New Yankee Workshop - Tools Collection

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Yankee Tools Collection

First and foremost, our mission here at The New Yankee Workshop is to make television programs featuring the craftsmanship of Norm Abram. Our goal is to find beautiful and useful projects that Norm can reproduce in his workshop. In addition to the television programs, we take pride in the quality of the measured drawings we offer. Using the combination of plans and videos, you should get good results as you follow along with Norm. Of course it does help to have to good tools and to maintain them in top condition. Although we have not sold tools in the past, there are some items you have seen Norm use that until now have not been easy to find. You have written begging us for a reliable source where you can buy them. So herewith we offer a small collection of what we consider to be indispensable tools which pass one simple test: they are good enough to be used repeatedly in The New Yankee Workshop.

Height Gauge by AngleWright Tool Co. Click on image or title for more information If there is any secret weapon in Norm's arsenal this could well be it. Not only does he measure twice and cut once, but you will often see him using this remarkable fully adjustable height gauge as he adjusts the saw and router. There are much cheaper gauges, but none more accurate than this.

Osborne EB-3 Miter Gauge Click on image or title for more information The standard mitre gauges that come with most table saws are often nothing more than an afterthought. They are hard to calibrate, impossible to adjust accurately, and often too small to be useful. Dave Osborne has studied the problem and come up with the EB-3 a fully featured mitre gauge. This device is so precise that Norm now uses it in lieu of a mitre saw to achieve perfect angled cuts every time. With the addition of the adjustable stop, he can make duplicate pieces with great accuracy. Once you use the EB-3 mitre gauge you will agree it is absolutely indispensable.

Super Grip Clamp Click on image or title for more information No single tool has been the subject of more e-mail requests in "Shop Notes" than the Super Grip Clamp. It is versatile, easy to use, and exceptionally well made. Protected with soft pads, the jaws have the grip of hard steel. They are incredibly useful for a variety of clamping situations.

Whiteside Roundover and Beading Set Click on image or title for more information When router bit manufactures offer collections of their bits, they often guess wrong as to what the woodworker might actually need or use. Here in the workshop we organize the bits according to profile and size and would prefer to aquire collections that way. None, Norm feels, is more useful than his collection of roundover bits which he uses on nearly every project. Whenever possible he specifiys bits with 1/2" shanks and plenty of carbide. These have both. If you have had it with router bits that lose their edge quickly and burn out prematurely we think you will be delighted with these beauties from Whiteside.

Wobble Wedge Click on image or title for more information The kind folks at Focus 12 sent us a gallon of their wedges some time ago and we use them for everything. They level the drill press. They can be used to stabilize the furniture Norm is building. He keeps one at the router station to wedge the fence on certain operations and nothing is better to give an owner of an Old House where the floors are out of level. Better than wood shingle tips, you'll wonder how you lived without them.

Lamello Dosicol Click on image or title for more information This indispensable item is used every time Norm glues biscuits. It puts just enough glue where it is needed and it comes with a stand that keeps the glue ready for use. Get one of these if you've had bad luck trying to place glue in biscuit slots by hand.

Lumber Wizard Click on image or title for more information As you know, we love to work with old timber but it has its problems. Most notably hidden nails which can savage a saw blade or the planer knives. This instrument should find the nails before the damage is done. We scan all the old lumber for foreign objects before we even think of putting them on the tools. Our first version of this tool was intended for passengers and came from an airport security company. The Lumber Wizard is much less expensive and seems to get the nails every time.

Kreg R3 Rocket Jig Click on image or title for more information We've used pocket-hole-joinery for several years. The early jigs were handmade for us by a machinist who created the slope and hole in a small piece of aluminum. Over the years we've grown fond of the joint, using it in many projects. Nothing beats it for speed and strength. Lately, we've been impressed by the Kreg Tool which gets the job done accurately and at a modest cost.

Woodworker's Shop Brush Click on image or title for more information A while back Connie Dulin of Opie Brush sent us a hand made boar bristle brush and asked us to give it a try, so we did. We love how the Lightweight Woodworker's Shop Brush feels in the hand and how well it works. Made in America. You will love it too.

Jack Rabbit Click on image or title for more information Brian Giffin, an inventor working out of Colorado, has come up with a better way to drill and drive fasteners. There are lots of similar devices out there but Norm feels this is the easiest of all to use. Comes with four bits that cover the range of typical countersink sizes. It's a tool that makes the woodworker more efficient and does a fine job of drilling, countersinking and driving.