What is Ugliest Piece of Furniture Norm Has Made?

[Mike Langford]

I'm not a big Norm fan.

There are lots of people who have their hands on the work during the course of taping and he's the frontman.

Show biz.

Jeff (and other Norm bashers...)

Go to thewoodwhisperer.com then click on the "Archive" heading then locate and view Episode 24- David & Victoria Marks Interview

Great interview with David where he speaks about his career and also gives a little insight as to what it took for him (and Norm too I suspect) to produce just a 20 minute woodworking show!!

David mentions that many times he's had other skilled craftsmen work on different portions of a shows projects (to his specs.) because he was busy with other aspects of the show......Norm builds all the projects for NYW as well as appears on TOH!.....IMO I think Norm does super fine woodworking!!

[Bryan Berguson]

If not for Norm, The Router Workshop, and Scott Phillips, I probably would not have started woodworking. I wonder how many others have been inspired to start woodworking, by at least one of them, or others on TV.

He inspired me! If it weren't for The New Yankee Workshop, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be typing this post right now. I used to love to watch him on Saturday morning. I didn't like every project he built but I enjoyed watching him build them.

Bryan

[Fred Voorhees]

God gave us two eyes, two hands, and one mouth. I suspect he wants us to use them in those proportions as well.

I think I'll just sit and watch Norms show with the respect he has "earned" over the last 17+ years of providing inspriation to us of little skill. I KNOW I will learn a techniqe or skill that will help me be a better woodworker.

I supect many of us are part of this forum because of him, not inspite of him.

I'd sure be embarrased for him to see this thread.

Ken

Ken, I couldn't have said it better! I would venture to say that thanks to Norm, our ranks have expanded and with that, so has the opportunities for better products and information out there due to our numbers. I know that besides my grandfather, my interest in woodworking has been mainly due to Norms inspiration. I think it is borderline blasphemy to even think negatively of Norm.

[Todd Burch]

I used to enjoy watching Norm. I learned a lot. I haven't seen a show in years. From the era that I watched, the Turkey Table also stands out in my mind as being fugly. He obviously has since heard the answer to his question on that show "why did they call it a Turkey Table?" I yelled the answer at him every time I saw it. Duh.

I have respect for all the TV woodworkers, putting themselves out there and taking criticism from the armchair critics. I don't care for some of them, and even chuckle watching them.

I would have to say the worst TV woodworker I've seen was Bob Villa's guy "Riley" (I think). In one episode on some house restoration, I saw miscuts, really bad joinery, pneumatic nails shot and miss their target by inches (picture a bookcase and nailing through the side into the ends of the shelves, but totally missing the shelf - big time) and lots of blood. At the beginning of the show, his hand was good. After the 2nd commercial break, he had white gauze wrapped around it. By the end of the show, it was soaked through in blood and becoming unwrapped, like an mummy coming apart. I shuddered as I watched.

Last comment. I think the biggest disservice Russell has done was getting Minwax as a sponsor. That's just about the only finish Norm uses, and there are lots and lots of other finishes that the NYWS could demonstrate to its viewers. Minwax must be paying big bucks to hold that sponsor slot, and is obviously making big bucks from all the woodworkers buying their stuff.

If Norm makes a piece, and finishes it with a muddy Minwax pigment stain and topcoats it with Polyurethane - in my book, it ain't fine woodworking.

Todd

[Mike Heidrick]

My tastes are different I guess. I really like the cowboy piece. I still have not figuresd out how he did all the detail work with the dremel though - they are pretty hard to control consistently. I really like Norm and currently the DirecTivo has 65 episodes of NYW on it and about 29 of WoodWorks. I am not a FWW but I think they both do some real fine woodworking. I am impressed that Norm makes all the projects twice - prototype and the one they shoot. I do hate all his brad use but that is personal taste again. His shop has been discussed in magazines and all his tools are listed on websites. Marks has an episode on his shop and tools.

[Gary Keedwell]

If Norm makes a piece, and finishes it with a muddy Minwax pigment stain and topcoats it with Polyurethane - in my book, it ain't fine woodworking.

Todd

As been stated before, the show has to appeal to the masses. Any intermediate qualified woodworker could pick the show apart. If NYW really started to concentrate on minute details, they would definetely lose the audience.
One must also remember that the people that are watching the show at any given time is going to range from the beginner ( or one who hasn't even begun) to the advanced. To hold an audience with that range is like walking a tightrope, and I think the show's staff does an excellent job.
In closing...I'm sure that there are things done on the show that Norm would definetly change if it was his show. As far as finishing is concerned, I know guys who have been woodworking for over 20 years and don't know squat about it. As a matter of fact, alot of the finishing techniques that we know and read about online were basically mysteries 10-15 years ago, and are still mysteries to alot of seasoned woodworkers today.
Gary

[Scott Kilroy]

I'm not a big Norm fan.

There are lots of people who have their hands on the work during the course of taping and he's the frontman.

Show biz.

I've got to take issue with this statement. Do you have anything to back that up you're comment? My brother-in law works pretty much next to the Ask This Old House set and from people he's met who work on both ATOH and NYW he's told me Norm does all of the NYW building, although the selection of what to make seems to be more based on the producer's guidance.

[Scott Kilroy]

God gave us two eyes, two hands, and one mouth. I suspect he wants us to use them in those proportions as well.

I think I'll just sit and watch Norms show with the respect he has "earned" over the last 17+ years of providing inspriation to us of little skill. I KNOW I will learn a techniqe or skill that will help me be a better woodworker.

I supect many of us are part of this forum because of him, not inspite of him.

I'd sure be embarrased for him to see this thread.

Ken

I think it's kind of sad that this thread started in the first place. I always wanted to learn about woodworking but until I started watching NYW I never really thought I could do anything more advanced then the typical "HS shop class" spice rack. It's pretty easy to sit back and judge someone else's work when they've been in the public eye for so long however why not be a little more creative, ask people "what would you have done differently?", "What piece could be improved?"

I'll admit that the cowboy furniture wasn't my taste but I think his piece stands on it's own as a good example of that style, and as someone else mentioned it was also an example of working with leather and wood.

[Gregory Lyons]

I owe Norm, as well as Bob & Rick from Router Workshop, and of course Roy (he of the calloused knuckes), for piquing my interest in WW. That being said; I'm not always crazy about Nahm's project choices, and I also don't always agree with his techniques. There are too many episodes where we visit so & so in such & such historical site and build a cheesy copy of whatever. And then we fill the damn thing full of nails and brads. I would never consider anything like the gilded mirror (blech!), but I guarantee that he can do it far better than I.

Anyway, I say this with the deepest love and respect for the above mentioned, and eagerly await the next installment...




...I'm sorry, I just got done re-reading 'The Fountainhead' and am feeling rather Howard Roarkey.

~g

[Scott Kilroy]

I would love to be able to make furniture for a living and not have to rely on selling it to put food on the table. I have made allot of ugly furniture and not made a dime on it. Norm makes money on every piece he makes!!!!! something to think about..regards

With YouTube you could very easily live this dream, just start filming each thing you make, and as you're doing explain what exactly you're doing and why, oh and don't forget that you have no idea about the skill level of the people watching, and that anything you make will be criticized by every armchair quarterback.

[Cody Colston]

I owe Norm, as well as Bob & Rick from Router Workshop...~g

I get too fascinated looking at that knot on the head of the Router Workshop guy. I miss a lot of the router work.

[Gary Keedwell]

I get too fascinated looking at that knot on the head of the Router Workshop guy. I miss a lot of the router work.

I am embarrassed to say this but I also found myself looking at the poor guy's head. You would think that the people in charge would make him wear a hat or something so people could focus on what he was doing

Gary

[Todd Burch]

The few times I watched the Router Workshop, I did notice the knot. Nothing the guy can probably do about it. No biggy for me.

What drove me away was the drone of the routers. It seemed like about 50% of the show was watching, and listening, to them route. Painful. And, several times I saw them do operations with the router, that while they could be done with the router, in my opinion, it was not the best approach. In my book, a router is a dangerous tool, and I use it when I need to use it, not when I can use it.

Todd

[Gary Keedwell]

I think the point of the show is to demonstrate the versatility of the router. That being said, after many hours milling with a nice quiet Vertical Milling Machine,(Bridgeport) I find the router to be very annoying. It is very loud, messy and unforgiving, and I avoid it like the plague. But when you need it....your sure glad it is there. :>)
Gary

[Jerry Olexa]

If Norm makes a piece, and finishes it with a muddy Minwax pigment stain and topcoats it with Polyurethane - in my book, it ain't fine woodworking.

Todd

Well said... I agree. Finishing IMHO is not Norm's forte'.