The Showman —
"One of Mr. Sawdust’s demonstration could not have captured any more of your attention than if it were a high-wire act – he was indeed a showman!"
This email was written by a man who had seen one of dad's later demonstrations in the mid 70's. At that time my Dad still wore a shop coat, but he always dressed in cowboy boots, with an American Indian string tie and a Stetson hat.
— Mary Walsh
As a young pup (67 years old now now) with/ a new Shopsmith under my belt, the wife and I were lucky enough to see one of your "Demos for Forrest Blades " at a Chicago area wood show. Had never seen any thing like it before, man you were great, you made that saw sing, and, you were the fasted man I 'd ever seen behind a saw. To this day haven't seen any that could compare to your demo. Said to the wife, " lets stop back here before going home just to see if Mr.Sawdust still has all of his fingers ". I hope and pray you do !
Well you convinced me, bought two Forrest blades that night, one for the smith and one for my radial arm saw. ( sorry its not a De Walt ) Both blades are still used ever day I'm in the shop, and are still top notch.
This visit to your site has brought back a lot of good old memories for me, its after midnight now, but , I'll be stopping back to get your book. Every time I pick it up I'll think back to your demo. You don't know how many times I've related your story to my friends, telling them you've never seen a woodworker until you've seen Mr. Sawdust.
Oh yes… I see that both of us are lucky enough to still have the same great wives.
Be back soon, be well.
Jim & Mary Ann Fedel
Mr. Sawdust’s First Spotlight
To hear Wally tell the story of one of his earliest live demonstrations, television cameras and all — and the moment he got the name “Mr. Sawdust” — you’ll want to read Chapter One from his book, available right here on the website…
Chapter One
The Great Do-It-Yourself Era
And we made ourselves a little video to bring a bit of life to this day oh-so-long ago — here’s a whole blog post about it: How Mr. Sawdust Got His Name (An Imagined Moment Back in Time)
Here’s the video —
“You've never seen a woodworker until you've seen Mr. Sawdust.”
Mr. Sawdust’s Final Performance
"I work with unusual and consistent precision, proving my cuts with a dial-vernier at any time."
In the early 1980’s, Wally’s put together a promotional letter to drum up interest in his seminars. The wording about how he operates shows he meant business —
