I need some fairly simple plans

[Sam Berlyn]

Hi, I am 13, and enjoy carpentry/woodworking. I have a drill, jigsaw & sander as well as some hand tools. Please can you give me some ideas of good projects. Thanks

[Bob Schmall]

Sam: Google search on "birdhouse plans." You'll find lots of them that are great for a first project.

Bob

[Andy Dingley]

Sounds like you're tooled up to work plywood pretty well. Working solid timber will depend on what you can get hold of that's already ripped down to manageable sizes. Don't be too rigid about ideas of "plans" - keep your eyes out for materials you can get hold of cheap or free, and have a bunch of ideas floating around in your head, where you suddenly go for one because you scored the right thing to make it out of.

Make something you _want_. Nothing worse than being forced to follow some dorky plan for some stupid thing that would have been tacky back in the '50s. Yes, you could make a "pipe rack" or a "firewood carrier" -- but what do you do with it afterwards ?!

Bird houses / feeders are good, if you have somewhere to hang it.

Furniture for your room - Chairs are cool, but a lot of work. CD racks are an easier start. Clocks can be a laugh too - you can get cheap movements from somewhere like Ikea and build your own cases.

Anything that's a "box" works well with plywood and a jigsaw.

For bigger projects you can build a skateboard / BMX ramp, or even a treehouse.

You should also start looking at design. Find a book like "The Design Source Book" - a quick history of design through the 20th century. Flick through that and look for stuff that catches your eye. Look up the Bauhaus movement in '20s & '30s Germany - they had lots of cool stuff that's not too hard to build.

[Cherokee-LTD]

[Mark & Juanita]

In addition to looking on the web, go to your local library or bookstore and take a look at various books of plans -- there will be plans there varying from bird houses to boxes to whirlygigs.

[mac davis]

Do you have a box to keep your tools in yet? A bench or table to work on? A place like a shelf to put the things that you've made?

things like these, even very basic ones, are a great way to start because it's something that you will use... and something that you will think up the "plans" for as you think about how you want to use and store your tools..

As you get older, you'll see that you still make the same things, just bigger, with more expensive wood and MUCH more expensive tools... ;-)

[Morris Dovey]

You've gotten some good responses. Here are more sources of ideas:

Ask your mom if there's something she'd like made - only fair, considering all the stuff she's made for you (like 13 years * 365 days/year * 3 meals/day = 14,235 meals!)

Talk with your high school shop teacher. He's probably got plans (or can get them) for more stuff than any one person could ever build. Not only that, he's available to answer questions and make suggestions - and he may have some usable scrap wood tucked away.

[Prometheus]

That's always a nice idea, especially with Christmas coming up. My first project was when I was 12 or 13, and my parents still have the little walnut box I made on their headboard. I'd tell you a toolbox or a hinged box, myself- since they're not too hard, and can help you learn some good skills like cutting to length, gluing joints, and sanding. Of course, you need to make something you like, so these may not fit- but they're nice projects anyhow!

13 is a little young for high-school, isn't it?

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 31 Oct 2004 11:33:00 -0700, Mark & Juanita calmly ranted:

The Dewey decimal system puts them at 284.13 for the most part. Mine has a path worn into the carpet by that shelf as I read them all. ;)

Nobody mentioned

yet, either.

[Dave Balderstone]

But are there any *free* plans at that site, Larry? If not, what's the price range?

[Morris Dovey]

Wasn't for me; but none of the shop teachers I ever met would be a bit bashful about helping /any/ young person who asked...

[bridger]

boxes.

they don't take a lot of wood or space when they're done. they can be as simple or ornate as you want. they are useful, so they will always be appreciated.

toolboxes, for instance.

right now, you need one the right size for a drill, jigsaw & sander as well as some hand tools.