End of The New Yankee Workshop

[woodchuckcanuck]

Same here as what kennyd has said. I too have been a woodworker for +25 yrs. I stopped watching Norm when I stopped learning, which coincided with the introduction of all those multi-thousand dollar tools.

As for the producer, well, I made contact with his company some time ago about distributing the NYW plans via my online store and I was basically snubbed. No big deal. There are plenty of other plan designers out there.

[Scooby074]

Originally Posted by kennyd

I am a woodworker...but lost interest in the show the last several years. He used to make practical things with common tools that most average woodworkers had. Then he started using all the "specialty" tools that no one could afford like a 48" widebelt sander!

Just my opinion...but the same happened to TOH (This Old House) with the use of exotic and expensive materials...

I do agree with most of that. Yes he had alot of speciality tools, however he did bring woodworking to the masses, to me that was the greatness of the show. Most things he made could be built with less tools but i think id have to sell my soul for that Timesaver

I also lost alot of respect for TOH when they tore down that old house and built that brand new house in Boston last year. That is directly opposite to the idea of the show. They need ot get back into the restoration aspect of house repair. Im not opposed to showcasing new technology and products to improve household efficiency however.

If i want to watch a complete gut ,reno and flip, theres lots of crappy shows with "hip", "in your face" hosts on TLC and HGTV for that...

[Cat_Driver]

The show was way too frustrating for me, and same goes for some of these car and house restoration show.

I never understood who else could possible take some 2"x4" and a couple pieces of plywood and end up with some great looking furniture - I mean who does that but Norm?

Now the guys that take apart a car, lift the frame off, redo the entire front end, engine, tranny, upholstery, dash, paint,rear end etc. Who does that?

The home shows - who takes a home down to the 2"x4"s and then rebuild it? To top it off they say " we have a 200K budget to fix this house. WHAT 200K to fix the house you just bought for 400K?

There great to watch but I always scratched my head saying, who would do this?

[kennyd]

Originally Posted by Scooby074

I do agree with most of that. Yes he had alot of speciality tools, however he did bring woodworking to the masses, to me that was the greatness of the show. Most things he made could be built with less tools but i think id have to sell my soul for that Timesaver

I also lost alot of respect for TOH when they tore down that old house and built that brand new house in Boston last year. That is directly opposite to the idea of the show. They need ot get back into the restoration aspect of house repair. Im not opposed to showcasing new technology and products to improve household efficiency however.

If i want to watch a complete gut ,reno and flip, theres lots of crappy shows with "hip", "in your face" hosts on TLC and HGTV for that...

All good points Scooby...

One other thing that bugs me, and it wasn't just him but most DIY shows is that they never showed you how they set up the equipment. Say he was making a raised panel door...he just goes over to the router table and runs the wood through like there is no setup at all...If you have ever made raised panel doors then you know the frustration of getting the bit height and fence set up properly.

OTOH, one of my favorite shows recently (but I don't think there are any new ones being produced) was the David Marks show.

[BungeeII]

I've watched a ton Norm's projects and have a million things in mind that I'd like to do. But... when the need arises that I HAVE to make something, I can get it done recalling stuff from his shows.

[hitekcountry]

In talking about exposing kids to the trades, I think it's a shame that they no longer offer the shop classes at school. That's where I was introduced to woodworking, welding and auto mechanics. In my main profession, (electronics) that training didn't matter much, but in my personal life that training has turned out to be priceless.

[RadarTech]

ya know in the last month or two I have gone looking for new hobbies or rather refocusing on some old ones.... and woodworking is one of a few I am putting lots of energy in...

Bought a bunch of new tools:
compound sliding miter saw.
18 ga brad nailer and 16 gauge finish nailer
6 gallon pancake compressor
router table and plunge router
orbital sander..
clamps-- oh so many
new blades for my old portable table saw..


so far I have built a quilt holder-white pine
2 small tables (15" x 48" and 15" x 36") Aspen

And just before I read this thread today I set the ole DVR to record all the NYW shows..


Having spent a several hundred dollars on tools and then a couple hundred more on wood and supplies-- this aint a cheap hobby.... and all those nice furniture pieces now look cheaper store bought than made.... BUT I have to admit the "Oh wow, you really MADE that? " really was nice...

If only that was worth something........

It is nice to make it yourself, but sad when it costs you more than buying it premade...


Later,
J

[MossRoad]

Originally Posted by Cat_Driver

.....

The home shows - who takes a home down to the 2"x4"s and then rebuild it? To top it off they say " we have a 200K budget to fix this house. WHAT 200K to fix the house you just bought for 400K?

There great to watch but I always scratched my head saying, who would do this?

Rich people, that's who!

My grandparents used to have a cottage on an island in a lake in southwest Michigan. There were about 65 houses on the island and a 4 car ferry that would take you across. It was a quiet, little fishing mom and pop kind of island until the people from Illinois found out about it and started buying the smaller cottages, tearing them down and building massive two and three story houses. Then they started a home owner's association with fees, etc... and then the taxes went way up and that's what forced my grandparents out.

Attached are three pictures of that lake. The last one is my grandparent's old pier. Nice little cottage at the back of a cove. They paid $8000.00 for it in the 50's and sold it for $40,000.00 in the late 70's. Perfect place to swim and fish. Now a mega house hotbed with million dollar homes. Had they hung on to it or my parent's bought it from them the double lot alone would have been worth $250,000.00.

[QRTRHRS]

I started watching Bob and Norm on TOH early on. There was a lot more hands on back then. Anyone remember the HH Richardson house? They only ever ran that series once and due to some legal business, could never repeat it. From what I understand, Norm was a carpenter hacking out a living on Martha's Vineyard when Russel Morash came across him. I am glad to see that he made a good career out of the series. I suspect perhaps he is just getting on and getting tired of it all.

The early shows of NYW were similar, projects that you could learn from.

Fine Homebuilding magazine has changed as well. I still read it but my gut feeling is that there is more show and tell and less hands on.

Everything changes.

[EddieWalker]

Congrats to Norm on his retirement. I thought he had been on allot longer then 21 years. I got out of the Marine Corps in 88 and remember watching his show and buying my first chop saw because he had one. Then I bought a table saw with a high doller fence on it because of his show and how much nicer it worked for him then what I had used in High School. Same thing with my bisquit joiner. I saw how slick it worked for him, I had to have one.

I never cared for what he made, but learned allot by how he made stuff. How it goes together and what it takes to stay that way. I really enjoyed the how to part of it, but after awhile of building things that I didn't want, and changes in when it comes on, I lost touch with the show. I didn't even know it was still on.

I saw him on This Old House all the time, but that's another show that changed direction and I lost interest in it years ago. I would watch a good episode, and then never see what happened next. If they had shown the show at a time when I watch TV, like the evening, I'd have watched it over any of the other shows that were on.

I saw the begining of an episode a few months ago, but it wasn't the same. Too many changes, too many people and all they do is talk with each other. I couldn't take it and turned to something else.

Eddie