What do you use to hold your plans while you work?

[Keith Hankins]

Folks - I've finally had it with having multiple pieces of paper with drawings and open ww magazines strewn across my work area each with something to do with the current project. I'd like to make something to hold it all so I can see them but they aren't loose and getting lost or in the way.

So, I thought I'd see if folks would share how they organize the plans of their current project. Pix would be very appreciated.

What I have in my head at the moment is a sort of small, desktop size, easel sort of thing, with a 24' x 24" piece of 1/4" ply set at a good viewing angle (maybe 30 degrees off vertical?). I'd paint the ply with magnetic paint, and then could use a bunch of little rare-earth magnets to hold the individual pieces of paper. A little tray in front at the bottom of the play to keep a magazine upright, with room for pencils. It needs a easily grabbed handle to I can move it when it's in the way.

Anyone got anything more clever? Variations on that theme? I'm making a credenza-ish entertainment center, and have at least 5 different drawings as well as a couple of FWW mags that each illustrate a different part, as well as the to-do list, and it's just too much to keep spreading it out, picking it up, etc.

Thanks -

Ken

Well I have three important pieces I use to support my projects. I work mostly with sketcup, so I have plans and printed cutsheets or suggestions as I call them. Some are just full blown plans. I have a big white board that I use as a giant story stick with dry-ease markers to draw up quick current needs with referenced measurments, or thats where I can deal with oops and any required design changes. I keep a printed copy of plans attached to the white board with a black binder clip and string so I can quickly pick it up for reference and then just drop it and its out of the way but not lost. Finally I have my laptop in the shop with me for any other needs. to be honest my whiteboard is my go to tool and any story sticks i might make.

[Brian Tax]

Saw a tip some where to tape the plans to a roll up shade.

[Peter Quinn]

I use a rare earth magnet on a J box next to my work bench at home, occasionally I'll tape larger plans to the shop door just a few steps further away. Before I get down to work ill do layouts, story poles, templates, cut
lists etc as needed, I'll blow up isometrics as needed to highlight complex areas or transitions. The full plans get glanced at occasionally to organize something large or keep my head straight, but I have no need to have them at hand constantly during work in progress. Everything gets broken into little sub routines. At work I used to have a cork board , push pins and some of those little black spring clips. One clip on each corner holds a 24x36 page very well. A magnet board would be even better.

[Jim Rimmer]

I like your idea. Wouldn't work for me due to space limitations. I've got clamshell cabinets for hanging tools and I tape my plans to the front of them.

I agree with Cody, though. Go for it. It sounds like minimal time and material investment so if it doesn't work not a big loss and if it does work...

[Wade Lippman]

What are these "Plans" you speak of and how exactly do they work?

A few years back my niece said she was taking a shop course and wanted to help with a tree house I was working on. I said that was great, until she asked to see the plans. Un, plans? I only roughly know what I am building; the design will depend on how it goes with respect to the tree and the wood I have available. She was very confused, as they taught her the most important thing was the plans. (It turned out to be two stories, though I never even considered that until I was half way through)

[Ed Griner]

I have,since I started woodworking use a music stand with small clamps or clothes pins. Works great! Does a pretty good job with sheet music too!

[Larry Frank]

I draw plans for any furniture or rolling cabinet that I am making. Sometimes, I will put them in plastic sheet protectors in a 3 ring notebook. On others where I am making changes, I clip them onto a piece of 1/4" MDF.

I also do sketches for cutting diagrams so that I can better utilize the wood. Plywood and such is getting expensive or I am getting cheap.

Things that I really like such as a piece of furniture, I will scan the drawings after I am done to PDF.

[Ethan Melad]

glad you made this thread. I'm in the middle of doing a couple bathrooms that include cabinets, shelving, millwork, and a bench. got a stack of 18x24 prints falling all over the place. I'm going to do what i should've done a month ago: pin them to the wall. this gives a large, easy viewing area, no leafing through pages, easy markups if needed.

[Rod Sheridan]

I make drawings for all the furniture I make, it increases the time spent in the shop actually working as opposed to trying to figure out what size to cut next.

I also make a cutlist that includes finished dimensions and rough dimensions so I can cut a bunch of rough lumber prior to surfacing.

I keep the plans on a clip board, and as I said it increases my shop time................Rod.

[Shawn Pixley]

I don't usually work from full plans. But I use blue painters tape to fasten it and some measurements / dimensions to the upper cabinet fronts. Works for me.

[Joe Scarfo]

I tend to draw rough working plans on 8 1/2 x 11 paper... scan them and then email to myself...

When I need to refer to the plans, I open the PDF on my iPad and le poof... easily portable sets of plans...

I used to have a large home made easel which was seriously cool.. I had chalk board on one side, dry marker board on the other side, butcher block paper dispenser across the top and would tape my plans to the dry marker side.... That is until mom helped the kids commandeer it for themselves..

I also bought a batch of the Rockler Woodworking brass router paper weights.. now those are seriously cool chach ka's just to have hanging around. They were great for store bought plans on the work bench when I had the big garage doors open for ventilation... that was fine as the workbench was a massive 5' x 8' bench so there was plenty of room

Good Luck with your choice...

[Henry Kramer]

Sometimes Joe's method of the scan and the iPad but I'm not always crazy about getting the iPad loaded with dust so I also use 8 1/2 x 11 plain or graph paper, put it (or them) in clear plastic sleeves that are used for 3 ring binders and stick them to one of my metal cabinets with rare earth magnets.

[Mike Olson]

I also work off plans drawn on 8.5 x 11 paper or graph paper. I keep them on a clipboard. I "try" to keep a plastic film clipped on top of the papers, but that usually only lasts 1/2 way through the project as I usually make adjustments and notes and the film gets in the way.