How to Find the Best Woodworking Plans Online for Any Project
Woodworking is a skill that you can develop as much as you want. The more you learn, the more complex projects you can tackle. But no matter your skill level, your project can always benefit from plans drawn up by someone else. Here’s how to find plans for just about any project on the Internet.
Collect your tools
Before you start even the simplest project, you need some basic tools. A variety of screwdrivers, tape measure, hand saw, corner box and sandpaper will take you far. Get the job done in less time with the cordless drill and jigsaw .
When your budget, space, and capabilities are ready for freestanding tools, consider using a table saw, miter saw, milling machine, and drilling machine . These more powerful power tools help you cut large lumber and make precise, repeatable cuts.
Woodworking also requires proper protective equipment, which includes eye and hearing protection and gloves. When using instruments that remove small particles, it is also recommended that proper ventilation and a vacuum system be used in conjunction with a respirator mask.
What to look for when choosing plans
Woodworking and DIY project plans can vary in quality and detail, so before starting your search, check out what you will be looking for. Here are a few requirements that should be included in all plans.
- Cut List : This list shows the amount of lumber required for the project and the dimensions to which it should be cut. The best cut lists and projects will leave the least amount of lumber scraps, which means you’ve made the most of the entire board or plywood sheet.
- Tools : All the tools and accessories needed to create a project. Better yet, it lists alternative tools in case a tool is not available.
- Materials : All materials must be listed and include items such as screws, glue and other hardware.
- Diagrams : The finished project 3D diagrams and exploded views are useful to explore. They are often available in PDF or file format for Sketchup , a free 3D modeling program used by carpenters of all stripes.
- Photos or videos . Visuals such as photos or videos are incredibly useful for stepping through a project.
- Time and Complexity : By knowing how long a project will take to complete, as well as the level of difficulty, you can assess whether the project suits your needs and skills.
Start Searching: How To Find Good Plans Online
Google is probably the first place most people will start looking for woodworking plans, but often the best results can be a mixture of articles and how-tos that are simply not detailed enough. Sometimes they link to plans (as we try to do here at Lifehacker), but other times they just show off a cool project. There are better and more accurate ways to find what you are looking for.
Use advanced Google features
If you are going to use Google, your best bet is to search Google for PDFs, which are most likely from print resources and often have very detailed plans. You can use the filetype operator for this. For example, if you want to build a birdhouse, you can filetype:pdf how to build a birdhouse search in filetype:pdf how to build a birdhouse .
You can also use Google image search to research the project. Unlike PDF search, image search provides a photo of what the project will look like, which helps determine if you want to continue building. By doing an image search for how to build a step stool , you have tons of options that all lead to woodwork plans of varying quality. (The how to some of them is important, otherwise you just get pictures of the stepped chair.)
Search forums
Wood Artists is a social group and there are several popular forums where people share thoughts on tools, discuss the technique in detail, and of course upload their plans. Some of the more active online woodworking communities include Lumberjocks , Woodworking Talk , Wood Magazine , WoodNet , Craig and Sawmill Creek . Search them to see if they have what you’re looking for (either by using the built-in search tool or by Google searching for a specific site:lumberjocks.com side table , for example site:lumberjocks.com side table ) …
While this is not a forum, Instructables also has a ton of woodworking projects. Most tend to be newbies, but it often feels like a forum because of the active and helpful commenters.
Liaison with lumberjack associations
The Carpenters Guild of America provides several plans on their website, but it is best to attend a meeting and get ideas from members. The Modern Woodworkers’ Association publishes weekly podcasts and has active forums, but not many projects. This is a great place to chat and find wood craftsmen to follow on YouTube or their blogs.
Woodworking magazine subscription
As your interest in woodworking grows, you will want to subscribe to a woodworking magazine. This will help quench your new obsession with articles on woodworking tools, techniques, and plans. As a print magazine subscriber, you will also have access to their database of plans on their websites. Popular magazines: Woodworkers Journal , Fine Woodworking, and Popular Woodworking .
Search blogs and YouTube
Many carpenters share their designs on their own blogs or YouTube channels. In fact, we’ve covered many of them here before, including Woodworking for Mere Mortals , The Wood Whisperer ,Matthias Wandel , April Wilkerson , Sawdust Girl , House of Wood , FixThisBuildThat , Pneumatic Addict , Build-Basic , Rogue Engineer , Her Tool Belt and Ana White . The best YouTube carpenters create great videos and also provide a complete blog post with a list of clippings, tools, materials, and instructions. Find your favorites and save them when you search.
Woodworkers Workshop and FreeWoodworkingPlan.com have always been around . They provide free woodworking projects that cover just about anything you can imagine, but the quality of the photos and instructions is not as good as elsewhere. They can still be a great tool for experienced wood craftsmen.
Manufacturers making woodworking tools and materials are also getting into the content creation game, and some of them will share woodworking plans online. Minwax and Ryobi , for example, provide their plans for free, while Rockler offers their woodworking plans for a fee. Search for them along with other blogs and you have a handy list of resources to turn to for any project.