Do You Create Your Own Plans or Do You Have a Quality Source For Them?

[Christopher Herzog]

Woodarchivist.com has an assortment of plans to get an idea. Most things that come from me tend to be based on a plan and I adjust as I need it to. Sometimes intentionally and other times by the wood or custom seconds chances (aka:mistakes that I have to make work).

My recommendation is to find something along the lines of what you envision. Adjust the size or materials to suit the request.

Good luck, sounds like an adventure!
Chris

[Rob Luter]

I've used CAD since the early 1980's and was a board draftsman prior to that. I usually sketch out plans for what I build using one tool or the other. That said, I'm no whizzbang furniture designer. There's much to be said for working from plans developed by someone who really understands furniture design. It's a great education.

[mreza Salav]

Have built many things but never from somebody else's plan. For simple projects (I consider a chest of drawers simple, or bed, etc) I design it in my head with a few hand-drawing sketches showing overall dimensions. The rest are figured out as I go and adjusted as needed based on the material on hand (a post that is 4" might become 3 7/8" if needed to use the lumber I have, etc). The only time I had a full sketch-up with measurements was building a large scale cabinet project for our house...

[Ole Anderson]

I guess I am the exception. I have used purchased plans (or from Wood Magazine) to build a router table, fold down TS outfeed table, complex computer desk/hutch, a mission style bed, a toy box (2), storage desk/hutch (2), Michigan shaped Adirondack chairs (8), bathroom wall shelf/towel rack (4) and a porch swing for starters. I redid my pool table using ideas in a book adapted to my table. Built in stuff like my kitchen cabs were from scratch.

[dennis thompson]

I purchase most of my plans from Wood magazine, Woodsmith, Toys and Joys, and Forest Street Designs. The last two are for models which I like to make.

[Rod Sheridan]

For most projects I draw out plans using a 2D card program. I print drawings with dimensions for use in my shop. I feel that a plan saves time and reduces scrap.

That's exactly what I do Lee, I can't think of anything I've made from commercial plans.

Having a good set of drawings down to the component level saves me a lot of shop time. I often only have one hour per night so if the drawings are good I can make one component for example, without wasting shop time figuring out what sizes, how to do the layout or many other things.

Regards, Rod.

In one evening I may simply select stock and rough mill, then r-mill a day or two later.

Regards, Rod.

[David Buchhauser]

CAD is nice, but a simple hand created drawing will suffice. I can remember the time when everything was hand drawn - probably about 35 years ago. I did the plans for my original shop in 1983 with the aid of a drafting table. When I added on the machine shop in 2003, everything was CAD with Autocad.
David

[Jim Becker]

As much as folks joke about "designing on the back of a napkin", in all honesty, that actually works for many projects!

[Matthew Curtis]

My plans are sketched out on my bench top next to my math problems.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I think that your needs will be strongly dictated by your ability to just see it in your head (or similar skills) as well as experience. I don't usually make things to plan, even when I have a plan. But usually I am building something that will fit in a specific spot so I build it to size / fit based on where it will go and what lumber I have on hand (or was able to purchase).

I will often look at what many others have done to get ideas and then combine what I like best.