Workbench | S1 E2
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- A good workshop begins with a well-equipped workbench, and master woodworker Norm uses one from his own shop as a model for the conveniently-sized and affordable workbench he builds in this project.
To purchase the measured drawing:
www.newyankee....
Visit our website at: www.newyankee.com
The New Yankee Workshop is a co-production of Morash Associates, Inc. and WGBH Boston.
#newyankeeworkshop #normabram #workbench
I used to watch Norm in his workshop way back when I was a kid, it was a half hour of peace and tranquility in an otherwise crazy world.
Thanks Norm & Co for the memories, and endless enjoyment.
Still is.
@@jeff1176 Absolutely!!
Him, and the Woodwright's Shop always fascinated me.
I totally agree. This show was like sitting next to a babbling brook when I was a kid. I could watch this forever.
Norm has such a knack for teaching. His demeanor and voice lull you into being able to build almost anything!
THANKS FOR MAKING THESE AVAILABLE TO ALL OF US, both current and FUTURE generations! There just aren’t many like him!!!
My first NYW project and I’m still using it today ~25 years later ;-)
That's great to hear.
It did cross my mind how the build in the video was fairing today. Probably still going strong.
32 years and going strong here
I hope you wore your safety glasses while you were making it. Shout out to the Norm Abram's Massive, he always did a fantastic job of, not just making the pieces, but also explaining what he was doing.
@@newyankeeworkshop Nom's face, But not Norm..... This is a fake site. Just saying. Oh well.
total beginner at woodworking … but definitely a new found passion. i am so grateful for this show !!! love the old school energy too ❤❤❤
I can watch Norm make stuff forever. Norm is a national treasure.
Such a great reminder that we don't need Festool dominos. And that we never really should have thrown away that 30-year-old Sears Craftsman radial arm saw.
Sure, but they took up so much floor space which is why ultimately I sold mine.
Worse. I sold dad's DeWalt from the early 70's ,which I used to make my version of this bench, at a yard sale with the old Craftsman stacked dado blade still on it.
There wasn't room at our new home and the wife wanted garage space. I should've, would've, maybe could've but didn't.
Sure you should have, them things are death traps. Won't they pay you for proof you've destroyed one?
@@slomo1562 Ouch! I have rescued 4 DeWalts so far. My 12" 790 is my go to ripping, but the MBF from the 50's is my most accurate RAS. One of the newer DeWalts has been converted to a poor man's surface grinder.
This is super awesome woodworking content. As a european, I never watched the show before. This is a great TH-cam channel, thank you for making all the episodes available.
Also, that plunge cut on the table saw, OMG
My dad and I built 2 of these many years ago for each of our shops. They both now reside in my shop. Thanks for the memories Dad.
I have seen every one of these episodes the first time around and have made about 15 projects. Now it’s the best wood working show on YT. I really wish Norm would come out of retirement for one more season and post it on this channel. C’mon Norm! Vote this comment up so Norm sees it! :)
The NYW taught me more than any other source about woodworking. Thanks Norm & Russ!
My dad would watch this show and This Old House. The New Yankee Workshop was always my favorite.
Same my family still quotes him.
I love how they put the warning about using the blade guard while Norm is making a cut that is impossible to make with the blade guard on
I think today if you were to do that plunge cut on a table saw, it'd be better to use a feather board or Jessem stock guides to hold the piece down, then carefully crank up the blade through it.
You mean that ridiculous plunge cut he made?
That’s Legal for ya. 😊
A skilled worker who has thousands of hours running table saws can do it consistently and safely. Novice workers probably should not. I have run miles of wood through a saw with out a hold down or splitter because that’s what I had to work with. Sometimes you physically can’t use the modern safety aids that current models come with, and if you are uncomfortable doing so, other methods are available. If you really look at the machines in this video, they are probably around mid sixties era, only Norms skills and the precautionary statement at the beginning of every show that he ever made allowed this to happen.
@wrstew1272 A worker with thousands of hours of experience is just as likely to screw up as a novice. The experienced worker thinks he knows what he is doing and can become careless. The novice is hoping it works, and his fear makes his mistake. Your arrogant answer about this shows your ignorance of reality.
I remember watching these episodes when I was 10. This show is what showed me woodworking is not magic I could never attain but a skill that I could learn and love. 33 years later I do woodworking out of my garage for fun and a little extra profit, but I still get excitement learning new things. To me it will always be kind of magical.
That jig saw is from 1967.
I built this workbench in the 1990s, one of my first woodworking projects. It's a monster weighing probably 100 pounds. It will go to my son as soon as he's got a garage big enough for it. I'm really proud of it and so thankful for Norm's instruction.
Sounds like you did a great job. This bench will stand the test of time.
I built this very workbench about 30 years ago. It’s still being used in my shop.
This very bench has been in my woodshop for almost 40 years.
This makes youtube a better place! So awesome to have found these!
Built one of these 30+ years ago. Still in my shop going strong today. It will easily outlast me.
I think I gave my dad the plans for this and he built himself a work bench. Glad to see the old shows are on YT.
My dad built this exact workbench in our house when I was about three years old. We moved to a 1782 house in Salem, MA, around that time, and he got into woodworking through this show, I imagine partly as a way to connect with the area as a native Californian. The bench is still down in the cellar, 33 years later. Looks like it was made yesterday.
Amazing. The original ASMR series for me. Interesting to see this before the “ but first, let’s talk about shop safety.”
And all kinds of sponsor’s ads popping in & out. Just how to build.
I have loved this programme for years. Nice to see good clear imperial measurements being used and not stupid metrtric. We still use miles and pints in Britain, and the threat of their removal has diminished, the only good thing to come from brexit. Well done, US!
I use both
When you’re being more exact or simply following metric plans then yes
Like I’d rather say 3mm than 3/32
If I was working in imperial then obviously I’d work in imperial though being in a metric country I’d have to do a bit of translating to make sure I’m getting the right pieces of material
Anyway I’d rather say 36” than 914mm
Unless obviously talking to someone who doesn’t like imperial
Now your country needs to get back to using Fahrenheit for the outside air temp...
@@flashgordon6238 Celsius or Centigrade is the only bit of the metric system that makes sense. You know when it's 0 degrees, it's freezing and it's 100 degrees, it's boiling. 10 means cool Spring day, 20 warm Spring and 30, hot Summer.
Random numbers like 32 and 212 make no sense at all. If it were 0 and 200, I'd agree. Britain is slow to take up the rest of metric though. As I said, we still buy our beer and milk in pints, and measure roads in miles, using mph to measure speed. Sadly, it doesn't look like we're going back to imperial any time soon for the rest of the measurement.
I like how Norm showed us a couple of different techniques to make dados - one with radial arm saw turned to 90 so long pieces can be run through and then on the table saw. This is something I always liked about NYW - one can use a number of techniques to achieve a desired aspect. I don't have a table saw, but use my router to make dados and rabbets. Norm taught me all this))
Thank you, NYW. Many fond memories, I was recording in my garage years ago when I asked my daughters, what we are doing in the garage? "Making my dresser" I can still here and see that in my heart.
I grew up on this show. Norm and Roy Underhill were my favorites. Watching this today is very nostalgic. And it's just as relevant today as it was back then.
The great thing is you can still use these techniques, don't need a CNC computer driven machine to make a basic cut as on another channel. Modest tools and skill is more than enough. Great show then and today.
Man I love new Yankee workshop!
Thanks for all the great inspiration Norm. Your workbench was one of the first projects I built.
So glad these episodes are online. I learned so much from watching Norm and have taken on many projects based on what I learned. Got to meet Norm and get him and Steve Thomas to sign a piece of wood from one of the This Old House projects. It is proudly attached above my workbench and gets me thru my projects based on the skills I learned from Norm
This was my first big shop project and I am still using it 10 years later.
Hello Norm,
So good to see back in your shop I watched your first series now here you are again I happen to be from Conn. A male age 83 years old brings back some great members THANK YOU...
Norm has been retired for many years now and these videos are reruns of his original videos.
So nice to have these made available. The NYW with Norm may qualify as the original DIY woodworking video library. I grew to love woodworking watching and trying to reproduce these projects.
This was my first ever project inspired by norm, I went on to be a very good carpenter/builder... making very high-class reproduction furniture, out of my own workshop of course, This guy taught me loads... the most important thing was to work in a theological manner. this gave me life skills. all I can say is thanks very much norm and team.
I absolutely love the comments section... Working "in a theological manner" is one of the strangest comments I have ever encountered... Have no idea what that means...
This brings back memories as a kid watching this with my father and grandfather. My twin brother and I loved watching Norm.
Great videos! And, as a Shopsmith owner, it was nice to see him use the Bandsaw and the drill press modes on the Shopsmith. An accurate tool when used correctly.
I still remember watching this episode as a child and falling in love with this show! Still filled will all kinds of great info….and that workshop! I still envy that workshop!!!
I made this bench many years ago. I have built numerous projects on this bench and it is still going strong. My latest project was a go-kart for my grand kids. A truly invaluable tool.
Now I want a radial arm…. I don’t need one but I want one lol
Heck yes! Way too spendy though!
They can be found for cheap if not free! I keep a dado blade in mine. Yes, it was the free kind. It works GREAT!
So awesome seeing the shop in its early days. I never missed an episode of this
Fun to see the progression of tools and techniques used over the years.
I built one of these workbenches over 12 years ago. When I moved to Georgia from Upstate New York I couldn't bring it with me. I really miss that bench. I need to make another.
When I built mine, I added a ramp in the tool storage area to be able to clean the dust out easily.
This show started in 1989, I thought I used to watch it as a kid, but I guess I was a lot older.
This was the first true project I built on my own. Ordered the plans and built for my shop. It's 20+ years old and still functioning great.
My dad built this bench for me 25+ years ago, still have it!
I did love to watch that guy many years ago you can tell it’s older video with the electric drill no battery tools 😊
Yeah this is the second episode of the first season from 1989. I had just turned two when this aired. Cordless power tools have come a LONG way in my lifetime.
I have used this bench for 32 years. Still love it. Maybe time to replace the hardboard top...someday. I added a 10 inch Jorgensen face vise. Got to line it up perfectly so the vise rails don't interfere with dog holes.
Excellent, that's about the same length of time as mine. Except it was obviously my first real project so it didn't work out the greatest, but hey it's still in use!
@@starlight55971 The first bench is a challenge. I used a 5 gallon bucket as a bench while building my bench. You should have seen me sitting on the boards using my knees to hold the boards still. A Jorgensen wooden clamp was my guide for the router. ☺️
God I missed this program. It reminds me of wood when it was reasonably cheap
This was my first NYW project also. Still using it 20+ years later.
Excellent instructions. Clear with no excess talk.
Love Norm and his show very well explained and executed very well.
I built this bench 15 years ago. Its still going strong! As i watched this video today i realize how committed i was to learning woodworking. I didnt own a radial arm saw. I did all the dado and rabbets with my tablesaw and/or router😃
Love reading the comments. Anyone, especially if you do this for a living can do these things. Its like going to the restaurant, people that cannot add 2 + 2 are making you food, because that's what they do. When i was a GC I hired many guys especially floor guys and you get all kinds but these Irish brothers were the best ever.
Lastly, did you see when he to use a chisel, well imagine no electricity and building these things, totally different techniques and much, much stronger and steadier hands. Not to mention it would take you forever if you re new.
P.S. that band saw alone, today (2023) will run you 3 to 10 thousand, depending. Then all of the rest, not counting the time to "find" the wood. That's why they ll film themselves, easy money.
God Bless brothers and sisters!!
hello Norm & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool & Thanks Norm & Friends Randy
My how times have changed. The original workbench costs triple what it did back then, and the new table is the over $700 price. I want to build one of these for my shop.
My first NYW project as well. Still sees use every day. Time to change the hardboard...one of these days!! Oak skirts have picked up a few character marks as well :-)
Cut on the same model Delta table saw back in the day!!! Purchased from Spags!!!!!! I miss that tool department
This was the first video and plan I purchased. I still have and use that workbench!
I've considered replacing it but the cost versus utility of this one and how I made it taller to match my saw height just makes it fit my needs better.
The auto-generated closed captions for this show are so funny 😂 12:12
Norm before a shop full of tools sponsored by Delta/Porter Cable. Shows how useful radial arm saws really were - If you could keep them in tune!
I made a version of this for my first workbench. Learned a lot when doing it, great project.
24:30 a claw hammer on a chisel? Oh what early days those were :)
Japanese chisels are beaten with metal hammers, and they have oak handles. Plastic handles no problem.
"West German import." Shows the era when this was first aired.
Original air date January 14, 1989 - Berlin Wall fell later that year on Nov. 9th
Next year, mine will be 40 years old. Added a side vise at the other end for more versatility. Norm...thanks.
Jesus cutting that groove with a radial arm saw.
And that plunge/climb cut with a table saw.
A coworker and I made 2 almost 30 years ago. Mine is still in use today. His probably is also. The only problem with it is the recessed "tool" tray very quickly became a catch all.
I bought the book when it came out and some time later, built the workbench. Still use it!
Love this show
Back in the day when only the very serious woodworkers and professionals had cordless drills!
Your show give me inspiration that I can do anything if I put my mind to it
Love these videos. Wish someone could remaster them.
Thank you great job
I still have the same Sears Craftsman radial arm saw, forgot that Norm had one all those years ago.
Makes me want a radial arm saw! 😂
Radial arm saws suuuck. Very dangerous.
Thanks to Norm and this show, I now have 4 vintage Radial Arm Saws. I hardly touch my two table saws any more. At least you can see the blade and the cut with a RAS. No more dangerous that any other powered saw.
Wow... a wobble dado. Haven't seen one of those in years.
Happy Birthday Norm! (October 3rd)
Radial arm saw underrated
What beginner has a radial arm saw?
I'm a big Norm Abram fan, but those plunge cuts on the table saw kinda give me the willies. Okay for a pro like Norm but I don't think I'd try it.
Same here...gave me the heebie jeebies for sure...!
@@asbrand Well, I tried it over the weekend on an end table I'm knocking together with some scraps. It worked fine, but I put my miter gauge behind it to support it just in case. It still felt like it would be easy to bind the blade if you did it wrong.
I loved the warning that guard was removed for video. How would you perform that cut with the guard still on? Oh well I guess people where getting bs lawsuits even back then.
I came and checked the comments when I saw that. I was wondering what more experience woodworkers thought of that move!
I think techniques we used 30 years ago we know to use different or safer tools on or approaches. Honestly the dado setup in the radial is kind of wild too.
I like to notice how The New Yankee started with fairly basic tools and progressed to a fully outfitted shop over the years. You never see anyone on TH-cam making dados with a radial arm saw anymore.
Love this! Although I'd bet this bench would cost $2k to build today just in wood!
Holy. Haven't seeing one of those angled dado blades in decades.
I built this project back in 1992. I replaced the masonite top in 2005, and again in Feb 2023. Great design! One thing about his show that struck me as odd-he makes radial arm saw cuts on the pull stroke rather that push stroke. Climb cuts with a stacked dado????
All the books on the RAS teach the pull stroke for cuts, especially with a dado stack. If you were to push cut with a dado stack, you have a chance of lifting the front edge of the board up and off the table. Starting a pull cut, the board is held back and down against the fence at the very start of the cut. Also, you are lining up your stock cut lines with the reference cut line in the fence when the blade is behind the fence before the pull cut.
@@flashgordon6238 Won't the blade grab the wood and launch the motor and blade towards you? Here I am referring to the motor and blade assembly which rides on a track, not the wood. I see what you mean regarding the reference line cut and positioning the piece.
@@sgnt9337 It is a climbing cut when you pull the carriage and blade across the board towards you. The motor and blade does tend to walk towards the operator more with a dado. You must use a slow controlled pull and counter the "walking" of the blade. With a dado cutter, you are not taking a full cut through the board, just skimming a portion of the board. A properly adjusted RAS has 4-6 pounds resistance adjusted with the carriage bearings so the blade, motor and carriage don't run towards the operator during the cut. There is also a bit of gyroscopic force with the spinning blade. The older RAS were heavy, powerful, solid mass of machinery and this was not really an issue until they started cheapening the build materials resulting in lighter machines. Cheap RAS will tend to flex the arm and that will cause it to ride on top of the cut toward the operator. I have 4 Radial Arm Saws now and have been using one since high school shop class back in 1978.
@@flashgordon6238same, but only have one, just like the one in the video.
12:36 I think folks today would raise the blade up instead of dropping the wood down... to much risk of it slipping and kickback!!
I wish Norm had preached on the benefits of hearing protection as well as these, safety glasses.
I noticed that too. Later he wore ear muffs. But these tools is where my tinnitus started
Anyway you can increase the volume on these videos? I love watching them thanks. My dad grew up watching norm and became a cabinet maker. I'm a woodworking now my self and watch all these videos.
I’m pretty new to woodworking (about 5 years now).. Radial arm saws are absolutely terrifying, to me.. 😂
Yes, they make me nervous, but that is why I am very cautious when running one. I have four of them. I'm very aware of their dangers and that makes me a safer operator.
I watched this episode on TV, went out and bought a radial arm saw, they are a most dangerous tool in any workshop and should require proper training as they can grab and propel the saw into your face if you do not take a good strong hold on it you can see that even Norm with his vast experience has a bit of trouble as it jerks forward as it tries to drive over the timber.
One add on I'd choose is a leg vice
I'll bet Norm couldn't build it today for anywhere near that today. Cost of material is ridiculous. Sad, because I would love to build one.
$80 then would be about $190 today. I am estimating the amount of material based on semi watching the video, not exact measurements. Six 2x4 at $4 each is $24, a half sheet of 3/4 Birch plywood at $45, a half sheet of tempered hardboard for the top at $15, 15 linear feet of 3/4 x 3 inch red oak at $3.75 per foot is $56.25, the shoulder vise screw is ~$40, a vise handle kit is $11, and you'd need some screws so another $15. In total that is $206.25 plus tax. This is at HD prices on lumber which I think you could find cheaper at a lumber yard and/or dedicated hardwood supplier in your area.
That wouldn't be too awful. I'd love to build one, I was going off the price of plywood locally.
I just had to replace my subfloor. 5/8 plywood locally is $74 per sheet!
You can also get red oak cheaper at a sawmill. You might have to plane it.
Thank you for your video, this is simple and usable bench. I wonder how you use your "radial arm" saw - it should have grabbed the material and moves to you when you are cutting those dadoes...
Properly aligned machine and sharp blades give you great cuts on a radial arm saw. The tendency to move toward the operator goes up with a dado stack but that is why you control the movement. Normally you have to pull the carriage toward you. With the dado stack, it is almost a neutral force balance between the carriage coming to you and you guiding it back. I have several vintage radial arm saws and use a Diablo dado stack for lap, rabbet, and dado cuts.
I wonder from time to time if these pieces still exists and where they are now if they do...
We filmed some project updates with Russ. You can see them here:
th-cam.com/play/PL6p6Y8jX6d01VEsHhvSL9ZlQVpI7Ms7v3.html
I REALLY wish HD video was a thing when they filmed these videos. It would be nice if they could remaster them into HD or even 4K if that's possible.
If they’re shot on film they can upscale them to 4K like the Wham -Last Christmas video. Obviously this was shot on tape so that’s not possible.
Actually, it was likely shot on film, but only mastered to tape. The tape masters are probably all that’s left (if that), and if the film elements still exist, it would all have to be re-cut and re-mastered.
Great show
These 2x4’s actually look like 2”x4”
Unlike modern 2x4’ in Australia they’re 90mmx45mm at the moment
Nah, they've been 1.5" x 3.5" here in the USA for a long time. That's 38mm x 89mm
I am glad this show is now available on TH-cam but my question is will every episode eventually be on here or will there still be episodes missing like when it was streaming on the this old house website and app
RIP radial arm saws. Long live table saws.
They were incredibly useful machines to have but sadly they don't have much of a place in the 21st century workshop.
I still have mine, from the early 1990's. Extremely useful - within its limits.
@@201081hero Im a hand tool worker, but im curious why this is? What makes them outdated?
@@NCharlesworth86 With radial arm saws besides the basic cross cutting function you could do other things like make raised panel doors, make dados and rabbets, fit sanding disc attachments, handheld router attachments etc. but everything you could do on a RAS there's another tool or another way that will do the same job with more convenience, simplicity, and better cost/time efficiency.
This brings back a lot of memories with Grandpa. His radial arm saw was a center piece of his shop because of Norm.
I didn't build the work bench but I did build many others.🙂🙂🙂
“West” German import. There has been a couple changes since then.
My Sjoberg from Sweden cost 4K! But damn was it worth it!
👍
I've always been fascinated with the control panel on that Craftsman radial arm. It's one of two radial arm saws I've noticed on this show, and it has what appears to be an AM/FM car stereo with clock on the end of the gantry there. What is all that for?
Craftsman introduced a digital control on their RAS. More of a selling point to me...
Which way does the angle of the bench dog slots go? Will the 4 degree slot in the field face towards the bench vice, and the Vice face towards the field?
the dogs lean toward the tail vice
I've been using this bench for 35 years, off and on. It's rickety now and well past its prime. This bench is probably not the one you want.
I think we're talking starting with some kiln dried lumber here... Not construction grade DF from Home Depot....
Now days that bench is about 1700.00, and you can find radial arm saws anymore.