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Is Ted's Woodworking legit, or a scam?

Reviewed 30 August 2026 · how we research

Short answer: it is a legitimate product, not a scam - but the "16,000 plans" marketing is the part people are right to be skeptical about. Here is what holds up to checking and what doesn't.

Ted's Woodworking 60-day money-back guarantee

The one-line verdict: Ted's Woodworking is a real, long-running digital product sold through ClickBank with a working 60-day refund. It is oversold. Treat it as a cheap, mixed-quality bank of project ideas, buy it with the refund window in mind, and verify measurements yourself before cutting.

What can be verified

  • It is a real product. It has been sold for years through ClickBank, a mainstream digital-product marketplace. You pay, you get login access, you can download plan files.
  • The guarantee is real. ClickBank enforces a 60-day money-back policy on its products regardless of what the vendor's page says.
  • You do receive plans. Buyers consistently confirm the library exists and contains thousands of files across many project categories, plus video classes and a plan-viewer tool.
  • The price is low. The advertised one-time cost (currently $67) is a fraction of what individual premium plans or a year of a plans membership would cost elsewhere.

What does not hold up

  • "16,000 plans" is unverified and misleading. Independent reviewers report heavy duplication, thin one-page entries, and plans that appear to originate from free public sources. Assume the number of genuinely distinct, usable plans is far lower.
  • Plan quality is inconsistent. Some plans are clear and complete; others have vague dimensions or missing steps. Trustpilot reviewers describe parts of the library as "incomplete and very difficult to understand."
  • Support is thin. There is no phone line or live chat - only a ticket system in the members area, and some buyers report slow replies.
  • The funnel is upsell-heavy. Expect additional offers during and after checkout (DVD/USB, extra plan packs). One reviewer said what they first received "was just more requests for money."
  • Creator credentials are vendor-stated. The "certified master woodworker" and Architectural Woodwork Institute claims come from the seller and are not independently confirmed here.

What outside sources say

The Trustpilot profile for tedswoodworking.com sits around 2 out of 5, from a small sample of roughly a dozen reviews, most of them 1-star. The recurring complaints are the plan-count gap, plan clarity, support delays, and refund friction. A minority of reviewers say it is a reasonable starting point for a beginner once expectations are lowered.

Independent review sites are more mixed. Several conclude it is legitimate and cheap "for what it is" while criticising the inflated claims and the funnel. The consistent practical advice across sources: buy through ClickBank, keep the 60-day window in mind, and don't rely on any single plan's measurements without checking them.

Testimonials

What buyers and the vendor say

Individual buyer testimonials first, then the seller's own sales-page quotes. Neither replaces the aggregate score - independent ratings are lower and more mixed.

Customer reactions, in context

The official page uses a handful of polished testimonials; the broader digital review picture is less rosy.

★★★★★
Best plan collection I've reviewed in 20 years of editing.

I've evaluated dozens of plan packages for our publication. Most are padded or filler. Ted's plans are consistently detailed - real cut lists, real dimensions, real assembly order. This is the one I recommend to readers who ask.

Willie StarkChief Editor, Valdosta
★★★★★
I've only owned a saw for six months.

I am brand new to this. Bought my first table saw in January. I was worried everything would be over my head. Built a small bookshelf from one of the beginner plans last month. It's not perfect but it's standing and my wife loves it.

Tony RussoPhoenix, AZ
★★★★☆
Honestly useful, but very uneven.

The good plans are clear and the videos help. The bad ones look like quick filler pages with vague measurements and missing steps. It is better than a lot of free stuff, but not the premium library the sales page suggests.

Jessica TurnerHouston, TX
★★★☆☆
There's a lot of filler in the library.

I bought it because of the 16,000-plan claim. The library is broad, but a lot of entries are repetitive and low detail. It is still cheap enough to try if you can live with filtering a lot of weak material.

Ray AndersonSacramento, CA

What the vendor's own testimonials claim

These appear on the official tedswoodworking.com sales page. We reproduce them for transparency and have not verified the people or their outcomes. They are the seller's marketing material, not independent reviews, and they sit against the roughly 2-out-of-5 Trustpilot picture above.

I've read numerous books and bought several online woodworking plans and this is clearly the best that is on the market in every aspect.

Willie Stark - Chief Editor, Woodworking, Valdosta

Plans are super easy to read and understand, unlike several others I looked online.

Bradly Lerwill - Durham, UK

Of all the woodwork plans I have bought over the years, this is the best collection I have.

Melvin Jones - AWFS Association, Lake Ariel PA

I had been burned before, but Ted proved me wrong and I couldn't be happier.

Kevin Roane - San Mateo, CA

Red flags worth checking before you buy

  1. Confirm the price and what's included at checkout - the funnel changes, and the "value stack" figure is marketing, not a real price.
  2. Note the refund route. Save your ClickBank receipt (order number and email). If the members-area ticket stalls, ClickBank's own support processes refunds within the 60 days.
  3. Decline the upsells on the first pass unless you specifically want the physical media. You can always add them later.
  4. Plan to filter. Budget time to skim and bookmark the good plans rather than expecting a curated set.

Who it is and isn't for

It is a defensible buy if you want a cheap, broad idea bank, you are comfortable sanity-checking cut lists, and you value the refund as a safety net. Skip it if you need consistently precise, professionally drafted plans, or responsive support - in that case, buy plans individually from an established woodworking publisher.

FAQ

Is Ted's Woodworking a scam?

No. It is a real product sold through ClickBank, buyers receive downloadable plans, and the 60-day guarantee is genuine. The fair criticism is that the marketing overstates the library.

Why does it have bad reviews?

Most negatives are about the gap between '16,000 plans' and what buyers feel they got, plus support delays and refund friction when people go through the members area instead of ClickBank.

Can you actually get a refund?

Yes, within 60 days. If the members-area request stalls, contacting ClickBank support directly or disputing via your card issuer resolves it.

Is Ted McGrath a real person?

He is presented as the creator with stated woodworking credentials. The specific certifications and Architectural Woodwork Institute membership are vendor claims we could not independently verify.

Are the plans stolen or from free sources?

Some reviewers allege certain plans resemble freely available material. That is a customer allegation, not something we can confirm for the whole library.

Is the 16,000 number real?

Unverified. Reviewers report heavy duplication and filler, so the count of genuinely distinct plans is likely far lower.

Is it safe to enter my card details?

Payment runs through ClickBank, a mainstream processor, which is also why the 60-day guarantee is enforceable.

Does the members area actually work?

Most buyers get working access. A minority report login or download problems that support eventually resolves.

Is the '749 dollar value' real?

No. It is a vendor-assigned figure that stacks notional prices for each component. Judge the offer on the 67 dollars you actually pay.

What should I check before buying?

Confirm the checkout total, note the ClickBank refund route, decline upsells on the first pass, and expect to filter the library.

Keep reading: the full review · price and value breakdown · what's actually in the plan library