Roy Underhill (born December 22, 1950)''Woodworker's Journal'', "Roy Underhill: A Quarter Century of Subversive Woodworking"
Retrieved January 7, 2014 is an American woodworker and television show host. Born and raised in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, he was the first master housewright at the

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reconstruction. Since 1979, he has been the host of the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

The Woodwright's Shop ''The Woodwright's Shop'' is an American traditional woodworking television show hosted by master woodworker Roy Underhill and airing on television network PBS. It is one of the longest-running how-to shows on PBS, with 36 13-episode seasons pr ...

''. Along with ''

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'', which debuted the same year, it is the longest running PBS "how-to" show. Underhill was introduced to traditional woodworking by a sister who worked at the

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. He attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and earned a degree in Theater. In the early 1970s, Underhill and his wife moved to

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to form Homestead Arts to pursue a career in acting. When that failed, the Underhills moved to a remote area of

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where traditional woodworking was one of the few means of survival. In the late 1970s, Underhill moved back to

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and

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, pursuing a multi-disciplinary course of study including

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

, and

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and was subsequently awarded a Master of Forestry in 1977. At the birth of his first daughter, he approached the UNC Center for Public Television with an idea about a traditional woodworking show. Initially rejected, the idea was finally accepted; in 1979, filming began on ''The Woodwright's Shop'' at West Point on the Eno in Durham, N.C.''Mother Earth News'', "Have Broadax-Will Time Travel"
Retrieved January 7, 2014. Around the same time, he also took the job as master housewright and later director of interpretive development at

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. ''The Woodwright's Shop'' would subsequently be filmed at the UNC-TV studios in

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States; it occupies in North Carolina and hosts more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. It is owned and managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private non-profi ...

, with some episodes filmed on location in various places. More recently, Underhill also works as a communications consultant. He is the author of several books, including ''The Woodwright's Eclectic Workshop'' and ''Woodwright's Shop: A Practical Guide to Traditional Woodcraft''. In 2011 he gave a presentation at TEDx Raleigh, sharing the value of ingenuity and living in the present. Underhill was teaching traditional woodworking in a classroom environment he called
The Woodwright's School
in Pittsboro,NC until August 2023. The Woodwright's School website is still active, but the school is permanently closed and the building now houses another business. Many hand tool aficionados hold Underhill in extremely high regard and may refer to him with the shorthand "St. Roy."

Publications

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References

External links

PBS site for The Woodwright's ShopUNC Press – ''The Woodwright's Shop'' minisiteWoodworker's Journal Article - ''A Quarter Century Of Subversive Woodworking'' 2005"An Interview With Roy Underhill Host of The Woodright’s Shop" ''Mother Earth News'' interview from 1985"The Whetstone Quarry: On Finding a Sharpening Stone" A 1983 ''Mother Earth News'' articleThe Woodwright's School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Underhill, Roy 1950 births Living people American woodworkers Duke University alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People from Washington, D.C. People from Chapel Hill, North Carolina