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Average Customer Rating:

A great little book	Customer Rating:
This is a wonderful collection of insights, anecdotes and wisdom as Norm takes the reader through a Carpenters Toolbox.

Folksy woodworking!

Customer Rating:

I really enjoyed this book. Norm always comes off on TV as a really congenial and down to earth kind of guy. This terrific little book is that "in spades". I especially appreciated the way he tells the reader how he puts each tool to use, not just a technical review of the tool. His periodic reference to how he worked with and learned from his father adds even more value to the book. Most woodworking books never mention the basics that Norm covers for using carpentry tools. A really great addition to my woodworking library.

A blend of technique and journal...	Customer Rating:
This book is a blend of personal insights and techniques that shows not just what it takes to be a master carpenter, but the path this particular one took to get there. The book reads like a cross between tips and tricks of the trade and a diary.

IF YOU LIKE NORM....

Customer Rating:

I originally bought this book just because Norm Abrams wrote it and I am a big fan of THIS OLD HOUSE and THE NEW YANKEE WORKSHOP.But, it is an engaging read and one I find myself going..."ahhhhhhhhhh" or "ahhhhhhhh, hahhhhhhhhhh!" to. Add it to your "toolbox." It will help you be better at whatever you do. Makes a great gift too to recognize members of your workgroup, fellow fans of Norm, and those you would like to gently influence.

A Peek Inside Norm's Toolbox

Customer Rating:

Norm Abram is the much admired and even beloved host of the PBS show New Yankee Workshop and a longtime fixture on This Old House. In Measure Twice, Cut Once, we get a peek inside Norm's extensive toolbox, as Norm simply talks tools -- his likes, his dislikes, and, of course, more than a few helpful tips. Norm has a reputation for loving power tools but in Measure Twice, Cut Once he focuses on his favorite hand tools. His knowledge is impressive as he covers a wide spectrum of hand tools -- folding rules, tape measures, chalk boxes, squares, levels, plumb bobs, saws, planes, knives, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, hammers, crowbars and chisels. Norm's favorite tool is the right tool, be it a power tool or a hand tool -- whatever is best for the job at hand. I read somewhere that Norm wrote most of this book by dictating it into a recorder as he drove to and from various job sites. It shows -- the book is loose and conversational and Norm even gets a little personal. He talks a great deal about his father, who died shortly after this book was finished. The connection between Norm and his father through carpentry is heartfelt and it's nice to see this personal side of Norm. Norm knows that carpenters are taught some skills and that they learn other skills through personal experience, but he believes that all of it should be passed on to others, just as he learned from his father. The craft and skill of carpentry naturally passes from one generation to the next and so on. That's what Norm tries to do through his TV shows and through books like Measure Twice, Cut Once. He isn't trying to impress you or overwhelm you. He just wants you to put this knowledge to work.