Three years ago, I retired after 34 years as a general contractor. I'd built decks, framed houses, hung more doors than I can count. I knew wood. I knew tools. What I didn't know, apparently, was how to build things for myself.
My first solo project — a workbench for my garage — took me six weeks. Not because it was complicated. Because I spent five of those weeks making it up as I went, fixing mistakes, and driving back to the hardware store for lumber I hadn't accounted for.
It should have taken a weekend.
"After 34 years in construction, I was humbled by a garage workbench. The problem wasn't my skill. It was that I didn't have a plan worth following."
— James Harlan, contractor (retired)The Problem With Most Woodworking Guides
After the workbench debacle, I started looking for good plans online. I found plenty — most of them free, most of them missing something critical. No cut list. Vague dimensions. Photos that didn't match the instructions. Measurements that only made sense if you already knew what you were doing.
The free plans online are written for people who don't need them. The paid guides were written for people who already knew too much. There's a gap in the middle — the guy who can build something, who has the tools and the time and the desire, but keeps hitting walls because the plan isn't complete.
I was that guy. I'm guessing you might be too.
Then a Friend Sent Me a Link
My neighbor — retired machinist, serious hobbyist woodworker — mentioned a collection of plans he'd been using for a couple of years. Ted McGrath's package. 16,000 plans, he said. I laughed. Nobody needs 16,000 plans.
But I checked it out.
What stopped me wasn't the number. It was the quality of each individual plan. Every project I clicked on had the same structure: a finished photo, a materials list with exact dimensions, a cut list, a step-by-step assembly sequence, and a diagram. Nothing missing. Nothing left to interpretation.
I downloaded the Adirondack chair plan first — it's a project I'd been wanting to build for my back porch for two years and never started. I built it the following Saturday. Start to finish, including a coat of stain. Seven hours.
The workbench that took me six weeks would have taken a day with a plan like that.
Get the free guide first: 5 step-by-step weekend projects — shelf, stool, toolbox, picnic table, Adirondack chair. No email required to read, but enter yours below to get the PDF.
Get the 5 Free Plans → Free PDF, delivered instantlyWhat 16,000 Plans Actually Means
I'll be honest: after two years with Ted's collection, I've used maybe 80 or 90 plans. I haven't touched 15,900 of them. But the ones I've needed have always been there — and the search function is good enough that I can usually find exactly what I'm looking for in under two minutes.
Last month I needed plans for a cedar planter box — a specific size, with drainage, that would sit on a deck rail. Found three options in the collection within five minutes. Picked the one that matched my rail width. Built it in an afternoon.
That's the real value. Not the number. The availability. It's not a collection you read — it's a library you use. You reach for it when you need it, and what you need is there.
"I've built 80-something projects from Ted's plans over two years. Every one of them came out right the first time. That was never true before."
— James HarlanWho This Is (and Isn't) For
I want to be straight with you. This isn't for professional woodworkers or people who design their own joinery from scratch. If that's you, you don't need it — you already have a system.
It's for the guy who has the tools, has the time, and keeps hitting the same wall: starting without a complete plan. The guy who's built things before but whose garage has one or two unfinished projects in the corner. The guy who's been meaning to build something for his daughter or his back porch or his shop for two years and hasn't started.
If that's you, this is one of the most useful $67 purchases you'll make this year. I'm an affiliate, so I'll earn a commission if you buy through my link — I've disclosed that in the footer. But I was using this before I became an affiliate, and I'd recommend it either way.
One Thing to Know Before You Click
The price is discounted right now from the regular retail. I don't know how long the discount lasts — it's been running for a while, but these things do end. If you're on the fence, the only risk is the 60-day guarantee: if it's not what you expected, you get a full refund. I've never used it. Nobody I know has.
The plans are digital — you get access to everything in a members' area immediately. If you want physical DVDs, that's an option at checkout for a small additional cost. I just use the digital version on a tablet in my shop.
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