Do I need a workshop?

No. Every plan on this page can be built on the floor of a garage, on a patio, or across two sawhorses. A workbench is a good early project precisely because you do not need one to build it.

What does the difficulty rating mean?

Beginner means straight cuts and basic joinery. Intermediate adds angles, pocket holes or a larger assembly that has to be squared up. Advanced means several stages and fitted parts where accuracy matters.

Are the measurements in inches?

Yes. Every cut list, diagram and dimension is in imperial inches, as the plans were originally drawn.

What if my cut is slightly off?

Measure the piece you built rather than trusting the plan for the next one. Most of these designs are forgiving if you fit each part to the last one instead of to the drawing.

Start here

You do not need a workshop, and you do not need to learn woodworking before you build something. Pick one small project, buy only the tools it asks for, and let it teach you the rest. This page shows you what to learn, what to buy, and what to build first.

See the first builds Which tools to buy

What your tools can already build

Counted from all 1,517 plans: a plan appears at a rung once every tool it lists is one you own. Buy in this order and each purchase opens the largest possible share of the library.

The hand kit16 / 1,517
Tape, pencil, square, drill, sander, safety gear
Add a circular saw193 / 1,517
Your first real cutting tool
Add a mitre saw279 / 1,517
Fast, repeatable crosscuts
Add a pocket-hole jig504 / 1,517
Strong joints without joinery
Add a brad nailer994 / 1,517
Trim, backs and face frames
Add a jigsaw1,257 / 1,517
Curves and cut-outs

Two rungs do most of the work. Before the pocket-hole jig you can build 18% of the library; after the brad nailer, 66%.

Four things worth knowing first

None of these take longer than an afternoon to pick up, and between them they cover most of what a beginner plan assumes you already know.

Read a cut list

A cut list names every piece, how many you need, and its finished length. Cut them all before assembling anything — it turns a build into sorting parts, not solving problems.

Know what lumber is really called

A 2x4 measures 1½" × 3½". Every plan here is written around those real sizes, so buy by the name on the label and trust the cut list for the rest.

Cut straight and square

Mark with a square, cut just outside the line, and check the first piece before cutting the rest. Accuracy at this stage is what makes a carcass sit flat.

Join with screws and glue

Glue makes a joint strong, screws hold it while the glue dries. Pocket holes hide the screws and need no other joinery, which is why most plans here use them.

The tools, in the order worth buying them

The percentage is how many of the 1,517 plans call for that tool. Select any tool to see the plans that use it.

Start with these

Nothing here is expensive, and almost every plan in the library asks for them.

Buy these as a plan asks for them

Each one opens up a large part of the library. The counts above show how much.

Only when you need them

Genuinely occasional. Borrow or rent before buying any of these.

Eight first builds

All beginner-rated, all under $20 in lumber, none with more than four pieces to cut. Build whichever one you would actually use.

If you build one thing first

Easy DIY Garage Workshop Workbench

A bench gives every project after it somewhere flat to happen, and it is forgiving — nothing about it has to be pretty. 7 pieces to cut, $20 - $50 in lumber.

Open the plan

Herb Garden Planter from Cedar Fence Pickets

Starter

Common questions

The builds below are all under $20 in lumber. Your real outlay is tools, and the ladder above is ordered so you buy them one at a time, only when a plan you want actually needs one.

Start here

What your tools can already build