Customer Reviews

The New Yankee Workshop

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is not for the beginner. It is a fantastic step by step guide to building classic furniture, but, many of the projects require specialized tools and knowledge. I have built 4 of the projects in his book and all have turned out beautiful due to Norm's instructions. I recommend this book to any woodworker that has mid to above average skill and is comfortable and knowledgeable with the use of many power tools.

I think others have gone over this before. A few of the projects have some errors in the lay out. Kind of bad IMO, but is made up for in the very pleasing aesthetic of these items. I have made a few of them and all I can say is they look very nice when done. They have a clean Shaker style that works well in most homes and IMO is fun to make. Most items are not difficult to build and while they have some fun design elements that can make you work a bit, are not hard for the average woodworker to finish. As others have noted, Norm like the power tools. That is not a big deal, in that just because he uses them does not mean that you have to. I approached this book is like most "how to books". You look at the pictures, take what you like and discard the rest. How you put it together depends on the type of tools you have and what techniques you like to use in the shop. I do not think the average woodworker will have much problem with these projects and the beginner will have lots of fun building very respectable things that will look nice in the house.

"The New Yankee Workshop" embodies the same philosophy and techniques espoused by Norm Abrams in the television show by the same name. If you love the show, you will love the book. It is full of projects inspired by the clean lines and straight-forward elegance found in classic Shaker designs. The step-by-step instructions are generally well-written, with lots of illustrations and photography.

Unfortunately, Mr. Abram's techniques depend entirely too much on machine methods of joinery for my taste, and completely disregard the relationship that a Shaker craftsperson developed with the wood and his Maker as the furniture was being constructed. (Only two hand tools are in evidence in the book: a chisel and a screwdriver.) I believe this dependence on machinery puts his construction methods out of reach for most amateur craftspeople, and the quality of the resulting product is certainly not what I would want from a professional.

Furthermore, the book is marred by senseless violations of good woodworking practice. His construction methods are heavily dependent on drywall screws, which are even used to fastened table-tops to their bases. This he does without making any provision for wood movement, so the furniture made in this way is at risk for cracking and warping. Where he uses pegged mortise and tenon joinery, he simply drills holes into the assembled parts, rather than taking the opportunity to offset the holes and draw the joint tightly together. A few of the photographs seem to show safety violations: operating power tools while wearing rings; no guards, pushsticks or featherboards in evidence; no hearing protection; fingers in precarious positions; the use of a dado blade on a radial arm saw; and making a plunge cut on a table saw without the use of a stop block.

So, if you understand good woodworking practice, and you want to knock together some Shaker-like furniture quickly, you might get some useful inspiration from this book. However, if you are this far along as a woodworker, you'll find more inspiration, more sound woodworking practice, and more authentically Shaker projects in "How to Build Shaker Furniture" by Thomas Moser. And if you are looking for something that is more of a project book, suitable for serious woodworkers of any level, try "Making Elegant Gifts from Wood" by Kerry Pierce, which has many lovely pieces, some of which are Shaker-inspired.

If you do buy The New Yankee Workshop, I would completely disregard his recommendations on finishing. Again, he over-emphasizes the use of machines in the finishing process (even a random-orbit sander, which he doesn't mention, will leave surface marks that will be highlighted by stain and finish), and he never discusses the use of shellac or oil finishes. For good finishing advice, see Bob Flexner's book, "Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish".

This book should not be viewed as a how-to book despite its billing. There are several places where Norm is either wrong or unsafe in how he performs particular woodworking operations. For instance, on the blanket chest he glues breadboard ends on the top and in several places he puts a piece of wood between blade and fence on end making a dangerous kickback quite possible. Also, his chapter on finishing is almost useless. Norm loves to build stuff and not finish so ignore that advice as well and look to other books.

His other books I feel are much better as how-to books. It is obvious that he grew and learned as a woodworker which is evident in his later books.

I have made 4 of the projects from this book and feel that all of the projects are well described and laid out. He relies heavily on power equipment which only very few well heeled hobbyists and/or serious woodworkers are going to have. There have been many times when I didn't have the particular power tool Norm used and had to do research to figure out a way to do it with the equipment I have.

If you love Shaker pieces and view the book instead as a project book with cut lists, then the book is a great investment. There isn't a single project in his book I wouldn't love to build and have in my home.

I bought this book several years ago, and it is well worth owning. I've made four projects based on designs and instructions from this book, and all have turned out great.

So far, I have built 1 project from the New Yankee Workshop plan book. While building the Blanket Chest project, I found several dimensional errors in milling set up and finished parts. If the plans were followed as written, one would be unable to do the final assembly. These errors may have been corrected in later editions.

As the other reviews state, this book is not for those who are new to woodworking.

I purchased this book when it came out in the late 80's and just read it last night. The introduction gives great background on how Norm, This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop got started. Norm's introduction is great for a person wanting to get started into woodworking. He explains the various power tools and terminology. The plans contained in the book are easy to follow and can make a project REAL fun.

this book is recomended for the more advanced wood worker. it requires you to have a more skillfull knowledge of woodworking. a dove tail jig is a must and a clear knowledge of tools is highly recommended for many of these projects in this book.

This is one of those books I've never regretted buying. Norm Abram has this way of describing the operations that makes you feel like you can do it. He makes everything look easy.

One thing he does that gives me the willies is a lot of plunge cuts with the table saw, circular saw, and router table. Many of us wouldn't try it, but then again, many of us weren't professional carpenters first. ;) Be aware of that and consider alternate methods.

This book is refreshing because it was early enough in Norm's career that he didn't have big sponsorship, and he had a lot of more humble tools like the normal guy can afford. Most of it is old & worn, but of good quality. It gives us average guys hope that outstanding furniture can be made with a more modest budget.

The overall style of the furniture is old American; lots of Shaker stuff. (simple, but slim, boxy, tapered legs) If you don't like this style, be sure to find the book in the flesh before deciding whether to buy it or not.

I've built the blanket chest, bookshelf and chest of drawers. The only problem I had was with the chest of drawers. The dimensions allow for only an eigth inch overhang on each side of the drawer front. By adding one eigth to each side of the drawer width, you only get the width of the opening, not an overhang, and a lot of side-to-side play in the drawer. You need to make the drawer about 1/2" wider than the plan. Other than that (which should of been caught by Norm's general caveat of measure twice, cut once), I really like the book and the narratives that go along with the project. Compared to the measured drawings that you can buy directly, you are better off buying the book and interpolating a few measurements.