Slant Top Writing Desk | S1 E12
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Norm demonstrates how to build a slant-top writing desk with tapered legs, a shallow desk drawer and a nest of small drawers and open bins fitted into the top. Constructed mostly of maple.
Season: 1 | Episode: 12
Original Air Date: March 25, 1989
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
Built this desk in the early 1990’s with the plans and VHS tape from The New Yankee Workshop. At the time we lived in Marshfield Massachusetts just up the road where I started my woodworking hobby. Followed Norm’s plans and instructions to the letter and so proud of my first NYW projects. This desk now sits in our Wine Room almost 30 years later back in California. A true antique piece of furniture and family heirloom. I think I will upgrade my rubber mallet after revisiting this video. Thank you Norm for the memories!
BRAAA-VO!!!
A classic design.
Very nice to see where he started. When he didn't have 200 grand of tools. Simple tools and great work.
8 million UA-camrs doing similar stuff. Norm is still the best teacher.
Grew up watching these with my dad. He's no longer with us but watching these helps keep his memory alive.
Same here. i can see him sitting in his chair and me in my chair.
What amazing precision, and wonderful video photography.
The one thing that's clearly present in this first season of NYW is the use of hand tools (hammer and nails, brads, hand driven screws) instead of air and battery powered tools. So refreshing to see the humble beginnings of the show. Pre dust collection as well. These are great to see once again. Thank you so much for posting these. I'm enjoying and savoring every moment.
Decided to start woodwork a few weeks ago. Even in the age where you can UA-cam everything from just about anyone, so nice to be able to UA-cam the legend himself and start out learning from the very best. Great timing relaunching these!
Good luck in your woodworking endeavors. Norm was the reason I started woodworking many years ago and I still love watching the TNYW.
I changed careers 5 years ago and when back to school to be an apprentice cabinetmaker. I just graduated June 28th, 2024 and am now a journeyman.
I'm 55 years old and my final project was a roll top desk out of cherry with the tambour and 2 drawers in the shelving section and two dovetail drawers in the lower section, tapered legs, stretchers and finished with watkco natural oil. The oiling took 4 days to get to 400 grit
I have been watching Norm for decades and marvel at all the newer tools we get to use to compared to what Norm started out with. We have sliding table saws, Shapers, CNC mortiser's, CNC'S, mdf core veneers, dovetail machines where we just place and clamp the wood and press a button.
It's so awesome to watch these again!!
I was my routine on Sunday to watch this and pick up tons of great tips.
Thank you Norm and crew!
You're welcome. More to come soon.
Saturday mornings for me!
What a master he is and he's a nice guy too. I just marvel at the skill. This piece is very difficult but he makes it look easy.
A lot of history there.
Thank you for posting these! So great to see them in high quality and full length. Hope y’all can make the plan’s available again.
Measured drawings will be coming early next year. Thanks for watching.
Perfect for our student Niece. Plan on starting it within the next week or two. I'm going to deviate from the plans by providing a lock (college roommates?) a full drawer and possible some lift up book ends for the top of the desk. If she beats it up while getting smarter, sounds like a fair trade. PJ😉
First episode of NYW to show Norm using a nailgun!
Well he had an air compressor that whole time that he could have used a nailgun from the beginning instead of the old fashioned way with a claw hammer!
I just made this (with nods to his other secretary desk) from chestnut and ash. I was able to do from watching the videos and looking at the measured drawings. I do wish the drawings had more detail. It turned out nicely though and now I need to find a home for it :)
We'd love to see it! You can post a project photo to our Community page:
www.newyankee.com/community/
Another great project. I built this desk for my son. I made one modification to the design. I added sliding dovetails to the dadoes in the rear of the side panels to account for expansion of the side panels. Gluing only the front 4" of the side dadoes allows the sides to expand and contract along the loose sliding dovetails. This way, the side panels will not crack.
Amazing piece of work
Norm is the reason I got into carpentry god bless norm
I love norm. And his draaaaas. Haaad wood. I never noticed how thick it was when I was a kid. But I’m from New Jersey so everyone talks oddly
Assembely, too.
If I had a home I'd have a woodshop. OH THE WISH. COME ON NORM TIME For a REBOOT
WOW I just looked it up. He's 73! I thought he was much younger!
Thanks for sharing!
Well this is an old episode for sure, back when The New Yankee Workshop still had the old Shop Smith LOL.
I was surprised to see Norm glue on the breadboard edges! I guess he was still under 30 so I should cut him some slack. For readers... Never glue on anything that is cross-grain (except relatively narrow 1/2 lap joints) as it will end up self destructing with the expansion and contraction of field boards. Better to do as I, drill 3x 1/4" (one at center and two a couple inches from edge of panel) holes through the to edge and tenon. remove edge board. use drill to elongate only the outer two holes in-line with tenon by rocking it back and forth a few times then cleaning it up with a 1/4" rat-tail file or rasp.No need to do this to the middle hole as it is the focal point of expansion and contraction. create some dowel pegs (preferably darker or lighter than field --depending on wood type) Pound in pegs with no glue until peg is 75% seated, then a little glue around peg before punting it home. Leave pegs a little long, trim and sand flush for nice look.
Norm!
Wow, Norm forgot to make his safety glass speech
👍
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Impossible to find a 22 (or 22.5)degree beveling (router) bit today w/o a bearing.
I love the desk, but not crazy about the finish. I'd also make it out of Oak.
Im very surprised that he was allowed to touch that historical desk with bare hands. Where was the usual shop safety quote for this episode?
My favorite in this series was definitely the hutch. But this desk is also amazing. I heard that Birch is the carpenter's least favorite wood as the stain always looks blotchy and you end up having to paint it. True or false? Anybody know???
Not so with norwegian Birch at least. It is one of my favourite woods, tied first place with Juniper and Sallow.
@@stefflus08 ohhhhhh!!! Nice to know.
@@stefflus08 Norwegian wood...
Did I miss something? Did Norm not mention the most important safety rule? "To wear these (touches temple), safety glasses."
That started in Season 2. It's hard to believe it wasn't always part of the show :)
I've been out of touch for so long, but I notice you don't use biscuits anymore,,,, can I ask why?
This was season 1 or pre-biscuit use. This was circa 1980 and this episode was one of the first where Norm used pneumatic nailguns.
While biscuits are not great for adding strength they certainly do aid in aligning and maintaining alignment.
I've always been curious: Why drywall screws instead of coarse wood screws?
I think this was by design because they were readily available to the average joe and inexpensive. I always found them terrible in hardwoods and jumped to better options once I discovered them.
They have a thin-shaft to wide-head ratio so they drive in easily and reduce any chance of the wood splitting.
@@tccoggsthey’re not terrible on any wood! You need to drill a small pilot hole for and then secure with screws and make sure you have the right size screw!
@@4HBirtcher On hardwoods they tend to snap as they bottom out. The thin body of a drywall screw works well for drywall as the screws head is never going to be under tension with a soft material like drywall. When used with wood, this is not the case. Try construction or cabinet screws, I have been buying in bulk for years from CS Hardware, although the Grip Rite constructions screws at home depot are good as well. I won't go back to drywall screws even thought they are about 1/3 less cost wise.
@@tccoggs3929 Thanks for the tip. No pun intended...
Why doesn’t he ever rabbet the bottom of the drawer front ?
He did for the large drawer! Not for the small internal compartment drawers! Though you really don’t need that internal compartment at all to begin with nowadays, but you can still have a slant top feature of the desk so you can easily hide your expensive laptop computer however!
Katherine Poirier
Cinar Studio
Éric Vistalli
Cinar Studio
Amélie Dubois
CINAR Animation
Paulo Gougeon
CINAR Animation
Éric Chouteau
CINAR Animation