Popular Woodworking 2005-08 № 149, страница 38

Great Woodshops

Many of the woodshop's fixtures that make the shop unique, such as the miter saw stand, the router station and the work hutch, are projects Abram has built for the show. (For a virtual tour of the workshop, visit newyankee. com and click the "Tour the Shop" link.)

7 New Yankee Workshop Myths

Despite the knowns, myths still run rampant. Yes, there's a Timesaver (a very wide wide-belt sander) in the shop that's probably worth more than my salary. There's also an excess of clamps and quite a few drills and routers. But much of the shop is actually quite Yan-kee-esque: Hand-me-down tools cover the shop's walls and old Maxwell House coffee cans (storage bins) abound. So instead of taking the time to describe placement of tools, I thought it prudent to instead dispel some of the more common myths.

1. The New Yankee Workshop is a professionally designed set for TV production.

There aren't hidden hole s in the wall s for camera lenses and there aren't missing walls. Several dusty lights hanging from the 16'-high ceiling are the only indication that a TV show is shot in the shop. Otherwise, the space feels and functions like a woodworking shop. Shortly before the first show aired Abram

and Morash worked together to transform an existing building into the workshop. They designed the shop using a floor plan and a couple elevations drawn up on an 8V2" x 11" piece of paper. While sitting on an airplane, they sketched out where they wanted the tools.

The saltbox-shaped shop is 36' x 26' (this doesn't include the finishing or lumber storage areas). One wall is only 8' high, hence the saltbox shape. The high ceiling (which has several skylights) is great for swinging long boards around, and for tucking away the lighting needed for the show. The shop's concrete floor features radiant heat.

However, the shop isn't perfect. Abram says it was a serious mistake to not put dust collection ducts in the floor. Another problem with the floor: It's concrete. After a long day of building, Abram says he longs for a softer wooden floor.

2. Abram only uses machines and tools the show's underwriters give to him.

Unless you're familiar with Delta Machinery (one of the shows several underwriters), you probably wouldn't know that Delta tools abound. In accordance with PBS guidelines, stickers are carefully placed over manufacturer names on all the tools and machines in order to create a generic shop.

This massive miter saw stand and storage center was a project on the show. Directly underneath the miter saw is a roll-around scrap bin.

Most of the tools and machines used on the show are gifts. However, Abram says he refuses to use a tool just because a certain manufacturer gave it to him, even it if makes the manufacturer mad.

"We don't use anything because it's given to us," Abram says. "We use what we use because they work. We're going to use the tools we think are best."

Abram is careful about discussing his favorite tools and machines because he works for a show on public television and doe sn't want to be seen as endorsing a particular brand. However, long-time viewers all know which tools have become mainstays in the New Yankee Workshop (think: red clamps) because they're used in project after project.

3. Almost everything in The New Yankee Workshop is expensive and new.

The Timesaver aside, the tools in Abram's shop are the same tools seen in shops across the country. Yes, he owns more than one router (actually, there's a drawer full of them). But most woodworkers own at least two routers and most professional woodworkers own several for projects that require several setups.

Almost all of the tools are well-used and well-worn, and many of them are hand-me-downs: An old Disston hand saw hanging on the wall belonged to Morash's father.

Norm Abram's shop does have a decent collection of hand tools. Abram "hides" his chisels in this wall-mounted tool chest, which was a project on the show. Lately, he's become fond of Japanese hand saws. Also note his measuring and marking tools. Abram says these are the most important tools he owns.

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Popular Woodworking August 2005