Best Woodworking Plan Libraries in 2026: 5 Options Compared

There are more woodworking plans online than anyone could build in a lifetime. The hard part is picking a source that fits your budget, your tools, and your patience for reading drawings.

We compared five real plan sources using public information: sales pages, store pages, and published policies. We did not buy or build from any of them. Prices below were checked in October 2026 and can change, so confirm on each vendor's site before you pay.

How we chose

We scored each option on five plain criteria, in this order:

• Breadth of plans. How many projects, and how many different kinds (furniture, sheds, toys, shop jigs).
• Price per plan. What you pay divided by what you get, including whether there is a one-time price or an ongoing fee.
• Format. Downloadable PDF, web page, or printed. Whether you can use it offline in the shop.
• Refund policy. Whether a paid option offers a written money-back window.
• Beginner-friendliness. Clear cut lists, simple joinery, and step-by-step photos or diagrams.

No single source wins on all five. Free sites beat everyone on price. Magazine plans tend to win on drawing quality. Large paid bundles win on sheer volume. The ranking below reflects breadth for the price first, and we say plainly where each option falls short.

Why the source matters more than the plan count

A plan library is only useful if the plans are complete. A missing dimension or a cut list that does not add up costs you lumber and a weekend.

That is why we weigh format and clarity alongside numbers. A small set of carefully drawn plans can beat a huge archive you have to sift through. If you have had a build go wrong, our piece on why woodworking projects fall apart covers the common causes.

1. Ted's Woodworking: most plans for a one-time price

Ted's Woodworking ranks first on our stated criteria for one reason: breadth for the price. The checkout price we saw on Oct 9, 2026 was $67, one time. The sales page states the library holds 16,000+ plans, delivered as PDFs (many with DWG files) in an online members area.

That plan count is the vendor's claim. A 2014 count posted on the UKWorkshop forum found roughly 2,500 distinct plans, with many duplicates and variations. Even at the lower figure, the cost per plan is low compared with buying magazine plans one at a time.

What the sales page says is included

Four bonuses are listed: a DWG/CAD viewer, about 150 videos, a woodworking business guide, and a set of general woodworking guides. A custom plan request is also included. A free sample of 50 plans and a 440-page guide is offered for an email opt-in.

Refunds go through ClickBank under a 60-day money-back guarantee, per the vendor.

Honest cons

• Upsells. Checkout shows optional add-ons ($14.95, $9.95, $7.95). After purchase, optional offers run $49, $39.95, $27, $39.97, plus a $27/month membership. None are required.
• Price framing. The sales page says the standard price is $39/month, but no monthly option appeared at checkout.
• Mixed quality. Buyers report the drawings vary in style and detail because the library was compiled from many sources.
• Reputation signals. Trustpilot showed 2.0/5 from 12 reviews in October 2026. ToolGuyd (2023) reported the "Ted" photo appears to be stock, and Woodshop News (2015) criticized the marketing.

Who it suits: hobbyists who want a big pile of ideas across many categories and are fine skipping upsells and sorting through uneven plans. We go deeper in is Ted's Woodworking worth it and the main Ted's Woodworking review.

A big library is a good deal only if you skip the extras and actually build from it.

2. My Shed Plans: best if you only want a shed

My Shed Plans (myshedplans.com, credited to Ryan Henderson) is also sold through ClickBank. When we checked in October 2026, the sales page showed a $37 launch price, against a stated $97 retail price, and said the price would rise later.

The page claims 12,000 shed plans plus a bonus of 400+ general woodworking plans. Plans are downloaded from a members area, with an option to have everything shipped. A 60-day money-back guarantee is advertised.

Who should pick it: anyone whose main project is a shed, playhouse, or garden storage building. It is narrow by design, so it scores lower on breadth than Ted's. Watch out for the "price going up" framing, which is a common sales-page tactic. Our head-to-head is at Ted's Woodworking vs My Shed Plans.

3. Ana White: best free option for beginners

Ana White's site (ana-white.com) has published free furniture plans since 2009. Her about page says she has shared "thousands" of free plans. They are web pages with materials lists, cut lists, and step diagrams, built mostly from common dimensional lumber.

The site also lists premium plans and a paid ebook. Check current prices on her site, since we could not confirm them.

Who should pick it: true beginners who want farmhouse tables, beds, benches, and storage built with a drill, a miter saw, and pocket screws. The cost is zero, which no paid library can beat. Watch out for ads on the free pages and for a style that leans heavily rustic. For a wider look at the trade-off, see Ted's vs free plans.

4. Woodsmith Plans: best drawings, pay per plan

Woodsmith Plans (woodsmithplans.com) sells downloadable plans drawn from Woodsmith, ShopNotes, and Workbench magazines. A plan we checked was listed at $12.95. Some plans offer a premium version with extra shop drawings from the prototype builds, and some have metric versions.

After purchase, you get an email with download instructions. We could not confirm a plan-store refund policy or a current membership price, so check current price and terms on their site.

Who should pick it: intermediate builders who want one well-tested project, like a workbench or a cabinet, with drawings made by an editorial team that built the piece first. Watch out for cost if you want many plans; ten plans at that price would already cost more than Ted's one-time fee. More detail in Ted's Woodworking vs Woodsmith Plans.

5. Kreg project plans: free, built around simple joinery

Kreg's old buildsomething.com address now redirects to learn.kregtool.com, which is headed "Free woodworking plans" and promotes new free plans every week. Plans are web pages, each with its own build page. The site does not publish a total count.

Kreg makes pocket-hole jigs, so expect many projects to suit that joinery. Check each plan's tool list before you start.

Who should pick it: beginners who already own or plan to buy a pocket-hole jig and want modern, simple projects. Watch out for a smaller and more brand-focused selection than the other free option, and for "Login" and "Redeem a Plan" features whose terms you should read on their site.

Comparison chart

Prices and policies as shown on each vendor's site in October 2026. Where we could not verify a fact, we say so.

Option	Price (checked Oct 2026)	Format	Refund	Best for	Watch out for
Ted's Woodworking	$67 one-time	PDF (many DWG), members area	60 days via ClickBank, per vendor	Most plans for one price, many categories	Optional upsells; vendor plan count unverified; mixed drawing quality
My Shed Plans	$37 launch price (vendor lists $97 retail)	Download from members area; shipping option	60 days via ClickBank, per vendor	Sheds and outbuildings only	Narrow scope; "price rising" framing
Ana White	Free; premium plans: check current price	Web pages, printable	Not applicable for free plans	Beginners, farmhouse furniture	Ads; mostly one rustic style
Woodsmith Plans	Per plan (one seen at $12.95); check current price	PDF download; premium and metric on some	Check current terms on their site	One well-tested project, intermediate skills	Cost adds up across many plans
Kreg project plans	Free	Web pages	Not applicable for free plans	Pocket-hole beginners	Smaller, brand-focused selection

How to pick in two minutes

Start with what you want to build this month, not what you might build someday. One clear project beats a folder of 10,000 you never open.

If you want a shed, go narrow. If you want one heirloom piece, pay for a tested magazine plan. If you are just starting, try the free sites first. If you want a large library across many categories for a single price, Ted's is the strongest fit on our criteria.

Buy the library that matches the projects you will actually build this year.

Before you build from any plan

Whatever source you choose, read the whole plan before you cut. Check that the cut list matches the drawings, and add up the lumber yourself. Our guide on how to read a cut list walks through it.

A good first project is a sturdy workbench, since every later build depends on it. See workbench plans for beginners. If you hope to sell what you make, start with woodworking projects that sell, and keep expectations modest.

What we could not verify

Some facts were not public when we checked. Neither ClickBank product lists an independently audited plan count, so treat 16,000 and 12,000 as vendor claims. We could not confirm a refund policy for the Woodsmith plan store or current prices for Ana White's premium plans.

Kreg does not publish a total number of free plans. Free sites can also change what is free at any time. If one of these details decides your purchase, check the vendor's site on the day you buy, and save a screenshot of the price and refund terms.

Bottom line

Free sites like Ana White and Kreg are the right first stop for most beginners. Woodsmith Plans is the pick when drawing quality matters more than volume. My Shed Plans fits a single shed project.

Ted's Woodworking ranks first on our stated criteria because it offers the most plans for one $67 payment, with a 60-day refund window per the vendor. Skip the optional add-ons unless you need them, and use the refund window if the plans do not fit how you work.