Why Woodworking Plans Offer a Lot More Than Just Guidance

by

Bob Gillespie

The first thing I ever tried to make out of wood, as a child of 7 years, was a soapbox derby racing car. I planned to make it out of wood boards and metal parts I found abandoned. I soon discovered that I had absolutely no idea of how to accomplish this. I bent over nails and hit my thumb with the hammer a number of times. Not too much later, I felt overwhelmed and gave up completely. I could have used some adult instruction and I surely could have benefited from a good set of plans.

Later in life, I became a professional woodworker and furniture designer and president of a business that made original, custom furniture for wealthy clients. In between the soapbox derby car and the furniture firm, I made a lot of mistakes and tried to learn from every one of them. What helped me at the start was the discovery that reasonably priced woodcraft plans were available that could show me how to make things out of wood. I determined that some plans were poorly drawn and often imprecise, leaving scratching my head as to what I needed to do next. Occasionally, I would discover well-conceived, well-drawn, step-by-step plans that I could actually use. They featured not only well-designed, easy-to-follow drawings, they had clearly-written, detailed instructions as well as a precise inventory of materials needed. I determined that with this quality of plan, I could not lose. In the beginning, I would obtain plans that I liked and then follow them exactly to the finish. I learned a lot of basic, intermediate and advanced woodcraft abilities from doing this. As I went on, I would find plans that I felt confident in modifying to my taste, just a bit, here and there. As time passed and my skills evolved, I started drawing my own plans, thus giving an outlet to my own creativity. To this day, I never embark on a project without a plan in my possession, whether it be someone else’s plan or my own. So, I guess what I am saying is that the novice woodworker should think about following someone else’s plans exactly and then, as his or her woodworking skills develop, go into modifying plans and even drawing your own plans. Am I finished with following pre-made plans? Not at all! In fact, I still benefit from them. At this point, at the very least, they give me inspiration for projects that probably would have never occurred. They are very valuable for building things around the home, inside and out. To help you see what I mean by plans giving you ideas, here is a much-edited listing of plan types obtainable from one of my main sources of plans. This online merchant offers access to a downloadable package of over 14,000 plans of all varieties. Here are simply a few of the many varieties of plans he offers: You’ll find barn, bed, bench, billiard table, bird feeder, boat, book case, bridge, cabin, cabinet, carport, cart, chair, chest, clock, coffee table, compost bin, computer desk, cradle, deck, desk, doghouse, dresser, file cabinet, fireplace mantle, frames, garage, gazebo, greenhouse, guitar, gun cabinet, home office, hutch, kitchen, lamp, landscaping, media center, mirror, ottoman, playhouse, shed, shelf, stool, storage, swing, table, tool box, toys, utility building, wagon, wind generator, windmill and many, many more categories of detailed woodworking plans. All you are required to do is click on the sort of plan you are interested in and you will be exposed to all the plans under that group. Select one of these and you are ready to start. Access to all 14,000 plans is accessible to you for one, very low, affordable price. Are you thrilled at the vision of starting a new woodworking project, learning new skills and creating what is drawn in the plans to an ideal finish? There are plans for beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels so you can, without difficulty, decide on a plan that is appropriate what you have absorbed in the past and what you are ready to learn. I was going to say ‘Good Luck’ to you but following these expertly-crafted plans has hardly anything to do with luck or skill. All you need to know how to do is follow simple, clearly written instructions. So, instead, I’ll just close with ‘Have Fun’ and ‘Be Proud’ of the final result! Bob Gillespie Woodworker About the Author:

Bob Gillespie writes on many subjects including woodworking plans. He is a full-time woodworker, Internet marketer and author who lives on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Learn more about woodworking plans at Bob’s blog at:

http://woodworker-plans.inetwyoming.com Other blogs of possible interest: http://woodworking-plans.inetwyoming.com and http://woodworking.inetwyoming.com

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