More Videocassettes for Do-It-Yourselfers

Last Dec. 15, when I reviewed several videocassettes aimed at woodworkers and other do-it-yourselfers, I promised that when more cassettes came my way, I would report on them.

From the D.I.Y. Video Corp., Charlotte, N.C., via Sound Video Unlimited of Chicago (local office, 8501 Telfair Ave., Sun Valley, Calif. 91352) comes a series of 10 tapes based on the PBS series “The Do-It-Yourself Show.” Hosted by Avian Rogers and Curt Burbick, the show is syndicated in about 200 markets.

I used to watch it on Saturday mornings on Channel 28; a spokeswoman for the station said that the series ran until all episodes were shown. Perhaps the station can be persuaded to rerun the show; it’s an excellent nuts-and-bolts production, well worth watching if you can find it.

The tapes, with a suggested retail price of $24.95, run a half hour, more or less, and come with eight to 16 page instruction leaflets summarizing and expanding on the information shown in the tapes.

When I reviewed the Taunton Press tapes last December, I suggested that future editions come with leaflets like those with the D.I.Y. tapes. I’ve since learned that my suggestion has been followed and that booklets will appear in future editions of the Taunton Press tapes.

I reviewed two D.I.Y. tapes--”Walls” and “Kitchen Cabinets.” The latter actually covers the renovation of a kitchen, from removing the old cabinets, to measuring for new ones, installing cabinets and appliances and installing an island unit. That’s a lot for about 30 minutes, but the tape and the booklet that accompany it make remodeling a kitchen sound relatively easy. Anyone who has done it knows better, of course!

“Walls” runs 38 minutes and covers everything from drywall installation and repair to painting and wallpapering and paneling.

A Sound Video Unlimited spokesman said that the tapes should be available soon in Builders Emporium stores and “selected” video tape outlets. Among the topics covered in the other eight tapes are furniture refinishing, energy conservation, basic carpentry, interior projects, floors and ceilings, exterior projects and converting an attic to living space.

Still another source of do-it-yourself videos--for sale and rent--is Woodworker’s Supply of New Mexico, 5604 Alameda N.E., Albuquerque, N.M. 87113. Tapes available are listed on Pages 62 and 63 of the January, 1986 catalog.

One of my favorite magazines, Wood, from Better Homes & Gardens, has a “buymanship basics” feature on woodworking videos on Pages 89-91 of the April issue, now on sale. Listed are the Taunton Press and Woodworker’s Supply of New Mexico offerings, as well as tapes from Fine Tool Shops Inc., Danbury, Conn.; Shopsmith Inc., 6640 Poe Ave., Dayton, Ohio 45414-2591, and With The Grain Videos, Box 1329, Mendocino, Calif. 95460.