Norm interview

[John Gregory]

I thought this was a great interview with Norm. Runs almost 12 minutes. I found it very enjoyable and interesting. He explains why he has picked certain projects for the NYW. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodvision/?lid=1243638292&tid=28709435001

Thanks to Wood Magazine, one of my favorites woodworking magazines.

[Denny Rice]

Can you believe all that great furniture tucked away in a warehouse! That warehrthouse is worth some serious cash on the open market. A Norm orginial, whats that worth?

[Mitchell Andrus]

A Norm orginial, whats that worth?

...depends on how many brads had been used during its construction, and how thick the polyurethane is..
.

[Adam Cavaliere]

You forget biscuits, or depending on the season, glue!

[Thomas S Stockton]

I'm not sure Norm's furniture would be worth all that much on the open market. The people most interseted in his work are other woodworkers who can purchase the plans and make it them selves. He doesn't have any standing in the fine craft/art market since he doesn't do original work, so that won't fly.
The way Norm's work would be worth would be to tie it to a PBS fundraiser/pledge drive that way you might be able to pull in some big spenders who would be more willing to spend big because they want to support PBS.
100 years from now it would probably be a hot commodity in the antique market.
Tom

[Matt Meiser]

I bet there are a pretty good number of fairly well off armchair woodworkers who watch NYW.

[Ed Bamba]

I get the sense that some of those pieces aren't the one's Norm built. Note the white gloves he has on when touching the furniture. I don't think he would be worried (to that degree) about the pieces he made. I could be wrong though.

Ed

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I've been watching Norm since his first days on This Old House. New Yankee Workshop took on some real importance to me 8 years ago when I broke my back and laid flat on the floor for 3 months. I didn't find too much TV that had any real quality other than TOH and NYW. When I was allowed to get up and go back to work, besides the doctor prescribed physical therapy, I needed something else. So ..using plans I designed in my head, I built an minature octagon gazebo (7' tall) patterned after the Norm's gazebo to get my wife's concrete geese off the front steps. Then, just for fun, I ordered a set of plans from NYW and built my first piece of furniture. The LOML who is older than I and could have retired ...was so impressed...she bought me a new table saw and hired a contractor to build the shell of my shop. I did the electrical, finishing etc. She continues working today to make those monthly shop payments.

Norm really had a big effect on my life. I could probably have found a medical excuse to retire following my back breaking incident. Norm gave me, a novice furniture builder (I'd worked for a contractor and helped build houses and wooden playgrounds) inspiration. You can argue all day whether he or David Marks is best....Who cares? They each have their own style and I have a huge respect for both of their talents.

As surely as I'm getting ready to pay out 10's of thousands of dollars for dental work....I could find a couple of thousand for a Norm original...just for sentimental reasons. 8 years later, I am working and walking ....and he surely helped get me there......

[Cody Colston]

I could say a lot about Norm's detractors and their reasons but instead, I'll just say that Norm inspired me to take up woodworking. I realize that his methods aren't appreciated by everyone and that there are many fine woodworkers whose skills exceed Norm's but I doubt there are any who have had a bigger impact on the craft.

I have no doubt, either, that a Norm Abram original piece of furniture would be highly valued and sought after. The man and his show, The NYW are a piece of Americana that is enjoyed by millions, not just woodworkers.

[Dave Lehnert]

Say what you will about Norm. He made woodworking what it is today. We would not have all the tools available today if it were not for him.
Who in the world would have purchased a biscuit jointer if we had not seen one in use on TV.
Would David Marks have a TV show if the New Yankee Workshop were not so successful ?????

[Rob Damon]

I have watched NYW for as long as I can remember and even the Woodwright show. Two of my favorites. I could have stayed up working until 4:00am on Friday night, but would still pop out of bed at 7:30am to catch the NYW.

Regardless of his level of work, nobody can deny his influence on woodworking..

Ask anybody out on the street if they have heard of the New Yankee Workshop and Norm Abrams, and I will bet 9 out of ten will say yes. Ask those same people if they have heard of David Marks or even Sam Maloof and 99 out of 100 people will say "Who?" and the 1 out of 100 is a woodworker or somebody who has bought their furniture.

Before I started to puruse the internet woodworking sites a few years ago, I had never heard of David Marks or Sam Maloof.

They took him off the air a few weeks back on our local cable channel. It's just not the same on Saturday mornings anymore.


Rob

[Dan Friedrichs]

Can you believe all that great furniture tucked away in a warehouse! That warehrthouse is worth some serious cash on the open market. A Norm orginial, whats that worth?


I don't think any of that is Norm's - he's a trustee of the Old Sturbridge Village museum, so I believe that was the museum's warehouse of antiques, and Norm was showing the ones he modeled his works after.

[Denny Rice]

Why does a guy like Norm that has done so much for the woodworking industry as a whole, catch so much flack on this forum? Usually when he creates something and uses a brad or two its for the purpose to suppport the project until the glue joint dries. Usually its hidden in a place no one will ever see it. I didn't know I was in a forum with men and women that are so much better than Norm. How many of you have your own TV show or are a master carpenter?:) Just wondering.

[Curt Harms]

I could say a lot about Norm's detractors and their reasons but instead, I'll just say that Norm inspired me to take up woodworking. I realize that his methods aren't appreciated by everyone and that there are many fine woodworkers whose skills exceed Norm's but I doubt there are any who have had a bigger impact on the craft.

I have no doubt, either, that a Norm Abram original piece of furniture would be highly valued and sought after. The man and his show, The NYW are a piece of Americana that is enjoyed by millions, not just woodworkers.


Well Said!! As far as some of Norm's techniques, they have evolved over the years. His early finishing attempts were pretty 'basic'. Some of his later efforts were fairly involved like the chair patterned on ones from the Pennsylvania craftsman with multiple painted layers & effects and some where he brought in "friends" to help. It seems like brad guns and biscuit jointers are less prominent in recent seasons. I was in the Revere, MA. original Woodworker's Warehouse when they were a show sponsor. They said they could always tell when Norm used a new gadget on the show--sales of that gadget would spike the next week:D.

[Phil Thien]

I'm not sure Norm's furniture would be worth all that much on the open market.

I think you'd be surprised what that stuff would go for at a New York/Boston auction house, even if PBS wasn't the benefactor.

[David Keller NC]

Why does a guy like Norm that has done so much for the woodworking industry as a whole, catch so much flack on this forum? Usually when he creates something and uses a brad or two its for the purpose to suppport the project until the glue joint dries. Usually its hidden in a place no one will ever see it. I didn't know I was in a forum with men and women that are so much better than Norm. How many of you have your own TV show or are a master carpenter?:) Just wondering.

Quite a number of us that don't necessarily agree with his construction techniques would still identify him as inspirational and accomplishing something unique - popularizing the idea of building furniture in the shop with the general populace.

Where a lot of the controversy originated was when FWW did an interview and feature with him about 10 years ago. A lot of the FWW readers did not agree that his products were "fine furniture". But then, one has to remeber that as little as 10 years ago, using nails of any type in a piece of furniture, and using high-volume production joinery methods in a one-man shop (i.e., pocket screws and biscuits) was considered "cheating". That attitude has softened considerably.

[Richard Magbanua]

Norm is DA MAN! Regardless of your standards or techniques Norm is and always will be Norm. He introduced me and millions of others to woodworking and taught me a lot. He has shown how possible it is to make your own furniture with even basic power tools. Then he pushes you down the slope by showing you all the other power tools you'll eventually buy along the way.
He may not be the "fine" woodworker some of us are but how many people would have thought woodworking was possible if we started out watching videos about bevel angles, water stones, moisture content, fleam and rake? Nope, get 'em hooked by showing them biscuits, pocket screws, brad nailers and plywood. That's how I started! Thank you Norm.

[Rod Sheridan]

Why does a guy like Norm that has done so much for the woodworking industry as a whole, catch so much flack on this forum? Usually when he creates something and uses a brad or two its for the purpose to suppport the project until the glue joint dries. Usually its hidden in a place no one will ever see it. I didn't know I was in a forum with men and women that are so much better than Norm. How many of you have your own TV show or are a master carpenter?:) Just wondering.

I'm both a Norm supporter and detractor.

Norm has done more than anyone I can think of, to popularize wood working as a hobby. His many years of televised episodes have motivated countless people to take up this hobby. I am greatful for that.

I don't have a television show, nor do I have the ficticious title "Master Carpenter".

My complaints with Norm were generally;

- no guard or splitter on the TS. If you're going to teach people a skill, make sure you teach them the proper skill.

- brad nails through the face of the molding. Was this a cabinet making show or a construction site?

- if I see one more coat of poly I'm going to barf.

Shows like Roy Underhill's, in my opinion are more woodworking related. Roy uses the natural properties of wood, through techniques such as riving, or selecting elm for wheel hubs, to produce stronger, higher quality work than simply sawing and planing.

A combination of the two gentleman would be ideal.

I wish James Krenov had a show, however it would be too glacial for the current TV expectations.

Regards, Rod.

[Greg Peterson]

I think a little perspective on Norm is required. The producers of NYW are clearly cognizant of their audience. While I may not agree with all of his techniques, he is clearly far more accomplished and successful than I am, so who am I to pass judgment?

His projects usually fall into one of several categories:
-Beyond my skill level
-Beyond my budget
-I do not have appropriate tools
-I do not have a want or need for the item

Norm is inspirational most of the time, even when I'll never even consider building the project he is showing. But when he casually goes over to his band saw and resaws a plank with a 3" resaw blade, a little bit of me gets disconnected from the show. He clearly has a justified need for many of these tools and it is great to see them being used, but I'll never have the space or budget for most of these tools. The scale of Norm'a operationa is simply alien to me.

Overall, Norm is a positive force in the field. I seriously doubt any show about woodworking would be without criticism.

Rod - I agree about not using the safety equipment. I think Norm could at the minimum state that the blade guard has been removed for the sake of the cameras. But it would be even better if Norm were to bring in a table saw that had a riving knife and demonstrate a cut with the blade guard off, then another cut with the guard on.

We all know how dangerous this equipment is. We all know that virtually every accident is avoidable. Using the latest safety equipment and demonstrating how it works would only help raise the collective conciousness of the viewers. Safey first, second and last.

[Brian Brightwell]

I like Norm. I have learned from his show. However, I wish they had some clips of the bloopers. You know their has to be some somewhere?

[Bruce Benjamin]

Why does a guy like Norm that has done so much for the woodworking industry as a whole, catch so much flack on this forum?

For the most part, two words: Pompous snobs. The good that Norm has done for the WW world has already been stated very well by others in this thread. The people who bad mouth him seem to think that his use of brads or poly finishes is somehow hurting the WW hobby. In my view it doesn't detract from what he has accomplished at all.

No doubt that there are some very talented people on this forum who could probably rival David Marks with their furniture building skills. But I'd bet that the large majority would be happy to be able to build furniture that looks as nice as some of Norm's stuff. Granted, making a patio chair ain't all that tough but some of the things I've seen Norm build is better than I'll likely ever be able to accomplish. And I'm sure it the same for most of the rest of this forum.

So when these people slam Norm they are also slamming everyone else on this forum who doesn't live up to their lofty standards of how furniture should be built. I have a name for people like that but it would likely be deleted by the moderators if I used it. To the guy who said he would puke if he saw anymore polyurethane, would you criticize me if I were to post some pictures of a desk I made using some brads and that was finished in a very durable polyurethane? It's snobs like this that will keep me from ever posting any pictures of my work. I don't need the criticism.

Bruce

[Darrell Bade]

This thread sure put me in my place.

Although I rarely watch Norm, I do use some polyurethane and some bisquits. Guess I am really just a hack after all.

I need to make sure that I tell my kids that their desks really are not that nice. Suppose when everyone comes into our new house and talks about how nice the cabinets are that I built last summer that I need to tell them they are only 1/3 nice. 1/3 because they are sprayed with laquer instead of poly, but they have a few bisquits hidden in them and they have crown moulding along the top and some moulding along the bottom that if you look real close you will see a brad or two holding it in place. The dovetail drawers and raised panel doors are nice along with the pullout spice rack, if it just was not for those pesky bisquits.

[Orion Henderson]

There are quite possibly many woodworkers both amateur and professional who are more skilled than Norm. Who cares? He is a good guy, a true gentleman. His true talent is his ability to explain what he is doing and inspire others to do it themselves. IMHO-this is his gift and it is more unique then the ability to build masterpieces. I think it is also important to realize that he chooses projects and methods with the goal of getting people to try it. If all he made were Goddard's secretaries, few people would get off the couch and give it a go. Norm is a big part of why there is such a world of hobbyist woodworkers in the country-and he is also a big part of why people will seek out benchmade furniture to purchase as opposed to going the mass produced route.

I owe Norm a debt of gratitude for introducing countless people to my hardware as well.

[Joe Leigh]

I for one cannot understand some of the disparaging remarks made at Norms expense. He never presented himself as anything other than what he is, a humble, hard working self taught and resourceful crafstman. His friendly and unassuming manner have inspired many take up woodworking as a hobby and has fueled the sales of tools. How can that be viewed as anything other than good?

[Mike Cruz]

I think what Norm did was simple:

He showed America that "do-it-yourself" went beyond drywalling and tiling your bathroom. He broke down what looked like impossible tasks and made America see that, hey, we can do that. To some, you just needed the right tools. To others, you just had to be inventive with what you had.

I believe that if/when Norm made furniture for himself (ie off the show) he could/would do things a bit differently. Maybe he wouldn't use those brads. Maybe he wouldn't use poly. But he knows we can all get a brad gun and some poly.

Any of you ever watch a cooking show? Do you have every knife, mixing bowl, ladle, thee ovens, gas burners, and everything else that these folks have/use at their disposal? Probably not, but you might realize that you can cook a dinner when you may not have believed it before.

THAT is what he did for us. What else do you want?

[Paul Ryan]

Personally I don't see a problem with Norm's methods. A few Brads here some biscuits there, and a dab of polyurethane. What the heck is the difference. One thing I have learned from being a member here and from wood working is there are at least a dozen different ways to skin a cat. The furniture he puts out style wise usually is not my thing, but it is still very nice looking. Many don't like polyurethane but it is one of the most durable finishes available an it still looks nice, I prefer it over anything else.

Norm is also an entertainer, methods used for television purposes are sometimes not most logical choice but they get the job done.

[John Gregory]

I think one thing that sets Norm apart is his ability to teach the craft and to make all of us feel like we can do it too.

Furniture makers of the 1700's and 1800's would have loved to have the tools we have today. Woodworking was not their hobby like us. It was their livelihood. And I would think many would have loved to have a pneumatic nailers and such, then they could have produced more pieces in less time to earn more money to provide for their family.

[Adam Cavaliere]

I think the whole biscuit thing for some, at least myself the biscuit thing is interesting to see over the different seasons. I have nothing against using them, even like to use them for different projects. It is just something to note that for certain seasons he seemed to really use a lot of biscuits and then for later seasons he used more glue. Some have inferred that it was sponsorship changes that caused this. I don't know any facts surrounding this though.

I am way way way too new to this hobby to be a snob at all. I have to say he is one of the factors that got me into this hobby and also the cause of some of my tool purchases. I have built some of his projects and have learned a lot from them. Anyone getting into wood working can learn a lot and be truly inspired by his work.

[Sean Nagle]

It's good to see many good things being said here about Norm.

I got into this hobby around the time Norm started airing his PBS show. I have been a fan of his the whole time. Through the years I have progressed as a student, learning from every source I could find including books, woodworking magazines and countless forums. There eventually came a time when I started to cringe whenever Norm took out his nail gun on some of his "finer" projects, as I had learned to appreciate what constituted Fine Woodworking. Nevertheless, I still enjoy watching Norm. He inspires me to get off my ass, get in the shop and get a project done.

[Billy Chambless]

Nevertheless, I still enjoy watching Norm. He inspires me to get off my ass, get in the shop and get a project done.

Pretty hard to find fault with that!

[Cody Colston]

It is just something to note that for certain seasons he seemed to really use a lot of biscuits and then for later seasons he used more glue. Some have inferred that it was sponsorship changes that caused this. I don't know any facts surrounding this though.


On more than one episode, Norm explained that he had discovered that when using biscuits for alignment on edge glue-ups, the area immediately above the biscuits would eventually become recessed. That's the primary reason he quit using them as much, especially since those long-grain joints don't need them for strength. He still uses them to reinforce miters, for attaching face frames and a myriad other applications where they are quick and plenty strong. Biscuits are, after all, merely a form of loose tenon and almost as strong as the vaunted Festool Domino according to the FWW joint test.

As for the type projects Norm does, he focuses mainly on projects that the average woodworker can complete. Occassionally Norm will build something like the Bonnet-Topped Highboy but most of his projects are within the abilities of us hobbiests. I hope he continues filming his show for another 20+ years.