Martin gave the clearest introduction to woodturning tools that I have encountered in quite a few years of on / off trying to start turning and sitting in on all sorts of demonstrations. For each basic tool he explained its physical composition and showed how it was used on the lathe. Watching his demonstration felt like coming out of the darkness – especially on oft-mentioned subjects such as grain direction, bevel rubbing and catches. Martin patiently and carefully explained and demonstrated everything, fully addressing our questions and checking throughout that we understood. The wide angle and close up camera / video shots during the online demonstration made everything so much clearer. Really helpful pictures were overlaid on the screen as needed (e.g. highlighting and naming each part of a tool). There was a lot on the safety aspects, with the right amount of warning to ensure that we are likely to approach the lathe with due respect.
This online demonstration showed very clearly how much benefit there is in online interactive demonstrations / tuition, when it is done by someone who is a talented and engaging tutor and with a good camera set up. It also helped that Martin had an able and experienced wing man (Phil Boulter) to keep a check on proceedings and add to the commentary.
Finally, it was really helpful to be able to return to the video of the demonstration later to watch it through again thoroughly and make full notes for future reference.