Woodworking Projects – Thousands of Woodworking Plans Now Available

We all know how important good planning is for just about everything
in life.  We also all know how important the internet and computer
have become as tools in planning.  Woodworking is no different.  You
obviously need a good plan and until recently the only way to get your
hands on plans for woodworking projects was to buy books or magazines
with only a limited amount of plans in them.  Today things are
different.  Thanks to the internet you can have thousands of plans for
your woodworking projects available at your finger tips.

 Now you need to be careful because not all woodworking project plans
you come across on the internet are created equal.   You want full
plans with material lists, clear diagrams and instructions.  If you
get your hands on the right database of plans you will have the first
key step for everything you would ever want to build.  It is
frustrating to work from poor plans that don’t show clear details and
leave you guessing.  Chances are you’ll guess wrong at least once and
have to restart part of your woodworking projects.

 I was very happy recently when I came across a treasure trove of
thousands of plans for woodworking projects on the internet.  After
many false starts with other plans I pulled off the internet, I
finally found a site that offers complete woodworking plans.    I am
talking about several thousand plans that include step by step
instructions, photographs, and diagrams.  It contains plans for small
projects like bird houses, shelving, toys and plans for large projects
like sheds and furniture.  Basically I found plans for every
woodworking project you could ever want to take on.

 With the help of these plans I was able to start on small projects
and quickly gain the confidence to take on some large wood working
projects.  There are over 14,000 wood working projects in the database
so I will never run out of ideas for projects that I can build.  I’m
not limited to the few dozen wood working plans you would find in a
magazine or book.  This is a complete set of plans for woodworking
projects for just about anything you would want to build.  And you
aren’t limited to one plan per project type; there are plenty of plans
for different furniture, birdhouses, sheds or whatever you are looking
to build.

 It doesn’t matter if you are a starter or experienced at woodworking
projects there is something in this massive collection of plans for
woodworking projects.

I suggest you take a look at this collection of Over 15,000 Woodworking Project Plans.
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Woodworking Projects – Essential tools for the wood worker

I just want to give you a brief rundown of the tools you need to begin
working on woodworking projects. Tools will vary greatly in both
quality and price. You really want to buy quality tools and not always
just buy based only on the cheapest price.

• Small Table Saw – This is required if you want to really get into
wood working. You don’t need to get one with all the bells and
whistles, especially if you are just starting out, but expect to pay
over $100 for a good saw.

• Cordless Drill – A needed piece of equipment that you can pick up
for around $50. Remember to keep it charged up and ready to use. Also
perfect for pre-drilling holes to avoid the wood splitting when
driving in nails.

• Orbital Sander – Use this to smooth out the edges of your projects.
You should be able to pick up a good sander for less than $50 • Bar
Clamps – Don’t forget to get some good clamps. These are extremely
useful during projects. You can pick these up for around $10 at most
stores.

• Router – If you are just starting out then you will use this mainly
for rounding corners on projects. As you get more experienced however
you will find plenty of other good uses. Look at spend around $75 for
a good router.

Miter Saw – The only way to really get angles cut properly so that
wood pieces match up. Expect to pay about $150.

Square – You need this to make sure your projects are square. You can
pick up a square for $10.

Obviously this is not a complete list but it give you an idea of the
tools required in addition to the basic hand tools such as a hammer
and screwdriver. With all the tools mentioned above you will have what
you need to begin taking on woodworking projects. You might want to
check out a woodworking magazine at your local hardware store to look
at some ads for direct mail purchase of tools.
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Woodworking Projects – Tips for working with long screws

Woodworking projects that require extra long screws means you have a
higher chance of the wood splitting and making even small woodworking
projects a major pain!  I’ve developed my own three step process that
greatly reduces the chance of this happening and I’m going to share it
here with you.

Step 1 – Counterbore:  Since I always cover the screws with wood plugs
the first step is to drill a counter bore sized to accommodate the
wood plug and the head of the screw.

Step 2 – Shank Hole:  The second step is to drill a shank hole.  Now
usually you only do this through the outside wood piece but what I do
is to clamp the two pieces together and drill the hole through the
outside piece and into the mating piece.  Remember to drill the shank
hole the depth of the unthreaded part of the screw, taking into
account the conterbore you made during the first step.

Step 3 – Pilot Hole:  This is the last step and you should leave the
pieces clamped together.  Keep in mind that unless you use an extra
long bit the pilot hole won’t be as deep as the screw.  So to play it
safe you can unclamp the pieces first and use a standard drill bit to
drill pilot holes the full depth of the screw.

This simple little three step process has made it easier when using
really long screws.  I discovered this when working on a simple
workbench for a mudroom.  I hope you found this tip useful and can use
it when doing your woodworking projects.
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