Ībram emphasizes the importance of focusing attention when performing dangerous operations, such as cutting with a power saw. He begins his own shows with a reminder about personal safety, specifically highlighting the importance of wearing safety glasses. He is usually seen wearing a plaid shirt, a style that has become his trademark. Norm Abram is well-known for his soft-spoken, calm manner of explaining precise, efficient woodworking techiques. He also appeared in 2010 on an episode of the Food Network show Ace of Cakes titled "Indy, Ice and Improv". Abram appeared on Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman in the episode "This Old.
He had also appeared on Between the Lions and twice on Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (two WGBH programs) and starred in a series of Foot Locker commercials titled "House of Hoops". In a playful turn with his celebrity, Abram voiced the character of himself in the Freakazoid episode "Normadeus", in which he is kidnapped by a villain to construct a special weapon out of wood. He has also contributed to efforts to train younger students in the building trades, such as the Generation NEXT apprenticeship program. He delivered the 2001 commencement speech at the North Bennet Street School in Boston, which is renowned for its commitment to teaching craftsmanship. Other projects Ībram is on the board of trustees of Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The show aired for 21 seasons on PBS, then was suspended indefinitely as Abram decided to focus on other projects. The program showcased furniture or other projects over the course of one or more episodes, and emphasized classic, elegant designs, made using a combination of simple handtools and newer power tools and equipment. The New Yankee Workshop was first aired in 1989 with Abram as the host. The shop's layout and equipment were expanded and adapted to match Abram's preferences, in a space measuring 36 by 26 feet (11.0 by 7.9 m). They needed a convenient place to videotape, and used the shop in the small building that Abram built in 1979 in Morash's backyard. In 1988, Morash planned to launch a spinoff of This Old House called The New Yankee Workshop, featuring Abram.
Norm Abram (left), with HUD Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi (center), and This Old House host Kevin O'Connor (right), at a renovation site in 2006 The New Yankee Workshop His first major independent project was building a general store on Nantucket. In 1976, Abram went into business for himself, founding the general contracting firm Integrated Structures Inc. Career Early career Īfter leaving college, Abram worked for three years for a multimillion-dollar New England-based construction firm, and was rapidly promoted to a position as site supervisor. He realized that he enjoyed practical hands-on work, and left UMass just short of degree. He found theoretical engineering courses to be uninteresting, and switched to studying business administration. Ībram initially studied mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he became a brother of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He worked with his father during summer vacations in high school and college.
Norm first worked on a client's site at the age of 9, helping his father install hardwood floors. His father was a carpenter, who taught his son many of his practical skills. Abram was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and raised in Milford, Massachusetts, where he attended high school.