RonB wrote:
Did anyone catch the quote from the TV Show "House" about Norm?

House's oncologist friend Wilson was staying with him between
marriages. He noted surprise that House had New Yankee Workshop
marked as a favorite on his on-screen menu.

He said "Gee House, I never figured you as the woodworking type."

House responded (paraphrase): "Oh yeah. A total moron in a building
full of ultra-sharp woodworking machinery. As a physician, the
suspense is unbearable!"

But I still like Norm.

RonB
Norm is a machinist that happens to work in wood rather than metal. For
a few shows, they made of point of explaining how some steps could be
done with normal tools versus the high-dollar specialty tools, but I
haven't seen that lately. But him and his buddy Tom are definitely
master carpenters, and if I was a (very) rich man, I'd happily hire them
both to build or rebuild a house for me. You can't fake that easy
familiarity with the tools, the materials, and the process. I grew up in
the business, and saw and worked with enough real carpenters and idiots,
to know the difference. Other than making me feel like an inadequate
klutz, watching the pros work was always an educational pleasure. Most
of them, unless they were on deadline, didn't mind me watching and
asking questions. I learned a lot from them.

I liked TOH much better in the early days, in spite of that idiot BV.
The projects had something to do with reality back then, and Norm was
still a working contractor. (Not sure if Tommy still is- I never see him
wearing the 'Silva Brothers' shirts any more.) They also had the owners
actually doing work back then, unlike most of the current 'This Old
Mansion' projects. The New Orleans arc a couple years ago had a little
of that old flavor, with some things actually going wrong. On the out of
town projects, they aren't involved as closely, and things still go
wrong that can't be edited out.

I think people bitching about the yuppification of TOH is why they
started the companion show, Ask TOH. Around here, that has basically
driven NYW off the schedule- I only trip across that a few times a year
any more, on the local PBS.

--
aem sends....