Nooooooo

It's the end of an era. Norm Abram's wikipedia page reports that The New Yankee Workshop will not return for another season. Sad news indeed.

I'm going to hold out on hope that the fine journalists at wikipedia got this one wrong. They did say that Wood Magazine reported it, but they didn't provide a direct source (imagine that). I wasn't able to find any sources either.

If it is true, at least there are still hundreds of old episodes available.

Thankfully, Norm will still be around for This Old House.

Here is Norm on Youtube.

Entertainment Center Modification

Does this entertainment center look familiar? This general design has been very popular in recent years, however, with the increasing popularity of flatpanel LCD and plasma TVs, this design is becoming obsolete.

LCDs just don't fit well in these old entertainment centers. LCDs are rectangular due to their widescreen nature, and these enclosures are, for the most part, square. Plus, things are becoming increasingly streamlined. A bulky entertainment center like this is just out of place.

So what can you do with something like this? Well, you could try to sell it, but these are all over Craigslist lately. I couldn't get rid of mine for even just $20, and it was in pretty good condition. After I gave up on trying to sell it, I decided to turn it into a project...


As you can see, this entertainment center has a bottom area with adjustable shelves (glass doors are not shown in this picture), a center area for the TV, narrow shelves just to the right of the TV area, and one last shelf above the TV area (shelf not shown).

In modifying the design, the real challenge became how to rearrange it so that the particle board would not be showing. The problem is that it's not solid wood. It's particle board covered in a thin wood veneer. This really limited my options since just about any cutting would leave an exposed edge. I didn't want to mess with buying edgebanding and attempting to match the stain.


To make a somewhat long story short, I ended up basically dropping the top down to just above the bottom shelf area. All I really had to do was partially disassemble it, turn it on its side to make a cut, and then cut the side trim to the appropriate length. I connected the top to the rest of it with some dowels so that there are no exposed fasteners.

I'm really happy with the end-product. It has a much cleaner look and it's a lot easier to move (it was previously really heavy). The shelves make a great bookcase and there is still plenty of room to store all of the TV-related electronics. Now, I just need a LCD to sit on top of it...

Table Refinishing Project - Part 2

Oops, it's been a while since my last posts. You see, I graduated a few months ago so I was no longer truly a "Collegiate Handyman." Well, I've returned as a student in graduate school. So I guess I might as well keep the blog going, right? Anyway, here is part 2 of the table refinishing.

As you can see here, I dismantled the table to make sanding easier. Doing so definitely sped up the process. I also discovered that the table is composed of a combination of plywood, a cheaper wood base, and oak veneer. That being said, the quality is still much better than any cheap veneer furniture made in China these days.


I picked up some wood putty to patch a few holes. Once it's dry and sanded, it's hard to tell where the holes were. It's important to get decent putty or it might not look right when stained. Alternatively, you could make your own putty by mixing fine sawdust with wood glue.I decided to go with a Bombay mahogany stain, mostly due to the fact that I already had a can of it. I did apply a coat of prestain for good measure, however, it may not be necessary since prestain is most commonly used for softwoods (oak is a hardwood).

The image above is after a single coat of stain. It will probably take 2-3 coats to get the deep, rich color that I'm looking for. It's important to hit the surface with a light steel wool sanding between coats to soften any grain that may have been raised during staining.

I'll continue this process with all of the pieces. It's fairly time-consuming, but the end result will be worth it.

Table Renishing Project - Part 1

It's funny how you never seem to realize just how much junk you have until you try to pack up and move. Like many people, I have that problem. However, my problems go a step further. I can't seem to throw away some things.

When one of my former roommates decided she didn't want this table, I jumped at the chance to add it to my ever-growing to-do list of projects. This table is well-built and solid, but it has many surface defects. It's the perfect candidate for resurfacing. Maybe I'm a pack rat, but then again, maybe I have an eye for seeing hidden potential. Although I will admit, I often bite off more than I can chew with projects.


Here I am nearly two months after moving and I'm just starting this project. It's a good thing that this one shouldn't be too labor intensive. What I plan on doing is essentially just sanding off the existing finish, doing some small patch work with wood putty, and then applying a new finish (I'm thinking a nice, dark Bombay mahogany).

Let me tell you a little more about the table itself. Like I said, it does have a lot of surface defects. That can be expected since it's 67 years old! Yeah, check out this picture of the drawer bottom. It says, "PROPERTY AIR FORCE, UNITED STATES ARMY, (serial number), LYCO. FURN. IND., WILLIAMSPORT, PA, 1942. I immediately had pictures of dollar signs in my eyes as I wondered if it had any value as an antique. In this case, I doubt it. However, if you ever go about refinishing an old piece of furnature, you should probably get an idea of its history before you start.


After day one of the project, I had already gotten a nice start on sanding. It will take a while, but I'm sure I'll eventually uncover some great looking wood. This picture doesn't do it justice, but sanding away years of use can really make a world of difference. I can hardly wait until I'm ready to stain. I think it will really look good.

I expect to make a few more posts on this project, so check back in and see how it's going from time to time.