The New Yankee Workshop - Season 8

Based on a piece he finds at a California vineyard, Norm builds a bedside cupboard out of pine.

Built of recycled chestnut barn timber, this generously sized coffee table is a reproduction pine table displayed at the Grace Family Vineyards in St. Helena. Featuring large turned legs and a natural oil finish, this table is as individual as the limited edition Cabernet Grace the vineyard is famous for.

The owners of this unusual table, Jack and Jamie of Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga, California, told Norm that it was originally a Mexican paymaster's table, carried on horseback, and used to pay groups of laborers on site. Built of recycled pine, the desk functions quite well today as an end table - and conversation piece. The desk has splayed legs with a stretcher and a two-sided pull-through drawer once used for holding money.

Norm finds the quintessential gathering table - it's 10 feet long - in the wine tasting room at the Myacamas Vineyards in Napa Valley. He fully demonstrates his master craftsmanship by reproducing this impressive piece of furniture, destined to become a family heirloom. To add to the integrity and value of this piece, he uses two different types of recycled pine that are peppered with interesting wood knots, buckshot and other natural irregularities.

Norm spies this beautifully proportioned double dresser in a private collection of antique pine furniture in Napa Valley. This six-drawer desk is long but narrow, making it versatile enough for a hallway and other small spaces, as well as for a bedroom. Norm crafts his version of the design out of recycled pine, complete with recessed side panels, banded drawer fronts and wooden knobs.

Another piece found in a private collection in wine country, this elegantly simple desk has an expansive surface, a single center pencil drawer and nicely turned legs. The original was made of pine, but for his version, Norm uses a harder chestnut that is better for writing surfaces. As straight forward and unpretentious as the best American antiques - or wines this desk can easily double as a table.

One of the most impressive pieces Norm discovers during the course of his travels in wine country is a 200-year-old Irish Hutch owned by the Trevorses of Myacamas Vineyards. This pine hutch features two flat paneled doors and two large dovetailed drawers at its base. Atop the base is a plate rack with simple ornamentation and cornice molding. Lovingly detailed, with plenty of room for displaying china or collectibles, this is one of the most ambitious projects Norm makes this season.

In keeping with the wine-country theme, this project is much more than just a wine rack. It is the perfect system for people who take wine collecting seriously. Made of redwood and designed as a four-sided display, this storage unit holds 10 cases of wine while providing additional storage for glasses, corkscrews and oversized bottles, plus a platform for serving. No wine aficionado will want to return from a tasting tour of Napa Valley to anything less.

Norm designs three natural wood lamps made from recycled materials to complement his collection of wine country furniture. The largest, 20 inches high, is a massive turning of heart pine that has been laminated. The second, 17 inches high, is turned from two pieces of mahogany. The third, another piece of heart pine, is sixteen inches high.

Norm builds a handsome and practical storage shed outside The New Yankee Workshop. The 12-by-8-foot shed with an attached recycling and rubbish center has plenty of room for the lawn mower, snow blower and other lawn and garden tools. Four windows let in the light, and a large door welcomes over-sized equipment. The recycling center has enough covered space for sorting and for holding rubbish barrels. The building is finished with Western red cedar clapboards, shingles and galvanized hardware to resist the elements. This is part 1 of 2.

Norm builds a handsome and practical storage shed outside The New Yankee Workshop. The 12-by-8-foot shed with an attached recycling and rubbish center has plenty of room for the lawn mower, snow blower and other lawn and garden tools. Four windows let in the light, and a large door welcomes over-sized equipment. The recycling center has enough covered space for sorting and for holding rubbish barrels. The building is finished with Western red cedar clapboards, shingles and galvanized hardware to resist the elements. This is part 2 of 2.

Here is a practical project that harks back to the first half of the season: the design for this nest of drawers is based on an antique found in a Nantucket shop. A 10-drawer storage unit built of recycled pine, this versatile piece will be equally coveted by the handy person, who will want it for the workshop, and the decorator, who will want to display it on a table or hang it on a wall. The compartments are perfect for storing odds and ends like stamps, hardware or craft supplies.

Norm builds a router table. An improved version of this project can be found in Season 15, Episode 1.