From Marvelous DIY Furniture Ideas to Forthcoming Furniture Plans - Experts Shed Insight On Woodworking Secrets
When it comes to DIY furniture ideas or woodworking in general – and I am purely talking in terms of my personal opinion, I think that it becomes truly amazing when the finished product shows the relationship between the maker and the object.
In this sense, a lot of people are not able to reach that level of potential; not because they lack dedication, but sometimes the foundation is not strong enough. By “foundation”, I mean that you got started with furniture plans that were created and released by an amateur woodworker.
Obviously, you wouldn’t know the difference until and unless you are a professional woodworker who can tell a difference between ‘amateur hour’ woodworking ideas and true pieces of craftsmanship. James Krenov cabinet is a fine example of whatever I am talking about – he created not only a perfect cabinet, but the design itself speaks volumes about the material’s potential.
Why DIY Furniture Plans Are So Hard to Get?
There’s a very small percentage of professional woodworkers who transition towards the teaching part; the rest of them don’t have time to spare. While an individual’s skill depends on how much effort he puts in working on his furniture ideas, a very major aspect is the furniture plans part. If the DIY plans are good and well rounded, the finished product is automatically well received everywhere.
The major issue with arts and crafts furniture plans, besides their legitimacy and quality, is getting them. Not every woodworker shares them for free. And those who do, they have some kind of payment plan setup as an ongoing fee.
As an alternative, you can enroll in real life woodworking classes, but everyone is not able to keep up with the learning pace, or the programs fee. The easiest solution is to go for DIY furniture plans that have been tried, tested and reviewed by DIY enthusiasts, experts and hobbyists alike. One such “compilation” is available online by the name of ‘Furniture & Wood Craft Plans’; it is an entirely online e-book with literally thousands of furniture ideas, plans and DIY tips n’ tricks.
I will talk about Mark Stuart’s product later, but for now, let's take a look at some of the common furniture related issues which you can solve yourself. It doesn’t require for you to be a woodworker because I am sure that the following furniture related problems are something we have all experienced in one way or another.
Furniture Paint Hassles:
Of course, any piece of furniture only looks good if it is primed, painted and polished for everyone to gawk at. Besides, you have to agree that painted wood has that special smell which we have all grown fond of ever since we were kids.
Wood is one special material, which ages well over time. It has to be painted and varnished from preservation point of view, but with the passage of time, the paint brings out distinct features in the furniture that were not visible a couple of years before.
Here are a few common furniture paint related tips that will help you when your furniture plans are finally developed as a finished form:
- It is a good idea to prime all surfaces of the furniture before selling it or using it right away. Priming prevents stains from showing up through the paint. However, make sure that the primer is of the same type that your wood paint is. It is also better to paint the furniture after priming it; some woodworkers are not inclined towards painting as soon as priming is done.
- If you don’t like the way wood “smells”, then you can use latex based paint and latex primer to get the job done.
- Oil primers are great for retention against stains but not all woodworkers recommend them. They have strong odor. Believe me, if you are applying an oil primer or someone in the local vicinity is, the smell goes a mile’s distance. It is strong and it will give you a headache – but it’s worth it.
- It is a good idea to start painting from the top and work your way down the furniture. Sometimes paint drips and forms mounds on the surfaces that haven’t been painted. Therefore, you can paint over such areas to cover those grainy mounds of already dried paint.
- I refrain from using spray paints on any piece of furniture; they are not my forte. Sometimes, spray paints are a go-to solution for woodworkers in general when they are looking to get things done in a hurry. Regardless, it is okay to dabble in using spray paint if you are working on cheap material
The paint part is not concluded, but it gives us an idea that wood is complicated to work with. Painting walls is another thing – and it is much simpler in that context. The earliest casualties of a substandard paint job on wood are often seen as cracks, chippings and stains showing up.
The point is that you need to pay as much attention to paint as you are paying to woodworking. Priming, painting and varnishing hold the same level of importance as the craft itself does. Otherwise, there’s no point in creating tables, shelves and coops if you haven’t finished working on the pieces’ individual visual profile.
Common Issues With Furniture & How to Solve Them:
For the lack of time, I won’t be able to get into too many details, but there are a few issues with woodworking plans, or finished pieces of DIY furniture that we all experience. Some of the problems clearly exhibit poor craftsmanship after a few years of rigorous use.
Other than that, you can be a lot more careful with handling and moving your furniture. This way, you are able to prolong the average lifetime of the said piece without having to discard it or repair it long before the time is due.
Furniture Loose Rungs:
One of the most common issues with chairs and other furniture pieces with adjoining ends is the loose rungs. These rungs have to be re-glued – where the best strategy is to fix the issue instead of waiting for things to get worse.
You need to take the furniture apart and clean the old glue. Use a sander to strip it all down to wood only, so that the rungs area is neat and clean. A traditional way is to just dab the area with glue, but it isn’t thorough. Instead, Master Carpenter: Dvorak suggests that you should use a syringe to insert the glue into the spaces that are too far to reach.
Afterwards, insert the rung and then clamp the furniture as tight as possible. Wait for a few days for the glue to dry up – so that it gets hard and sturdy. Also, you should know that wood glues acts differently, according to their brands and the actual wood type. Therefore, don’t expect the same results with one glue or one piece of furniture.
Loose Furniture Legs and Hinges:
Yep, we have all seen it. After a few months, your favorite chair or table starts rocking n’ swaying like it’s drunk. Besides ignoring the obvious reason that you bought the furniture as second hand item, or the material quality was subpar, you can fix the loose legs issue easily.
However, you need to be extra careful with any furniture plans that involve wooden legs. For instance, if the wooden furniture is heavy and you are dragging it, the legs will suffer the damage. Eventually, their joints will come lose and the table, chair or any piece of furniture will squeak and wobble mercilessly.
On a comical note, I remember making my first wooden rack for books. It wasn’t anything special; the rack stood tall and mighty once I nailed down the last nail. However, as soon as I loaded a few books on it, the entire structure swayed to one side and then fell apart. Turns out, I was careless with joining the hinges and bracing the structure while I was working on the concerned furniture project.
Anyhow, add braces where legs meet and drill the holes in the brace for screws. The braces keep the wooden legs from swaying too much. You should also use fasteners and pre-drill holes where the furniture ideas make indications for screws afterwards. Countersink the screws with wood filler to make sure that everything is hunky dory before the furniture is set for proper use.
Wooden Furniture Drawer Corners Coming Apart:
This happens with cheap drawers that are polished to give the illusion of an expensive piece of arts and crafts furniture. I have seen way too many wooden drawers where the base is made of some cardboard; it comes apart after few months of use.
Likewise, the ends that go in start to break apart. Usually dresser drawers are one of many where people try to pin the corners with nail – in case the corner tears apart, or the seams come loose. You should know that if the drawer itself is made of thin material, then the nail can do more damage than good.
The best way to fix loose drawers is by removing the old nail because you don’t want to get things messy. Then you want to use Tiltwood brand glue; I buy it by the gallon because it usually fixes such cases. There is also general furniture project glue. It is white in color, but it takes a lot of time to set. The results are also not that good.
Coming back to that drawer with loose corners, you need to sand away any unnecessary debris etc. Afterwards, apply glue and reassemble the corner/ drawer. Now you need to clamp it as well because a drawer with glue applied to the corners, sitting all there by itself is not going to set things straight. Once it is all dry, take off the clamp and use the drawer just like it was brand new.
Furniture Craft Plans – 25 Years of Woodworking Experience Summarized In One eBook:
Earlier in this post, I was talking about ‘Furniture Craft Plans’, a DIY furniture plans eBook that has over 9000 different types of DIY furniture ideas. In fact, they are well designed, precise plans where Mark and his buddies share their age old tips and tricks, alongside all kinds of stuff.
There is also a strong possibility that “Mark” is a fictional character, but as long as ‘Furniture Craft Plans’ as a product is concerned, you are in safe hands. Regardless, the creator’s experience dates back to over 25 years ago. All the furniture craft plans shared in the book are legit, but they vary from difficulty to difficulty.
Who Can Benefit From ‘Furniture Craft Plans’?
‘Furniture Craft Plans’ is a reliable e-Book with plans for all kinds of woodworkers. However, if you truly want to benefit from their book, you have to transition from a hobbyist woodworker stage to an actual self driven professional level.
Motivation is the key to success with this book. It is not going to make you learn anything for as long as you are thinking of skipping a few days, or relying on bookshelves and racks recipes. Although hundreds of arts and crafts furniture ideas enthusiasts have benefited from Mark Stuart’s book, the real prize lies in those testimonials that come from seasoned self-taught users.
Those are the one who really up-voted the product and put in a good word for it.
What Can You Create After Learning From ‘Furniture Craft Plans’?
Since there are approx. 9000 different DIY wood furniture projects and plans in ‘Furniture Craft Plans’, the book is segmented into different categories. The learning curve also varies since some plans are way too easy to follow, while other wooden furniture ideas are slightly complex. The latter require more time, dedication and practice.
‘Furniture Craft Plans’ offers the following types of plans; there are many more in there because I have gone through each and everyone myself.
- Kitchen counter plans, jig plans, patio plans.
- Guitar wood plans, safety deposit box plans (*yes, a wooden safety deposit box), hut plans, racks etc.
- Mantel braces plans, fence plans, floor plans, tree house plans etc.
- Cutting board plans, desk plans of different kinds – so on and so forth.
Some Pros :
The pros part depends on how much you have learned from ‘Furniture Craft Plans’ and how much you haven’t. I tried to remain unbiased as much as possible. The following advantages are based on my personal experience only.
A Few Cons:
Some of the setbacks of this e-Book are appended below for your ready reference.
Warning: ‘Furniture Craft Book’ Is Not Guaranteed to Work!
Yes, that’s right. As much as I personally love this DIY furniture plans book, it will not work for you if you are not self driven. It is hard to remain focused and consistent on one task. But then again, this eBook requires consistency in small doses.
Find a time of day or week which you can spare easily. Work your ass off and learn all that ‘Furniture Craft Plans’ has to offer. If you are not able to make out a detail or understand anything, you can write to Mark Stuart. Alternatively, you can also visit Google and search for possible solutions.
A better option would be to visit and register at different woodworking ideas & plans forums where there is an abundance of active users. You just need to get active in that online community – the rest will follow automatically.
Just like ‘Furniture Craft Plans’, there are other similar products available online. The difference is the price factor, level of customer support, money back guarantee and such other clichés. In that sense, this is a genuine deal where you will be getting by with a handful of woodworking related skills for years to come.
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