How to Read a Woodworking Plan

Demo content — Kerfline & Co. is a fictional woodshop. This site is a demo of the KeoCodes Site Engine: the maker, plans, prices, reviews and town stand in for a real shop's, checkout charges nothing, and nothing sent from here reaches anybody.

Every plan in this shop has the same three parts. Read them in this order before you buy a single board.

1. The elevations

The drawings show the piece from the front, the side and sometimes the top. The red dimension lines give overall sizes. Get a feel for how the parts meet before you look at any numbers.

2. The cut list

Every part, how many, and its finished size: thickness × width × length. The stock column says what to buy. Add about 20% for waste and for the board with the knot you didn't see.

3. The build order

This is the order I actually build it in. It matters: some joints have to be cut before others, and some glue-ups only fit together one way.

Before you cut

• Check every measurement on the drawing against the cut list. If they disagree, the drawing wins. Tell me and I'll fix the plan.
• Cut parts a little long and trim them to fit as you assemble.