Popular Woodworking 2005-08 № 149, страница 36

Great Woodshops

Yankee's Shop True to Name

Two days on the set of 'The New Yankee Workshop' reveal surprising truths about the way Norm Abram works.

We're lost. I'm trudging through two feet of snow in what looks to be someone's backyard and there's no sign of the image found on millions of woodworkers' television screens every Saturday as they prepare for another half hour with Norm Abram. Where is the blue barn door? Where is the leaded glass window? Where is the iconic "The New Yankee Workshop" sign?

A few driveways and turnarounds later, just when I had decided that all of it - the shop, the sign, the setting - must be part of an elaborate set and therefore fake, we stumble on television's most famous woodshop.

I can't tell you the exact location of The New Yankee Workshop for two reasons. One, even with directions, I don't know if I could find it again. Two, I promised to keep mum. But I will tell you this: None of it's fake. What looks like the front of the shop on TV actually is in the back, to better hide its location. And if you slide that famous barn door open and step inside, you'll find yourself in a very real, very normal, working woodshop.

Abram, host of the show, has received considerable flak and teasing for his remarkably well-equipped shop. But two days with Abram proved that there's a lot more dust on

this show's set than glitter. Here, the legendary frugal Yankee blood runs deeper than you might think - Abram's woodshop and practices are surprisingly normal.

The Birth of a Star Woodworker

Abram is a celebrity. He's recognized in airports, restaurants and grocery stores. He's appeared as a guest on late-night television, afternoon talk shows and national morning news programs. His likeness has been featured on "Saturday Night Live" and "Home Improvement." Fans have devoted web sites to him. His woodworking methods and cache of power tools are criticized as much as they're coveted. A variation of his first name has become part of woodworking's lexicon - "Normite" is Internet slang to describe someone who uses power tools only. Esquire magazine has called him the most famous carpenter of all time; excepting Jesus.

by Kara Gebhart Uhl

Comments or questions? Contact Kara at 513-5312690 ext. 1348 or kara.uhl@fwpubs.com.

How did this happen?

The carpenter-turned-celebrity story begins more than 30 years ago when Abram spotted an ad for a carpentry job pinned to a bulletin board at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After spending two years working toward a mechanical engineering degree, Abram switched majors and was in his fifth year of college studying business administration. It was the early 1970s and office jobs were scarce. Within mere credits of earning his degree Abram got the carpentry job, quit school and moved to Vermont.

By this time Abram was well-versed in carpentry. His summers during high school and college were spent remodeling and building custom homes with his father's construction company. His carpentry skills and knowledge of business administration proved beneficial - he was quickly promoted to construction site supervisor. Not wanting to take the next promotion, which would have put him in an office-like environment, Abram founded a general contracting firm, called Integrated Structures Inc., in 1976.

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Popular Woodworking August 2005