Norm Abram

About

Norm Abram (born October 3, 1949) is an American carpenter, writer, and television host best known for his work on the PBS television programs This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. He is a carpenter and has published several books and articles about the craft.

Abram was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and raised in Milford, Massachusetts, where he attended high school. His father was a carpenter, who taught his son many of his practical skills. Abram first worked on a client’s site at the age of 9, helping his father install hardwood floors. He worked with his father during summer vacations in high school and college.
Abram initially studied mechanical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), where he became a brother of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. He found theoretical engineering courses to be uninteresting, and switched to studying business administration. He realized that he enjoyed practical hands-on work, and left UMass just short of finishing a degree.

After leaving college, Abram worked for three years for a multimillion-dollar New England–based construction firm, and was rapidly…