We recently posted about FreeWW.com, a site devoted to free woodworking plans. Judging from out site stats you guys ate them up.

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Also, check out our guide to free router table plans, a guide I wrote based on the great sites listed below.

We set the hounds on hunting out all the free woodworking plan sites that the web has to offer, and we think we’re getting pretty close to pointing to all of them right here.

If you’re wondering how we got the 4,000 number I’ll admit - it was a lot of guess work.

On sites like the first one, where I estimate around 2,500 plans, I counted the number of categories (180) and multiplied that by the lowest number I found in the sampling of categories I checked in (15) and rounded down.

I stayed conservative any time I couldn’t get an exact count.

Scientific? Heck no! But who cares? There’s lots and lots and lots of free plans for you to start rummaging through… so DIG IN to these plans and get your butt into the work shop!

1) Search for free woodworking plans on the sites listed below:

Yeah, we know it can be a hassle to weed through hundreds of plans - that’s why we whipped together this handy little Google tool that only searches free woodworking plans. Enjoy!

2) FreeWoodworkingPlan.com ~2500 Plans
Free Woodworking Plans, Free Woodworking Projects and Patterns (over 180 categories, from 15-100+ plans per category estimated ~2,500 plans)

3) AbsolutelyFreePlans.com 517 Plans
Absolutely Free Plans (more free plans than those listed below - these below are the most common interest)

Indoor Projects (157 Plans)

Outdoor Projects (103 Plans)

Projects for Children (105 Plans)

Workshop Projects (152 Plans)

4) Free-Woodworking-Stuff.com ~400 Free Woodworking Plans
Free Woodworking Plans from Free-Woodworking-Stuff. 10 5 categories - between 4-10 plans per category estimated ~400 plans.

5) FreeWW.com ~360 Free Woodworking Plans
http://www.freeww.com/ (featured recently in the ToolCrib blog in A List of Free Woodworking Project Plans) 119 Categories, estimate 3 plans per category ~360 plans

6) Rec.Woodworking 107 Free Woodworking Plans
Rec.Woodworking’s Free Plans List (107 Free Plan links - hard to tell what’s at the end of all of them though)

7) EP’s 98 Free Woodworking Plans
Free Woodworking Plans (98 plans and projects)

8) Lowes 56 Free Woodworking Plans
Lowes Intermediate Projects (45 free woodworking plans and projects)

Lowes Basic Woodworking Projects (11 free woodworking plans and projects)

9) Binky’s Woodworking 20 Free Woodworking Plans
Binky’s Woodworking Free Plans (~20 free woodworking plans and projects)

10) About.com’s Free Woodworking Plans 11 Plans
Free Woodworking Plans and Designs (11 plans)

Those links contain, as far as I could tell, only free woodworking plans in the sections on the pages designated “free woodworking plans.”

More Woodworking Plans - Free and Pay
I didn’t count these sites in the total 4,000 woodworking plans because they contain a mixture of paid plans in their listings. Some only a few, some a lot.

1. All Woodworking Plans - by Category The3House
2. Wood Central’s Woodworking Plan List
3. WoodWorkZone Woodworking Plans
4. Rick’s Woodshop Creations Project Plans
5. Flip’s Free Woodworking Plans (over 200 free plans, some pay)
6. AllCrafts Woodworking Plans
7. FreePlans.com (by email, you have to sign up)
8. Woodworking Plans from Rockler (all pay)

Do you have any favorite free woodworking plan resources? Comment them below or send them in an email to GFrench@ToolCrib.com!

I polled the guys at Woodnet recently to see who were their top five most influential woodworkers…

It turned out to be a pretty popular and highly personal topic. Great stuff for those seeking to broaden their woodworking influences…

What I published here today is but a small part of a larger survey I’m doing. I also asked at LumberJocks and will re-ask at FamilyWoodworking now that I have refined my question.

You’re welcome to contribute to the “most influential woodworker project” too by commenting this thread or emailing GFrench@ToolCrib.com about your top five most influential woodworkers.

Here’s a sneak peek at the WoodNet top ten so far… I will check back there before I put together another “ultimate guide”

1) Norm Abram - 27
“The guy in plaid,” “Nahm…”

He goes by many names and Woodnetters mentioned him 27 times as a “most influential” woodworker. Especially in the early years.

More about Norm
Norm Abram’s wikipedia entry
Abram hosts the New Yankee TV show.
A TOH interview with Norm Abram

2) My Dad - 14
Fathers came in second for most influential woodworkers. The stories come in first though - they are priceless. Just read through the WoodNet thread for the guys who wrote about their dads.

3) David Marks - 13
David Marks hosts Woodworks on the DIY Network. Many guys mentioned not liking his style, but they all said they respected his attention to detail.

More about Marks
Wood Works program description
David Marks bio
David Marks vs. Marc Spagnuolo (HUMOR + it’s an MP3)

4) woodnetters - 10
Obviously the woodnetters made the list. You pretty much come to woodworking forums to get influenced one way or another

5) Granpa - 9
Another big favorite is Granpa. Like “dad” there are many great stories about grandfather woodworkers in that thread.

6) shop teacher - 7
For many woodworkers, their first woodworking successes came from shop class. Many folks were fortunate enough to have a great teacher show them the ropes early on.

7) James Krenov - 6
This Russian cabinet maker has an interesting past and is undeniably a master of woodworking. Many woodworkers noted that his books were highly influential.

More about Krenov
The official James Krenov site.
transcripts of Krenov interview done by the Smithsonian
WoodCentral Interview with Krenov

MORE Influential Woodworkers Coming Soon!
This is just a little teaser for you… I couldn’t wait There are close to 80 other woodworkers mentioned, and the numbers will only go up once we get more conversations rolling

The first Volume of the ToolCrib.com Newsletter is out into the world.

Thanks to everyone for the great response.

Click here to check it out and click here to make sure you are on the list for the next one.

I’m not afraid to admit that I know nothing about woodworking First and foremost because I have very little shame, to the chagrin of the LOML when we’re out at dinner.

And secondly because I know I can rely on the guys at FamilyWoodworking and WoodNet for a healthy dose of woodworking wisdom.

Building from the collaborative success of our Ultimate Guide to the Top Ten Most Dangerous Woodworking Power Tools I went to both forums today and asked them about good questions to ask of influential woodworkers.

I thought I’d link to them from here so you can see the “conversations” emerge… I think I may have to re-ask my question in WoodNet cause I’ve got crickets there for now .

Anyways, check out:
Who are your top five most influential woodworkers?
and
woodworker interviews project

And please comment or email me: GFrench@ToolCrib.com about YOUR favorite woodworkers and questions you’d like to ask them!

(attn newsletter readers - I meant to send you to our 31 most influential woodworkers, not here doh!)

“What is the most dangerous woodworking power tool?”

That’s what I asked the woodworkers at the woodworking forums FamilyWoodworking.org and WoodNet.net.

WoodNet.net’s woodworkers responded with 55 replies and the guys at FamilyWoodworking.org responded with 51 replies with over 3000 views between them.

The chilling experiences and hard-knock wisdom from both forums inspired this article, and I hope that by reading this and following the links I provide that you become a safer, more tool-respecting woodworker.

To stay up to date with ALL of our woodworking and power tool resources subscribe to the ToolCrib.com email newsletter. CLICK HERE to sign up!

The #1 Most Dangerous Power Tool
After over 100 responses to the “most dangerous tool” question the seasoned woodworkers from both forums delivered an unequivocal answer.

There IS INDEED a power tool that’s more dangerous than any other in your wood shop and you need to treat this tool with more respect and care than your table saw, shaper, jointer or chain saw.
(more…)

Hey guys,

Here is a great list of Free Woodworking Plans I found at www.freeww.com.

Here are the main categories, Be sure to check it out and let us know what you think.

Free woodworking plans:
Bed Plans
Bed Headboard Plans
Bedroom Furniture Plans
Bedside Tables
Bench Plans
Bird Feeder Plans
Bird House Plans
Bookcase Plans
Chair Plans
Chest Plans
Chest of Drawer Plans
Children’s Backyard Equipment Plans
Clock Plans
Closet Organizers
Coat Rack Plans
Desk Plans
Dresser Plans
Entertainment Center Plans
Home Bar Plans
Entertainment Centers
Kitchen Woodworking Projects
Mission Furniture Plans
Router Table Plans
Shelf Plans
Skateboard Ramp Plans
Small Project Plans
Stool Plans
Storage Buildings and Sheds
Table Plans Index
Bedside Table Plans
Coffee Table Plans
Dining Table Plans
End Table Plans
Hall Table Plans
Mission Table Plans
Patio Table Plans
Picnic Table Plans
Poker Table Plans
Router Table Plans
Side Table Plans
Sofa Table Plans
Tables
Workbench Plans
Yard Art Plans

Small woodworking project plans index:
Calendar Frame Plans
Cat Tree Plans
Coat Racks & Hall Trees
Cookbook Holders
Dartboard Cabinet Plans
Date Block Plans
DVD and CD Storage Plans
Fishing Rod Rack Plans
Garden Stakes
Humidor Plans
Jewelry Box Plans
Kitchen Accessories
Kitchen Canister Plans
Kitchen Breakfast Nook Plans
Kitchen Trash Can Plans
Knife Block Plans
Lazy Susan Plans
Message Board Center Plans
Paper Towel Holders
Pot Racks
Remote Holder Plans
Shelves:
Wall Shelves
Floating Shelves
Corner Shelves
Bathroom Shelves
Garage Shelves
Decorative Shelves
Building Shelves
Standing Shelves
Spice Racks
Step Stools
Tie Rack Plans
Wine Rack Plans
Wind Chimes
Outdoor Decorations:
Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Sleighs
Yard Art Animals and Insects
Miscellaneous Yard Art

We also recently wrote:
ToolCrib.com’s Ultimate Guide to Over 4,000 Free Woodworking Plans
and ToolCrib.com’s Ultimate Guide to Free Router Table Plans

Sign up for the ToolCrib.com newsletter for more free plans, woodworking resources and power tool advice! CLICK HERE to subscribe.

If you’re a regular Popular Woodworking reader then you’re probably familiar with their “I Can Do That” feature which emphasizes two day shop projects for woodworkers with most of the standard power tool array.

The “I Can Do That” Manual is much more than this - it’s 12 chapters and 81 pages of woodworking tool bliss that will help you put together your first full set of woodworking tools.

…or figure out how to round out the tool set you already have.

Download the Manual - it’s in PDF format.

It’s full of great, no-nonsense insight like:

“The jigsaw cuts curves beautifully and it is safe, powerful and inexpensive. (In fact, some professional cabinetmakers use their jigsaw for curves more than they use a stationary band saw.) Plus, with a little practice, you’ll find that you need very little clean-up of your sawn edges.”

I’m not sure if our friends over at FamilyWoodworking and WoodNet would agree 100% with 100% of what’s written in the manual, but if you read this guide you’ll be well on your way to understanding the fundamentals of woodworking and woodworking tools.

I recently asked the woodworkers at FamilyWoodworking and WoodNet.net about what they thought were the most dangerous power tools.

The resounding answer was: “the tool OPERATOR is the most dangerous tool.”

There are some chilling stories and great advice from all sides and I’m now in the process of contacting folks for quote permissions to pull all the pieces together and wrap them into something that - I hope - will genuinely benefit the woodworking community.

Here’s where I’ll be drawing from for the article -
FamilyWoodworking.org: Most Dangerous Woodworking Tool

WoodNet.net: Most Dangerous Power Tool?

It comes down to the job and the power of your circular saw…

If you’re new to woodworking and would like a one minute overview of the differences between circular saw blades check out this video with Tim Carter of http://www.AsktheBuilder.com.

To get a bit more depth on matching saw blades with your job, check out How to Choose the Right Circular Saw Blade.

And for a discussion of the differences in usage between full kerf and thin kerf I suggest the full kerf/thin kerf discussion in WoodNet.

(Kerf is the width of the cut as determined by how wide the teeth protrude on the blade.)

And if you really want to dig into the history of saws I highly recommend the wikipedia Saws page.

When shopping for your next router you’ll likely come down to performance as a key decision factor.

One of the most obvious ways to measure performance is horsepower. But, as the Rockler blog noted recently, “there’s more than one way to measure horsepower, and some aren’t a good indication of how a router will work in an actual woodworking situation.”

Your best bet will be to gauge the KIND of work you intend to do with a particular router and fit that to a rated amperage.

As the Rockler blog says:

“If you need a router mainly for light -duty, handheld machining for inlay and whatnot, a king-sized 15 amp model might not be the best choice. And by the same token, a lightweight, easy to handle 10 amp or less router will turn out to be a disappointment if the plan is to whip out raised panels on a router table from 9 to 5.”

Learning about how electric motors work is another way to educate yourself before making a decision.

The Rockler blog provides a link to “Electric Motors Frequently Asked Questions.”

Check out Rockler’s post Router Horsepower if you’re trying to make up your mind about which router’s going to work best for you.

I’ve asked for router-selection input from the guys at FamilyWoodworking.org too.