The New Yankee Workshop - Season 7

Norm visits Old Sturbridge Village, a "living history" museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, to investigate colonial life and furnishings and returns to the workshop with a period design for an X-brace trestle table. The handsome sturdiness of this versatile cherry piece makes it a welcome addition to any room, whatever the decor.

What better way to enjoy a hot summer day than from the shade of a graceful arbor? A perfect complement to any garden or deck, Norm's elegant pergola will look great draped in wisteria and is constructed of durable pressure-treated southern yellow pine.

True to its name, this handsome mahogany piece is actually a tray and table in one: the tray features simple, sturdy handles that allow it to he used independently of its stand. Inspired by the TV tray tables of the 1950s and '60's, Norm's design seamlessly joins form with function.

It's been next to impossible to find an outdoor side or coffee table - until now. Norm builds a low round, slat-topped model out of durable teak that fits the bill perfectly.

Norm builds a cherry bathroom vanity based on one he designed for his own home, guiding the woodworker through the details of constructing the vanity's raised panel doors using only a router. Norm also explains the techniques involved in forming the piece's solid-surface top.

Norm finds his inspiration for this piece in the garden furniture designed by renowned English architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Constructed entirely of teak, this faithful reproduction is built to last and age gracefully.

Norm visits Old Schwamb Mill, the oldest operating custom frame factory in the country. Back at the workshop, he uses both stock moulding and several original designs to demonstrate the techniques used in making picture and mirror frames. Norm also offers step-by-step instructions on how to create mattes for the artwork.

A visit to the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, Washington launches this challenging and exciting project which is modeled after a "class boat" known as the "Clancy." Back at the workshop, Norm builds the lightweight boat from scratch using 3' x 10' lengths of marine veneer mahogany plywood and an epoxy and fiberglass system to make the craft watertight. With the final coat of epoxy sanded and the last strokes of paint and waterproof finish applied, host Norm puts the SS New Yankee 1 and 2 to the test! Norm and This Old House host, Steve Thomas, take the workshop-built Clancy boats for a sail. This is part 1 of 2.

A visit to the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, Washington launches this challenging and exciting project which is modeled after a "class boat" known as the "Clancy." Back at the workshop, Norm builds the lightweight boat from scratch using 3' x 10' lengths of marine veneer mahogany plywood and an epoxy and fiberglass system to make the craft watertight. With the final coat of epoxy sanded and the last strokes of paint and waterproof finish applied, host Norm puts the SS New Yankee 1 and 2 to the test! Norm and This Old House host, Steve Thomas, take the workshop-built Clancy boats for a sail. This is part 2 of 2.

Norm begins work on one of the most ambitious projects ever attempted at The New Yankee Workshop. Brilliantly conceived and executed, Norm's intimate octagonal, screened gazebo reflects several popular Victorian styles and features a cedar deck, clever, collar-tied rafters, and a unusual tapered, cedar-shingled roof, the project's most challenging element. Norm offers useful tips on how to build screens as he creates the screen door and panels for his gazebo. The final decorative touches are applied as the Victorian latticework is assembled and mounted and the copper finial takes its place atop this storybook garden pavilion. This is part 1 of 2.

Norm begins work on one of the most ambitious projects ever attempted at The New Yankee Workshop. Brilliantly conceived and executed, Norm's intimate octagonal, screened gazebo reflects several popular Victorian styles and features a cedar deck, clever, collar-tied rafters, and a unusual tapered, cedar-shingled roof, the project's most challenging element. Norm offers useful tips on how to build screens as he creates the screen door and panels for his gazebo. The final decorative touches are applied as the Victorian latticework is assembled and mounted and the copper finial takes its place atop this storybook garden pavilion. This is part 2 of 2.

Norm returns to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts to research the colonial custom of using blanket frames or racks. What results are stylish displays for prized quilts as Norm reinterprets these pieces in both Victorian and Shaker styles. While the mahogany Victorian rack features a curved top and turned legs, its simple pine counterpart boasts flat braces and a trestle foot.

Salvaged wide pine boards, some more than 200 years old, are the material of choice for Norm's version of this free-standing Shaker-inspired cabinet. More than seven feet tall and featuring a flat-paneled door and five interior shelves, this versatile piece proves an ideal kitchen pantry, linen or sweater chest.