TedsWoodworking® — 16,000 Woodworking Plans: Full Review and In-Depth Analysis
What Is TedsWoodworking?
TedsWoodworking is a digital library of over 16,000 woodworking plans created by Ted McGrath, a master woodworker and educator with more than 25 years of hands-on teaching experience. The collection covers a wide range of project categories — from furniture and outdoor structures to workshop jigs and home decor — and is designed to serve woodworkers at every level, from complete beginners to seasoned craftsmen.
What sets TedsWoodworking apart from other plan libraries is its foundational principle: every single plan is physically built and tested in the workshop before it is published. Errors in measurements, unclear assembly steps, and incomplete materials lists are caught internally — not by the customer after wasted lumber and lost time.
The Problem TedsWoodworking Was Built to Solve
Ted McGrath started developing this library after a recurring frustration he witnessed in his classroom workshops: woodworkers following plans that looked professional but fell apart at the workbench. Nominal versus milled lumber dimensions that didn't match. Steps that skipped from rough assembly to finished joinery with nothing in between. Materials lists that were off by just enough to require an unplanned trip to the hardware store.
The result, as he observed over two decades of teaching, was not a lack of skill on the woodworker's part — it was a lack of completeness in the plan itself. TedsWoodworking was built to close that gap.
How the Plans Are Made
Ted McGrath leads a full-time team of twelve people whose sole focus is drafting, building, testing, and publishing woodworking plans. The workflow is straightforward and consistent:
- Draft the plan — A new project is designed with full schematics and a preliminary cut list.
- Build it in the workshop — The plan is physically constructed, with every measurement verified and every joint tested.
- Test with real-world builders — Many plans are also tested by workshop students with varying skill levels and tool setups.
- Revise and publish — Any confusing step is rewritten, any measurement discrepancy is corrected, before the plan is released to members.
This process has been running consistently for over 25 years, producing approximately five new plans per week and resulting in a library that now exceeds 16,000 entries — all original, all complete.
What Each Plan Includes
Every plan in the TedsWoodworking library follows a consistent format designed to support the builder from first cut to final finish:
- Step-by-step written instructions — Each stage of the build is described in sequence. No steps are assumed or skipped.
- Exact cut lists — Every piece is listed with its precise dimensions. Measurements are verified to 1/16 of an inch.
- Complete materials lists — Lumber, fasteners, hardware, and finishing materials are all itemized. Members report buying exactly what they need with no excess and no return trips to the store.
- Detailed schematics and exploded views — Multi-angle drawings show how components fit together, including joint details.
Scope of the Library
The library currently contains plans across more than 100 categories. Some of the most popular include:
- Furniture — Over 2,650 plans covering chairs, tables, beds, desks, bookshelves, cabinets, and more.
- Outdoor and Garden — Over 2,150 plans for Adirondack chairs, garden benches, pergolas, raised beds, and deck furniture.
- Buildings and Shelters — Over 1,700 plans including sheds, playhouses, gazebos, and chicken coops.
- Workshop and Tools — Over 1,850 plans for workbenches, tool storage, jigs, and shop furniture.
- Storage and Organization — Over 1,400 plans covering built-ins, shelving systems, boxes, and organizers.
- Kids and Recreation — Over 1,100 plans for toys, toy chests, bunk beds, and playsets.
New plans are added every month from the team's ongoing workshop classes, automatically organized and categorized in the members area.
The Members Area: Organization and Searchability
One of the practical strengths of TedsWoodworking is its members area, which functions as a fully searchable, filterable library rather than a compressed file dump. Members can:
- Search by keyword — type "coffee table" or "garden shed" to retrieve relevant plans instantly.
- Browse by category — over 100 categories organized by project type.
- Filter by skill level — beginner, intermediate, and advanced options make it easy to find appropriately challenging projects.
The library is accessible immediately after purchase, with no waiting period and no shipping required for digital access.
Tool and Space Requirements
TedsWoodworking is designed to work with the tools and space most hobbyist woodworkers already have. The majority of plans require only a table saw, a drill, clamps, and a sander. Ted McGrath notes that he started woodworking in a 7x8 foot shop, and the library includes many plans specifically designed for small or limited workshop spaces.
For woodworkers with a fully equipped shop seeking more advanced projects, those plans are also well-represented in the library.
Lifetime Access and Custom Plan Requests
The standard TedsWoodworking purchase provides lifetime access to the full library, including all future monthly releases. There are no recurring fees associated with this offer. New plans appear automatically in the members area as they are published.
Members can also submit custom plan requests — specifying dimensions, constraints, or design requirements — and the workshop team will draft, build, test, and deliver the plan to the member's library. This service is included at no additional charge.
Bonuses Included with Purchase
The current offer includes four supplementary resources alongside the core plan library:
- DWG/CAD Plan Viewer — Software for opening, modifying, and creating plans in standard CAD formats.
- 150 Premium Woodworking Videos — Step-by-step video tutorials covering techniques from joinery basics to advanced methods, hosted by experienced woodworkers.
- How to Start a Woodworking Business — A guide covering the practical steps for turning woodworking into a side income or full business, including marketing, sourcing, and operations.
- Complete Woodworking Guides — Over 200 pages of illustrated technique guides covering hand tools, joinery, and foundational skills.
What Customers Are Saying
Carol Brewer, Charlotte, NC — Built two Adirondack chairs and sold them at a craft fair. Notes that the cut lists were precise and the whole purchase paid for itself on the first project.
Tony Russo, Phoenix, AZ — A beginner who purchased his first table saw just months before. Built a bookshelf from a beginner plan on his first attempt. Describes the instructions as leaving nothing to guesswork.
Oliver Whitfield, Birmingham, UK — Purchased the materials list exactly as provided and reports every piece fit without any excess or additional trips to the store.
David Tomczak, Atlanta, GA — Previously purchased two other plan collections without completing a single project. Found a storage bench plan in the library, had the materials list ready within five minutes, and finished the build in three weekends.
Ray Anderson, Sacramento, CA — Submitted a custom request for a corner cabinet with unusual dimensions. The team delivered a tested plan within two weeks. The cabinet fit the space precisely.
Greg Harmon, Columbus, OH — Completed four projects in three months — more than in the previous five years combined — citing the organized, searchable library as the key factor in staying motivated.
Pricing and Guarantee
TedsWoodworking is currently available as a one-time purchase of $67, which includes lifetime access to all 16,000+ plans, all monthly updates, the custom plan request service, and all four bonuses. The standard membership rate for new members is moving to $39 per month; the one-time lifetime option remains available on a limited basis while capacity allows.
All purchases are backed by a 60-day, 100% money-back guarantee. If a member is not satisfied for any reason within 60 days of purchase, a full refund is available with no questions asked. Transactions are processed through ClickBank, an established payment processor.
Summary and Final Assessment
TedsWoodworking addresses a genuine and well-documented problem in the woodworking hobby: the widespread availability of plans that appear complete but fail at the workbench. The library's core strength is its production process — building and testing every plan before publication — which results in instructions that can be followed without modification or second-guessing.
Key strengths:
- Every plan built and tested before publication
- Exact cut lists and complete materials lists
- Fully searchable, filterable members area
- Covers all skill levels and workshop sizes
- Lifetime access with monthly new releases at no extra cost
- Custom plan requests included
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Worth noting:
- Digital-first product — physical DVD shipping available for an additional fee
- Results from any woodworking project depend on the builder's time, effort, and tool availability
- The library is best suited for those who intend to build, not just browse
For woodworkers looking for a reliable, comprehensive plan resource that reduces wasted material and abandoned projects, TedsWoodworking represents a well-organized and consistently tested option.