Norm Abram Brad Nails

He does use them a lot. You can beat them for speed for places that won’t show.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

He also uses them (brads) quite a bit in lieu of clamps. Things get done a lot differently in a production environment.

The 23 gauge pin nailers leave an almost inconspicuous hole.

-- Maplewood, MN

i would not recomend analizing the right and wrongs of what norm does on t v . those type shows are not just wooworking shows they are very clever infomercials . thier purpose is to showcase woodworking tools and products . if bostich for example did a 30 min. straight forward infomercial showcaseing thier nailers, compressors and fasteners , within 10 min. youd be bored and change the channel . but you will eargerly sit thru 5 30 min. infomercials to watch norm build a hutch . norm may be the star of that show but thats not to say hes the boss . im sure theres conflicts behind the scenes like norm saying it should get clamped not nailed . and the producers saying bostich is paying a lot more to nail it than bessy will to clamp it . .
thats my view on not only wood working shows but also hot rod s and motorcycles such as american chopper . they build snap on tool bikes , miller welders ect. they have to be the all time most successful worldwide . just my 2 cents

-- if you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes

I totally agree with mrtrim. “you hit the nailer” on the head!

-- Make things with wood.

In any of the shows, if you see the brand name they paid. There is a big business that revolves around product placement.

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

he does use a lot of brads but i guess that i do to. i would use less if i had a biscuit joiner but you don’t even really need to fill the holes after you stain it. the stain gets on the nail blending it in and the poly sort of fills the hole. just what i’ve observed as most of my pieces are pine and i stain them.

Norm is just used to his old contracting days in the 80’s when all those guys used were glue and brads to do trim work. That’s why he still wears that monster tool rig. You gotta love that guy.

-- Thuan

You guys are something else. I am in the television business and you are so far off base its comical. Sure, companies pay (sometimes) a lot of money for placement, but unless the show is a runaway hit, its not the ‘fleecing of America’ picture you are painting.

I love how people view things from their narrow perspective and formulate some grand conspiracy theory to support their inherent misgivings. Sad.

See it for what it is, a guy doing what he loves and sharing with others. Does he answer to producers and such? Of course, nothing is free, but its not what you think.

JC

-- Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. -Carl Sagan

To funny… I am sure it is somewhere in the middle, product placement is a consideration I am sure.

I have said a few times to friends (about Norm) and I am by far the expert on it but Norm seems to be a carpenter making furniture not a furniture maker doing carpentry. “Get-r-done” comes to mind.. “nail it quick before it rots”, “are you looking at the ocean?”, “are You on a holiday there, get to work”... are all things I remember hearing on the job.. and I would bet Norm has said a few times to his helpers.. Time is money and he (even in his old age) move the job alone pretty fast. I love him.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

Before we all lose perspective, let’s remember one thing. WGBH in Boston has always been one of the most enterprising of PBS stations around the country, having launched entire genres of shows on a shoestring budget. I believe Julia Child, (cooking) Jim Crockett (victory gardens) as well as the woodworking series with Norm Abram. These shows were all launched on a shoestring by WGBH Boston, with no idea of how well-received they would become. They relied heavily on Corporate sponsorship to survive those pioneer days of PBS how-to broadcasting. Look beyond Norm’s enormous resaw bandsaw and 24” planer and see the man for who he is: the dedicated, knowledgeable person that he is, willing to share his knowledge in a forthright manner to all who wish to be inspired. The man has a gift that the other how-to woodworking hosts will never emulate. I’ve met Norm, attending the launch of a “Woodworker’s Warehouse” franchise in Portsmouth, NH, He listened to everyone who wished to speak, and his patient, thoughtful replies to people attending there made him, in my eyes, a role model for those who aspire to learning the craft. If you’re really listening to his words, he advocates learning your craft first, and enhancing your work with the best tools you can afford.

-- If stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

If Stradivarius was alive today….he’d be using Gorilla Glue…

-- If stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

It think it all comes to a middle position. He uses what he feels he can use and yes, he answers to the corporate types, but I think if he wanted to clamp something instead of nail it, he would. Those brad nailers are not bad things – they are just a different way to do a build. Time is money, as a carpenter, furniture maker, movie producer, baker, tailor, etc. If you do woodworking for fun – time is not an issue, but when money gets in the picture time is everything.

Tyler – I think you are right to question the way someone (even Norm) does something. Look at this post – you’ve got several other perspectives on the issue and you may now either carry the same opinion you started with or see things in a different light.

Keep asking questions – it does us alll good.

-- Betsy - There is no strength where there is no struggle

I think the guy from the Woodwrights Shop (Roy Underhill?) would say that we all use too many power tools. I think it is a matter of personal preference, style, philosophy as to which tools we choose to use and how we use them… I think I need one of those headless pinners…

-- A thing of beauty is a joy forever... - Keats

Ya but ever Roy is under the fingers of the corporate suspender maker monopoly dudes…man.

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

I noticed something interesting in one of Norm’s latest episodes in which he builds a kitchen. He switched to glue and clamps and admits that the nail holes cannot be hidden completely no matter what you do and make the work look not so nice.

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

I avoid nails and brads on a stained surface. Plugs, either a perfect match or a contrasting wood can be okay. Filling before painting is ok, in my opinion.
Roy Underhill? It’s hard to accept his back-to-the-land theories. Even Michelangelo used state-of-the-art tools…whatever they were in 1550 AD. Using rusty, worn out obsolete tools, just to prove a point or attain an ‘image’ is wrong-headed. You’ll wear your body out before you get old.

-- If stradivarius was alive today, he'd be using Gorilla Glue.

I think GrumpyCarp basically said it. Nails are the cheapest clamps you can get and a lot of the ones Norm drives are not in visible places. Personally, I abhor using any kind of nail, brad, screw, etc, unless I’m making something that I want to come apart. JOINERY RULES!!

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

just another though. i was just watching the wood whisperer’s assembly table episode because i want to build one and as we all know brads and glue are cheap and you can’t beat them for speed. just another thought.

you guys should do a little more research on the man and the show, before you belittle him and the way he works. Personally I would be thrilled if someone gave me tools and all had to do was use them to build a project or two, but if do a little research you find that is not how it happens, you guys should give Norm a break after all he’s one us a WOODWORKER!!

Joey

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

Who cares if he uses brad nailers. It is funny how people with shops full of “high tech equipment” can criticise a guy for using a NON TRADITIONAL method of joining and glueing. :) I’m not knocking anyone here, but I have seen Norm flamed on alot of sites.

To me , traditional means not having electricity in the woodshop. :)

Norm has more knowledge in his little pinkie than most of us will aquire in our entire lives.

as always I think the discussion helps an individual clarify his goal for woodworking—what style of work do you want to do… what “feels” right. Power tools? Hand tools? Clamps? Nailer?

“To thine own self be true”

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

i am amazed at how he mention of Norm gets so many people’s dander up. It is a great show and I get good ideas from him. I also believe that he is a good person with good intentions. If we were as critical of each other’s work as people seem to be of Norm, this site would be the center of fights instead of the great environment that it is.

I think that he uses exactly the correct amount of brads that he intended to use in his method. I tend to use pins in my pin nailer instead of brads for my method. You may prefer to avoid mechanical fasteners all together.

Should we start to fight over machine made and hand cut dovetail… Which is better? How about the argument between tradition saws and Japanese style saws…

As for product placement. Norm has delta tools and Porter cable because he endorses them. If you notice though, he also uses some tools from their competition and he does not endorse these guys. Have you ever seen his face on a leigh jig add? Oh yea, by the way, I couldn’t care less. He does a great job showing complete projects and has helped inspire people to being woodworking and grow the hobby for all of us.

The only reason that the tools keep getting better for all of us is that there are so many people getting into woodworking and demanding newer and better tools. This show started most of us to believe that we could build. Give the guy a break and the credit he deserves.

-- making sawdust....

I think motthunter has a good point. There’s no doubt at all that Norm is a master woodworker. One other point, how many shows have you seen (especially cooking shows) where they use black tape to cover up the brand name on a can? Sometimes, they even put their own generic label on cans. I don’t think I’ve noticed that on Norm’s show.

-- Make things with wood.

Years ago, PBS wouldn’t allow makers labels on the tools. Now I see that the woodworking shows are sponsered by Delta and Porter. I’ve seen some extraordinary craftsmanship in the “hand made joints, no metal” class of wood working. Great stuff with French polished finish. How ever, when it come to doing it for a living, there is very little market for $10,000 end tables. We have to address woodworking as it applies to ourselves. If you want a $10,000 end table in your home, that’s for you. If you are trying to make a living then you might consider using brads to speed the process as long as they fit with your personal philosophy. We all set our own standards of work. If Norm gives you a way to get the job done maybe on the next project you can add some of your own ideas and get a result that is more in line with what you prefer. The fact is that Norm’s methods work for him and should give you a starting point to continue on the road to success. I think Norm is very good at what he does and deserves a lot of credit for bringing woodworking into our living rooms.

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

“It is a great show and I get good ideas from him. I also believe that he is a good person with good intentions.”

I have to agree with Mott. I like Norm. I can remember watching his shows as a kid with my dad and I never cared about how many nails he used. I’m not going to start now. I watch his show and it makes me feel good. We have all heard of comfort food, well Norm is comfort TV. My mom may not make the best meatloaf, but it is still my favorite.

Norm who?

-- Tom, Central New York

Norm has inspired me many times over in my work. I don’t know how many times I have been trying to develop a new technique and I run though the mental Rolodex of his episodes then run into the house and dig though my episodes of NYW just to see how he did it. I might not do it his way but use a portion if his approach. I have done the same thing with David Marks, I have practiced my hand cut dovetails using a bandsaw that he used in a episode to help with the design of project I am working on.

Now I have noted he likes to use that brad nailer allot too. However, I have noticed how his work has evolved over the years, one one of the early episodes he used a Radial Arm Saw to rip some lumber, twenty years later and you will never see him do it that way now. So somethings change and somethings stay the same. As always let shows like this inspire you but make your work your own and thats when you will find that you are at your happiest!

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Norm says “Use a brad till the glue drys”. I wonder if anyone has tried to pull them out after? It does sepend on if you are doing this for a hobby or for bread and butter.

I have gotton a heck of alot more answers than I thought I would get. I am going on thirty comments!!!! Thanks for all the comments, and diffrent opinions, it is really cool to see how everyone thinks.

-- Tyler, Illinois

Tyler, you hit on one of wood-dom’s most interesting hot buttons; Norm Abrams.

I’m not as down on everyone’s opinion of Norm as much as TheCaver or am I a Church of Norm acolyte either, but in his defense, what Norm has done for weekend woodworkers is nothing more than make the craft approachable. I only have to watch one show to know that Norm is a carpenter with a gift for down-home Yankee’ism and a can-do attitude and that’s the kind of guy we all want to follow into the shop.

And maybe that’s all he has to teach us in the long run; that you can make a sideboard—hutch—tall case clock—kitchen full of cabinets—shaving stand—hall mirror—or whatever as long as you can follow this goofy looking guy’s lead and process your stock in a shop full of ”brand” placed equipage including a 40” wide belt sander, then you too can produce pleasingly proportioned soundly built objects using plenty of glue, screws, pneumatic brads and polyurethane. Such a deal.

As some have suggested, Norm does NOT run the show, that’s Russell Morash’s job. It just so happens that Mr. Morash is an extant television pioneer for do-it-yourselfers. He produces, This Old House, The Victory Garden and The New Yankee Workshop. The latter two are filmed on his property. And yes, the shop is Mr. Morash’s shop and NOT Norm’s.

Norm builds two of everything. He builds the prototype and works out any kinks in production for the camera. Afterwards, Mr. Morash maintains right-of-first-refusal on ALL finished pieces. Some he keeps, some he gives to board members of WGBH who are fans of the show. Mr. Morash’s word is the final word on ALL of these shows. If you don’t think so, then go ask Bob Vila about working with ”the Man” and why he departed TOH all those years ago.

So, Tyler, to answer your original question of Norm’s perusal of brads fired from a pneumatic gun, I believe it has more to do with the foresight and prescience of Mr. Morash and his being able to capitalize on the then new wave of television programming that has given rise to the likes of HGTV, DIYNETWORK, et al. And if Norm is nothing more than a tool, then you all know now who the tool user’s name is.

always,
J.C.
aka The other white meat.

-- "Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein

Gorilla glue sucks
Norm Rules
MY DAD has a LADDER!

Are we done?