Is the 16,000 plans package a scam? Read my honest Ted’s Woodworking review. I bought the product to test the blueprints and quality.
Look, I’m going to be straight with you. I’m not a master carpenter. I don’t have a massive workshop with a $5,000 table saw or a dust collection system that looks like it belongs in a factory. I’m Tony. I work out of a cramped workspace that’s usually occupied by overflow storage and a mountain of kid’s bicycles. My tools are a mix of hand-me-downs and whatever was on sale at the big box store. Welcome to my honest Ted’s Woodworking review.
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When I first saw the ads for Ted’s Woodworking Plans, I laughed. You’ve seen them—the flashy banners screaming about “16,000 Plans!” and promising that you can build a boat or a gazebo in a weekend with zero experience. My “BS detector” went off immediately. It sounded like one of those internet scams where you pay $67 and get a zip file full of unreadable PDFs from 1950.
But, I kept seeing it. And I kept needing plans. I was tired of trying to build things off YouTube videos where the guy skips half the steps, or free plans online that leave out the measurements for the most important cuts. So, I bit the bullet. I bought it so you don’t have to.
I’ve spent the last three months digging through this massive library, and I’m here to give you the brutal truth. Is it a scam? No. Is it perfect? Absolutely not.
Here is the reality of Ted’s Woodworking.
The Elephant in the Room: The “16,000 Plans” Lie
Let’s get the ugly stuff out of the way first. The marketing for this product claims you get 16,000 plans. Technically, that might be true if you count every single scrap of paper in the download folder. But realistically? It’s marketing hype.
If you are buying this thinking you are getting 16,000 perfect, high-definition, CAD-drawn blueprints, keep your credit card in your pocket. You aren’t.
A significant chunk of the library consists of what I call “filler.” I’m talking about scans of old woodworking magazines, plans that look like they were drawn on a napkin, or projects that are so obscure (like a specific type of birdhouse for a bird that doesn’t live on this continent) that you’ll never use them.
However—and this is a big however— once you sift through the filler, there is a goldmine hiding underneath.
I found that out of the 16,000 files, there are about 500 to 1,000 plans that are absolute platinum. And for the price of entry, those 500 plans are worth their weight in gold. If you ignore the marketing number and focus on the core content, the value proposition changes completely.
The Good: Why I Actually Kept It
Okay, so the number is inflated. Why am I giving this a positive review? Because the “good” plans in this package solved the three biggest headaches I face as a garage DIYer.
1. The “Hold-You-By-The-Hand” Instructions
I’m a visual learner. If you tell me to “join piece A to piece B,” I’m going to screw it up. I need to see it. The premium plans in Ted’s package (the ones that actually matter) come with what I call “LEGO-style” instructions.
They don’t just give you a blueprint; they give you a 3D view of the assembly. They show you exactly how the joints fit together. For a guy like me who doesn’t know all the fancy joinery terms, this is a lifesaver. It bridges the gap between “I want to build this” and “I actually understand how this stands up.”
2. The Material Lists (The Real Money Saver)
This is my favorite part. The good plans come with a precise Cutting and Materials List.
In the past, I would guess how much wood I needed. I’d go to the lumber yard, buy ten 2x4s, get home, realize I needed eleven, drive back, buy two more just in case, and end up with a pile of scrap wood in the corner of my shop that I paid for but didn’t use.
With these plans, I take the list to the store. I buy exactly what is on the paper. It stops me from overbuying lumber. Considering the price of wood these days, this feature alone saved me the cost of the course on my very first project (a garden bench).
3. Variety for the Regular Guy
I don’t build houses. I build small stuff. Planter boxes, dog houses, a workbench, maybe a coffee table if I’m feeling brave.
The variety here is actually surprisingly good for the hobbyist. Sure, there are plans for huge sheds, but there are tons of small, one-weekend projects. I found great plans for:
- A classic Adirondack chair.
- A rolling shop cart (essential for small spaces).
- A simple bookshelf that looks way better than IKEA junk.
The Bad: You Need to Know This Before Buying
I promised to be brutally honest, so here is the stuff that annoyed me.
1. The Organization is a Mess
Imagine dumping 16,000 sheets of paper onto a floor and then trying to find one specific sheet. That’s what the file structure feels like sometimes.
While there are categories, the sheer volume makes it overwhelming. You have to do some digging to find the gems. It’s not like a curated Instagram feed; it’s like a messy library. You have to be patient and use the search function, or browse through folders until you spot the high-quality thumbnails.
2. The Upsells
This really ground my gears. Once you pay for the plans and try to access them, you get hit with videos and pop-ups trying to sell you more stuff. “Buy this video archive!” “Buy this shed software!”
My advice: Skip them. Just say “No thanks” to everything until you get to the download page. You don’t need the extras. The core package is plenty. Don’t let the aggressive sales tactics scare you off the actual product, but be prepared to click “Close” a few times.
Pros vs. Cons Summary
One thing I found during this Ted’s Woodworking review was that it definitely has a large variety of projects.
The Pros ✅:
- Detailed Diagrams: The “LEGO-style” views make assembly easy for beginners.
- Exact Material Lists: Saves you money and trips to the hardware store.
- Huge Variety: Covers everything from small crafts to outdoor furniture.
- Price: It’s cheaper than one decent plan bought individually elsewhere.
The Cons ❌:
- Disorganized: Finding the right plan can take 10-15 minutes of searching.
- Marketing Hype: It claims 16,000 plans, but many are old or low quality.
- Annoying Upsells: You have to click through several sales videos to get your product.
- Inconsistent Quality: Some plans are HD, some are scans from decades ago.
Who Is This For?
This is the most important part of this review. Ted’s Woodworking is NOT for everyone.
Do NOT buy this if:
- You are a master carpenter who can look at a photo of a table and draw your own blueprints.
- You are looking for plans for a specific, complex architectural house renovation.
- You have zero patience for sorting through digital files.
DO buy this if:
- You are a beginner or intermediate DIYer: You have a drill and a saw, but you lack the engineering brain to design furniture from scratch.
- You want to save money: You’re tired of wasting lumber because of bad measurements.
- You need inspiration: You want to browse through hundreds of ideas for your next weekend project.
The Bottom Line: My Final Ted’s Woodworking Review
So, is Ted’s Woodworking worth the cash?
Here is my pragmatic take: Yes.
If you judge it by the “16,000 plans” claim, it’s a letdown. But if you judge it as a library of 500 incredible, detailed plans plus a massive archive of ideas, it’s a steal.
Think about it this way: If you go to the lumber yard today and mis-cut a single sheet of good plywood, you’re out $60 or $70. If you buy a single detailed plan from a pro designer online, it costs $20 to $50.
Ted’s package costs about the same as a few pizzas. If you build just ONE project from this database—one chair, one workbench, one planter box—the package has paid for itself. Everything you build after that is pure bonus.
I started with skepticism, but now I keep the PDF library on an old iPad in my shop. It’s messy, it’s loud, but it works. And for guys like us, “it works” is the only metric that matters.
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