Thread: Where do you get your plans?

If "Ted" came to me to buy plans I would tell him where to go.
If someone from a forum would ask, I'll make them into a PDF and send them off but they would be marked ©.

Others, most notably teachers, have asked for plans. I have put a CD-ROM together and sent them off. Of the three, one responded with a nasty e-mail, the other two didn't acknowledge receipt until asked. One complained bitterly about the plans. Of the three, two were international postage, but the one in the US complained the most. I never asked for, nor expected reimbursement for costs. Now I just don't respond to those type of requests.

Originally Posted by rrich

If "Ted" came to me to buy plans I would tell him where to go.

I would have thought most woodworkers would have had a heart attack on the spot if Ted came asking to buy plans, that is reputed to be well outside his normal strategy.

Yeah, my plan source is sort of a mix of the other guys. But I would say a huge amount just pops up in my mind, then have to refine it a bit. I seldom use someone else's plans, because they are what they want and not what I want, so when I do I change any where from a little to a lot. A huge amount of my inspiration is from google images. When I research a new project I might save well over 100 pictures or clipart of whatever, sometimes even hundreds. Then I go thru and weed out duplicates, things I don't want, then repeat. Usually when I get down to five or six pictures I've gotten an idea of what I want to do. And I do not copy someone else's work. Apparently if you change something like seven or more things on a piece of someone's copyrighted work, it becomes a new work - i.e., no copy right. Well, what I do is take maybe one idea from one piece, one from another, and go from there. I once started the face on a cigar store Indian bank, starting with a photo of a member of a tribe in the Pacific Northwest. By the time I got finished I had made 14 changes, and my face no longer even faintly resembles the original - and that's the way I like it.

At present, I am doing my old piggy bank plans, save a lot of clipart to review, but didn't really use any ideas, just inspiration. Basically the same with my monster truck plans, started with a photo of an actual truck, lots of clipart, pad of 1/4" graph paper, a mechanical pencil, and a really good eraser. Lots of paper, lots of sketching, lots of erasing, and viola, original plans for each. As original as a wooden piggy bank can be that is.

Redoing all my cane handles also. Again, 1/4" graph paper, which allows me to lay them out fullsize. And the mechanical pencil and eraser. These are all original too, work a lot from photos on these, have a whale, lion, two elephants, a dog or two, a series of buzzards (sleepy, grumpy, etc.), grumpy fish grumpy turtle, vampire ducks, and so on. Nothing copied, and still designing more. One design people seem to like, I think I may have gotten the inspiration from looking at Mayan and/or Incan stone carvings, because it is apparently a bird, and really strange looking. I really need to come back here more often.

Originally Posted by SamKircher

So it seems like its 50/50 whether people use others plans or not? and more beginners use plans than the experienced guys?

Have you guys that do up your own plans ever thought about selling them? I completely understand that there isn't too much value in exact dimensions etc, but from a design perspective, I think it is very helpful to a newbie to see how something is constructed and pick up bits and pieces. Sort of using the plans as guidelines rather than exact instructions.

Is there anywhere where you can simply go and browse and buy plans easily? seems like places like finewoodworking.com require a subscription to download their plans.

Sam
Why buy plans when you have this forum for ideas. So many buildalongs on here would keep you woodworking a lifetime. Most of us on here are here to share ideas so would be proud if anyone copies our ideas. Thats why we post them for free. You can also ask about anything, like put up a part plan or idea and get feedback.
If you do need plans for a spacific project and feel the need to pay for it
then search for plans on that item and compare prices. The web is a big place. No one stop shop that I am aware of.
Last tip is check out your local library for woodworking books. I did find a few plans there.
Regards
John

Originally Posted by SamKircher

So it seems like its 50/50 whether people use others plans or not? and more beginners use plans than the experienced guys?

Have you guys that do up your own plans ever thought about selling them? I completely understand that there isn't too much value in exact dimensions etc, but from a design perspective, I think it is very helpful to a newbie to see how something is constructed and pick up bits and pieces. Sort of using the plans as guidelines rather than exact instructions.

Is there anywhere where you can simply go and browse and buy plans easily? seems like places like finewoodworking.com require a subscription to download their plans.

I just skimmed thru the first time, and missed this. I consider it good for beginners to use plans, it makes for less error, and builds confidence in what they do. I know of some model buiilders who are totally capable of making their own plans, but choose to build from other people's plans; probably because it takes a lot of time to make detailed plans of say a sailing man-o-war ship.

Sell my plans? What plans? LOL When I made my saw stand, went to the shop, knew what I wanted, and not a clue how to do it. So, started cutting. Wound up with a very solid and stable saw stand, that looks like art deco. And still not sure how. My cane handles I sketch on graph paper until I get something I like. Then glue it to plywood, cut it out, glue that to plywood, rout using the cut piece as a guide, and that gives me a 1" thick master I use to rout out duplicate cane handles.

Yes, there are two places I know of where you can browse free plans. Your local library. Google - almost every pay plan has a free copy, if you look. Don't ask me for a free plan, do your own homework.

Stu's Shed has a comprehensive set of plans from the Triton project books
https://stusshed.com/

In my experience the majority of published plans reflect traditional aka pedestrian designs, great for practice only IMO. I try to find beautiful designs which will stretch my skills and they can come from anywhere. Feel free to borrow briefs from my younger daughter, the designer one.

The woodworking section at ANU and the Sturt School both produce some outstanding pieces of contemporary furniture. Much can be found on Google images. The best part is working out the joinery.

For proportion Sketchup is invaluable as is the Golden Ratio.

Good luck. It's a fascinating hobby.

mick

Its a good question to answer in.
Basically, I gathered ideas from blogs online to allow myself to create my own plans.

Apart from at work (kitchens and other rubbish) which are mostly basic dimensions. I generally work from rough sketches or strait from my head with important dimensions jotted down. Only time I can remember using actual plans was making 16 large (about 1100mm ) model boats for a wedding reception. these were net freebies enlarged and reworked to full size templates.