The New Yankee Workshop

I heard that Norm has officially retired from NYW, the 2009 episodes were filmed after the holidays up until spring. I hope I'm wrong but my source has a good connection w/ PBS. I guess he could always pull a Brett Favre and return.

Hey Don
The shows I've seen are old shows wih Norm introductioning them as past projects but done this year.

I still haven't seen all the NYW episodes and Foxtel has stopped airing the show except for a lot of the older shows and only once a week.
I must admit that like a lot of folks, I watched and said.. gee I wish I had that machine or tool.. now I watch and say Yep got that one too LOL

We have 2 PBS stations here in the Sea-Tacoma area. They have different programming. The 2 Public radio stations have different programs too. I don't know about Norm, I was wonder the same thing.

Norm is a very rich man maybe he want's to retire early and enjoy life?Alistair

Good points all…I guess he could have already taped them and then retired…never thought of that.

Local PBS stations can indeed pick and choose what they want to show, Your donation dollars pay for the various shows that end up on the air. Different regions may show different things at the same time as someone in another area, based on what viewers like. The Red Green show is a good example. It airs in some places, whether new or not, and other places haven't seen it at all, or at least in years.

The understanding about NYW this year is indeed that they are older shows, with new intros. It's funny that someone claiming to have inside sources at PBS could be so wrong about new shows, as there aren't any currently new shows.

Norm is only human, he can't be working all the time. Between shooting/work schedules for TOH and NYW, I wonder how much time off he really has to do things for himself?

Wonder how old Norn is? Swinging a hammer in severe weather locales can take it out of you. Anyone know how much of the NYW setups, clampups, rough cutting, etc. he was actually doing himself? I suspect he also has a full schedule of machine evaluations for the many, many machine manufacturers.

Do not know the month he was born in…but he was born in 1950. So he is around 60.

Just got the Sept 2009 issue of Wood Mag. (192) It features Norm on the cover, and has a 5 page article about him in it. No where in the article does it say anything about him retiring or not making new shows. It does say at the end of last season they lost 2 of their underwriters, and only have Delta- Porter Cable left. Maybe with the loss of funding they had to scale back the market. I haven't read it word for word, but a quick scan shows nothing to support this.

I read some where he does the whole thing himself as far as the building goes. Most of the shows are filmed in one day. He always has a proto-type doe too.

From Norms website.
"Welcome to a new season of The New Yankee Workshop

The New Yankee Workshop returns to PBS with a compilation of 26 episodes. Each program will feature a popular project from a past season with new introductions by host Norm Abram. "

Wow. Same age as I am. I thought he was older. No wonder I always wanted to watch his shows….........LOL

I hope he doesn't retire just yet. I reall like his shows.

We can discuss this to no avail, If we write , E-mail PBS corp, our letters asking about Norm, and asking Norm
to return next season in all its glory, will do more than anything else. so, i "urge you to send a nice positive response to PBS.

I don't think PBS is the place to write, you should write Russell Morash Productions or WGBH-TV in Boston. They produce these shows and sell them to the various outlets, including PBS, and the Scripps networks, DIY/HGTV.

If I'm not mistaken….the "New Yankee Workshop" is even in Russell's back yard. I heard that Norm was hired years ago to build a shed in his back yard…Russell was so impressed with him and how little waste lumber was left over that he hired him for TOH…then on to NYW….When he started NYW…he had Norm add on to the shed in his back yard….and they do all the filming from there.

He's a year older than me and during that year he seems to have managed to get like a thousand years better than me why is that? L O L Alistair

I've had the good luck to spend a few minutes talking with both Norm and Tommy at the AWFS. Actually about 15 minutes with Tommy.
They are good friends and their families spend time with each other at the shore.
They truly seem to enjoy talking with their fans.
And telling behind the scenes stories about filming the shows.
Lee