1989

S4.E1 ∙ Rolling Shop Cabinet

Fri, Jan 03, 1992

Like the hugely popular workbench of the first season, Norm's rolling shop cabinet has become an indispensable accessory in the New Yankee Workshop. The cabinet incorporates several construction techniques and materials not seen before on the series. Built from veneer plywood, it features a high-pressure laminate top which provides a durable work surface that allows wood to slide over it. The cabinet rolls on lockable swivel casters.

0 /10

S4.E2 ∙ Outdoor Lidded Bench

Fri, Jan 10, 1992

Cypress, the perfect wood for this simple project is also one of the hardest to find. The search for cypress takes Norm to a river in rural Georgia, where a lumber company specializes in retrieving - by wet-suited divers - 200-year-old "sinkers," logs that were lost as they were floated downstream from forest to mill.

0 /10

S4.E3 ∙ Child's Wagon

Fri, Jan 17, 1992

Norm has a lot of fun researching his version of this classic child's toy at the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York. The New Yankee version can be built from readily available materials: threaded rod axles, aluminum angles for axle braces, and non-toxic fire-engine red enamel paint. One of the biggest challenges was designing a handle that doesn't pinch little fingers, another was the wheels. Norm opted for sturdy steel wheels with their smoother riding rubber tires.

0 /10

S4.E4 ∙ Coffee Table

Fri, Jan 24, 1992

For this project, Norm uses his Yankee ingenuity to convert wood recycled from a pallet to usable pieces and demonstrates planing, edging, and other preparation techniques. Though decidedly "distressed" even after it is put through a planer, these slats yield handsome pieces with lots of "character" that form the top and sides of Norm's rustic coffee table. Because each pallet is different, every coffee table is unique.

0 /10

S4.E5 ∙ Gardener's Work Bench

Fri, Jan 31, 1992

This project is the first real Victory Garden/New Yankee collaborative piece. Constructed of redwood, it features open shelves for storing pots, a moisture-resistant medium-density overlay top for the potting surface, and storage for stakes, markers, and gardening tools.

0 /10

S4.E6 ∙ Shaker Tall Chest

Fri, Feb 07, 1992

The New Yankee Workshop travels to the Hancock Shaker Village in Hancock, Massachusetts, to look at a rare Shaker tall chest similar to one recently auctioned for 160,000. Norm designs a tall chest more daunting in size than in difficulty of construction. Its repetitive design makes it simpler to build than its size suggests.

0 /10

S4.E7 ∙ Colonial Fences

Fri, Feb 14, 1992

A visit to Colonial Williamsburg reveals an often overlooked feature of every neighborhood fences. Norm is struck by the variety of functions and styles, from rustic and split pickets to sophisticated and highly fashioned "in town" fencing. Back at the workshop, he fashions four of his own versions in Eastern white cedar.

0 /10

S4.E8 ∙ Console Table

Fri, Feb 21, 1992

Although strictly defined as a single piece meant to fit up against a wall, console tables were often designed in three separate sections: two half-rounds and a central rectangle. Norm's search for a prototype led him to a simple, unpainted Danish half-round built in the late 1800's. With graceful curved legs cut on the band saw and a simple country finish over knotty pine, the console table is a dramatic piece that is far simpler to build than its elegance suggests.

0 /10

S4.E9 ∙ Wheel Barrow

Fri, Feb 28, 1992

Norm travels to the Eric Sloane Museum in Rent, Connecticut, to examine the 2.69 list price Montgomery-Ward wheelbarrow that was the subject of one of Sloane's most famous drawings. This, along with other historic examples, provides Norm with design clues as to what makes a good old-fashioned wheelbarrow. Bowing to modernity in its use of a pneumatic tire, Norm's oak wheelbarrow features removable sides for greater versatility and medium-density overlay plywood for a smooth and durable bed.

0 /10

S4.E10 ∙ Umbrella Stand

Fri, Mar 06, 1992

The inspiration for the finish on the New Yankee version of this Victorian entry-way piece is the Arts and Crafts Movement. To achieve this "burnt" effect, Norm builds himself an airtight chamber in which the oak piece is fumed. The piece is built from light oak and features a mirror and clay pot holders to catch the raindrops from the resting umbrellas.

0 /10

S4.E11 ∙ Turned Post Bed

Fri, Mar 13, 1992

The New Yankee Workshop single bed is a four-poster with robust turnings on the posts and scrolled and serpentined cut-outs on the headboard. The bed is built from maple and pine. A bed similar to the New Yankee version, built between 1825 and 1840, can be found in Massachusetts at the Concord Museum, only steps away from the historic Old North Bridge.

0 /10

S4.E12 ∙ Dove Cote

Fri, Mar 20, 1992

The villagers of Colonial Williamsburg might not be called bird lovers today, at least not in the conventional sense. Norm learns this first hand as he inspects the inner recesses of an elaborate dovecote in the backyard of one of Williamsburg's historic homes. With space for up to 48 nesting birds, the dovecote housed tethered squabs until they were ready to be plucked from the nest for the family meal. Norm's version of the dovecote is smaller and is actually a perfect accessory to a garden or country landscape.

0 /10

S4.E13 ∙ Ladder Back Chair

Fri, Mar 27, 1992

The ladderback chair with simple, elegant turnings and a woven seat is one of the Shaker's most ingenious and well-known designs. The chairs came in several sizes to fit different physiques. Light and sturdy, these chairs are a hallmark of the Shaker furniture industry. The New Yankee version is made from cherry. Norm demonstrates how to weave the seat.

0 /10