Woodwork DIY Video – Inside View of Ted’s Woodworking Video

This video shows you the woodwork DIY videos inside Ted’s Woodworking member area once you have made the purchase:

Click here to visit Ted’s Woodworking.

Woodworker plans Review – Video

Take a look at a video review of Ted’s Woodworking Plans and Projects:

Click here to visit Ted’s Woodworking.

Wood Projects For Everybody

Those of us who had grown up on the farm are likely to be familiar with wood. Some of us probably had a lot of fun trying to make a dream item with wood. Wood projects can bring a lot of fun time to childhood. When we were young we were just hammering away without much thought or concern about the craftsmanship in this activity. Woodworking can be much more than just flexing our muscles and perspiring profusely.

Woodworking – Bonding Time ?

To a child the time spent with his father in doing some woodworking can be a wonderful bonding time. To the father it can be a lot of relationship building with the son. The father can also teach the son not only about woodwork but a good time to teach about life and other things. If you are able to involve the whole family in a project like making the dining table and chairs, you will have more than a complete dining set at the end of the project. You will have a great family time together.

Plan – Determines The Success Of Your Wood Projects

Woodworking plan plays a very important role in the whole DIY project. As mentioned in other article on this site and by many people, a good plan is absolutely crucial in any woodwork project. Good plan ensures no hiccups and a nice looking piece of work at the end. ‘Bad’ plan can give you a lot of headache and may also sink the whole project. By that I mean the project can be so distorted you simply give up without completing it. What constitutes a good plan? The most basic is the measurements. Better features would include step-by-step instructions. Other features are already discussed in previous article Plan For Woodwork.

Where To Find Good Woodworking Plan?

Where do you find good plan? There are many FREE plans on the internet for you to download. Can you use FREE plan? Yes, you definitely can, provided the critical features are in place. Are all paid plans good? Not necessarily. Again, you have to evaluate a plan against some of the critical features which you must have, especially if you are not very experienced and well-versed in the craft. It’s probably better to pay some money for a good plan than going for FREE plan and end up sinking the whole project, which will waste more of your money on the materials and other stuff. In fact, if you do some comparison, the paid plans are not too expensive. I will mention two paid plans below for your reference.

Ted’s Woodworking Plans And Projects

Ted’s Woodworking is developed by Ted McGrath. Ted is an experienced and savvy woodworker and handyman. His Woodworking product comes with 16,000+ plans. That is a whole lot of plans and projects, more than enough for many lifetimes. The newbies to woodworking will find Ted’s plans clear and concise, with step-by-step instructions for each project. Experienced and professional woodworkers will find the selection of plans and projects a value. Ted’s Woodworking is sold for $67 with 4 bonuses and a 60-day money back guarantee. Ted’s plans can be downloaded immediately upon purchase. You can visit Ted’s Woodworking by clicking here.

John Metz’s Woodworking4home Package

The other one is Woodworking4home Package by John Metz. John is also a professional woodworker. John’s product has over 14,000 plans and projects. Again, the number of plans is probably overwhelming initially. Once you start building more projects, you will find that you have plenty of plan choices. John’s product is sold for $49 with 60-day money back guarantee. Again John’s plans are also downloadable once you have made the payment. You can visit John’s Woodworking4Home Package here.

The Choice Is Yours

Ted McGrath’s or John Metz’s plans? The choice is yours. Once you have obtained good plans, you can start work on your wood projects with peace of mind and enjoy this wonderful craft.

Plans For Chair Review

Plans for chair seem to be a much sought after item on search engine because building chairs appears to be one of the hottest woodwork diy projects today. Depending on how you tackle your woodwork diy projects, building chairs can be a greater challenge compared to building benches. The satisfaction of sitting on a chair you built yourself or seeing someone enjoying the chair you built is sensational. Only those who had been through it know the ecstatic feeling of the moment. Whichever way you look at it, building chair is a good project for you to try your hands on. But, you must have good plans for chair for whatever chair you are trying to build. So, make sure you have a set of accurate plans for chair at hand before you start building.

Plans For Chair

Whether you are building a chair or building a house, the plans for chair or house are extremely important.  Building chair is not like nailing a few pieces of wood together to form a square box. The fine details involved in building chair are the fun part and also the messy part. If you miss out slightly on some of the finer details, your chair project may be gone with the wind. So, the finer details inside the plans for chair are what you need to watch out for. The measurements of the plans for chair are extremely crucial in determining whether you will complete the project.  Make sure you have proper plans for chair with everything you need to start your chair project.
Here, we will review the plans for chair by Ted Mcgrath, a professional woodworker, educator and a Member of AWI.

Review and Sneak Peak of Plans for Chair

First of all, Ted is running a special offer now by giving away 75 plans for chair when you purchase his 16,000 woodwork plans for $67. That is less than half a cent for each plan. Even if you only get the 75 plans for chair, that is less than 90 cents for each plan.

75 Plans for Chair Plus 16,000 Woodworking Plans With Step-By-Step Blueprints, Diagrams and Guides!

Wow! 75 Plans for chairs ! That is quite a number of chairs, and will take you some time to build and complete.

Now, let’s take a look at what Ted’s plans for chair are like:

The above is part of the plan for a folding chair.  Ted’s plans come with detailed, easy to follow instructions:

Ted’s blueprints and schematics are detailed:

Detailed Schematics

Detailed Blueprint

Grab Ted’s 75 plans for chair + 16,000 woodworking plans and projects before the time limited bonuses run out.

Ted also throws in a bunch of time-limited bonuses:

This is the award winning “DWG/CAD Plan Viewer”, which allows you to edit, modify or even create your own woodworking plans. This bonus alone is worth hundreds of dollars, but it’s time-limited!

This bonus is a lifetime membership access to over 150 premium woodworking videos on a wide array of woodworking topics, hosted by veteran woodworkers. Comes with easy-to-follow step by step video instructions. This ia also a time-limited bonus.

This bonus is a step-by-step detailed guide on how to make money selling your custom woodwork and it is a great addition to this package. Again a time-limited bonus!

The last time-limited bonus is the Complete Woodworking Carpentry Guides – over 200 pages of woodworking tips and tricks with detailed drawings, diagrams and photos.

Now, watch the following video review of Ted’s Woodworking Plans and Projects:

Grab Ted’s 75 plans for chair + 16,000 woodworking plans and projects before the time limited bonuses run out.

Workshop Safety

In woodworking or doing any woodwork preparation, you are dealing with tools that can cut, slice, pierce, saw, and sever. Therefore, workshop safety is a primary concern and should be taken seriously. The potential damages that can be incurred by the workshop tools, equipments and machinery can be hazardous to health and even life threatening. However, if you make your workspace hazard and fire proof, most of the accidents and hazards are avoidable. In addition, and in fact, the most important element is to work safely or at least work with precaution.

Safety Glasses or Goggles

When you are hammering, chiseling, sanding, scraping or working with power tools, you must wear your safety glasses. Whether you are wearing contact lenses or not, the hazards of something getting into the eyes are what you do not want to avoid. So, wear your goggles and protect your eyes.

Ear Protectors

Some of the woodworking machinery and power tools are extremely noisy. Their decibel levels can exceed the tolerable limits of the human ear, and therefore can damage your hearing. When you are using such tools and equipments, you should wear ear protectors to prevent any damage to your ear drums and hearing.

Work with Sharp Tools

Doesn’t that sound silly? Isn’t it true that the sharper the tool, the more damaging it is? Well, the logic is really quite simple. When a tool such as blade is dull, you tend to apply more force to  get the cutting done. When the blade is so dull that you may end up applying excessive force or strength during the cutting. When you do that, you may slip and that could cause a lot of damage depending on how you slip. So, keep your tools sharp and ready each time before you start to use them. Of course, with sharp tools, you need to store them properly and safely. Do not leave them lying on a table top where they may fall and end up cutting yourself or worse, your children running around the workshop. And, when you are working, do not allow your children to play in the workshop or around you. This may seem to be common sense, but you still hear accidents involving children while the adult was working in the workshop. So, take precaution. You do not want such accident to happen to you or your family.

Never Work When Tired, Drowsy or On Alcohol

As in anything we do in life, whether we are driving, cooking or working with woodworking tools, accidents tend to happen when we are tired. Why? When we are tired, we cannot focus and become inattentive. When we are in that state, we may drill the wrong thing or worse, cut the wrong thing! Alcohol intoxication can blur our mind and skew our judgment. So, work only when we are sober and have a clear and fresh mind.

Fire Hazards

Stains and solvents are flammable substances. Do not smoke when you have these products around your workshop. The best and safest practice is to make your workshop a no-smoking area. If you really need to smoke, take a break and smoke outside your workshop. Also, take proper care of oil rags laying around your work benches. Oilg rags are combustible spontaneously. Take proper care to store or discard them.

Finally, bear in mind that safety is a priority. Safety is not a hassle. Whether you are doing woodwork as a hobby or business, safety will always be a winner for you.

Wood Finishes

What Are Wood Finishes?

Wood finishing refers to the process of protecting the wood’s surface or making the wood’s surface more beautiful. Most woods are not perfect. The blemishes or imperfection of a wood may be natural or due to transport. So, the purpose of finishing is to cover up the blemishes and imperfection, so as to project beauty and protection. The extent of finishing can range from minimal to elaborate.

Factors Determining Wood Finishes

The kind of finishing to be used or applied on a particular wood or completed project is very much dependent on the following factors:

• The kind of wood
• The color scheme of the wood or project’s environment (that is, what is the color scheme of the surrounding where the wood or completed project will be placed)
• The expected durability of the finishing
• The budget

The kind of wood will likely dictate the type of finishes to be used. In other words, when it comes to finishes, woods are segregated into various groupings for different finishes. Not all finishes are suited for all kinds of wood. The selection of finishes is also determined by the wood grade. The choice of finishes for the cheaper or lower grade wood is often limited to paint or enamel. These are the grades that had not been selected for grain, figure and color at the mill.

Consideration of the color scheme of the environment where the wood will be placed is more of a question of beauty and harmony, matching and contrast. This is very much a design consideration and aesthetic factor. So, this is also an issue of taste and subjective view of things.

The durability expectation is determined by the end uses of the wood or project. If the end use of the wood is not subject to repeated human use or force, staining, waxing or oil coat is probably more than sufficient. However, if the wood to be finished is the flooring, then a totally different approach is required. Finishing wood floor will likely call for staining, shellac, and three varnish coatings in order to be durable. However, most practise only two layers of varnish coats.

Wood Finishes – Surface Preparation

Now, let’s take a look at the sequence of finishing. The whole process of finishing begins with surface preparation or treatment by:

• Sanding (which can be by hand or power tools)
• Scraping
• Planing
• Filling holes, pores or imperfections with filler substances

Wood Finishes – Color Treatment

After the surface material imperfection is taken care off, the next part of the finishing process will be color treatment. This procedure may involve staining, bleaching, ammonia treatment and other techniques. Certain woods do not respond well to the staining process, resulting in blotching on the wurface. To go around this problem, the wood and surface is coated with some form of conditioner or shellac before the actual staining.

Wood Finishes – Coating

Following the staining procedure, the surface is coated using different chemicals or substances. The choice of coats include:

• Shellac
• Wax
• Paint
• Varnish
• Lacquer
• Oil

Sometimes, the procedure of coating may also produce imperfection. In such cases, the surface needs to be smoothen again using sanding, followed by another layer of coating. This process may be repeated a number of times depending on the anticipated quality of the final finishes.

Woodwork Joints – About Woodworking Joints

What Are Woodwork Joints?

Woodwork joints are common in DIY woodwork projects. When connecting the ends of two or more pieces of wood, screws and nails can hold the ends of the woods together. However, the appearance may not be so pleasant. Woodwork joints give your project a more finished touch and definitely a more professional look. This article talks about some of the basic woodwork joints.

Types of Woodwork Joints

There are many types of woodwork joints for DIYwoodwork. Different woodwork joints used for DIY woodwork are listed below for your reference:

• Butt Joints – the simplest and weakest woodwork joints
• Miter joint – similar to butt joint, but the ends of the wood pieces are cut at a 45 degree angle.
• Lap joints – the end of two pieces of wood overlapping each other.
• Box joint or finger joint – uses several lap joints at the end of two adjoining boards. It is used for the box corners.
• Dovetail joint – a form of box joint with interlocking fingers using diagonal cuts.
• Edge joint – joining the edges of two boards.
• Dado joint – a slot is cut across the grain in one piece for another piece to sit into, common in book shelves.
• Groover joint – the slot is cut along the direction of the grain.
• Tongue and groove – cut one edge of each piece into a groove, while the opposite edge is shaped into a thin, deep ridge (known as the tongue).
• Spline Joint – same as Tongue and groove, except the tongue is unattached.
• Mortise and tenon – a stub (known as the tenon) is fit tightly into a hole cut for it (the mortise) to sit in. Common in doors, windows, and cabinets.
• Birdsmouth joint- used in roof rafter construction, where a V-shaped is cut in the rafter connecting the rafter to the wall-plate.

Other Woodwork Joints

Apart from the above woodwork joints, there are also other types of joints which uses non-wood material as part of the joints. One example is known as Pocket Hole Joinery, which drives a screw at an angle into the joint and the screw is hidden. Examples of other non-wood joints are joints using metal connectors which attach to the frame with nails or screws. The ability to craft woodwork joints will escalate the status of a woodworker to another level. Learning to craft exquisite woodwork joints is one of the most enjoyable parts of DIY woodworking.

Woodwork Plans – Proper Woodworking Plans For DIY Projects

Do You Really Need Woodwork Plans For Your DIY Woodworking Project?

Woodwork plans, be they plans for chair, benches plans, or plans for an Adirondack chair, are vital in any DIY woodworking projects. Woodwork plans are like a compass that guides a woodworker through the maze of pieces of wood and how the separate pieces relate to each other. Woodwork plans are the road map to the final result of any DIY woodworking project.

Woodwork Plans Are Essential

DIY woodworking projects which are very basic and simple may do away with sketches on a piece of paper. Anything more complex than that should have proper woodwork plans, drawings or blueprints made out in details. Mistakes and carelessness are likely to happen in DIY woodworking project. There is nothing wrong with that, for to err is human. However, there are systematic ways of working to reduce or eliminate the possibility of error. And that is to rely on good and proper woodwork plans

Woodwork Plans and Directions

Woodwork plans are not merely drawings with markings and numbers. Woodwork plans are meant to be clear guides with concise and accurate measurements. Though there are some wrong drawings and inaccurate drawings out there. If you do use some of the free plans or blueprints for download, make sure you run through the drawings in details. It will be too late to discover any mistakes after you have cut the wood. Money and time are wasted, and you will be frustrated! So, make sure the woodwork plans you use are clearly  and accurately  drawn to scale.

Whether you are doing woodwork as a business or hobby, proper woodwork plans are absolutely vital to the final work, or to the completion of the entire project. There are sophisticated computer software that can do a wonderful job of drawing the plan out for you. Of course you need to invest the time, patience and effort to churn out the plan. If you are not too keen on learning the software and rather spend all of your time on the woodwork, you can buy woodwork plans on the internet! Price range for woodwork plans are quite diverse. But, when you think about the potential problems for not having proper woodworking plans, it will be worth to invest that extra bit of money for the amount of time you will spend on the DIY woodworking project.

Tackling Woodwork Plans

Now that you have good, clear and concise woodwork plans for your DIY woodworking project, what’s next? Just plow ahead and start work on the project? Yes, you could. But, if you do that, you are still subject to very high chance of error. A systematic way of working, as in anything, will ensure minimal error and smooth sailing to the completion of your project. While each person has its own method of being systematic and organized, you may want to consider the following method for your next project.

First and foremost, construct a form or table and fill out all the woods and items needed for the project, and also their quantity. Write out additional remarks, if any, for each components or items in the project. You may also want to have a column that states the tools or accessories required for that particular part of the woodwork. Once you have that master sheet in front of you, it is necessary to list out the flow of the project. Even if you have a material listing looking nice and in order, but when the actual sequence of building is haphazard you will likely to make mistake and end up in frustrations. The table you created will help you to know what you need to buy and prepare before the actual woodworking begins. The table also allows you to plan your flow properly at a glance. This table will always serve as your complementary guide in addition to the plan or blueprint.

Well, if you still don’t have a good working system in place, maybe you can consider trying out the above method in your upcoming projects. In the long run, woodworkers always rely on professional woodwork plans.

Woodwork Tools – Using The Right Woodworking Tools

Using the Right Woodwork Tools

To a woodworker and DIY woodworking, using the right woodwork tools is very important. A seasoned woodworker takes pride in the range of their woodwork tools. Many woodworkers viewed their set of woodwork tools as very personal, as though no one else should be using them. Professional woodworkers take care of their woodworking tools properly and always keep them in good, peak functions, ever ready for the next DIY woodworking project.

The range of woodwork tools can be rather huge. The general category of tools can include hand tools, power tools and machine tools. Depending on your level and budget, woodworking tools can range from cheap to very expensive. Though the power tools can help speed things up and make things easier, you can still build quality projects with hand tools.

Safety of Woodwork Tools

One important point about woodworking tools is safety concerns. If you cannot afford a new machine but really wanted one, you might want to look into second hand woodworking machines. However, you have to make sure the used or second hand equipment is safe and can last you some time. Otherwise, you might be better off buying a new one when you can afford it.

Here we will run through the basic woodwork tools you will need for your DIY woodworking projects.

Woodwork Tools – Claw Hammer

This is the most common hammer used for DIY woodworking and general repairs. Claw hammer comes in different styles, weights and materials. Make sure you feel comfortable and balanced holding it when striking a nail.

Wood Chisels

Chisels for DIY woodwork can range from ¼ inch to 2 inches wide in 1/8 inch graduations. You have a choice of plastic or wooden handle. The guideline for using chisel is your chisel width should be half the width of the cut size. If you are just starting out, buy a few first rather than all the sizes.

Woodwork Tools – Screwdrivers

Screwdriver is almost universally needed in DIY woodworking project. You should get one with various sizes, including both Phillips and flat head. You might want to consider a cordless, electric screw driver.

Woodwork Tools – Levels

Levels come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. They can be wooden, plastic or aluminum. The most common is 2 feet long. Level is easy to use. Just make sure the air bubble is centered between the two indicator lines, and your surface should be level. You definitely want to make sure your DIY project turn out straight. So, level is an important tool.

Woodwork Tools – Try Square

Try square ranges from 3 inches to 12 inches, may or may not have inch graduations on them. Try squares are useful for furniture and cabinet projects. Theie small size allows fitting in confined spaces.

Woodwork Tools – Framing Squares

Framing squares allow you to layout and measure virtually everything from the basement stairs up to the attic rafters. The most common size is one with a 24-inch blade and a 16-inch tongue.

Woodwork Tools – Triangles

You should get one double 45 degree and one 30 degree-60 degree triangles, which are most commonly used in laying out patterns.

Woodwork Tools – Tape Measures

Get one with ¾ inch or ½ inch width with at least 6 feet length. There are quite a variety in tape measures. Modern ones come with digital read-outs. Make sure the hook at the end is not bent, otherwise the reading might not be accurate.

Woodwork Tools – Sandpaper

Get different grades for different purpose, ranging from coarse grit to fine grit paper. You will use plenty of these for finishing.

Woodwork Tools – Screws and Nails

Keep a handy supply of nails and screws. You can always buy more as and when for different projects.

Woodwork Tools – Saws

Saws are definitely a necessity as there will likely be plenty of sawing to get your wood or lumber into the right shape. For general purpose, get one at 26 inches long with 8 teeth per inch, with crosscut as well as ripping saws. Fret saw is used for intricate design.

Woodwork Tools – Clamps

Clamps are very useful and too many is never too many. You need clamps to hold boards together for gluing. If you get pipe clamps ranging from 18 inches to 8 feet wide, you should have the right clamp for most projects. Also, get a few hand clamps and small C-clamps for your smaller projects. For working with oak, you might want to consider zinc-coated pipe clamp to prevent staining of the wood.

Woodwork Tools – Hand Plane

You only need a basic smoothing plane for most projects. Get a good quality one for durability.

Woodwork Tools – Vises

Vise holds wood pieces on the workbench, enabling you to shape the wood with other tools.

Woodwork Tools – Rasps

Get one fine and one rough should do the job for filing board edges and removing small bits of wood.

Woodwork Tools – Glue

Make sure you get the carpenter’s wood glue for strength and stability

Woodwork Tools – Carpenter’s Pencil

Get a couple of these, with ¼ inch by ½ inch and 1/16 inch by 3/16 inch lead

Woodwork Tools – Safety Glasses

Wear this even if you are not using power tools, especially when hammering or moving boards or wood shavings.

Woodworking Tools – Wet / Dry Shop Vacuum

Clean up wood shaving and dust to prevent fires and easier breathing.

Woodworking Tools – Electric Drill / Drill Bits

If you are thinking about buying power tool, the electric drill will be the first power tool to buy. Electric drill can be versatile, used for multi-purposes, including mixers, sanders, screwdrivers, saws, grinders, lathes, and so on. Beginner can start with a 3/8 inch, variable speed, reversible drill. The corded version will be cheaper than the cordless counterparts. Make sure it has double insulation.

Woodworking Tools – Electric Circular Saw

If you can afford one, it can be handy for cutting up your wood pieces.

Tools are tools. Woodworking tools are not rocket science. If you are not sure, read the instructions before using them. Whatever you do, safety always come first. Get the right and appropriate woodwork tools for all your DIY woodworking.

Wood for Projects

Choosing the wood for your DIY woodworking projects requires some knowledge and understanding of wood. Though a woodworker may not need to dive into the scientific study of trees (known as dendrology), a good understanding of the classification of wood will definitely help in deciding the kind of wood to be used for a particular project.

Types of Wood – Hardwood vs Softwood

In general, wood or lumber can be classified as hardwood or softwood. What is the difference between the two? Does it mean hardwood is harder than softwood? Not always. In fact, some hardwoods such as balsa and yew are softer than many softwoods. Definitely the hardest hardwood is much harder than any softwoods. Similarly, softwood such as Douglas fir is harder than many hardwoods.

Hardwood

The hardness of wood or lumber is very variable. The main features differentiating hardwood and softwood are the characteristics of pores of the wood. Pores (also known as vessels) in the wood can vary in size, shape and structural density. These characteristics will determine what you could do to a wood. Structurally, hardwoods are more complex than softwood. In terms of timber production, softwood is still the major source globally.

There are hundreds of species of hardwood. Some common species of hardwoods are oak, maple, cherry, walnut, aspen, basswood, beech and yellow birch. Examples of less common hardwood species are butternut, mesquite, pear and sycamore. Softwoods are from the cone family, which bears needles instead of leaves. Common softwood species are pine, fir, redwood, cedar and cypress.

For the purpose of woodworking projects, both hardwood and softwood can be used. The general deciding criteria depends on your budget and purpose. In general, most people choose hardwoods for indoor projects due to their desirable grain and figure characteristics. Hardwoods are suitable for projects such as indoor furniture, cabinet, trim-work and turnings. Softwoods tend to be more common in outdoor projects. So, for projects such as outdoor furniture, tree houses, utility sheds and painted enclosures, softwood tend to be the feasible choice of wood. Again, these are not hard and fast rules. These are general guidelines. If budget is not an issue, you can use the more expensive hardwood or furniture-grade lumber for your projects.

Softwood

Other Factors When considering Choice of Wood

Apart from the budget point of view, there are also other considerations to choosing your wood. You probably want to consider the ease or difficulty with which to work with for the kind of wood you use. That also depends on your skill or craftsmanship level. If you are just starting to learn this hobby, you probably want to practice with more economical choice until you have mastered the art. You may also consider the final appearance of your woodwork whether you use hardwood or softwood.

Once you get serious in this hobby of woodworking, you will gradually find that this hobby requires knowledge and experience in wood. Over time and experience, you will gain a wealth of knowledge in the woodworking field. It is probably wise to do some research and reading before you plow ahead and get into ambitious project. Some knowledge may seem to be common sense to a seasoned and experienced woodworker, but it’s probably a totally new information to the novice. For instance, you are not supposed to force a screw inside hardwood. You need to bore a hole, know as pilot hole before you put a screw in hardwood. Another example would be the use of extremely sharp tools for planing and cutting hardwood. Such knowledge is not necessarily common knowledge outside the woodworking world. So, if you are just starting out in woodworking, you might want to have some basic understanding of what you can and what you cannot do when it comes to the wood you use for your project.

To leave you with something to think about, try to consider the following factors when choosing your wood:

• Strength
• Hardness
• Grain Characteristics
• Weight
• Color
• Durability
• Availability
• Cost

Lastly, I strongly suggest the beginning woodworker starts with softer wood like pine or spruce which is easier to work with. As you get more experienced, you can use harder wood like cedar and oak.