Reviews
Ted's Woodworking review: what $67 buys, and what it doesn't
Want to build pantry shelves for your stored water and food, a raised bed or a garden shed, but every free plan you find has different numbers? Before you spend $67, here is what Ted's Woodworking actually sells, which of its claims we could and couldn't check, what the checkout adds, and the free plan sources worth trying first.
On this page (12 sections)
- Is Ted's Woodworking worth it? A quick decision guide
- What Ted's Woodworking is, according to the seller
- What the package includes, as listed
- Ted's Woodworking price, upsells and refunds
- Where plans fit in a self-reliant home
- How to judge any plan before you build
- Who it suits, and who it doesn't
- Free and lower-cost alternatives
- When to get help
- Frequently asked questions
- Keep going
- Sources
Our verdict
A big, cheap library of plans that can help a confident beginner, but not a guarantee of good plans. This Ted's Woodworking (TedsWoodworking) review is based on the seller's own public pages, read on October 28, 2026. We have not bought or used the package. For a one-time $67 you get access to a members area that the seller says holds over 16,000 woodworking plans, with a 60-day money-back guarantee. The most important claims, that every plan was "built and tested" by a full-time team, could not be checked, and the seller's own About page describes the collection differently. Expect upsell offers at checkout.
Key takeaways
- On October 28, 2026, the sales page listed lifetime access for a one-time $67, with no monthly fee on that offer, and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- The seller's affiliate page describes upsells after the main purchase and a $27-a-month recurring offer, so read every screen after checkout.
- Claims such as "each one built and tested before it reaches you" and "a team of twelve" are the seller's; we found no way to verify them.
- Plans don't make a structure safe on their own: tall shelves need anchoring to the wall, and the seller itself says its plans don't follow any particular building code.
- Free, research-based raised-bed guidance from university extension services covers the most common self-reliance project. Try that first.
Is Ted's Woodworking worth it? A quick decision guide
Use the project you have in mind and your experience to decide. These rules come from the seller's own pages and the safety sources cited below.
- You need one project, such as a single raised bed
- Start free. University extension guides explain bed size, wood choice and soil, and a bed is simple to build without a plan library. See the free options below.
- You want many projects over the years: shelving, a potting bench, bins, a coop, a shed
- A $67 one-time library can make sense if you can judge a plan yourself. Use the free sample first (below), put the 60-day refund date in your calendar, and decline upsells you didn't plan to buy.
- You have never used a table saw or a drill driver
- Plans won't teach safe technique. Learn the tools first, for example through a class at a local store, a makerspace or a community college, then pick a beginner plan.
- You want to build a shed or anything structural
- Check with your local building department before you buy materials. The seller says it is your responsibility to make sure what you build meets local codes.
What Ted's Woodworking is, according to the seller
Ted's Woodworking is a digital product sold through ClickBank, which acts as the retailer. The sales page at tedplansdiy.com is written as a letter from "Ted McGrath", described as a "Master Woodworker, Educator, Trainer, Author, Member of AWI". The points below are the seller's claims from that page on October 28, 2026, not our findings:
- That the library holds over 16,000 plans, each with "step-by-step instructions, EXACT cut lists, complete materials lists" and schematics.
- That the plans are "each one built and tested before it reaches you", by "a team of twelve" working full-time.
- That Ted taught "hands-on workshop classes to over 4,000 students", and that there are "54,183 Satisfied Customers".
- That new plans are added every month, and that members can request a custom plan at no extra charge.
We could not verify any of these numbers, and one of them conflicts with the seller's own words elsewhere. The site's About page, written in Ted's voice, describes the collection as personal: "I have kept an archive of all my woodworking plans and blueprints that I've ever owned. In total I have a little over 16,000." An archive collected over a lifetime and a library built and tested plan by plan by a twelve-person team are different things. The About page also describes Ted as "semi-retired", while the sales page describes a full-time production team. Neither page names anyone else or shows the testing. Treat "built and tested" as marketing until you have seen the plans for yourself.
What the package includes, as listed
This is what the sales page said you get for the one-time price, plus what the support FAQ adds.
| Item | What the seller's pages say |
|---|---|
| The plans | "Instant Access To All 16,000 Projects" in a members area you can search by keyword, filter by category and sort by difficulty. Plans come as PDF and DWG files; most are in both imperial and metric units. |
| Categories that fit home readiness | Storage and Organization (1,400+ plans listed), Outdoor and Garden (2,150+), Buildings and Shelters (1,700+) and Animal and Pet (800+). |
| Updates | "Lifetime FREE Monthly Plans" and one free custom plan request. |
| Bonuses | A DWG and CAD plan viewer, 150 premium woodworking videos, a guide to starting a woodworking business and general woodworking guides. |
| Physical copies | An option to have everything shipped on a USB drive or DVDs; the FAQ says DVDs ship "for a small additional fee". |
The sales page puts dollar "values" on each item, adding up to "$749 + $39/m". Those are the seller's own values, not prices anyone pays. Compare what you would actually spend.
Ted's Woodworking price, upsells and refunds
As listed on the sales page on October 28, 2026: lifetime access for a one-time payment of $67, described as "a one-time purchase. There are NO monthly fees". The page says the seller may end the discount "at anytime without warning" after a deadline shown as only days away ("in 2 days" in the copy we read).
Prices and offers change. Check the order page before you buy, and read each screen after checkout carefully.
Two details matter before you pay:
Expect upsells after the first payment
The seller's page for affiliates lays out the sales funnel: the $67 main offer (the same page also lists a $49 main-offer price), then a $39.95 upsell, a $27 downsell, a $39.97 upsell and a "Backend Recurring $27 / month" membership. It says more than 70% of customers buy an upsell. If you only want the plans, read each offer screen after checkout, accept only what you meant to buy, and check your receipt for any recurring charge.
Know how the refund works
The sales page and the support FAQ both promise a "60 day money back guarantee". ClickBank, which processes the order, says its default return period is 60 days, that sellers can set it between 30 and 90 days per product, and that PayPal purchases can have a 180-day window. Note the date you bought, and request any refund well before day 60.
The support FAQ adds that the price will go "back up to $297" after a launch celebration, and the sales page shows a deadline only days away. Deadline language like this is a sales technique. Don't let it rush you.
Where plans fit in a self-reliant home
For a preparedness-minded household, the useful projects are practical ones: shelves for stored water and canned food, bins for a cool storage space, raised beds, a potting bench, a small shed for tools and supplies. A plan library can save time on those, but three safety points matter more than the plan.
Shelves that hold water and food
Stored water and canned goods are heavy, and tall shelving can tip. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It! campaign says anchoring all furniture with drawers, doors and shelves to the wall prevents tip-over injuries and deaths. Anchor any tall unit you build, keep the heaviest items on the bottom shelf, and don't exceed what the plan says the shelf is designed to carry.
Raised beds for food
University of Minnesota Extension advises avoiding old lumber, railroad ties and CCA-treated wood in vegetable gardens, and says any pressure-treated wood should be labeled for ground contact. University of Maryland Extension notes CCA-treated wood has not been sold for residential use since 2004, and lists options if you're concerned: paint or stain the wood, line it with heavy plastic, or use decay-resistant wood such as cedar, or stone, brick or block. Whatever plan you use, check its lumber list against that advice.
Building a storage shed or a root-cellar space is a bigger job. The seller's support FAQ says it cannot make its plans follow every country's or county's rules, and that it is "your responsibility that whatever structure you build complies with those codes". Call your local building department first. For what a cool storage space needs inside, see root cellar basics, and for what you'll be storing, emergency water storage and the emergency food supply list.
A household wants two raised beds this spring and pantry shelving for a 2-week food and water supply. The beds come first, using a free extension guide: narrow enough to reach the center without stepping in, untreated cedar or ground-contact lumber, and a soil mix of roughly half to two-thirds topsoil with the rest compost. For the shelving, they compare a free plan with the paid library's free sample, then decide whether 16,000 more plans are worth $67 for the projects they actually have in mind.
How to judge any plan before you build
Whether a plan comes from a paid library, a free sample or an extension guide, check it against this list before you buy lumber. A plan that fails several of these checks can cost you wood and weekends.
- A complete cut list with every part, its size and how many you need.
- Measurements that use actual lumber sizes (a "2x4" is smaller than 2 by 4 inches), not just nominal names.
- A hardware list: screw or bolt sizes, brackets and wall anchors for anything tall.
- A clear assembly order, including how to square the frame.
- For a food garden bed: materials that match extension advice (no old, CCA-treated or railroad-tie wood).
- For shelving: what the shelf is designed to hold, and how it fixes to the wall.
The Ted's Woodworking sales page itself makes the nominal-versus-actual point: it describes a magazine plan whose dado measurements "assumed nominal lumber dimensions instead of the actual milled size". Use the same test on its plans.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
It may suit you if
- You already use basic power tools safely and can spot a plan with missing steps or odd measurements.
- You want many projects over time (shelving, bins, benches, a coop, garden structures) and like having one searchable place to browse.
- You are comfortable declining upsells and tracking a 60-day refund window.
Look elsewhere if
- You need one simple project, such as a raised bed: free extension guidance covers it.
- You've never used a saw or drill and want someone to teach you safe technique.
- You need plans stamped or approved for local building codes, for example for a shed that needs a permit.
- You want proof of quality before paying: the "built and tested" claim can't be checked from outside.
Free and lower-cost alternatives
| Option | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota Extension raised bed guide | Free | Bed size, wood and other materials, soil mix and placement |
| Utah State University Extension raised bed gardening | Free | Research-based raised bed advice for a first garden |
| The seller's own free sample | Free, in exchange for your email address | Judging the plans' quality before you pay |
| Ted's Woodworking package | $67 one time, plus optional upsells | A large plan library for many future projects |
The support FAQ says you can get free plans "by entering your email address", and the sales page offers "50 FREE" plans. If you're tempted, start there: check one plan you would actually build for a complete cut list, clear assembly order and hardware details. If it passes, you'll know what you're paying for.
If you decide the package is right for you, it is at the Ted's Woodworking sales page (affiliate link) opens in a new tab. We are a ClickBank affiliate for Ted's Woodworking: if you buy through our link we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. That has not changed anything in this review, and we have not bought or used the product. For a first growing project, read the vegetable garden for beginners guide before you build anything.
When to get help
Call for help or stop if
- The project is a building such as a shed, or involves electrical wiring or plumbing: call your local building department or a licensed professional first.
- A plan is missing measurements, hardware or an assembly step you'd need for a load-bearing part.
- A shelf or structure will hold heavy stored water or food and you're not sure how to anchor it.
Who to ask. For sheds and other structures, permits and codes, call your city or county building department before you buy materials. For electrical wiring or plumbing, hire a licensed electrician or plumber. For raised beds, soil and garden questions, your county Cooperative Extension office can help (see the USDA Cooperative Extension System page). If anyone is hurt, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ted's Woodworking legit?
It is a long-running digital product sold through ClickBank, with a published price, a 60-day money-back guarantee and a support desk. Whether the plans are good is a separate question. The claim that every plan was built and tested by a full-time team can't be verified, and the seller's About page describes the plans as a personal archive. Use the free sample and the refund window to judge for yourself.
How much does Ted's Woodworking cost?
On October 28, 2026, the sales page listed lifetime access for a one-time $67, with no monthly fee on that offer. Physical DVDs cost extra. The seller's affiliate page lists further upsell offers and a $27-a-month recurring offer after checkout. Check the order page before you buy, because offers change.
Can I get a refund?
The sales page and support FAQ promise a 60-day money-back guarantee. ClickBank, the retailer, says its default return period is 60 days and that sellers can set 30 to 90 days per product, with up to 180 days for PayPal purchases where the seller offers PayPal. Ask well before the deadline, and keep your order number.
Do the plans meet building codes?
No plan library can promise that. The seller's support FAQ says it can't adhere to every region's regulations and encourages you to check with your local building department, adding that code compliance is your responsibility. That matters most for sheds and other structures.
Sources
- TedsWoodworking - Get 16,000 Woodworking Plans and Projects (sales page), TedsWoodworking (accessed October 28, 2026).
- About Ted Mcgrath, TedsWoodworking (accessed October 28, 2026).
- FAQ and Support, TedsWoodworking (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Affiliates, TedsWoodworking (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Flexible Refunds, ClickBank Support (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Anchor It!, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Raised bed gardens, University of Minnesota Extension (accessed October 28, 2026).
- Raised Bed Gardening, Utah State University Extension (accessed October 28, 2026).
- The Safety of Materials Used for Building Raised Beds, University of Maryland Extension (accessed October 28, 2026).
Start with a free first project.
A first raised-bed garden needs no plan library: the beginner garden guide covers site, soil, easy crops and a calendar.