Ted Sokolowski: “Deb and I have been heating our home exclusively with wood in a wood stove since 2005. We both love sharing our knowledge of wood stove and fireplace insert safety. When we were starting out, we looked for books and DVDs to guide us in getting acquainted with the routine, work and basic safety of operating a wood burning stove. With the exception of a good book or two, we still have not seen anything on DVD that shows the novice how to maintain, harvest and heat with wood. After years of researching and perfecting our wood burning and wood harvesting techniques, we decided to create an instructional DVD ourselves.

The benefits of learning to heat with wood from a DVD

A DVD is the ideal medium for instruction on heating with wood and harvesting firewood. There is no way a book can show you visually how to do this as well. And learning is so much quicker with video instruction. With people searching for more economical ways to heat their homes, wood stove sales are steadily increasing. Unfortunately, this could translate into an increase in home fires if consumers are uninformed. The safety and knowledge that is addressed on this DVD will be invaluable to anyone who wants to safely heat their home with wood.

When it comes to operating something that could potentially burn down my house, I need to know how it’s done right. So during my research for heating with wood, I found a lot of myths, misconceptions, bad  or even dangerous information, and out-dated materials. I searched for an instructional DVD that would get me up to speed quickly and give me the details I needed to know. There were none. I finally found the information in bits and pieces and figured out the entire process through months of research and years of wood burning. This was a labor-intensive process that I didn’t think needed to be repeated by every new wood burner.

I have always loved to learn from others in-the-know. Before video instruction, I always referred to educational books for learning new subjects. I did learn, but often times it was slow and in many cases unclear. Seminars are another great way to learn but can be expensive and time consuming. Educational DVDs bring together the best of both worlds. This is truly a ‘One Year Seminar’ on Heating with Wood. Through video, the time has been compressed to just under three hours of instruction. It begins in the spring and ends the following winter. If you enjoy learning right from the comfort of your own chair and watching how it’s done correctly, then this DVD is for you. Best of all, if you don’t get it the first time, there’s always the rewind button on your remote. It’s a great seasonal refresher too.“

Deb: “Ted is one of those unusual people who actually reads owner’s manuals. Whenever he undertakes a new project, he researches it in detail. He is very much a hands-on person, and the level of clarity he brings to this DVD makes it easy for anyone to understand.

Ted is the type of guy who can fix our car and remodel our house, yet he was hesitant to start our first fire in our new wood stove. It’s intimidating to start a fire in your house, and this DVD gives the beginner confidence with that first fire.

As a professional wood turner, Ted’s been working with a chain saw and reading the end grain on wood for years. He has taken this knowledge and placed it on this DVD, so that even experienced wood burners can learn how to maintain and sharpen their own chain saw, and pick up quite a few handy tips when it comes to splitting wood, cleaning a chimney, understanding what creosote really is, maintaining a wood stove as it ages, and more. It’s a great resource to have in your DVD library to refer to again and again.”

Background: Ted Sokolowski

Ted graduated from the School of Visual Arts in NYC and started his career as an illustrator. With his art background and an intense passion for woodworking, he runs Sokolowski Studios as a full-time wood turner and metal spinner, creating “functional art” that is sold in galleries and art venues nationwide. Ted began his woodturning career in 1998 and started generating a lot of scrap wood. With limited space to store it, he gave it away by the truckloads to all his friends with wood burning stoves. Then, a light bulb went off and he purchased a wood stove of his own. That was 9 years ago, and he hasn’t been cold since. He now enjoys winters and actually looks forward to them.

Ted is also the author and producer of the popular DVD Making a Peppermill, Focus on Design, Making Candlesticks Seeing the Curves, Brilliant Finishes for Woodturners, Metal Inlay Techniques for Woodworkers and Woodturners and Mixing and Matching Color for Woodworkers. His work can be seen at www.sokolowskistudios.com.

Background: Deb Sokolowski

Deb has been a Creative Director in the advertising industry for the past 25+ years, and has extensive experience in both print and video production for corporate and retail clients.