It's The Plan Stan and It's All Mapped Out

Post Meta-Data:

This is the section just below the last section of the project or article that contains a series of words. This seems a bit cumbersome at first, and it isn’t necessarily something you need to pay attention to, but it can give you some helpful hints about the tools required, boards used, style of the piece and so on and so forth. This section itself isn’t necessarily important except to notify you that this crazy series of words mean that each plan is categorized in a number of ways which make searching and browsing plans that much easier to customize according to your needs. For example, If you click on the PLANS drop down in the left sidebar, you might notice some tabs labeled cost, style, room, tools, etc. This means that each plan has been marked out and is browseable according to a tool you would like to use for building, or a budget you have set for yourself. Let’s say you are excited to use your new Kreg Jig…no problem, select TOOLS from that PLANS drop down and scroll down to Kreg Jig. Now you can browse every plan I have created with pocket hole use in mind! Fabulous right? This is the most important section on an article because of how it ties in to your browsing and searching through plans to find the right one! Consider it your cruise control…

Project Intro:

Every set of plans has an intro to the project (generally the first paragraph) and will typically tell you a bit about the plan and the collection the piece belongs to. This paragraph almost always fall just under the Share/Bookmark link and the FB like button, which is always very much appreciated by me as it helps spread the word about what I’m up to on this ol’ bloggy poo! Hint, hint…

This section gives you an idea about where to find the matching pieces that coordinate with the project (a direct link to the specific collection us usually found here as you see above with the link to the Provence Collection or where this project can be found in the PLANS drop down for that collection), and also may let you know if the plan is a smaller/larger size for a piece or which pieces have been covered already that coordinate with it, this helps you visit particular articles for getting the full spectrum of understanding about the project, and other methods or tricks for building. This is a good place to start when you are looking to explore related projects. You may even discover shortcuts, or tricks for constructing an entire collection by scanning for similarities amongst the pieces. Of course, if you see a shortcut that I haven’t mentioned, I am all ears and would welcome the comment so that others might benefit from it as well! I will also occasionally mention customizations that can be made for a more perfect solution to your particular build, such as adding wheels, or skipping them. Maybe even a size mod for use with something you already own or for cost savings etc.

A project Image is always included in the Project Intro and may detail the finished project alone or paired with other pieces in the collection to give you a full grasp of what you have access to and how they work together!

Link to Plan Index:

You can Find this link in the menu under my site logo, so that you can easily refer to the full Index of Plans shown in a visual reference like manner and able to be sorted by collection, type, cost etc. This is also a great way to view all of the pieces in the collection or to decide between 2 collections…

Just in case you haven’t visited the Plan Index, the image below will give you a bit of an idea about what to expect there (it’s a fabulous place to play…)

Dimensions and Estimated Cost:

Each plan should have an image detailing the full dimensions of the finished piece. This should help you determine if the project will work for you or if perhaps another size or style is preferable. Just underneath that you will find the Estimated Cost for building the piece. Keep in mind this will vary quite a bit from region to region, and depending on whether or not you already have some of the materials (like the hardware, finishing supplies, or fasteners). If you would like to more closely estimate the cost, take an inventory of what you already have then head to lowes.com and in the search bar search for the boards required for the build. To do this with the most accurate results you need to enter your zipcode, and then in the search bar you will type out the board dimensions like so: 1 x 3 x 8. Notice the spaces between each character, and the lack of “ symbols etc.

Tools:

This section will spell out the tools necessary for this particular project, and may also list some optional substitutes should there be any. I frequently list a saw as required but indicate that the cuts for a project might also be made at your lumber supply (many will do this free of charge) so you are still able to build even if you haven’t made the saw investment just yet. Having your boards cut down at the store is also a bit helpful for transporting them on occasion!

Materials:

This is your Shopping List. This section lists everything you will need to purchase or have on hand to complete the project including wood, screws, hardware and sanding supplies etc. I may also include substitutes in this section for cost cutting or ease of transport. Some of those substitutes might include the possibility of purchasing 2 boards at 6’ rather than 1 at 10’ or mentioning that 8’ furring strips may be cheaper way to go even if you only need 6’ of material, perhaps even the option to use screws when finish nails are called for because you don’t have a nail gun and can’t hit a nail on the head if your life depended on it (like me…) and so on. This is the section you will want to take to the store, though it might be helpful to have the entire plan so you can troubleshoot on the fly if something isn’t available (2 – 2x4’s rather than 4x4’s sort of thing). I leave a few of the items ambiguous because what you need will depend on say the type of finish you choose, so I leave these items as a blanket statement. For more info on Finishing you can visit my Finishing School and narrow down the options a bit.

Cut List:

This is a list of all the pieces you need for this project, and at what dimension those pieces need to be, along with how many of that piece you will need. Each piece is labeled for your reference so you can easily match them up with the instructions in each of the steps for the project.

Instructions:

These are the general instructions for the project, and are different from the instructions included in each step. This section will include some general rules of thumb I might recommend like using glue to secure your joints for the strongest hold, or painting prior to assembly for a more perfect finish. This section also reminds you to read through the plan and all the comments as mentioned above, and to use the utmost safety and precaution when building. It just so happens that this fun little project hobby of ours, is an extremely dangerous one, and injury and death are entirely possible. Knowing the proper safety protocol and technique is critical!!!! Each tool you use should have a manual outlining the requirements and techniques for using the tool with the greatest success and to avoid injury. If you don’t have the manual, the fabulous interwebs are just brimming with more information than you know what to do with, and that would be a great place to start and familiarize yourself with your building surroundings and weapons of choice. I say weapons because they are, and need to be treated with respect! Safety, safety, safety…I will be covering appropriate safety gear shortly, stay tuned for that.

This section might also include project specific instructions that pertain to the most likely use for the piece (outdoors perhaps) and some preferred methods or materials that will make your piece more lasting or less costly even.

The Steps:

Now for the action jackson! Once you are ready to begin, you will follow the instructions listed in each Step. Each Step has a set of guidelines and recommendations that accompany and an image for the particular step with the pieces in question highlighted in some way and dimensions and placement for those pieces, if necessary. I typically include in the directions for what you should use to secure your pieces and any special instructions for cuts (mitered angles etc.) and the dimensions are shown in the diagram but not likely written (redundant and also included in the cut list). I will always take care to note special or tricky situations and a possible solution for ease of building.

The Closing with Finishing Instructions: This brief and to the point because I believe that every finish has a unique set of requirements, so I leave that to the tutorials in the Finishing School or your personal preference. If you are using Pine and want to stain, you need different product and tools than if you want to paint or antique. So, I leave this intentionally short on words and refer you to the Finishing School section for further information!