The New Yankee Workshop Season 12

If only I had a workshop like Norm's, I could build anything. Norm puts an end to this common viewer lament when he shows how to turn an average garage bay into a great home workshop. Using common building materials and hardware, he builds all the elements needed to make a workshop functional cabinetry, storage units, and a portable chop station. The genius of Norm's original design, however is that each element can be put away to make room for the family car when not in use or easily transported to any space a woodworker decides to set up shop. At the conclusion of this ambitious two-part project, Norm gives his list of must-have bench top power tools to ensure that every home craftsman will be able to utilize the workshop to its fullest. This is part 1 of 2.

If only I had a workshop like Norm's, I could build anything. Norm puts an end to this common viewer lament when he shows how to turn an average garage bay into a great home workshop. Using common building materials and hardware, he builds all the elements needed to make a workshop functional cabinetry, storage units, and a portable chop station. The genius of Norm's original design, however is that each element can be put away to make room for the family car when not in use or easily transported to any space a woodworker decides to set up shop. At the conclusion of this ambitious two-part project, Norm gives his list of must-have bench top power tools to ensure that every home craftsman will be able to utilize the workshop to its fullest. This is part 2 of 2.

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.

Following a trip to Newport, Rhode Island to learn the finer points of the game, Norm builds his own special croquet mallet and a bench in which to store all the equipment. Sad to say his game is not good.

Norm discovers a beautiful antique porch swing that has been delighting fans for generations and decides we must have one too. His is made from plantation grown teak and looks like it will quickly become an heirloom.

Bowing to numerous requests from fans, Norm designs and builds a complex of clever spaces for the home office that will accommodate the family computer and all its peripherals.

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.

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.

Norm adds to his growing collection of outdoor furniture projects when he builds this round, teak patio table that is big enough to for six to enjoy a summer lunch. Measuring 51-inches across, the table seems like a big project but it can easily be built in any home workshop.

Norm wanders into a country European antique shop and walks out with a treasure, a low English server, also commonly known as a sideboard. Simple in its design, the long antique pine boards are what give this piece its stunning character. Norm crafts his version of this piece out of some surprising distressed antique boards and proves that its natural beauty could earn it a place in any room of the house. The result will leave viewers hard-pressed to tell which is the antique and which is the reproduction.

You can't do the work, unless the tools are sharp... is the mantra of woodworkers everywhere. Norm celebrates this sentiment with a with a sharpening station that features enough space for a grind wheel and water baths, and plenty of drawers to store blades and other tools. In the process of building this workshop accessory, Norm enlists an expert to offer a range of advice and techniques on how to properly sharpen common woodworking tools.

Norm shops for a perfect gift for a loved one, discovers an exquisite jewelry case, and decides to replicate it back in The New Yankee Workshop. He improves upon its original design and makes it even more useful when he adds flip-up mirror and secret compartment to store treasures. But viewers will just have to tune in to see this secret revealed.

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.