Posts Tagged ‘Woodworking Plans’

This is the latest from Wood Magazine, they put all 195 back issues on one DVD.  I spent a good hour cleaning out my closet trying to figure out which issues I wanted to keep and which ones I wanted to throw away.  I am going with this, its easier and I have what I need at my fingertips.  I usually just try to keep the issues with router table and router stuff, but you never know when you need something you saw a while back and cannot figure out where it went.

This content is straight from Wood Magazine:

Readers told us they wanted all 195 back issues on one disc, with a single, comprehensive, searchable index. So we did just that, while maintaining the super-high-quality, 300-dpi resolution, ensuring you crystal-clear illustrations and photos. 

High resolution PDFs make for easy, enjoyable reading.
View every photo, drawing, and detail in digitally reproduced, crystal clarity. Zoom in for a closer look, or print articles for use in the shop with the handy “Print this article” button.

Free up shelf space in your home and shop:
The disc and protective case fits 195 issues into the space of a slim paperback.

Save hundreds of dollars versus buying back issues.
In fact, many of the most sought-after issues on this disc have been out of print for years and are no longer available in any other format.

Compatible with PC and Mac.
If you don’t already have it, Adobe Reader is included on the disc for viewing.

I have always said that woodworking has really evolved.  In my humble opinion there has always been some “old school” woodworkers and there are “new schoolers” too.  I have some relatives that build kind of the old school standards, like paper towel holders and scounces.  This bores me to death to be quite honest.  I say if your going to be in the shop, make something that works for you.

This months deal is from Rockler, and its pretty cool because its useful.  Yeah I know there is still snow on the ground in most places, but hey that is when you get some good shop time.  A nice barbeque set really is very helpful when you are in the battle of the coals and raw meat.  This one I really like since it gives you a lot of the tools you really need and you get to brag about making the handles and take all the credit.  Having the ability to download the plan for free is a great thing too.  I can easily drop $50 on a decent set of barbeque tools so the $15 for the hardware is pretty slick.

Go directly to this Deal of the day here.

By Peter Wilson

So think you’d like to build a bathroom cabinet. Perhaps a new curio for the front room is in order. You even recognize how nice it would be to make a captain’s bed with a full set of drawers underneath and a headboard that holds books. If you have big plans for building something out of wood, then make sure you have the right woodworking plans and patterns so that you can do it like the professionals.

What’s In a Woodworking Plan

Commercially sold or free woodworking plans found online take all the guess work out of a project. A good plan, not only list the lumber you will need – type and quantity, but it can give you estimates on how long the whole project will take and evaluate it by skill level. For example, a beginner may not be ready for a curved wood curio cabinet top, but could really do nicely making a lighthouse style birdhouse.

Wood working patterns also contain a hardware and accessories list. You will know ahead of time just how many hinges, knobs and drawer rails your project requires. It will give a description of the best materials to use and even where to get them.

A tool list helps you make sure you have everything you need to work with your supply list. Many plans don’t assume you already own any of the tools so the list is comprehensive and complete. If you need a particular saw blade, the plans will let you know right there in black and white.

Another helpful part about using a woodworking pattern is that all your measurements are there. If you are making the captain’s bed with underneath storage drawers, you will not need to calculate or guess the width each drawer needs to be in order to fit three across. The figuring has been done for you. Even better than just planning, the plan author has most likely made the project several times, so they know from experience.

How Hard Is It To Read Woodworking Plans?

Many plans are created to overcome the language barrier. Pictures illustrate each step and are often all that is necessary without added written descriptions. For those steps that may need the additional explanation, written directions are usually in several of the most common world languages.

You don’t need to have a degree in hammering and gluing to understand how these directions work. If you have every put one of those “some assembly required” toys together, then you will be pleasantly surprised that reading woodworking plans is actually easier!

The Finishing Touches

Many wood working patterns come with illustrations or photographs of the finished project. Line drawings are always included, but it is also nice to see the finished piece in a photograph. This will give you ideas for staining or painting the finished wood project. Also you can get an idea of how it might look in a room in your home. Don’t be afraid to take on a wood working project just because you can’t see how it’s all put together from the outside. Chances are somebody has wanted to make one of their own and has drawn up just the pattern you need.

About the Author: Peter J. Wilson routinely makes papers on problems dealing with free woodworking patterns and scroll saw patterns. You might find out more about his writings on woodworking plans over at http://www.insidewoodworking.com

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=102359&ca=Arts+and+Crafts

Woodworking Plan, Picnic Table

When I was growing up in michigan we had a picnic that we used outside in the summer.  In the winter we use to take it apart and put it into the basement so that it would not get ruined.  I really cannot think of a better woodworking project because it is so darn useful.  Because we stored it in the winter time, it lasted over 20 years.  This project is very durable and will give your family years of use.  It is feutured in July 2009 of Wood Magazine, page 60.

One of the best things about this woodworking project is that it usese dimensional lumber, or lumber you can buy already cut. (like a 2 x4)  This makes the job a lot faster and finding the stock is easy since you can buy them just about anywhere.  There are some great joinery techniques that are show in the plan and the magazine has a nice blow up of the assembly.  You basically start from the bottom of the frame and work your way up the assembly

With the prices of outdoor furnture these days, building this woodworking plan can be a great investment.  If you take care of it, it will last a lifetime and you can hand it down to the next generation.  The one my dad built was not as nice as this, but as I get older, I wish I had it for personal reasons.

Woodworking Plan, Picnic Table

Woodworking, woodworking plan

I love using scrap wood in my woodworking shop to make items that are attractive and useful.  This plan is a featured plan from Wood Magazine and only costs $2.75 for the PDF plan.

You can also see a cutting diagram in Wood Magazine July 2009, page 20.  It gives you a nice exploded view of the cut diagram.  You can cut six parts from one blank piece of wood.  I dont know about you, but I always have a bin of scrap wood lying around for just such an occasion.  Combining different woods will also give you some spectular results.

One of the best things I love about these types of plans is that it gives me ideas of what to build that I can actually make and then turn around and sell online.  I love offerring items like this on Ebay since they are handmade and if you keep the price reasonable, people will buy them.  The key of course is using your scrap wood, this makes the time spent on the item the only cost condsideration.  What your time is worth is up to you to decide.  Try making several at once, this will help you streamline your woodworking process and allow you to work faster and produce more in a set amount of time.  I like making six at a time with different woods, this allows me to test what colors sell best and what days are best to close the auctions on.  If you have your own woodworking site, you can feature them there as well.

There is a nice shop tip in the magazine for routing small parts.  It shows the authors using woodworking clamps to hold the smaller pieces while it is on the router table.

You can find the candle holder plan at this link or by clicking the photo.  May you be covered in sawdust!  Woodworking Plan

Here is a site that offers free woodworking plans, its called Vintage Internet Plans.

You can find it by going to their site at http://vintageinternetplans.com/

They have a collection of free mission style furniture plans taken from publications dating back to the late 1800′s.  If you are interested in mission style design, this site definetely caters to it.

So what makes it different or interesting?  Well there is a lot of information and a lot of designs on the site.  You can see quickly a visual listing of the projects and a small picture of what that project is.  This is good for a quick glance if you are looking for something.  I like it because you don’t have to figure out where it is hiding, its just there for your reference

Then you can more or less just choose based on what you are interested in.  It is interesting to note that they do have a pdf drawing available for each one of the plans.  This is helpful and can give you a better perspective of what the projects entails.

There are lot of other links to free plans on the page as well, so you really could keep very busy opening up and searching all over for something that interests you.  We will try to give you a composite list to keep everything located in one reference.

This  section of site is going to cover a lot of information about woodworking plans.  Now you may be asking yourself, do they mean free woodworking plans or plans that I have to buy?  The answer is both!  Everybody likes something for free, but there is the adage of “you get what you pay for.”  Instead of searching all over the Internet and spending all that time chasing links and finding plans, let us do the work.  We will:

• List the sites, both paid plans and free plans
• Give you a brief summary of what they offer
• Give you overview of the actual site for value
• All with no pitching!

This section will be fairly long since it contains a tremendous amount of information.  There are links to references and some good to know information along the way.  Be sure to check back often since we will try to update this section frequently.  Each new post will show on top of the old and you can find all previous posts in the archive.  Of course if you find a site that we have not yet covered, feel free to leave a comment and we will check it out.

Wood Magazine has made a step to help out woodworkers.  They are having a recession type sale that can help woodworkers and do it yourselfers, get more value for your money.  If you have already figured out, most woodworkers have made the value switch of making their own furniture instead of buying it.  Plans, books and reviews all help you accomplish this more easily.

Deal of the week and woodworking plan blow out.