U-bild plans

[dennis thompson]

Has anyone used the plans from U-Bild? Likes? Dislikes?
Thanks
Dennis

[Ralph Okonieski]

Yes, I've used one of their plans. The plans were OK but not great from the perspective of their use of low-end joinery. I think it was a bookcase of some type. If memory serves me correctly, they suggested finish nails to join the sides to the back. whatever the plans were for, I bought it primarly for the dimensions and general concepts. That was a few years ago. Would I buy their plans again? Depends on the project and whether other plan sources were available. Not a definite "yea" or "nay".

[Bob Childress]

I agree with Ralph. Okay for dimensions and a cutting list, but otherwise very low tech, butt joins, finish nails, etc. etc. Won't buy another one. :(

[Mike Heaney]

Dennis,

I purchased one of their bookcase plans last year (no. 907 I think). I was disappointed for a number of reasons:

1. As a newbie, I found their instructions to be very sparse in content, and unclear to follow
2. The plan was based on using plywood for most parts of the case- fine in principle, but not stated anywhere in the info when I bought it- I was using hardwood, so I ended up doing significant adjustments to make it work for me.
3. The labeling of their cutting plan for the plywood DID NOT correspond with their exploded diagram of the bookcase- eg, they labeled the side of the bookcase part "A" in the cutting diagram and part "F" in the exploded diagram, and in once case, labeled a part with another letter in the cut list. This alone caused much head scratching as I tried to work out how a piece 30" inches high was supposed to be long enough to produce a 60" bookcase (shelf labeled as side!).

So, what did I get for the money? A piece of paper with an exploded view of a bookcase, which was useful for checking that I had all the pieces I needed after glue- up (5 shelves, a top, 2 sides, a back and 4 pieces to make a face frame).
Cut list: 0 points (inaccurate and mislabeled)
Cutting Diagram: 0 points (inaccurate and mislabeled)
Instructions: 2 points (lacking detail and clarity, occasionally misleading)
Exploded view: 5 points (no problems there!)
Likelyhood of repeat purchase from u-bild: 0 points

I have since purchased the "Bookcases: Projects and Plans for Building 11 Classic Bookcases" by Niall Barrett from Taunton- and it is a world apart- great instructions, clear pictures, accurate information. I have now built a few bookcases, and the first one- inspired by the u-bild plan, is still standing. But I don't consider the plan to have had much influence on the final product.

Thanks for asking the question, because it reminded me to post this comment- one I meant to do some time ago!

best of luck

Mike

[John Wibbenmeyer]

I built a Gazebo a few years back with U-Build plan. It wasn't too bad,But I had a gen know how of what to do.They weren't too bad.