Who or what is ToolSelect.com? Here is a quote from ToolSelect.com’s website: “ToolSelect.com is an unbiased power tool comparison website that offers our users a wide range of resources and information to assist you in researching your intended purchase.”
I am a woodworker who was asked by ToolSelect.com to test three woodworking tools in my shop and then to provide a summary of my experiences .
This was initiated by an e-mail I received from Gerry Barnaby, ToolSelect.com’s spokesman, asking if I would be interested in testing some woodworking tools for them. Of course, I agreed or this would be a very short blog.
The process began by the manufacturer shipping the tools at no cost to ToolSelect.com. Jay, the videographer, delivered the tools to my shop. Jay arrived about 10:00 am and we got right to work unloading and setting up three pieces of equipment.
I was asked in advance to have a project ready so each of the tools could be utilized. My instructions were simple… go to work. OK, maybe not that simple, but the goal was to use the tools, like I would on any other day, and then share the experiences with the viewer.
Sounds easy enough, just do what I do everyday and forget that someone is following me around the shop with a video camera. At first, I thought I did pretty good. I set up each machine and then we positioned them so that the lighting was right and I went to work. Trying to focus on the project and not wonder what Jay was doing was challenging at first but after a short time I relaxed and it went smoothly, at least for me. From time to time, Jay would stop me and ask me to adjust my position so he could get a better view of what I was doing. A couple of times he had to stop me so he could clean the camera lens. I quickly learned that you can’t use compressed air to clear away sawdust when video taping. Sorry Jay.
As the day progressed, I became accustomed to having Jay around, maybe a little too comfortable. On several occasions, I know I screwed up Jay’s shot by stepping in front of the camera or by stacking wood which then blocked his view. Jay was clear that he wanted me to use the tools as they were intended and not concern myself with what he was doing or how difficult I may have made it for him.
Having never done this before, it was easy for me to make a few assumptions. What was I expecting??? I thought that we would unload the tools, take a few staged shots and be done by noon. It was after 6:00 p.m., when we finished loading the video equipment and Jay headed back to the studio.
Knowing that one day would never be enough time to do a complete tool review, I started making plans to use my new woodworking tools. At this point the plan was to use them until the guys at ToolSelect.com were ready for me to make a trip to their studio and do a video review.