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Why Even Woodworking Pros Use Woodworking Plans by Bob Gillespie
The first thing I ever tried to make out of wood, as a child of 7 years, was a soapbox derby racing car. I planned to make it out of wood boards and metal parts I found abandoned. I soon discovered that I had absolutely no idea of how to accomplish this. I bent over nails and hit my thumb with the hammer quite a few times. Not too much later, I felt overwhelmed and gave up completely. I could have used some adult instruction and I definitely could have benefited from a good set of plans.
Later in life, I became a professional woodworker and furniture designer and president of a business that made original, custom furniture for wealthy clients. In between the soapbox derby car and the furniture firm, I made a lot of mistakes and tried to learn from every one of them. What helped me at the start was the discovery that reasonably priced woodcraft plans were accessible that could show me how to make things out of wood. I determined that some plans were poorly drawn and often imprecise, leaving me scratching my head as to what I needed to do next.
Occasionally, I would discover well-conceived, well-drawn, step-by-step plans that I could actually use. They featured not only well-designed, easy-to-follow drawings, they had clearly-written, detailed instructions as well as a precise inventory of materials needed. I determined that with this quality of plan, I could not lose.
In the beginning, I would seek out plans that I liked and then follow them exactly to the finish. I learned a lot of basic, intermediate and advanced woodcraft abilities from doing this. As I went on, I would find plans that I felt confident in modifying to my taste, just a bit, here and there. As time passed and my skills evolved, I started drawing my own plans, thus giving an outlet to my own creativity.
To this day, I never start a project without a plan in my possession, whether it be someone else
