Norman Hinman, wood-turner from Yuba City, California, was born in Eureka, California in 1930. Several post-high school years were spent working as cowhand on ranches in northern California and southern Arizona. After finally submitting to studies at Cal Poly, SLO and graduate work at the University of Idaho he spent 14 months as a ranch manager, then worked in animal nutrition research at UC Davis from 1961 until retiring in 1991.

His first attempt at lathe turning was a matched pair of legs for a five-sided table for his daughter in 1979. His interest piqued, he pilfered some pieces of wood from his firewood pile and tried his hand at some candleholders. Feeling a touch of (very modest) success, he ordered a load of Black Walnut firewood, cut long and un-split, from a tree freshly fallen. From selected pieces of this some bowls were attempted. He was now irretrievably hooked. In 1989 a second, larger, lathe was added.

Norman concentrates on utilizing local woods from trees that have already been taken down for some other reason such as orchard turnover (old trees being replaced by young), highway widening, dead tree removal along streets, wind damaged trees, etc. The price of exotic, imported woods, dried and ready for use, is thus replaced by the costs of chainsaw use, band-saw blades and hauling heavy loads of green wood as well as the labor involved in mini logging operations. He has found the central Sacramento valley home to a fairly extensive variety of rather pretty woods.

All of Norman's turnings are done using hand held tools such as gouges, skew chisels and scrapers. Some of his pieces are finished with mineral oil and beeswax, and are suitable for daily table use; these bowls and plates can be washed with warm water.

Norman taught the Craft Center woodturning classes at the University of California, Davis for 14 years. He also taught the craft for a number of years in his own studio near Yuba City and is an active member of American Association of Woodturners and Norcal Woodturners.