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Title: The New Yankee Workshop
ISBN: 0316004545
Author:
Norm Abram
Publicate Date: 1989-02-28
Publish: 1989-02-28
List Price: $22.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $6.88
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $0.64
Amazon Merchant Price: $17.21
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| Customer Review: |
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1: classic projects
this book is recomended for the more advanced wood worker. it requires you to have a more skillfull knowledge of woodworking. a dove tail jig is a must and a clear knowledge of tools is highly recommended for many of these projects in this book.
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2: Great book for intermediate or beginners looking to move up
This is one of those books I've never regretted buying. Norm Abram has this way of describing the operations that makes you feel like you can do it. He makes everything look easy.
One thing he does that gives me the willies is a lot of plunge cuts with the table saw, circular saw, and router table. Many of us wouldn't try it, but then again, many of us weren't professional carpenters first. ;) Be aware of that and consider alternate methods.
This book is refreshing because it was early enough in Norm's career that he didn't have big sponsorship, and he had a lot of more humble tools like the normal guy can afford. Most of it is old & worn, but of good quality. It gives us average guys hope that outstanding furniture can be made with a more modest budget.
The overall style of the furniture is old American; lots of Shaker stuff. (simple, but slim, boxy, tapered legs) If you don't like this style, be sure to find the book in the flesh before deciding whether to buy it or not.
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3: Norm does good work!
As always and as expected if you have watched his shows, Norm Abram has done a really good job explaining how to put together really nice pieces of furniture.
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4: A good book, but with a few problems
I think others have gone over this before. A few of the projects have some errors in the lay out. Kind of bad IMO, but is made up for in the very pleasing aesthetic of these items. I have made a few of them and all I can say is they look very nice when done. They have a clean Shaker style that works well in most homes and IMO is fun to make. Most items are not difficult to build and while they have some fun design elements that can make you work a bit, are not hard for the average woodworker to finish. As others have noted, Norm like the power tools. That is not a big deal, in that just because he uses them does not mean that you have to. I approached this book is like most "how to books". You look at the pictures, take what you like and discard the rest. How you put it together depends on the type of tools you have and what techniques you like to use in the shop. I do not think the average woodworker will have much problem with these projects and the beginner will have lots of fun building very respectable things that will look nice in the house.
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5: Pretty good
I've built the blanket chest, bookshelf and chest of drawers. The only problem I had was with the chest of drawers. The dimensions allow for only an eigth inch overhang on each side of the drawer front. By adding one eigth to each side of the drawer width, you only get the width of the opening, not an overhang, and a lot of side-to-side play in the drawer. You need to make the drawer about 1/2" wider than the plan. Other than that (which should of been caught by Norm's general caveat of measure twice, cut once), I really like the book and the narratives that go along with the project. Compared to the measured drawings that you can buy directly, you are better off buying the book and interpolating a few measurements.
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