My wife and I dropped by the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft during our recent Thanksgiving visit. I’m lucky she brought her camera - otherwise I would have not been able to share these exquisitely crafted wooden clocks by Lexington, KY woodworker Keith Chambers of Woodwerks.

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If you’re just getting started shopping for a 14 inch band saw the choices can be overwhelming… I’ve read of woodworkers who spent over a year doing their 14 inch bandsaw research. And with good reason - these puppies can cost well over $1000 (though you can get a SOLID 14 inch for $500 and lower). To help you make your purchase decision I researched woodworkers’ and expert reviewers opinions on 14 inch bandsaws in 30+ different articles and forum threads.

Twelve 14 inch bandsaws made it onto the list, and they’re ranked below based on the number of “votes” or purchase recommendations I found. I also linked out to notable reviews for each machine. I did not do any pricing research, and the prices written below may not be in line with current prices on the sites I link to.

Before proceeding I have to quote woodnetter Jokerbird: “Few people regret having a bandsaw that is a bit too big or a bit too powerful.” Before dropping cash on a great 14 incher consider going up to 17 if your woodworking future could possibly require accommodation for big resawing projects.

The Top Twelve 14 Inch Bandsaws:
Here goes Please add your comments at the bottom if you’d had good or bad experiences with any of these machines.

1) Grizzly G0555: 17 Votes

$395 at Amazon >>

Notable G0555 Reviews:
“This bear is a sound performer at a bargain price. Fit and finish overall are good, blade changes are easy, and the fence is high quality. The saw did fine in all of the cutting tests.”
Thomas McKenna of FineWoodworking (on G0555x) >>
4 out of 5 stars in LumberJocks review >>
Amazon Customer Reviews of the Grizzly G0555 (NOT included in our votes)
Ranked 4th of 8 by Fine Woodworking Readers (PDF)

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You made your list and checked it twice… and yet SOMEHOW you forgot a gift for your spouse’s boss’s nephew’s cousin! Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii(you know how this ends Never fear! ToolCrib delivers 25 fast easy and free woodworking plans that you should be able to slap together in under 2(ish) hours and still look like a great person.

Remember, when it comes to last minute woodworking Christmas gift projects it’s important to follow the KISASS method. KEEP IT SAFE AND SIMPLE, STUPID!!!

Here you go, soldier. Never say die and never say “it’s too late for an awesome home made woodworking gift.” Good luck!
–> 1 Gift For Fellow Handy Folk
–> 7 Quick Woodworking Plan Gifts for the Kitchen
–> 5 Easy Woodworking Plan Gifts for the Kids
–> 4 Easy Gift Plans that Go Outdoors
–> 2 Simple Plans with Christmas Themes
–> 4 Easy Plans For the Family Room Gifts
–> 2 Simple Plans for the Pets
–> 12 More Free Plan Collections
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SawStop inventor Steve Gass decided that a hot dog just isn’t cutting it anymore… So he put his OWN FINGER into the spinning blade on national television…

I saw this over at the Wood Whisperer, where there’s a lively conversation going on in the comments: Sawstop Inventor Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is
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Nail Jack Tools - an American nail-pulling tool manufacturer - has reportedly entered into an agreement to purchase the Vise-Grip factory in DeWitt, Nebraska, according to a recent announcement made on the factory floor. The Vise-Grip factory, currently owned by Irwin Tools, a division of Newell Rubbermaid, went up for sale in early September, 2008 when the owners finalized plans to move all Vise-Grip manufacturing to China. News of the factory’s closing attracted national attention, along with condolences from national figures like Paul Harvey and President-Elect Barack Obama. At least some of the 330 workers from DeWitt may simply be changing employers rather than losing their jobs, which would be good news for a manufacturing facility located in a small Nebraska village of only 560 people.

But who exactly is Nail Jack Tools, the company reportedly in talks to buy the Vise-Grip factory? Google knows all - here’s what I found…
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(Looking for woodworking plan gift ideas you can make others? See 25 Fast, Easy and Free Woodworking Plans for Last Minute Christmas Gifts)

So the love of your life and kids don’t know what to get your for Christmas? You’re not alone. Don over at WoodNet mentions the same problem here: 2008 wish list gadgets/ gizmo’s. The good folk of WoodNet chime in to suggest a number of suitably inexpensive gifts that you can use to brain storm gift ideas when people ask: “so what do you want for Christmas?”

You could send them this list of 7 stupid laser guided tools to tell them what NOT to get

The list below is more or less in the order that I found it in the forum thread. A few are over $30 - I put warnings on them.
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Can woodworking compete with video games, text messaging and the internet? To put it another way do you think YOU would have gotten interested in woodworking if you had grown up in this “golden” era of entertainment technologies? My guess is that you would have…

Why? There was someone in your life who encouraged you and helped pass along a love of working with your hands. There’s a reason why Dads placed 2nd in our Guide to Your 31 Most Influential Woodworkers…

To keep the woodworking torch lit you have to bring kids (grand kids, children, neighborhood kids) into the tradition. I found a WoodNet thread recently that inspired me to gather resources and plans for anyone who wants to encourage a love of woodworking in children. Here’s the thread: Getting Kids interested in Woodworking.

This article is about passing along a love of woodworking so all the plans I mention will be more or less suitable for kids using hand tools with close supervision. And remember - start teaching them about safety from the start. Here are some safety tips for kids from BuildEazy: a bit about safety >>

Here’s what you’ll find in this article:
Woodworking Project Ideas for Kids
Tips and Suggestions on Kids and Woodworking
Free Plans for Kids Woodworking Projects
Video of Woodworking with Kids
More Woodworking with Kids Resources:
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What if you could consistently determine the most efficient way to cut your wood stock down into project-ready pieces?

First off you’d save yourself money - quite a big chunk over time depending on how much wood you buy. Some other repercussions? You’d have no need for articles like: 11 Ideas for Wood Cut Offs, and you could strike the cut off storage plans off your list of wood storage plans.
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Whether you’re just dreaming it or you’re ready to build it, the backyard workshop is the ultimate for every woodworker. Just ask the guys who have one This collection of links to plans, articles, books, videos - all free - shows you a wide range of possibilities so you can mix and match ideas to build the workshop of your dreams.

Remember though: “Before you begin work, contact your local building codes office and find out about necessary permits or other requirements for this type of building.”

What’s in this Workshop Building Plan Collection
–> 4 Remarkable Workshop Ideas, Plans and Guides
–> 3 True “Workshop” Plans
–> 12 Sheds You Could Enlarge
–> 4 Shed Foundations and Floor Guides
–> 4 Shed Construction Videos
–> 8 Free Shed Plan Pages I Used to Compile This Page
–> 11 More Free Plan Collections

–> 4 Remarkable Workshop Ideas, Plans and Guides

1) The Pallet Shed - the Ultimate in Cheapskate Refinement
Insulated? It… could be. Big enough for your table saw and your router table and workbench and jointer and planer? Erm… maybe with a few engineering tweaks to the structure. Are there any actual plans? Nope - you’ll have to wing it, just like everyone else who builds structures with pallets. Is it expensive? Not in terms of cash

This in-construction picture is from a page with pictures of 7 different sheds and other structures built from pallets. See them here: Pallet Sheds >>

If you’re seriously considering building with pallets then you don’t need to take the cheapskate woodworker quiz

2) GENERAL BARN AND UTILITY SHED PLANS (23 plans in PDF from the University of Tennessee)
When it comes to free plans it’s tough to beat the guys at the University of Tennessee. I had a tough time finding plans that would really provide enough square footage for a SERIOUS woodworking shop. You will probably have to REDUCE THE SIZE of the plans on that list… (and take out some of the stalls .

See all 23 General Barn and Utility Shed Plans from UT >>

3) Oak Lawn Vehicle Barn and Workshop
The Oak Lawn Four-Bay Car Barn… Loft? CHECK. 24′ x 28′? CHECK. Cars? H*** NO!!!

The Oak Lawn Four-Bay Car Barn >>
NOTE: This free plan requires that you give up your name and email…

4) Frank Pellow’s Workshop
Frank Pellow started building his dream workshop two months after he retired in 2003. He’s an active woodworking forum poster (now in FamilyWoodworking.org) and asked LOTS of questions about functionality and best practices. But best of all he wrote down every step he took, every idea he incorporated, and every design decision he made in a book and published it online.

Download The Story of a Woodworking Shop by Frank Pellow (188 pages in PDF) >> (very slow download… it’s being hosted by a friend of Frank’s, Mr. Stu Ablett who also posts at FamilyWoodworking)
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Theft sucks. There’s no other way to put it. It leaves you feeling violated and all to aware of your vulnerability. That’s why there’s no time like the present to increase the security you have on your power tools… Thanks to the good folks at SawmillCreek for starting the lively thread How do you prevent theft/break-ins at your shop? which served as inspiration for this article.

1) Good Security Lighting Outside
Good security lighting lets people from the street, neighbors, and YOU see what’s happening on your property. This means eliminating large shadows and making sure that you’re not creating a glare anywhere - shadows and glare are friends to thieves. Also, bright-white light allows for the highest rate of accurate identification of intruders. Check out this article on construction site security lighting for more tips.

2) Dogs
Enough said. Nearly everyone posting in that SMC thread that inspired this article wrote about getting a dog. The former insurance adjustors who posted on the thread said that they never filed insurance claims at houses with dogs. See Top Dogs for Security Work and Top Dogs for Watchdog Barking and Dogs Least Likely to Succeed at Watchdog Barking.
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