The Right Woodworking Plans Make Woodworking Projects Easy

Owen Smorgon
3 min readOct 17, 2022

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Building anything can be intimidating at first. Experienced woodworkers know the key to success is a good plan. A good woodworking plan is kind of like having a good road map before beginning a journey. Whether you’re building a woodworking project or taking a trip, if you have a bad plan you’re going to get lost!

Before you begin your search for a plan, think about what you might like to build. To generate some ideas, look around at your surroundings. Go visit some furniture stores (and grab their catalogs on the way out). Browse through some woodworking or architectural magazines. You will be amazed at what may spark your interest to try woodworking. Or, you may already know exactly what you want to build or need to build and want to get right to it.

What your woodworking plan needs to contain for it to be a success:

  • Blueprints with detailed assembly instructions
  • Materials lists must be thorough and itemized
  • Woodworking tools required for project completion
  • Finishing options
  • Safety tips

Now that you have some ideas in mind of the woodworking project you want to build and what a quality woodworking plan needs to contain, it’s time to find the woodworking project plan that is right for you.

Finding great woodworking project plans doesn’t have to be a chore if you know where to look! There are three basic places to find woodworking plans: woodworking magazines, books of woodworking plans found at the library and at home improvement stores, and online on the internet. The internet has dozens of sites and clubs for woodworking that offer woodworking plans. Review the plans carefully and realize that you get what you pay for. Most “free” plans are mere diagrams with little else to offer. Some woodworking plan offerings found on the web cost a bit more money but are extremely detailed and provide step by step directions. Not sure about you, but I don’t like to be left guessing. I’d rather buy a good plan that will ensure my success than try to go the cheap route and not finish what I started out to do. Again, your journey will only go as smoothly as the plan laid out before you begin.

If you do get a woodworking project plan and have questions about it, I suggest you take it with you to your local home improvement store and ask one of the workers there for their help. Don’t be shy. The people working in these stores usually have experience in the building industry and are more than happy to share their experience with you and help you get the right materials you need for your project.

Experienced woodworkers know the key to success is a good plan. Finding great woodworking project plans doesn’t have to be a chore if you know where to look! Click here to get instant access to 50 FREE Woodworking Plans

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