creates a traditional dough bowl from tulip poplar.
• Wood-Turning Tricks — Eleanor Underhill joins Dad in the shop to turn a painted candle stand.
• Archer’s Bow — Roy welcomes a bowyer and a fletcher to the shop to make a woodland Indian’s bow and river cane arrows.  
• Four Poster Bed — This may not be the four-poster bed you’re thinking of, as Roy builds a rustic version from rough, red cedar logs
• Blacksmith of Williamsburg — Roy visits Colonial Williamsburg to watch the creation of a set of hardware for window shutters.
• Williamsburg Woodcraft — Continuing the Williamsburg theme, Roy visits the woodworker’s shop to watch frame-and-panel shutters made
• Woodworker’s Grab Bag — Daughter Rachel joins Roy in the shop to make a marble track toy and Kick-Me machine. 
• Thomas Jefferson, Woodworker  — Roy visits Monticello to look at some of the architectural creations and innovations of the former President..  
• Dovetailed Bookcases — Roy recreates stacking “book box” shelves built to Thomas Jefferson’s specifications, and still on display at Monticello. 
• Japanese Woodcrafter — Toshio Odate visits the shop to discuss and demonstrate Japanese woodworking tools, techniques and joinery.  

Season 12 - 1992 - 2 DVD Set

• Bentwood Boxes of the Northwest Coast – Roy visits Gregg Blomberg and explores woodworking traditions of the Pacific Northwest.
• A Civil War Quilting Frame – Roy is joined by his wife, Jane, to build a traditional quilting frame.
• An African Chair from the Ivory Coast – Roy and his friend Robert Watson make a “man’s chair” using tools from the Ivory Coast of Africa.
• Hispanic Furniture Making – Roy learns about northern New Mexico woodworking on the Santa Fe Trail.
• Colonial Tape Loom – Roy begins making a tiny tape loom, used for making decorative fabric.
• Dovetailing a Loom Box – Roy finishes the tape loom by making a beautiful box for it with dovetails and turned columns.
• A Colonial Standing Desk – Roy makes a standing desk using mortise-and-tenon and tongue-and-groove joints.
• Banding Together – Instrument maker Marcus Hanson makes inlay banding with Roy at the Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop.
• The Art of Finishing – Roy returns to the  Anthony Hay Cabinet Shop to learn finishing.
• 15 Tools from a Dead Man’s Chest – Roy restores the tools found in an antique chest.
• A Pilgrim’s Chest of Oak – Roy makes a Spanish pilgrim’s chest from New Mexico.
• Wood Carvers of the Sacred – Returning to New Mexico once again, Roy explores religious carving and woodworking in the mountains north of Santa Fe.
• Moravian Chair – Roy makes a Moravian chair that’s reinforced with dovetailed battens, which make this small piece extraordinarily strong.

Season 20 - 2000 - 2 DVD Set

• Lap Desk - Roy builds a reproduction of a simple 19the century walnut lap desk.
• Turned Corner Chair - Roy shows you how to make a circa-1550 three-legged chair from the Flemish town of Rotterdam.
• Banjo Man George Wunderlich - Roy welcomes George Wunderlich, who recreates a mid-1800s banjo.
• Writers Bookcase - Roy builds a small oak bookcase, without glue or fasteners - for easier disassembly.
• Timber Corner - Roy builds the corner of a timber-framed structure.
• Decoy Carvers - Nick Supone and Neal Conolly stop by "The Woodwrights Shop" to demonstrate the hewing and carving techniques used in creating a duck decoy.
• Eastfield Village - Roy travels to Eastfield Village and tours the museums restored historic buildings.
• Marquetry Master Patrick Edwards - Roy visits with marquetry expert Patrick Edwards, and discusses the technique of "painting in wood."
• In the Blacksmiths Shop - Roy for a visits blacksmiths Peter Ross and Ken Schwarz who demonstrate making bench chisels and more.
• Toys That Make Noise - Roy solders a tin-can bird whistle and makes a boxwood whistling top.
• Carving with the Cabinetmakers - Roy travels to the Hay Cabinet Shop at Williamsburg for a furniture-carving talk with Master Mack Headley.
• Windsor Chair - Roy visits with Mike Dunbar of the Windsor Institute as he demonstrates the process for building a sack-back Windsor chair.
• 20th Anniversary Show - Roy looks back on 20 years of "The Woodwrights Shop," including highlights of guests, projects and memorable moments.

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