Hi my name is Zac and yes I have purchased Teds Woodworking Plans...
Being a high school woodwork teacher myself and having a passion for garden projects it seemed like a good fit for me
I also couldn't argue with the deal. 16,000 woodwork plans...
But after my purchase I noticed that there seems to be a bit of animosity towards 'Ted' and this product
(Which seems to derive from the aggressive marketing and sales tactics used to sell the product)
Now there is no doubting that this product is popular, it seems to be all over the woodworking internet...
But is it all that it's cracked up to be... and is it even legal?
We'll that's what I intend to find out by writing this review.
So for the answers to those questions and more, you have come to the right place. Keep reading below
Note - This review certainly is not a glowing endorsement. After writing it and researching Teds woodwork plans I really think that you need to make up your own mind
Anyhow lets get on with what is in TedsWoodworking...
This is what happens when you purchase Teds Woodworking
This is what is behind the paywall at Teds Woodworking
We Like:
We Don't Like:
Summary: A massive resource of shed and other woodworking plans at a very decent price.
So for this review I did a little digging around about the product, the website and what other people thought of Ted's Woodworking Plans
Because there seems to be a lot of sketchy reviews out there
Here's what I found...
Truth is that 'Ted' most likely doesn't exist. He is most likely a persona made up by the owner of the product... kind of like the Marlboro man and Tony the Tiger (who appears on Kellogg's cereals)
Companies use people or characters all the time to represent what the product is about and give it another dimension. The character is not always 'real' like Ted.
(Ever seen celebrity endorse a product you know that they aren't using...)
Some of us do feel a little cheated by this. But it seems to be the way the world is going these days. It is also important to note that this doesn't change the product in any way
What does change the product is some of the promises that 'Ted' makes on his website we don't think are 100% true
And we also found that Ted infers or suggests some things which are a little sketchy also, such as:
Teds plans seem to be mostly (if not all) taken from other publications.
These include universities, magazines, books and various websites
At first I was a little peeved by this, but then when I thought about it I wasn't bothered as much
I mean this stuff seems to be happening all the time these days
For example, people selling compilation music albums of artists after the artists have died
I mean if Ted owns all the rights to these plans and wants to sell them in a bundle then good luck to him
But does 'Ted' own the rights to sell these plans?
I can tell from the links above, they claim Ted is selling plans and information that does not belong to him
Now i'm no lawyer...
I personally don't know if this is or is not legal so I have tried to contact both 'Ted' and Clickbank but so far I haven't had a reply
Which is very bad form on both their parts
But at the same time, it is a very serious allegation for people to call Teds Woodworking plans 'illegal'
The dates on all of the posts above are dated around 2012, so for 'Ted' to still be in business and seemingly nothing to have happened to the product seems a little strange
From what I can tell Teds Woodworking plans offer is quite popular, and successful. I'm sure some lawyer would love to get their teeth stuck into that.
But they haven't and they have had years to do so. So it makes me wonder....
What is the law that Teds Woodworking plans is supposedly breaking? And why hasn't anyone done anything about it?
Now as I said I'm no lawyer. I think on this one each of us has to make our own moral judgement.
If you've spent a few minutes looking at the links above and reading this post you are as informed as I am...
For me - until I hear different - all of this seems to be a storm in a tea cup. And if nothing has happened with the legal issue already, I can't see anything happening in the future
Teds Woodworking is unpopular with a lot of online woodworkers. It stems mainly because of it's aggressive sales techniques
'Ted' is advertising a lot of places around the internet and he is always trying to sell his stuff - most notably on other bloggers websites
But to be truthful, I don't think it matters what Ted has done or didn't do
Most woodwork bloggers will ever be happy with offers and products like this...
It's a bit like McDonald's or Walmart coming to a small town. The town never likes the idea of it but most people can't afford to say no to the convenience, range and prices
Woodworking bloggers aren't going to be happy with Ted's Woodworking plans but Ted is going to keep selling his plans because people can't say no to a great offer like his
With all that out of the way lets talk plans
Firstly, if you haven't watch part 2 of my video on Opening Teds Woodworking plans. You can see first hand for yourself the plans that are included in the package
Personally, I dont think there is 16,000 plans. Although there is a lot (and i could be proven wrong)
But for $67 (see below) you can get a massive collection of woodworking plans... Let's face it this is much cheaper than anywhere else
You could subscribe to your favorite woodworking magazine for 10 years and still not come close to that
So if you are looking for an inexpensive way to get plans for your next woodworking projects then Ted's is a good option. Definitely worth some thought.
Not all the plans are the greatest, and the most detailed but from what I've seen half of them are pretty good
Below is a good illustration of the difference in the detail in Ted's Woodworking plans
We'll I am going to keep the plans for when i build my next shed. Just being able to print some of these off and give them to the permits office really appeals to me
Ill also use them to find new projects for the students in my wood technology classes
The good thing about having these plans is that the advanced kids will be able to read the plans and start work straight away. Leaving me more time to help those who require it
Overall, personally even though there is this cloud still hovering over the product for me that I dont have it
I'm glad I purchased Teds Woodworking plans
Still undecided about Teds Woodworking plans?
Sleep on it. If you still want it tomorrow it will all be here.
Truth is, I’ve been a carpenter for nearly thirty six years, and that i haven’t found something like this for fewer than 10’s of thousands of bucks.Here’s all-time low line: If you’re about to begin on your trade project, this isn’t one thing you ought to use, it’s one thing that you simply would be insane to not.