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Get your free woodworking plans ebooks packed full of great projects.

The ebook includes the following woodwork plans:

• MAKING THE CANDLEBOX
• CROTCH-GRAINED CHESS TABLE
• FOUR-BOARD BENCH
• TV RISER
• SHAKER-STYLE MIRROR
• SIDE TABLE WITH CURLY MAPLE DRAWER
• FOOTSTOOL
• TRESTLE TABLE
• TEN-DRAWER CHEST
• KEY RACK
• OAK MAGAZINE STAND
• BOX WITH RAISED PANELS
• CHIPPENDALE MIRROR
• SHAKER STYLE PEDESTAL STAND
• WALL BOX
• HEPPLEWHITE-STYLE END TABLE
• TWO-DRAWER CHEST
• DRYING RACK
• SIX-DRAWER CHEST
• PEGGED DISPLAY SHELF
• TABLETOP DESK
• SHERATON-STYLE TABLE
• DOCUMENT CHEST

You can download the woodworking plans HERE

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Woodworking plans can make a woodworkers life “heaven”. Imagine making all the parts and pieces for a project, exactly the size and quantity they ask for then simply gluing them all together. Thats what good plans will do for you. If you purchase good quality plans, the manufacture will often state that these plans have been tested. Occasionally, or with new plans you may find some that are not but these are getting rare, especially with computer aided drawing.

The advantage with purchasing woodworking plans is that someone else has done the design work, the drawing and the testing and now all you have to do is purchase wood and do all the fun stuff like making the parts. Sadly, I am not a furniture designer, I have to see it, or at least a picture of it before get a concept of it. At price of wood, I want to make sure I am not going to make any mistakes in cutting and measuring so having the plans is a good start.

One thing I have learned about plans is that just like any other product you really need examine what you are getting. For example a number of years ago I bought some plans for and Adirondack Chair, you know the type, like a summer lounge chair. After I built a couple of chairs and started using them I thought they were awful to sit in. After a while my knees and back would hurt.  Some time later I was at Home Depot or Lowes I believe, and saw they had Adirondack Chair kits on sale. They also had a display model you could sit in … which I did. To my utter amazement if was very different from the ones I had made, this one was actually comfortable, even without any padding. What I discovered that day is there can be many different versions of what looks like the same thing.

I was looking for router table plans some time ago and as with the chairs, I was astounded how many different versions there were, over 40 that I counted and probably many more I didn't see. I know that Norm Abram's version from the New Yankee Workshop is popular but it looked more complicated than I wanted. This was one case I opted to purchase a ready made stand as I needed something quickly and make one became not a option.

The reason for the change in buying verses making a router table was that I was being contracted to build a number of items. I now needed to investigate different cabinet plans for one project  a blanket chest for another. Once again I began to research woodworking plans for these items. I knew what the customers wanted but wanted to make sure the finished items would be meet their standards. Again there were many variables and what I ended up doing was getting the clients to select their own styles. This way there would be less risk of them not liking the finished product, and it worked.

I have been interested in boat building for some time now. I am interested in building either a kayak or a canoe. As usual, there are many versions of kayak plans and canoe plans and making the decision on these is very difficult, or maybe I'm just being picky. I really don't want to spend all the hours it will take to build a water craft then not be happy with it once it is finished. Most places provide ratings or customer experiences with their plans and finished products, I can only hope their analysis are correct as I will likely need to base my decisions on what others say.

 

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Working with wood is an enjoyable and profitable activity. Woodworking ideas may have come to you when you saw a nice chair or piece of cabinet at an expo or a furniture shop, but you may not have acted upon it because you felt like you didn’t have enough time or the right tools. But the truth is that the most powerful tools for woodworking can be purchased at most tool stores and even online. Creating something out of wood can be a very soothing yet very productive activity.

If you feel like you’re stumped on what exactly to start making, here are some woodworking ideas that you can start on:

1.    Toys – all the kids are into computer games and digital media nowadays, so it may feel funny to be introducing your very young kid to clumsy little blocks or games. But very young children actually need these tactile and stimulating toys in order to train their brain and hand-eye coordination. You can get woodworking ideas for creating simple toys such as blocks or toy figures from websites or even your local woodwork shop.

2.    Various pieces of furniture – why not spruce up that antique table, or finally get around to fixing and improving that broken cabinet? Harness your woodworking ideas to make your furniture more functional and your home more beautiful. You can also work on outdoor necessities like a garden trellis, a yard bench, or even a low gate for your porch.

3.    Ornaments and seasonal accents – if you feel intimidated by taking on a huge project such as a bed or a swing set, you can focus on doing smaller, yet just as beautiful, projects such as yard figures, mirror frames, or basic tables.

Where to Get Woodworking Ideas

Plans for various wood projects are available in books and magazines, which you can usually just pick up at any bookstore or hardware shop. A lot of creative and very generous people also put up their woodworking ideas and plans on the internet or through mailing lists. We have many woodwork projects listed in our woodworking plans section .

If you have the luxury of time and resources, you can fine-tune your own woodworking ideas and create your own designs for a wide array of objects or furniture. Do not be afraid to experiment or be original because all classic woodwork designs started through what-ifs and experimentation.

Woodworking can be a fun hobby that you can finish on weekends, or it can transform into a serious, full-time profession. Just remember always to make sure that you have well-maintained and quality tools, a complete roster of accessories for cleaning up and maintenance, adequate raw resources, and tons of patience and optimism to get the results that you really want from your humble woodworking ideas.