The New Yankee Workshop Episode Rating Graph

Norm remodels Russell Morash's kitchen. Here builds the "kitchen office".

Prowling antiques stores for a suitable project for his own living room, Norm encounters Matt Buckley, an appraiser and antiques expert, who shows him an interesting Nest of Tables. Unlike anything else he has built on the show, Norm is intrigued by these three small mahogany tables that store into one another to form a "nest". The example that Matt shows Norm are likely to be English circa 1920 and are derived from the "Chippendale" style. Norm decides to build his own versions from walnut and mahogany and he reproduces the fine inlay details of the original.

It would be hard to think of a more important element of a home's appeal than its entranceway. But all too often, modern doors are an unremarkable (yet necessary) feature quickly forgotten by those who pass through them. Not so with this custom-made, mahogany beauty that Norm creates in The New Yankee Workshop. He designs and builds it from scratch for an old house that cries out for a new door. Along the way, he is able to find a pair of antique looking "Bulls Eye" glass inserts and a handsome brass knob and lock to set off this masterpiece.

Largely unknown in grandmother's time, kitchen islands have become indispensable in today's modern home. Used to house sinks, cook tops, storage for pots and pans, recyclables, and barstools, they often become the most valuable work surface in a busy kitchen. Norm builds this one out of poplar and birch plywood for a painted finish and lines it with hard wearing factory-applied finishes intended to give this island a long career of heavy use. Along with the high-tech plywood, Norm uses state of the art drawer slides and period pulls to complete this useful project.

In keeping with the wine-country theme, this project is much more than just a wine rack. It is the perfect system for people who take wine collecting seriously. Made of redwood and designed as a four-sided display, this storage unit holds 10 cases of wine while providing additional storage for glasses, corkscrews and oversized bottles, plus a platform for serving. No wine aficionado will want to return from a tasting tour of Napa Valley to anything less.

Norm couldn't resist bringing the romantic design of this garden gateway back from a visit to a historic New England village. This ambitious outdoor project features a spindled gateway and is complemented by a pergola and a trellis that frames the garden view. Norm builds this outdoor project out of common, pressure-treated pine to ensure that it will last through years of sunshine, rain, and snow. In the process, he demonstrates how to join wood segments together with splines to form the elegant archway. NOTE: This is the same project as Season 9, Episode 6 with a new introduction by Norm Abram.

In the beginning of The New Yankee Workshop there was the Adirondack Chair (Season 2), a classic design updated by Norm. It became one of the most popular projects he ever did. Later, Norm added an Adirondack Love Seat (Season 14) to his collection, using improved methods and materials. Now, in celebration of the show's twentieth anniversary, Norm builds a chair, a table, and a footrest to complete the set. To add to the fun, Norm invites a friend to build one of these classic chairs alongside the master.

Norm remodels Russell Morash's kitchen. Here he builds the kitchen island.

Norm remodels Russell Morash's kitchen. Here he explains how to set up the "hot wall".

One classic furniture form that Norm has long admired is the tilt top table. Graceful Chippendale feet support a central pedestal, which in turn supports the tilting mechanism and a glorious cherry top, which is fashioned in a "hanker chief" outline. When stored in the "up" position it provides a dramatic backdrop, and when it is down it is a comfortable and useful table for four. Norm finds the original at the historic Harrison Gray house on Boston's Beacon Hill.

Norm has said many times that chairs are the most challenging projects a woodworker can attempt. Not only do they have to be strong enough to support the heavy twisting action of a human body, they also have to be attractive enough to take their place at the table. Norm visits historic Deerfield in central Massachusetts where he discovers, amid the vast collection of antique furniture, a comfortable, handsome, American-built side chair of the early 1800's. Norm makes a faithful reproduction back in the workshop and upholsters it in a modern fabric that should stand up well to the rigors of time.

On a recent sojourn to Nantucket, Norm is invited to view a local antique dealer's private collection of children's toys and whimsical whirligigs. Inspired by their endearing humor, Norm decides to build his own mechanized version of The New Yankee Workshop's logo, featuring Norm, himself, working at the table saw. NOTE: This is the same project as Season 10, Episode 10 with a new introduction by Norm Abram.

Norm builds a free standing bookcase with a cornice detail, adjustable shelves, and a removable base. He uses pine for the base and birch plywood for the rest. The bookcase dimensions are 80" high x 36" wide x 12 1/2" deep.

Norm remodels Russell Morash's kitchen. Here he gives the basics on kitchen cabinets. This is part 1 of 2.

A good workshop begins with a well-equipped workbench, and master woodworker Norm uses one from his own shop as a model for the conveniently-sized and affordable workbench he builds in this episode. After a look at a workbench used 100 years ago by the craftsmen at Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts, Norm builds a workbench featuring an oak-edged hardwood top, a bench vice, a recessed tool storage area on top and a shelf beneath.

In the 1800s, a dough box provided a warm hiding place for bread dough to rise. When Norm crafts his version of this simple design out of antique pine and adds a hinge to the lid, he turns it into a great-looking, modern-day, chest-on-legs. NOTE: This is the same project as Season 9, Episode 5 with a new introduction by Norm Abram.

Norm remodels Russell Morash's kitchen. Here he gives the basics of kitchen cabinets. This is part 2 of 2.

In this program, Norm demonstrates how easy it can be to panel a wall. Norm begins by showing some wonderful examples of wall paneling techniques in a home restored several years ago by This Old House. At one end of the spectrum, Norm shows how simple moulding applied to a plain wall can create a paneled effect. Then, he moves back to the Workshop to show classic bead board paneling, raised panel systems and, finally, elegant mahogany paneling using veneer hardwood plywood and solid custom mouldings and trim.

Every family needs one of these. An assembly point for the family keys, hats, and mail, with the added bonus of a large mirror that gets you ready before you leave the house. This Arts and Crafts style hall mirror, framed in oak and fitted with reproduction antique hardware, is an ideal woodworking project.

Norm crafts modular outdoor planters and a bench that are so versatile, they can be used to transform any deck or patio. Crafted out of river-recovered antique cypress wood, the planters and benches can be joined together and configured in a variety of ways to create different effects and outdoor living spaces.

Norm uses a band saw to aid his in constructing a Mahogany frame for a full-length standing mirror. He uses a router to give the piece a softer edge. The frame measures 68 1/4" high x 27 1/4" wide x 20" deep.

Norm builds a writing desk with a slanted top that is constructed mostly of maple. The desk features a shallow drawer, a nest of small drawers, and a open bins in the top. The dimensions are 42" high x 36" wide x 20" deep. Made mostly of maple, this desk is one of the more complicated projects ever tackled by Norm.

Norm demonstrates how to build a bathroom vanity with dovetailed joints. He uses oak and a laminate top with double doors and a flat panel outside and raised panel inside mimicking the Shaker style. The vanity dimensions are 34" high x 38" wide x 23" deep. Inspired by a dry sink he found at a 1790 Shaker house in Harvard, Norm's oak unit features dovetailed joints and a high-pressure laminate top.

For any woodworker who aspires to have a home version of The New Yankee Workshop, Norm builds a portable chop saw station, an accessory that he promises will "make your power mitre box much more versatile." This station can be used in the workshop or can be carted out to a job site to trim a house or to the backyard to build a deck.

Between shooting The New Yankee Workshop and This Old House, Norm rarely has time to build anything for himself. And, like the rest of us, he readily admits his own home is "a work in progress." So, Norm is taking this woodworking project home. With his own Rumford fireplace awaiting adornment, Norm takes the opportunity to design this classic Colonial fireplace mantel and builds it using a variety of woods and mouldings readily available at home centers nationwide. NOTE: This is the same project as Season 9, Episode 13 with a new introduction by Norm Abram.

This handsome trolley is just the thing to roll around the patio when there are beverages and food to serve. Norm builds this useful outside dining accessory of long lasting mahogany.

In Arizona, Norm goes on a search for Arts and Crafts-style furniture in Tucson's Historic Arts District. Responding to the many viewer requests he receives each season to build more of the ever-popular Arts and Crafts-style projects, Norm ventures into the F.L. Wright Furniture Gallery where he finds a virtuoso example of the era-a classic, reclining Morris chair. Norm recreates this vintage design out of quarter-sawn white oak and in the process, shares his secrets for mastering the techniques required to build the chair's reclining back.

Norm uses ash, a durable hardwood, to fashion a drop-leaf table featuring turned legs, a top and leaves made from glued up stock. Norm shows how to turn the table legs on a duplicating lathe and reveals a few tricks for making mortise and tenons joints. Using a router and two special bits, he shows how the drop-leaf joint is made.

When Norm felt it time to remodel The New Yankee Workshop, he seized the opportunity to build an ingenuous workshop hutch that promises to be a must-have for every home woodworker. It features a backbench with a system of adjustable shelves that offers endless options for organizing the tools and materials every woodworker needs to have at his fingertips. The hutch also has a renewable bench top complete with electrical outlets, and roomy pullout drawers to store and keep a serious collection of power tools dust-free.

Norm builds a basic sawhorse crafted Spruce and Plywood and a one-piece picnic table. The sawhorse dimensions are 26" high x 20 1/2" wide x 36" long and the picnic table dimensions are 29 3/4" high x 68" wide x 71" long.

Norm constructs a kitchen table that functions equally well as a dining table or a worktable. Built of pine, the table features tapered legs and storage drawers, with a center rail joining the pairs of legs. Norm employs a specially made tapering jig to fashion the legs and uses mortise-and-tenon joints to put the table together.

Norm fashions an outdoor lidded bench from Cypress. The bench measurements are 55 1/4" high x 36" wide x 18 1/4" deep.

Norm demonstrates how to build a chest of drawers using Ponderosa pine. He cuts and planes the wood, glues the boards fro the top and sides. He also illustrates how to build the drawers including the drawer case, the frames, and the base. The chest measures 42" high x 41 1/2" wide x 19" deep. Norm makes his own design from Ponderosa pine, showing how to cut and plane the wood, glue the boards and build the drawers, frame and base.

After a look at a collection of wooden toys at Old Sturbridge Village, a "living history" museum in central Massachusetts, Norm builds a child's rocking horse from ash- a durable hardwood.

After a look at a pine trestle table in a Shaker house on the island of Nantucket off the Massachusetts coast, Norm constructs his own easily-disassembled trestle table of cherry, a hardwood which, if kiln-dried, resists twisting or shrinking over time. Norm shows how to glue up the boards that comprise the expansive table top and demonstrates how to make the two trestles and the stretcher which connects them.

Norm leaves his trademark plaid shirt and jeans at home and dons a stylish suit and derby when he visits London for a look at an authentic English garden bench. Norm constructs his version from teak. The bench is assembled entirely with mortise and tenon joinery and pegs to ensure its strength and durability. Norm shows how to shape the bench's many curved pieces on the band saw, demonstrates how to create tenons with a tenoning jig mounted on the table saw, and reveals a trick for cutting angled mortises on the drill press.

Norm constructs a bedside table inspired by one found at the Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts. Norm's design, made from pine, features a shallow drawer, table legs tapered on the inner sides and a table top with a breadboard design (glued boards edged with wood on two ends).

Norm travels to the island of Nantucket off the Massachusetts coast to look at a handmade blanket chest in a sea captain's house dating from 1790. Incorporating elements of this antique in his own design, Norm builds a blanket chest of pine, lined with aromatic cedar panels.

Norm visits the Old Schwamb Mill in Arlington, Massachusetts. Built in 1860, the mill was purchased in 1864 by German immigrant woodworkers, Charles and Frederick Schwamb. The brothers did a brisk business crafting the oval picture frames which, at the time, were in demand to display photographs of Civil War soldiers. In the Schwamb Brother's old office, Norm spies a handsome, quarter-sawn oak roll top desk, which inspires him to build his version of this American classic. This is part 1 of 2. NOTE: This is the same project as Season 10, Episode 12 with a new introduction by Norm Abram.

Based on a clock built by Shaker craftsman, Isaac Young, Norm crafts a wall clock from Walnut and adds a modern-day quartz timepiece to it. The clock dimensions are 33 3/16" high x 11 1/8" wide x 4 5/16" deep.

Norm's hardwood cricket table is crafted with complex angled mortise and tenon joinery. He uses a set of jigs to ensure that the pieces fit together properly. The table is 27" high with a 29" diameter top.

Norm's two-door pie safe has multiple shelves and is put together using mortise and tenon joints. He uses a punched-tin front that he fabricates in the workshop. The pie safe measures 60" high x 38 3/4" wide x 17 3/8" deep.

Norm uses recycled pallet wood to build a unique and rustic coffee table. He demonstrates how to prepare the slats by planing them. The table dimensions are 16 1/4" high x 19" wide x 40" long.

Norm's gardener's workbench is constructed of Redwood. It has open shelves for pot storage and the potting surface is an overlay top that is moisture resistant. It also features storage for stakes, markers, and gardening tools. The bench dimensions are 72" high x 37 1/4" wide x 34" deep.

Norm designs a tall Shaker style chest modeled after one he viewed at Hancock Shaker Village. The chest measures 78 3/4" high x 45 1/4" wide x 18 5/8" deep.

Norm demonstrates how to build four versions of a fence. He uses Eastern White Cedar to build a 6' garden, a 4' 4" flame, a 3' 6" diamond, and a 3' 2" mortised fence.

Norm builds a simple, yet elegant, console table with a half-round top using knotty Pine. He crafts curved legs using a band saw. The table measures 29 1/2" high x 44 3/8" wide x 22 1/2" deep.

Norm uses Oak to build a wheelbarrow. It features a pneumatic tire, removable sides and a medium density plywood bed. The wheelbarrow measures 25" high x 25" wide x 60" long.

Norm builds his version of a perennial favorite, the Victorian kitchen table, using a design that combines the best features of three tables he studied in Britain. Made of century-old "sinker" pine salvaged from river bottoms in the southeastern United States, the table has a deep storage drawer that extends halfway under the table. Norm demonstrates how to incorporate this drawer into the table's design and how to turn the table's sturdy legs on a lathe.

Americans are mad for coffee tables! Norm's version of this feature of modern life is inspired by the English country look (there's no such thing as an English country coffee table) and by the rugged appeal of an antique workbench. Norm instructs viewers how to use a v-groove to give the table's top a thick plank-like look.

Norm creates two outdoor planters: one that's square with raised panels and a second that's simpler, larger and rectangular, with vertical slats. The master woodworker demonstrates how to craft the small planter's raised panels on a table saw and turn its finials on a lathe. (Both planters are "sinker" cypress, an excellent outdoor wood that weathers to an attentive silver-gray.)

We call these buffets, huntboards or servers in America, but they're sideboards in England, and some are up to nine feet long. Norm's smaller white oak version has three drawers, fiddle-shaped legs and a pot board (a large open shelf between the legs for storage). Norm guides viewers in cutting the curves of the piece on a scroll saw.

Norm teaches viewers how to make flat panel doors as well as glass panel doors for the display area of this English country cupboard. Made of soft #2 pine with knots to impart added character, the practical piece has tongue-and-groove backing.

Although Norm researched arbors in old England, the one that he builds is inspired by versions from the New England island of Nantucket. Norm's arbor, meant for sitting and enjoying the beauty of the garden, is built from redwood and presents the challenge of fashioning an arch out of segments of wood fixed together with a new water-resistant glue. Norm also tackles making diamond-shaped lattice panels for this project.

Norm builds a secretary writing desk out of pine. Viewers can learn how to craft breadboard corners for this English country favorite, the most elegant and elaborate project of the season, with its four drawers, pigeonholes and stepped interior.

Norm suspects that the original of this English country clock found on London's King's Road, with its tapered profile, may have been built by the village coffin maker. Norm builds up its mouldings from a combination of off-the-shelf mouldings and others made at the workshop, and selects an inexpensive quartz movement.

Norm has thought of everything for this classic easel, combining his favorite elements from several commercial versions with a sturdy, timeless design that's all his own. The piece features a chalkboard on one side and paper-holding frame on the other, plus a drawer to keep the supplies together with the easel. Norm uses biscuit joinery - no screws, no nails - to join the parts of the leg assembly. The unique paper roll design allows children a continuous supply of new drawing surface.

Adult viewers may be as excited about this doll house as the children it is intended for when Norm creates a true-to-scale replica of his now-famous workshop. Norm gets some ideas from a late-Victorian example located in the Barrett House in New Hampshire, but his final design is less gender-specific, with the familiar great room that is the home of The New Yankee Workshop as well as two stories of smaller rooms and a garage - all features never before seen on camera. With some custom accessorizing, this doll house can easily be rendered appropriate for boys or girls or both. The project involves extensive work with the table saw and router.

Norm visits Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts for the inspiration behind this Early American hooded cradle, one of the most commonly requested projects on The New Yankee Workshop. The construction includes finger joints and a sliding dovetail for the rocker. Norm's choice of durable cherry is rendered particularly rich with a Danish oil finish. With its distinctive hood and graceful lines, this piece is destined to become an heirloom.

The storage units are essentially three projects in one: a chest of drawers, base cabinet and matching bookcase. All three pieces are constructed from 3/4" oak plywood, making them particularly sturdy yet portable. The plywood is edged with solid oak, which lends the handsome finish that all of Norm's projects share. These pieces that will last for years, potentially traveling with their owners to dorm room or apartment.

Norm builds this project for the "A" student in the house - a desk inspired by the memory of his own version from high school. The durable laminate panels provide a smooth desktop surface for writing that will still look great after years of use. Norm demonstrates how to apply high-pressure laminates and uses mortise and tenon joinery for the stylish oak frames. The oak is sealed with polyurethane for durability.

Children always want a chair that is their own size. Norm's is one they might someday pass on to their own children. The beauty is in the details with this challenging project, as the master woodworker turns the legs on a lathe and forms the curved backrest by laminating three pieces of cherry together. The holes for the arms, legs and stretchers are bored on the drill press using a series of homemade jigs with tapered angles and wedges. This rocking chair is perfectly proportioned and likely to become the favorite in any child's room.

Norm builds an "Alphabet" wagon.

Norm builds a high chair.

Norm visits Old Sturbridge Village, a "living history" museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, to investigate colonial life and furnishings and returns to the workshop with a period design for an X-brace trestle table. The handsome sturdiness of this versatile cherry piece makes it a welcome addition to any room, whatever the decor.

What better way to enjoy a hot summer day than from the shade of a graceful arbor? A perfect complement to any garden or deck, Norm's elegant pergola will look great draped in wisteria and is constructed of durable pressure-treated southern yellow pine.

True to its name, this handsome mahogany piece is actually a tray and table in one: the tray features simple, sturdy handles that allow it to he used independently of its stand. Inspired by the TV tray tables of the 1950s and '60's, Norm's design seamlessly joins form with function.

It's been next to impossible to find an outdoor side or coffee table - until now. Norm builds a low round, slat-topped model out of durable teak that fits the bill perfectly.

Norm builds a cherry bathroom vanity based on one he designed for his own home, guiding the woodworker through the details of constructing the vanity's raised panel doors using only a router. Norm also explains the techniques involved in forming the piece's solid-surface top.

A visit to the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, Washington launches this challenging and exciting project which is modeled after a "class boat" known as the "Clancy." Back at the workshop, Norm builds the lightweight boat from scratch using 3' x 10' lengths of marine veneer mahogany plywood and an epoxy and fiberglass system to make the craft watertight. With the final coat of epoxy sanded and the last strokes of paint and waterproof finish applied, host Norm puts the SS New Yankee 1 and 2 to the test! Norm and This Old House host, Steve Thomas, take the workshop-built Clancy boats for a sail. This is part 1 of 2.

Salvaged wide pine boards, some more than 200 years old, are the material of choice for Norm's version of this free-standing Shaker-inspired cabinet. More than seven feet tall and featuring a flat-paneled door and five interior shelves, this versatile piece proves an ideal kitchen pantry, linen or sweater chest.

He may be America's favorite master carpenter, but Norm readily admits that he's a "brown thumb," when it comes to gardening. This greenhouse is the perfect project for the serious backyard gardener (or someone who knows one) who is "workshop bound" for the winter. Norm fabricates this design out of redwood and polycarbonate panels. Built to withstand even the toughest weather conditions, this greenhouse provides enough insulation and light to sustain plants during the long winter months. This is part 1 of 2.

Between shooting The New Yankee Workshop and This Old House, Norm rarely has time to build anything for himself. And, like the rest of us, he readily admits his own home is "a work in progress." So, Norm is taking this woodworking project home. With his own Rumford fireplace awaiting adornment, Norm takes the opportunity to design this classic Colonial fireplace mantel and builds it using a variety of woods and moldings readily available at home centers nationwide.

It's a little known secret that when Norm is not in The New Yankee Workshop or on a This Old House job site, he can be found in his own kitchen cooking for friends and family. Viewers who share his interest in the culinary arts were the top of his mind when Norm created this Kitchen Island.

Meant to meet the demand for more storage space, Norm's custom designed kitchen pantry promises to be valued even more as a decorative showpiece and as an example of his superb craftsmanship. Built out of antique chestnut with punched copper double doors, its geometric detailing and traditional beauty are illuminated by interior accent lighting. Inside, six melamine storage shelves can store a shop full of pantry items. Watch and learn how to work with recycled wood, fabricate melamine shelves, create punched-copper door panels, and install accent lighting.

The universal carpentry and cabinetry lessons that woodworkers will learn while making these classic kitchen cabinets will enable them to build any kind, says Norm. This two-unit piece consists of a wall-mounted, upper cabinet with double-glass doors and a bottom unit with raised paneled doors for storage. Its classic look comes from its basic cabinetry style, cornice moulding, soapstone countertop, and vintage-looking cafe hardware made of brushed nickel. Watch and learn: basic cabinetry making skills, how to create glass and raised paneled doors, drawer construction, and techniques for making adjustable shelves.

True gourmets will appreciate Norm's more sophisticated butcher block-topped chef's table which has both great style and utilitarian value. Featuring a poplar base with graceful tapered legs, it includes a built-in knife rack, towel racks, and pull-through drawers which can be accessed whether working at the stove or by the sink, as well as a large shelf for storing stock pots. Watch and learn: how to prepare rough-cut lumber, making blanks to create tapered legs, mortise and tenon joinery techniques, finger joint construction.

For the outdoor chef, Norm offers a solution to the shortcomings of modern barbecue grills-extra counter space-with a rolling grill cart made of weather-friendly redwood and cedar. Cart also features a pullout drawer, towel racks, hooks for utensils, and a large bottom shelf.

After looking through the offerings of a country store, Norm finds the inspiration to build a small lock-and-key style writing desk which was popular 200 hundred years ago. Any viewer who has ever struggled with box joints or dovetails won't want to miss this program. These fine woodworking details are what give this simple piece its elegant character. Norm crafts two versions of this piece-one out of antique chestnut and one out of cherry-to ensure that viewers at home will be able to master these woodworking techniques.

Home woodworkers, who look to The New Yankee Workshop for ideas in creating attractive storage spaces, will love Norm's breakfront cabinet. Featuring an upper glass case to display a china collection and a lower cupboard case to store linens, this project offers a great opportunity to learn how to create paneled doors with wood and glass.

Like the term "coffee table" there is no such thing as a "bath cupboard" in furniture history, nevertheless Norm finds one at a favorite antique store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There he discovers how a clever craftsman took a charming antique cabinet door and built a cupboard around it using beautifully aged timbers and period hardware. Back in The New Yankee Workshop, Norm takes the concept one step further when he lines the cabinet with painted plywood shelves, adds a full length dressing mirror to the interior of the door, and crowns it with some custom moulding.

It used to be when you cruised the ocean on a liner you would be offered a comfortable place to read and relax on a sun deck. A deckhand would show you to your wooden lounge chair, often made of teak, fitted with brass and combined with a footrest. Today you can enjoy the same comfort with Norm?s version, made of plantation grown teak and specialized brass hardware designed to withstand the elements.

Here is a place to organize your horticultural life. Meant to go outdoors or in, this hard working bench provides a place to work on plants, repot them, and to store the numerous items plant lovers use. It's built of cypress for resistance to decay and is finished with a dry sink lined with copper.

Norm makes carved wooden signs.