Whatever Happened to Norm Abram?
- Thread starter Calpol
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Skipwill
Member
Norm is still on in the States on the Public Television Network on most Saturday mornings. This is his 21 season on the air, and I think he is taking it easy this year. He is rerunning old shows and just doing a new introduction to them. A lot of the shows I missed the original airing, so this is ok with me.
Norm got me back into woodworking after about 25 years of absence.
Norm got me back into woodworking after about 25 years of absence.
Grinding One
Established Member
Well it must be where you are in the country,because I have been watching Norm since he started,but of late I have learned that the NYW is not owned by Norm.Heck he doesn`t even live there....It R.Morash`s house and buildings,he is the producer of the show.The deal Norm has is that Norm makes two of everything and Mr.Morash gets one and Norm the other.The tools he gets to use are provided by the manufacture....they did buy a few but as their show got more people watching the tools came for him to comment on then keep.I know I tried to buy as many as I could so I could do what Norm did with his.I always watched to see if I could tell if he had a new tool,every episode he seem to show one.
If you have followed Norm he started off at This old house,the show went down hill when the head guy started to take money from sponcers,a no no from Public Broadcasters at that time,so Norm started to do New Yankee Workshop,then he was asked to go back to This old House,but instead of a worker a ,he was going to be a Guest Host instead.Which he is still doing and the New Yankee Workshop is of course still going strong.New stuff still being built,this week was a round table,with a drawer.
If you have followed Norm he started off at This old house,the show went down hill when the head guy started to take money from sponcers,a no no from Public Broadcasters at that time,so Norm started to do New Yankee Workshop,then he was asked to go back to This old House,but instead of a worker a ,he was going to be a Guest Host instead.Which he is still doing and the New Yankee Workshop is of course still going strong.New stuff still being built,this week was a round table,with a drawer.
FogggyTown
Established Member
I think it's all a question of perspective. To the electric tool user, the satisfaction is in the destination. To the manual tool user, it's in the journey.
Skipwill
Member
FogggyTown":3elp9dwb said:
How true!
Well Ed I think that I am probably old enough to answer that, the shop where I started work had a band saw, planer/thicknesser and saw bench, and this was the aircraft industry, and yes, you are quite correct we would have jumped at the chance of a spindle moulder, dove tailing machine, morticer, even a sander would have been welcome, trust me!
Roy.
I give Norm a vote of thanks. When I was recovering from a heart attack some years ago, I invested in Sky to pass the time (from a 7 day working week to nil in a couple of weeks) and I watched Norm avidly and as a consequence took up woodwork seriously (as apposed to DIY)). The problem is that if woodworking shows returned to TV, there would be no time left to use the forum and I can't have that!
Cheers,
Jim
Cheers,
Jim
Calpol
Established Member
Seems Norm inspired lots of people to get into woodwork, including me. I had left uni because I didn't enjoy it one bit (except when we did some metalwork) so decided, when I was watching NYW, to take this up and I've never looked back! 8)
PerranOak
Established Member
Like many others, Norm inspired me to re-visit my love of wood.
My only previous experience was 'O' Level woodwork back in the seventies! Once I gained a little space, I got together a few tools and a small bench.
I am now in a dilema. I feel that I want to develop the skills of a hand tool user but I can't face smoothing and squaring boards for hours on end - I only have a short time to spend on this hobby each day - so , I like the idea of some power tools.
However, there is the other side. Hand tools are cheaper, quieter and need less space - all things that are important to me considering where my "shop" (tee hee) is.
I do have a hand-held router but it seems that I spend ages making jigs and figuring out how to hold the work-piece when I "should" just learn to do it by hand! Arggh!
My only previous experience was 'O' Level woodwork back in the seventies! Once I gained a little space, I got together a few tools and a small bench.
I am now in a dilema. I feel that I want to develop the skills of a hand tool user but I can't face smoothing and squaring boards for hours on end - I only have a short time to spend on this hobby each day - so , I like the idea of some power tools.
However, there is the other side. Hand tools are cheaper, quieter and need less space - all things that are important to me considering where my "shop" (tee hee) is.
I do have a hand-held router but it seems that I spend ages making jigs and figuring out how to hold the work-piece when I "should" just learn to do it by hand! Arggh!
jlawrence
Established Member
For me Norm was the reason I started doing anything in wood.
Before watching NYW I used to think that in order to make something nice in wood you had to have the skills to use hand tools.
I think I've now got about 225 episodes of NYW on my server - so I can watch them pretty much when ever I want.
Before watching NYW I used to think that in order to make something nice in wood you had to have the skills to use hand tools.
I think I've now got about 225 episodes of NYW on my server - so I can watch them pretty much when ever I want.
Like Niki I make and use a lot of jigs simply because I like the accuracy that I obtain from them and I think that there is a deal of misunderstanding on the subject of hand working.
Possibly the very top few of 18 C craftsmen could work to a very high level of accuracy, but some old pieces that I have examined show the same errors and mistakes that we make. (Even if we don't admit to them :lol: )
Roy.
Possibly the very top few of 18 C craftsmen could work to a very high level of accuracy, but some old pieces that I have examined show the same errors and mistakes that we make. (Even if we don't admit to them :lol: )
Roy.
woodbloke
Established Member
What Norm?..who is this Norm person anyway? - Rob
- RobGrinding One
Established Member
woodbloke":3q7xo0xr said:What Norm?..who is this Norm person anyway?
He is a Really nice Guy from Mass. who dore woodworking...
When I started at senior school everyone did woodwork and aptitude was checked. I was quite lightly built then and my hands couldn't handle the large wooden jack planes so I never got past the mortise and tenon joint.
At the end of the first year we had to choose between woodworking and art. I was TOLD to choose art.
Nearly 40 years later and with some DIY skills I watched Norm. His straight presentation and his breaking the projects into simple steps de-mystified furniture building constructions and techniques. I realised that with a few tools (saw, drill and router) I could do that.
I started to construct things; driveway gates, greenhouse, bookcase, stools. My skills improved, my interest grew and I stood on the slippery slope. I have even developed some hand tool skills now that I know how to sharpen tools (still practicing though).
So I thank Norm. He may not be brilliant, but as a tutor, demonstrator and motivator he excels. I wish he was available all those years ago.
At the end of the first year we had to choose between woodworking and art. I was TOLD to choose art.
Nearly 40 years later and with some DIY skills I watched Norm. His straight presentation and his breaking the projects into simple steps de-mystified furniture building constructions and techniques. I realised that with a few tools (saw, drill and router) I could do that.
I started to construct things; driveway gates, greenhouse, bookcase, stools. My skills improved, my interest grew and I stood on the slippery slope. I have even developed some hand tool skills now that I know how to sharpen tools (still practicing though).
So I thank Norm. He may not be brilliant, but as a tutor, demonstrator and motivator he excels. I wish he was available all those years ago.
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