Eat Your Heart Out, Norm Abrams

Have you ever watched that show “New Yankee Workshop?” It’s a great show – Norm Abrams is one of my favorite Jewish carpenters (*wink*). Not to mention he’s a complete magician and can make anything.

That said…if you watch the show, he has literally every possible tool imaginable – no matter how obscure. “For this part of the project, we are going to incorporate a mortise-tenon rip biscuit dowel joint into our piece.” I hear this and I think, “WOW! I wonder how he does that!?”

“It’s simple to make this joint, really. Let’s go over to our Mortise-tenon rip biscuit dowel joint jig cutter and we’ll whip it right out.” What the bleep? No average person has a tool like that!

Come on, Norm! Do it the way an AVERAGE woodworker would make it. You know, out in the cold garage – barely enough light to see with. All you have is a circular saw, an old hammer, a chipped up screwdriver, a string of bailing wire and a prayer. Now get it done.

Well, thankfully for us, there is such a place. Most people don’t know this, but right next to the Iowa Blog Cabin there’s a little building I refer to as, “The Old Confederate Workshop.”

It’s a place where things get done – one way or another. Sure, you may have to step over the stray baby car seat, lawn mower or tomato cage. And yes, it’s poorly lit, poorly heated, completely un-insulated and cigar smoke is encouraged (come and get me, Chet Culver). But dang it, when I need a mortise-tenon rip biscuit dowel joint, I get out my hammer and straight screwdriver and chisel it out just like the next guy. Now THAT’S old-world craftsmanship.  You won't see those Boston tea-sippers whippin' out stuff like this.

Okay, since Anne reads this I better admit, maybe it isn’t that bad. I have bought a tool or two. But there’s a lot of “figurin’stuff out” that goes on. Well, out in the Old Confederate Workshop this winter we’ve been on a quest. A quest for absolute relaxation. We’ve taken the tired old Adirondack chair and, quite frankly, perfected it. I’m calling it the “JDx-1000a.”

It’s not just a chair I whipped out in a weekend, a week or a month. I built it, sat in it, took it apart, redesigned it, put it back together and sat in it again. The perfect angle on the back with a curve that hugs your back. A seat that perfectly conforms to the way your legs naturally rest. An ottoman that continues that natural curve to give you…complete relaxation. Made of 100 percent cedar, stainless steel hardware and sealed with marine varnish, this piece of furniture will last for a very, very long time. Perfect for afternoons in the shade, a frosty mug of PBR in hand, watching the world go by.

I’m already working on the JD-2000b production model including a few “special” modifications. Spring is coming and you’re going to want to sit down. Only the Old Confederate Workshop gives you quality like this. Get your orders in today! Tell’em the Iowa Blog Cabin sent you and you’ll receive a SPECIAL discount (Collin Darrah not included)!