Don't put my heart on a shelf ... or in a box

All has been pretty quite on the blogging front for the last few weeks.  I've been working on a little project for my wife's birthday (I won't say which birthday) and she is one of the few people who read my blog so I had to keep mum about what I was really doing.

So without further ado, my first bandsaw type box ... happy birthday honey.

New Tool - Part 2 - The Tax Return

At the end of last year I was kind of hoping that our tax return would be enough to let me buy a new big ticket tool for my workshop (I define "big ticket" as over $200.00).  I knew I wanted to that tool to be a bandsaw, the question was really WHICH bandsaw to get.

I googled, I did searches on You Tube, I visited manufacturers websites, I posted questions in woodworking forums.  I created a comparison chart of 15 different band saws from 10 different manufacturers, comparing resaw capacity, table size, horsepower, price, etc...

Imagine my surprise when after all my research I ended up concluding that the Sears Craftsman 14" bandsaw (for me) was going to be the best bang for the buck.

The bandsaw, in the box, weighs in at 223lbs.  Its a good 30 feet, uphill, over soft ground, from where I can park my truck to the front door of my shop... ugh.  I did finally get it in the shop, get it up on a table (which was really the hardest part), and then spent about 4 hours over 3 nights putting it together.

And because my lovely wife lets me do this crazy woodworking thing that I love so much, I just had to make something for her: