The Best Free Woodworking Patterns Online

This is a great directory for free woodworking patterns on the net - simple to extravagant, functional to fanciful!

These woodworking patterns may possibly show you how geeky I am, but I think that some of them are very cool.
Yarr Matey, thar be treasure in them, that hills! And ye can bury it with yer own Pirate Chest.

Besides being cool because it is a Pirate Chest, this tutorial is a great piece of work because of the step-by-step instructions, good pictures of each step, and a good review of the tools used for the job and alternatives for the non-professional woodworker.

Do you dream of being Legolas in the Lord of the Rings, or mighty hunter trailing the last of the Buffalo? Well, every good hunter needs a Bow, and now you can build your own. This is actually from Google Books, and it is an old issue of American Woodworker from 1993. The pictures are as professional as a magazine like this can get, and though it is lacking in actual patterns, the simple to read style gives you a very good start for this project.

Well, since I provided a great pattern for a Bow, now I need to show you how to make a Sword for the SCA (Society of Creative Anachronism). This is another great tutorial with a lot of good pictures, some ideas on where to purchase supplies, and more.

If your young knight is a 'bit younger and not ready for the Lists at War, than this Sword may be more your speed, and more his or her size. It is cute, and just like the next pattern in my list, it has plenty of cute pictures, and an accurate pattern.

Any good sword requires a good Shield! If your boy wants to be Link from the Zelda games, or if you just want to continue my theme of cool/geeky woodworking patterns, than this shield pattern is the one for you. Besides an accurate plan, there are some adorable pictures of a boy modeling his new shield.

Since with your Bow and Sword you are not able to storm a castle just yet, I've added a Catapult pattern to this group of free woodworking patterns. The real resource here is the links to do-it-yourself kits, and the books of more catapult woodworking patterns. This thing actually works, and if you navigate through the site a 'bit, you can find some more great patterns.

Now that you are equipped to storm the castle, you may also want to rescue the fair maiden from the "fierce" Dragon (PDF). Ok, so maybe it is really not that fierce, and has a leash on it, but it is a cute tutorial that is pretty comprehensive.

Once you have stormed the Castle, and slaid the dragon, you can build your own Castle! This pattern is well beyond my neophyte skills, but if you have a Princess, Prince, Knight, or Queen in the making, then this Castle plan is definitely for you!

New woodworkers tend to end up with a lot more scraps than more experienced woodworkers. Instead of throwing those scraps away, there is always the option of producing Granddad's Battle Fleet. These boats that actually float. Though there aren't specific patterns involved in this idea, it is something that truly depends on what you have available, and what you want your ship to look like.

If MC Escher was a wood worker, he would have designed this unique wood sculpture. Amaze your friends, and defy the laws of physics with this nifty sculpture that really works up in a short time. The introduction to this tutorial is worth the watch alone, but the tutorial itself is well done, with a comprehensive tool and materials list.