We research in-depth and provide unbiased reviews and recommendations on the best products. We strive to give you the most accurate information. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
If you’re wondering how to make a louver jilg, you’ve come to the right place. This article will teach you how Norm Abram made an accurate louver jig using a piece of 1/4-in. by 1-1/4-in. stock and a few basic tools. Next, round the corners on the stock with a jig.
Norm Abram made louver jigs
For those who are not familiar with Norm Abram, he is the American master carpenter who made his name on the pbs reality show “this old house.” Although he began his career in the 1970s building pinewood derby cars, his talent for making complex tools and jigs allowed him to specialize in many different areas. In addition to louver jigs, he also invented numerous tools and designs that made the entire process faster and easier.
Norm Abram makes louver jigs for various tasks, including mortising louvers and making pin holes for bookcase shelves. He also builds a plunge router jig for mortising hinges, and a device for mortising box joints. All of these tools are essential to the successful construction of louvered doors and shutters, and he has mastered them all to make them easier to use.
After developing these tools, Norm Abram built a workshop hutch, and replicated the mahogany dressing table with its foldaway mirror and graceful turned legs. He also built a chamfered post and ornamental finial for his home mailbox. He also made a bath cupboard, with plywood shelves and a full-length mirror. He filmed the process with a camera crew from WGBH, and Russell Morash decided to make Norm a regular on the show.
Norm Abram made mortise and tenon jigs
A new video by Norm Abram shows how he makes mortise and tenon jisgs, which he says are as important as power tools. They help you make a project faster, which is great news for anyone who’s a woodworker. Besides mortise and tenon jigs, Norm also shows how to make a jig for a plunge router. He also shows how to make a jig for making hinge mortises with a router, as well as a simple box joint device.
Norm’s kitchen secretary is made from mahogany, and it has adjustable shelves and cubby holes. Its hinged desk front and storage space for a laptop computer add to the design. The mahogany piece is also accented with intricate shelving work, mortise and tenon joinery, and raised panels. A great piece of furniture can take a lifetime to build, and this one is sure to be a family heirloom.
The biscuit joiner was a relatively new tool when it first became popular, and it’s still a valuable tool for woodworkers. This tool can be used to make a strong, invisible joint in the wood. Its most common use is to join two panels together, and Norm Abram used this tool for edge-joining. He also used it to glue up panels.
A bonnet-topped Queen Anne-legged tiger maple highboy with reproduction hardware is a Norm favorite. The hardware is incredibly rare and difficult to find. Norm finds a beautiful original in New York City, but he believes it was originally built in Wethersfield, Connecticut in the early 19th century. He finishes the two programs and is praised by many.
Norm Abram made an accurate louver jig
Norm Abram is an American master carpenter. He is a famous carpenter and pbs reality show star. While he is known for his louver jigs, he used to focus on making louvers. In fact, the jigs that he used in the past are now obsolete, thanks to the modern techniques of making louvers.
He also shows how to use a router for precise shaping of shelf standards, using a jig he made himself. In fact, Norm shows how to use both a plunge and a standard base router. In addition, he demonstrates how to use a router to make mortises for hinges. Lastly, he demonstrates how to use a router to make a louver jig.
Despite his “power-tool only” reputation, Norm Abram demonstrates the accuracy of his jigs in a video on YouTube. Although he is a proponent of using CAD tools, he still enjoys making furniture by hand. One of his most popular projects, the Federal-Style Game Table, was a result of his experimentation with an accurate louver jig.
As an avid woodworker, Abram was very interested in carpentry when he was a teenager. He spent summers working for his father’s construction business, spending time on remodeling and building custom homes. After earning his degree, he shifted his major to business administration because office jobs were scarce in the early 1970s. He moved to Vermont in the early 1970s. His carpentry business grew rapidly, and he was able to start his own firm.
After making his louver jig, Norm then built a bonnet-topped Queen Anne-legged tiger maple highboy. Reproduction hardware was expensive, but the carpenter was able to duplicate the antique hardware. The carpenter finished two programs and received lots of praise from his customers. The program has become a hit on PBS, and Norm continues to make more antique furniture.
The New Yankee Workshop is the perfect setting to view Norm’s skills in this way. The studio’s floor is concrete and Abram longs for a wooden floor. The woodworking tools used by Abram are all the tools provided by Delta Machinery, which is the show’s underwriter. The underwriter’s name is placed over the manufacturer’s name, so that the shop looks generic and un-specific.
Rounding the corners on 1/4-in. by 1-1/4-in. stock
When rounding the corners of 1/4-in. by 1-1/2-in. stock, you’ll want to use a tool with a variable corner round bit. This will save you time by not needing to repeat the process with two passes. You can use this tool on hand-held and table-mounted routers and it works on many materials, including hardwood, softwood, plywood, and composites.
