Ted's Woodworking vs Woodsmith Plans: Which Fits You?

Ted's Woodworking and Woodsmith Plans both sell woodworking plans as downloads, but they are built on opposite ideas. Ted's sells one large bundle for a single price. Woodsmith sells individual plans drawn by magazine editors, plus a yearly membership that unlocks its whole library.

We checked both sales pages on Oct 12, 2026. Below is what each one offers, where each falls short, and which kind of woodworker each one suits better. Nook21 has not bought or built from either product; this comparison is based on what the vendors publish and what buyers report.

The short version

Ted's Woodworking is breadth at a low one-time price. The vendor claims 16,000+ plans for $67, though quality and consistency vary from plan to plan.

Woodsmith Plans is depth. Each plan comes from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines, and the plan pages list a "shop-tested guarantee." You pay more per plan, or $59.95 to $79.95 a year for the full library.

Head-to-head comparison

Facts below are from each vendor's pages as checked on Oct 12, 2026. Prices change, so check current price on their site before buying.

	Ted's Woodworking	Woodsmith Plans
Price model	$67 one-time at checkout; optional add-ons and upsells	Per plan (we saw $7.95 to $39.95), or Woodsmith Unlimited at $59.95/yr digital or $79.95/yr with print magazine
Number of plans	Vendor claims 16,000+; a 2014 forum count found about 2,500 distinct plans	"Hundreds" for individual sale; membership page says "over 1,000 digital project plans"
Quality signals	Mixed; plans come from many sources and styles	Editor-drawn; plan pages list a "shop-tested guarantee from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines"
What a plan includes	Varies by plan; many are PDFs, some DWG files	Step-by-step pages, color photos and exploded views, materials list, cutting diagrams, hardware sources
Format	PDF/DWG in a members area	Printable PDF download; optional "premium" shop drawings on some plans (+$14 on one we checked)
Refund	60-day money-back guarantee advertised, handled by ClickBank	No refund window for digital plans found on the pages we checked; read their terms first
Beginner fit	Good for browsing ideas; some plans are thin on instructions	Strong; each plan walks through the build in order
Extras	DWG/CAD viewer, 150 videos, business guide, woodworking guides, custom plan request	Membership adds print magazine, back issues to 1979, ShopNotes archive, Woodsmith Shop TV episodes, 700+ video tips

Ted's Woodworking: breadth for one price

The appeal is simple. For $67 you get a very large archive covering sheds, chairs, toys, boxes, outdoor furniture, and shop fixtures. If you like to browse before you pick a project, that range is the main draw.

The trade-off is consistency. The plans were gathered from many sources, so some include full cut lists and clear drawings while others are a single sketch. A 2014 UKWorkshop forum count found about 2,500 distinct plans, well short of the 16,000+ the sales page states.

Ted's also ships four bonuses: a DWG/CAD viewer, 150 videos, a woodworking business guide, and a set of general woodworking guides. A custom plan request is included. Expect upsell offers after checkout ($27 to $49, plus a $27/month membership); all are optional.

There are trust questions worth knowing. ToolGuyd reported in 2023 that the "Ted" photo appears to be stock, and Woodshop News criticized the marketing in 2015. Trustpilot showed 2.0 out of 5 from 12 reviews in October 2026. None of that tells you a given plan is bad, but it is a reason to lean on the refund window. More detail is in our full Ted's Woodworking review.

Ted's sells you a library to search through. Woodsmith sells you a single plan someone already built.

Woodsmith Plans: depth, one project at a time

Woodsmith Plans draws from Woodsmith, ShopNotes, and Workbench magazines. Each plan page lists what you get. A $16.95 shop-projects plan we checked lists 11 pages, more than 30 color photos and illustrations, a materials list, cutting diagrams, and hardware sources.

Smaller plans cost less. A finger joint jig was $7.95 for 5 pages; a puzzle box plan was $9.95 for 8 pages. A large CNC router build was $39.95 for 23 pages.

Some plans offer a premium tier with extra shop drawings. The site describes these as drawings the editors made while building the prototypes. Not every plan has them, and metric versions are not offered for every plan either.

If you plan to build several projects a year, the membership changes the math. Woodsmith Unlimited is $79.95 a year with the print magazine (U.S. only) or $59.95 a year digital-only. The subscribe page lists over 1,000 digital project plans, 40 years of back issues, the ShopNotes archive, every Woodsmith Shop TV season, and members' discounts on courses.

Plan quality: what "tested" actually means for you

Most frustration with downloaded plans comes from small errors. A cut list off by 1/4 inch, a missing part, or a joint that only works with a tool you don't own. Those mistakes cost lumber and weekends. We cover how to spot them in how to read a cut list.

Woodsmith's "shop-tested guarantee" signals that the editors built a prototype in their shop before publishing; the premium drawings are described as coming from that prototype build. That lowers the odds of a plan that doesn't add up. It is a quality claim, not a money-back promise.

Ted's has no comparable claim across the whole archive. Buyers report that the better plans are very usable and the weaker ones need you to fill in gaps. If you can already read a drawing and adjust dimensions, that matters less. If you can't, it matters a lot. See why woodworking projects fall apart for the usual culprits.

Cost over a year

Price depends on how many projects you actually build. Here is a rough comparison using the prices we saw.

Your year	Ted's Woodworking	Woodsmith
1 to 3 projects	$67	About $8 to $40 per plan, so often under $67
4 to 8 projects	$67	$59.95/yr digital membership is usually cheaper than buying plans one by one
Browsing for ideas	$67, no renewal	$59.95 to $79.95 every year you stay

For a builder who finishes two or three projects a year, buying Woodsmith plans individually can cost less than Ted's. For someone who wants a big archive to dig through without a renewal, Ted's is cheaper over time. Free plans are also an option; we compare them in Ted's Woodworking vs free plans.

Which fits beginners?

For a first project, a single detailed plan beats a big archive. A beginner needs every step spelled out, a complete cut list, and drawings that match the photos. Woodsmith's individual plans are built around that.

Ted's can still work for beginners who pick carefully. Start with simple projects, check that a plan has a full materials list before you buy lumber, and skip any plan with only one drawing. Our beginner workbench guide is a good first build either way.

Choose Ted's Woodworking if…

• You want a large variety of project ideas for a single $67 payment, with no renewal.
• You are comfortable reading drawings and fixing a dimension yourself.
• You build small items to sell and want many designs to choose from (see projects that sell).
• You want a 60-day window to test it and request a refund if it doesn't fit.

Choose Woodsmith if…

• You build a few projects a year and want each plan to be complete and editor-built.
• You are newer to woodworking and need step-by-step instructions with photos.
• You'd value the print magazine, back issues, and Woodsmith Shop TV episodes in one membership.
• You want furniture-grade projects with clear joinery details.

Our verdict

On our stated criteria (plan depth, beginner fit, and cost per useful plan), Woodsmith is the stronger choice for someone who wants fewer, better-documented projects. Ted's Woodworking is the stronger choice for someone who wants the widest range of ideas for one low payment and can work around uneven plans.

Many woodworkers end up using both: a big archive for ideas, and a carefully drawn plan for the project that has to come out right.

Pick by how many projects you will really finish this year, not by how many plans are in the box.

If Ted's sounds like the better fit, the order page shows the $67 price and the optional add-ons. Uncheck any add-on you don't want before you pay. For other options, see our best woodworking plans for 2026 or Ted's vs My Shed Plans.

Sources checked Oct 12, 2026: woodsmithplans.com plan pages and the Woodsmith Unlimited subscribe page. Ted's Woodworking facts from the vendor's sales and checkout pages, checked Oct 9, 2026.