Teds Woodworking Review

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Tom

Teds Woodworking Review – Woodworking Plans Galore

Hey, Rob here

When I needed to build a workbench, my first thought was: “I need a plan for a workbench that fits in my garage”.

So I found some helpful woodworking plans for several workbenches and anything you would want to build really. Teds woodworking review gives step by step instructions and uncovers a good lot of secret woodworking tips.

Click Here To See Ted’s Woodworking

Teds Woodworking Review

When I first received Ted’s plans I was somewhat surprised by the size of the download. I took a while to download but after waiting patiently I could start seeking workbench plans and plans for a child bed.

First Impression of Ted’s Woodworking Package

The plans are nicely arranged and it wasn’t hard to find what I wanted. Sifting through the plans, I randomly opened some to check them out. It’s a comprehensive collection of different plans and blueprints, some of which are easy to understand, some are a bit harder to read but with some practice this is easily overcome.

There are plans for beginners and for more advanced woodworkers and they come complete with materials lists and instructions. For Workbench Plans for instance , there’s all kinds of sizes, heights, features etc. There were enough designs that met my requirements.

I found the navigation to be ideal, just open a folder of your liking (in my case workbench plans) and the building blueprints unfold. Just browse through until you find a plan you like.

The sheer size of the package is a bit overwhelming however and I can imagine people having problems just making their pick. A bit of a luxury problem so to say

I rate 9/10 for user friendliness.

The Woodworking Plans Layout

The plans are laid out in an easy to follow style and I say that as a Professional Carpenter. Trust me , I know what complicated looks like when it’s actually very simple. Happens to me all the time.

There’s plans for easy projects, like a cute little birdhouse and a simple gazebo for beginners and there’s plans for the more skillful and experienced woodworker.

There is a small minus however. Some of the links are broken. It’s not a big problem, as there’s plenty of plans to choose from and with over 16.000 plans it is to be expected that there are some minor flaws.

I rate the overall quality of the plans 8/10 as there were some that aren’t that easy to follow.

Here’s what Willy has to say about the layout

Ted’s Woodworking Bonuses

DWG/CAD Viewer

The Planning Software package took some time to master, but once I got the hang of it, I saw the power of this tool. Creating my own professional plans. As if 16000 plans isn’t enough.

The Video Series

This is more than just icing on the cake. I found the videos (150 of them!) give away great tips and even taught me a new thing or two. Ted’s book on how to start a woodworking business is really inspiring and by now has got me rethinking my career.

To me they are golden and I rate it 10/10

Is Ted’s Woodworking What I Am Looking For?

Although I have no complaints about the value for money ratio, I can well imagine that if you are only searching for workbench plans that $67 is a bit pricey when you can buy a single online woodworking plan for $10-$15 . I won’t tell you which is the better option, because I can’t read your mind.

That brings me to the question many people have : Does this product fulfill my needs?

Again, I find that a bit hard to answer, but here are my thoughts:

If you are just looking for a plan for a one time project that you shouldn’t buy Ted’s Woodworking. Just find a single plan that fits your needs and buy that.

But if you’re serious about woodworking as a hobby or even as a professional these plans can be all the woodworking plans you will ever need.

The Price

That still leaves me with the price issue. $67 can be a lot for something you haven’t had a look into and I happy Ted gave it a 60 day money back guarantee. No questions asked.

But to make this even better, (yes I saved the best for last) quick deciders can claim a $20 discount on the total package right here.

That means you pay only $47 including the bonuses. But I don’t know how long Ted will keep the offer up, so be quick!

Get Ted’s Plans for $47

So that leaves me with my price rating of 9/10

Bottom Line

Having seen my fair share of building plans I can safely say that Teds plans meet my quality standards with ease. He has outdone himself on the bonuses he’s offering. Compared to other online building plans on sale, this package outperforms them all.

The Price is by all means a fair one if not a little under-priced considering the special discount offer.

There are some minuses however. The package is a huge download and if you don’t have a fast internet connection you might have to be patient. If you have a dial up connection you’re in trouble. I would recommend you download it at a friend who has a broadband connection.

It’s not a product for just everyone slightly interested in woodworking. You do need some degree of common sense and a bit of love for woodworking. It’s not fool proof . But what product is?

I rate Ted’s Woodworking Plans 9/10 overall and I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Storage Sheds: Best Storage Shed Building Plans And Tips

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Tom

How To Build Storage Sheds That Last

There’s plenty of information online on how to build storage sheds and best storage shed building practices. So I’ll just stick to the basic and most important principles when you want to build a storage shed. The details are all perfectly laid out in Ted’s Storage Sheds Plans. To get a copy click here

First Priciple For Building Storage Sheds: Foundation

Find a decent spot and lay your storage sheds foundation. Best practice is to dig out and level the surface with a mixture of pebbles and building sand. Then outline with pegs and string and build a wooden case around it.The foundation should be larger than the surface of your storage shed.

Pour concrete in the casing or use slabs. I prefer one large concrete slab because it’s really hard for weeds to get through. Small paving slabs need to be maintained and inspected more.

To get you inspired, take a look at this video.

Second Principle: Let The Weather Be Your Friend

Keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Building a shed will take several days and you will be best off if you have some help from friends and some friendly weather. It will keep the spirits up and this will reflect in the building quality of your shed.

Third Principle: Prepare Tools And Working Space

Building a shed takes space as you will be working with large timber beams , boards and heavy woodworking tools like band saws.

Your tools have to be well maintained and ready for use.

Last But Not Least: Storage Shed Building Plans

Where most projects go wrong is the misinterpretation and misreading of building plans for sheds. So my best advice is to get good and easy to understand plans. And Ted’s Plans have a proven record of success. Read a full review here.

So if you have these basics right there will stand nothing in your way of successfully building storage sheds!

Easy Woodworking Projects For Kids To Do During Holidays

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Tom

Top 10 Easy Woodworking Projects For Kids

Since my own kids are growing up fast I started having thoughts about doing a woodworking project together at some point. It’s hard to tell when they are old enough to start with some easy woodworking projects for kids but I guess that time will tell. A good sign is when your kids love to watch you work at your workbench and when they start rummaging through your workbench drawers. You may not like it, but it’s a good sign ( and a call to put your tool board up a few inches ).

Start With Simple Woodworking Projects For Children

Adjustable stilts are a perfect project to start with

Kids just love to play and you should let them, just don’t leave them alone with your tools
Not only does building and creating improve their self consciousness, it is simply nice to do something together with them and strengthen your bond.
However if you start a woodworking project together with your children it is important you guide them and support them, as they won’t be able to do things perfectly the first time.
Hence you should pick a simple woodworking project, something they understand and have an overview of what to do.
Having two small rascals myself I was pondering on what they would be able to work on when they’re old enough.
So I decided to make a list of easy woodworking projects for kids that don’t take up too much time.

Note: There is no special order of difficulty in this list!

My Top 10 Of Easy Woodworking Projects For Kids

Bat house: It’s good to know that you should also teach your kids that bats aren’t evil blood thirsty night creatures before you start on the project. You can find a nice free plan over here: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wildlife/ndblinds/smallbat.htm
A go kart : Not very complicated, but be careful when playin with it, this design has no brakes! http://www.kartbuilding.net/Wooden_Go-Kart_Plans/index.html
Stilts : Children’s toy from the old days and still very popular. They are very easy to build and they’re a joy to play with!
Bird feeder : Kids love birds and the educational value of building and using on is enormous. For plans A great resource is Ted’s plans
Play Table: Why play on the floor when the kids can set up their toys on a self-built table? Very straightforward to build and the kids keep an overview of what’s going on.
Planter box: Kids love plants and animals. Have them build their own planter box and grow their own flowers or vegetables.
Toy Boat or Battleship : For the boys. An evergreen.
Bird House: Let them build it and add their own features. Give their fantasy some room to build bird furniture
Small Chair: Nice in combination with their Play Table.
Tree House: I can’t really say if this one belongs in the “easy woodworking projects for kids” list as a tree house is not really easy to build. But it’s one of my favorites . This is one for kids around ten years old. You could turn this in to a summer project! This is any boys’ dream. Let the kids design it and you do the work.

There are plenty of other easy woodworking projects for kids you could do with or by your kids. A great source of inspiration is Ted’s Woodworking where you can find numerous children’s woodworking plans at the click of a button.

I really hope this list inspired you to undertake some easy woodworking projects for kids.

Build Your Own Hot Tub

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Tom

How To Build Your Own Hot Tub

Imagine sitting in your own, self built hot tub, enjoying the sunset and sipping a drink. Feeling the water jet and smelling your freshly finished above ground hot tub deck. This post will help you find the best resources and give you tips on how to build your own hot tub
Building your own wooden hot tub is by far the cheapest way to go, but if you are not such a skilled craftsman you can also buy a (plastic) hot tub and build a deck around it. It will look just as awesome.

Included is a link to a FREE hot tub building plan further down the article.

The Best Wood For Building A Wood Hot Tub

Wooden hot tubs are best built with cedar wood or redwood, as these are the best for a longer life span of your wood hot tub.
Of course using a cheaper wood species would work too, but I advise you to use cedar or a hard wood like oak.
Cedar wood is well known for it’s dimensional stability and decay resistance.
It’s best to use only vertical grain staves for your side and flooring as these vertical grain milled planks tend to be more stable when contracting and expanding.

source: http://forestlumber.com

Use Staves and Bands

The greatest challenge when building a cedar or redwood hot tub lies in the perfect alignment of the staves and the right pressure of the metal bands that hold the construction in place. This is crucial, as the tub will not hold the enormous water pressure on the wand and flooring. This is where the use of multiple metal bands comes in.
A wooden tub has some of the same building principles as a wooden barrel, but luckily the staves do not need to be round shaped over a fire.
Another important aspect is that the wooden tub flooring needs to be tightly jointed and fit perfectly in the bottom of the tub.

Apply the first metal band at the bottom and clinch it tight with a screw bolt mechanism. Then work your way up. Usually three or four bands will do for a 5 ft high tub.

Now fill the tub with water and led the wood seep. The wood will expand and thus the tub will become watertight.

Above Ground Hot Tub Deck Plans

source http://westpointvirginia.org

The other way to go is to buy a (used) premolded plastic hot tub and build a beautiful above ground hot tub deck around it. Building a deck is not hard, and there are plenty of (free) plans available online.
A good resource would be Ted’s Woodworking.

Make sure you get the right wood for your deck. As stated before, it is wise to go for vertical grain lumber. Teak decks are very popular, but cheaper larch wood will do fine as a deck too.

How To Keep Your Wooden Hot Tub Maintained

Never ever let it dry out! Always keep some water or snow in the tub.

It’s important to keep your hot tub hygienic, as wood is a perfect home for bacteria and fungi.
Adding sanitizers that contain chlorine and bromine to the water helps, but regular cleaning with soft soap and refreshing the water is the best way to go.
In the worst case one can do a so called chemical shock, but that is definitely not good for the wood.

Free Hot Tub Plan

I did some research and cam up with an amazing Free Hot Tub Plan I can share with you. You can download it here.

This plan is truly amazing and also can be a great resource if you are looking for general building info.

To get you inspired I added a video and some images of wood hot tubs and above ground hot tub decks to get you inspired to build your own hot tub !

Hot Tub Assembly Kits

When building your own tub and deck seems too daunting or too time intensive there are plenty of prefabricated hot tub kits on the market. The great benefits of a prefab hot tub kit are:

All parts will fit
No uncomfortable surprises
Near 100% chance the thing works

Amazon.com has a great collection of hot tubs and spas and My tip is to take a peek around and to get inspired. Maybe you can build a gazebo yourself and build your own hot tub of your dreams!

Healthy Wood

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Tom

My friend Erik wrote this excellent guest post on using and maintaining wood in your outdoor and indoor woodworking projects. Enjoy!

Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, Agents for Bronx Homes. Follow
the author on twitter!

How to keep your wood healthy and durable

source http://greenhomeguide.com/

There are plenty of tricks for extending the life of your wood, whether it is outdoor
or indoor. For homeowners ready to invest into flooring, or perhaps a new patio,
there are preventative measures that work much better to keep healthy wood.

Before you go investing in basic wood materials for your project, be sure to check on
some more durable products like Teak. Teak wood is a Southeast Asian hardwood
originating regions of India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Burma, but it’s also harvested
in many other parts of the world like the Caribbean.

There are plenty of good reasons to purchase Teak Wood. These would include
water & insect resistance, and sustainability. Teak has been known to keep termites
and other wood destroying bugs at bay. And the denseness of the wood makes it
nearly impossible to rot or damage from wetness.

In North America and Europe, Teak was originally used to create boat decks because
of its nonskid attributes. Constantly hammered by the sea and rain, boat decks can
be quite a dangerous place to work, particularly if it’s slippery. Over the years, teak
was slowly introduced into home improvement; Builders slowly began using teak
for window frames, patios, doors, hardwood floors, decks and more.

If you’re an avid supporter of sustainability and reducing earth’s carbon footprint,
teak is highly beneficial. Because of its durability, teak doesn’t need to be
repurposed for quite some time. Similarly, staining can and should be done once
every 4 years or more. Over-maintenance can actually diminish the wood’s value.

Investing in highly durable wood is one of many preventative actions you can take
against wood damage, and it’s typically the greatest. But for some people, it’s not
quite affordable or practical.

For those of us looking to improve or maintain any wood products, there are plenty
of reasonable options. First and foremost, anything hand crafted or factory made
should always have some sort of finish applied. The same goes for hardwood floors;
finishing and re-finishing are excellent ways to keep your wood looking as new as
ever. This is especially true for outdoor products like fences or patios. However,
these should be stained as well. Coats will last anywhere from a year to 4 or 5 years
depending upon the climate you live in.

For regular cleaning, it’s wise to invest in a product that won’t harm your wood. It’s

advised not to use vinyl or tile floor care products on hardwood floors. Similarly,
self-polishing acrylic waxes have the potential to damage wood, all the while
creating an unsafe and slippery surface. The same goes for wood dusting products;
you should never use these on your floors. However, there are many safe materials
for dusting that should be used on coffee/end tables, and many other similar wood
furnishings/surfaces. Dusting without these will lead to quicker turn around for
future filth.

Room temperature is crucial as well, particularly for hardwoods. Low humidity
during the cold months can increase gaps and cracks in flooring. If you suffer from a
loss of heat, perhaps it may be smart to invest in a humidifier.

Obviously, avoiding spills, and making sure your wood products are constantly free
of dirt or grime will keep them looking new. There are plenty of organic substitutes
for harmful materials. Here’s an excellent resource for preparing your own.

Before you start a home improvement project, it may be worthwhile to allocate
funds towards a more durable wood like teak. And, it’s important to take other
preventative measures (i.e. fabric glides on furniture legs) to protect your wood
thoroughly. In any case however, proper wood maintenance will lead to lower costs
in the long haul, with an overall improvement in viability.

Easy Adirondack Chair Plans

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Tom

How To Use Adirondack Chair Plans To Build Adirondack Furniture

Probably the most popular garden furniture: Adirondack Chairs. Not only because of their comfort and size are they so popular. Mainly because of their simple, uncomplicated design they have become a DIY woodworking evergreen.

This great feature is also the biggest pitfall for people who want to build their own Adirondack Furniture. One small miscalculation of an angle or a leg length and your chair will only make good firewood. And if you desire to build an Adirondack Furniture Set for your garden all dimensions must fit if you want it to look good.

With that said, every miscalculation will be a waste of time, effort and materials. No need to say that whith a good building plan you can save yourself a world of trouble.

Good plans will give you:

The proper dimensions
The right choice of materials to use
Step by step building instructions
The fitting tools to use

Just to give you an example of the amount of time and money you can save using good plans let me present you a case study of one of my readers:

I wasted enough wood to build two Adirondack chairs with only because I never considered the round cuts of the planks. I cut every board two inches short, making them useless for my project.With a $40 plan I would have saved myself $60 on timber alone.

John L.

Underestimating a simple design is commonplace and it will cost you. Not only a couple of bucks, screws and timber. I’m talking precious time and effort here, they are worth far more.

That’s why I greatly endorse Ted’s Woodworking Plans. They’re neatly laid out and easy to follow and the price is a steal compared to wasted time and materials if you make unnecessary mistakes.

For a full review of Ted’s Plans click here .

The True Value Of Adirondack Furniture Building Plans

When you possess a decent building plan for your Adirondack Furniture, the time and effort you save yourself will easily cover the costs of the plans.

Example: Ted’s plans cost $67 and if you’re quick they’re only $47 if you buy through this link.

Average pay per hour of a worker is $25. So if you waste two hours and ten yards of quality timber on a chair that doesn’t meet your expectations (torch wood) you would have been better off with some quality plans.

Other than that, Ted’s Woodworking Package carries more plans and designs than one can build in a lifetime and its benefits will serve you well for the rest of your woodworking life.

The Best Timber For Adirondack Outdoor Chairs

So once you have made your pick of Adirondack Chairs Plans it’s time to get your materials. There’s plenty of timber to choose from. Personally I use Larch or Pine Wood to build my outdoor furniture or a mixture of both.

The great advantage of pine wood is that it’s cheap and light weight and easy to work on. A drawback is that it’s not very weather resistant, so will need to use proper wood finishing to make it withstand your local climate.

Larch is a natural resin rich timber that has a higher price tag than Pine wood, but it saves you a lot of finishing time and material, so at the end of the day prices of both woods can be considered equal.

If you want your Adirondack Furniture to have a more natural or rustic look I recommend you use Larch Wood. It’s also very weather resistant, however the wood looses it’s fine color fast if you don’t do any finishing on it.

Time It Takes To Build A Set of Adirondack Chairs

Preparing the timber (measuring, cutting and laying out) will take you two hours max. for four chairs. Assembly shouldn’t take more than two hours as well. But there’s no rush! Woodworking should be fun, relaxing. And taking a break to have a cup of tea or a cold beer to admire your work so far is also a part of the process

So go get your plans, timber and set your beverages cold and start building the Adirondack Chairs of your dreams!

How To Set Up A Workshop At Home

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Tom

Setting Up A Workshop – Planning

If you want to know how to set up a workshop at home it’s vital to plan well ahead. Most people set up their workshop in their basement or garage.
Most importantly, your shop location has to be in a dry place. So fix the holes in your roof, windows or door and get the moisture out of the walls. Then waterproof the walls so no more moist gets in.

Next up is to have a water and electric current connection. Water is essential to keep the shop clean and you will need electricity for your power tools. Some of these tools or machines will be permanently connected. Also you need a handful of sockets for easy connecting power tools, so you don’t have the chaos of extension cable spaghetti.

Air and Light In Your Workshop

You will need sufficient lighting too. The best is to have fluorescent lighting. make sure to fit them above your drill, saw and lathe. However, if you prefer daylight, which is a more rustic approach, you will need enough windows. Windows are always good to let fresh air in.

Workshop Tool Storage

Think of where you will store your power tools. They need to be easy enough to reach for you, but also out of harms way for the occasional children who visit. They love woodworking shops. It will reduce the risk of someone kicking the tools or tripping over them. I suggest a good garage storage cabinet should do the trick.

You will need a dust clearing system. One that sucks up saw dust or plastic dust. These particles can lead to serious health issues over time. So opening a window is just not good enough.

Finally, you must make decisions on tools and of course your workbench.

The traditional solid wood workbenches are the way to go, but if you don’t have a lot of space a folding workbench might be the solution.

For a great collection of workbench plans and folding workbench plans Click Here.

Woodworking Machines

If you have enough space available you can install permanent machine tools such as a lathe and a band saw.
A lathe is a tool that is used for making round, rectangular shapes, such as table legs. These come in different sizes and with different specs. There’s home use models and professional/industrial models.

The home use model will have less power output and will generally be a bit smaller.

There’s plenty of used lathes on the market too. As these machines are pretty expensive I recommend u buy a used one to cut costs and see if it works for you.

A band saw is used by large timber mills to cut Lumber to boards and they are famous for their lumber ripping qualities. It’s preferred over the circular saw as it results in less waste. Also they have a cleaner cut.

A band saw is a large serrated band of steel that travels around two or three wheels.

The band saw comes in various shapes and sizes. The can be house-high, as in a timber mill, or in a small wood shop a couple of feet.

A resaw is a large band saw that can be used making a veneer cutting lumber along its thickness.

There’s a large range of band saws available for home wood shops in the internet too.

Recap

Safety, storage and available space are the most important factors for knowing how to set up a workshop at home.

Woodworking Projects For Kids

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Tom

Easy Woodworking Projects For Kids To Stimulate Development

Woodcraft is a hobby with a great deal of possibilities. It takes some time and practice to master the basic skills of woodworking, but once there, it will be a pleasure to teach your children what you know. Since the passing on of knowledge from father to son or mother to daughter is a basic, human trait we all possess, woodworking skills are a great thing to pass on. Start with easy woodworking projects for kids so they will learn that woodworking is fun!

Not only will your children learn how to hold hammer and saw, you will be able to pass on many more things to the kids just because you are spending quality time together. All ‘under the cover’ of working wood. Same goes with fishing right?

Other than that, woodworking is great for your kids’ hand-eye coordination, measuring skills and problem solving skills.

It also teaches the children how to realize an abstract idea into a tangible result. And that at am early age. This will come in handy when they have their first science projects or even at a college level. It kind of helps structuring the thoughts of a child.

But before you start, it’s important to teach your kids some basics.

Woodworking Safety For Children

The most important thing is safety. First teach your kids that tools aren’t toys. Basis rules of the workshop apply, like the wearing of safety glasses and never to leave nails and screws lying around on the floor as they can cause serious injury. And when present in a workshop, everyone should pay attention and abide by the safety rules. And the most important rule of all; never to let your child work unsupervised in a workshop.

You will want to take it slowly, one step at a time. With that I mean not to start with teaching how a jigsaw works, or any other power tool for that matter. Children should start working with hand tools only and with easy to do tasks to build their self esteem and to teach them a skill they can easily build into a more sophisticated project.

Step By Step Introduction To Woodworking

It’s important to give them single tasks, so they won’t be overwhelmed and still feel that their effort is much appreciated. Tasks like sanding a surface by hand, or cleaning a piece of wood to prepare it for finishing.

Once your children are familiar with basic tools and skills you can give them their first project. This should be something easy, like a building a shelve. There is no woodworking project too easy for a child. It’s more important that your kid has a successful experience than the grade of difficulty of the project.

Teach them about the versatility of lumber and about the different types of wood. What kind wood is better for what kind of working. What wood type is easier to sculpt or bend, what type is denser and stronger and why. Woodworking is more than hammering and sawing lumber.

You can also teach the youngsters under four years old about woodworking. When you give them toy tools and/or build them a toddler workbench they will get a taste for woodcraft at a young age.

For great woodworking plans for children click here

Building a Storage Shed

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Tom

Building a shed

What does building a shed, as part of woodwork entail? Do you have any experience in building using wood? Or are you just a woodwork beginner? Whatever the case is, you have to pay attention to some aspects regarding building sheds in order to achieve the desired results.

Click here for the ultimate collection of shed plans

Sheds are normally used as storage units. Therefore to build one, there are a number of factors regarding that you have to assess. What size of a storage space would you require?

If you need the shed for commercial use, then you definitely need to build a big one. If on the other hand you want one just for domestic use, a sizable one could do.

Your decision in this should help you come up with a plan that you are you are going to build a shed on. The better your shed building plan, the better your shed is going to turn out to be. This plan that you come up with should be able to give you a rough estimate of the expected budget.

If it falls within the amount of money that you had set aside, then you better go on with it. If it does not, then you better modify the plan and come up with another one that fits well into your shed building budget.

To finally be able to build a good shed, you need skilled woodworkers. However, you can also do it yourself as long as you have the tools and a comprehensive guide.

How the Ted’s Woodworking Package helps you building a shed

The Ted’s woodworking package is the best thing to use if you intend to build an excellent shed. In fact, with it, you do not have to do all the hard work of preparing plans because many of such are outlined there and it is up to you to pick out one that suits you perfectly.

Ted’s Woodworking has literally thousands of plans for outdoor structures and furniture.

Building it is also stated clearly and in very comprehensible steps that should guide you, even as a beginner, to build a shed.

Click here for a full review of Ted’s woodworking

Woodworking Jigs

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Tom

Use Woodworking Jigs For Repetitive Work

Woodworking Jigs have been around a long time. These days with the high tech CNC machinery in woodworking the old fashioned jig has fallen more and more out of use.
But for small woodworking firms and hobbyists they are still invaluable tools. A jig or a template is a tool that not only holds the workpiece but also guides the tool.

Jigs have been around since the middle ages or even earlier. They can be made out of old pieces of wood or steel (templates ) and are mainly used for repetitive work such as boring dowel holes or creating dovetail joints.
So Jigs save us a lot of hassle and wood when we use them properly.

I will outline the four most used jig sorts that I use as a woodworker.
Dovetail jig:
This one is used for instance on drawers. the jig guides the woodworkers tool and creates perfect dovetails so the drawer boards connect perfectly
Router jig
It’s used for supporting and guiding the wood through saw or router. It ensures a regular cut
Tenon jig
Can be angled and hold the table saw still to create a perfect cut.
Dowel Jig
Is used for boring dowel holes in a regular distance from each other. Ever tried it without one? I’m sure you didn’t get a good fit then..

And there’s tons of other jigs too. You name it, they probably have a jig for it. Or you can make one yourself.
A jig is not an unmissable tool for your workshop. You can clamp, measure, mark and drill repeatedly. But it sure saves you a lot of time and makes your woodwork fit more accurate.
Also, when you build more of the same furniture, it’s good to have jigs at the ready.

Ted’s plans has a number of plans in which jigs play an important role. So get your hammer, chisel and jig and start making some patterns!

Jigs on Amazon:

How about building a Coffee Table?

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Tom

Coffee Table Plans For The Living Room

Are you looking for coffee table plans for making a wooden coffee table? If not, why so? Is it maybe because you are skilled in making them?

Making a coffee table, as easy as it may seem, requires proper plans. This is especially if you want to make a good coffee table that you are definitely going to love.

Click here for a big selection of Coffee Table Plans

A coffee table is a piece of furniture that you will place in your lounge and therefore careful detail should be paid in making it. This is to ensure that you make an excellent one that will make the lounge look even better.

If you are making coffee tables to sell, then you need coffee table plans even more. In fact, you need a wide of them to help you make different designs to satisfy your customers and avoid monotony. The latter is bad for business as you would not expect to sell using many units made under the same design.

What are good coffee table plans compromised of? Firstly, they have to be clear and comprehensive. That means that using them even if you are not the one who came up with them should be easy. You should be able to get a clear picture of what is required of you in all the stages of making the coffee table. To achieve this, therefore, there have to be clear illustrations and instructions.

Get Great Coffee Table Plans in Ted’s Woodworking

You must be wondering where you can get someone to design unique and excellent coffee table plans. You will also need a couple of them especially if you are making coffee tables on a large scale. This problem can be sorted by simply acquiring Ted’s Woodworking package.

By doing so, you will have access to many such plans. You are going definitely going to love them because of how comprehensive they are. They have all the elements that you require in coffee table plans starting from clear instructions, illustrations, guidance advice and uniqueness.

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Teds Woodworking Review – Woodworking Plans Galore

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Are you looking for coffee table plans for making a wooden coffee table? If not, why so? Is it maybe because you are skilled in making them?

Get Great Coffee Table Plans in Ted’s Woodworking

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