Discover the Secrets to Building!

Building a wood project usually starts with finding a woodworking plan. Sure, plans can help, but they assume too much from beginners—often leaving out critical steps in the building process that more experienced builders no longer need.

How to Build Anything fills in the missing pieces that woodworking plans and blueprints leave out, including:

Which tools to buy - and how to use them.

How to buy lumber - and get the best boards for the money.

Which fasteners to use - with the right drill bit and pilot hole.

How to build a simple box - the foundation of all furniture.

How to Finish Pine - just like the pros!

Chapter 1: Start Building with 3 Tools

Of all the power tools you might be tempted to buy at a place like Home Depot, only three are really necessary for getting started in building wood projects – a circular saw, a drill/driver, and a jigsaw. I'll take an inside look at each tool – with how-to tips and tricks that instruction manuals leave out.

Chapter 2: Start Building with 3 Boards

Shopping for lumber can be intimidating. That’s because most home centers, ironically, cater to professional contractors, not project builders like us. In this section on buying lumber, I’ll uncover which boards are best suited for small projects, how to sort the good from the bad, and the best way to get boards off the shelf and home safely.

Chapter 3: Start Building in 3 Easy Steps

The tricky part about building a wood project is getting all the different steps of construction done in the right order. In this section, I’ve narrowed the process down to three, bite-sized chunks of construction know-how— which works for just about any type of project you’ll ever build.

Chapter 4: How to Build a Box

Soon you’ll discover that the inner structure of nearly all wood projects is based on just three basic forms—a solid wood box, a carcass, and a frame. In this section, I'll show you step-by-step how to build all three, with my favorite shop tips & tricks along the way.

Chapter 5: Drilling & Driving Fasteners

Stop fighting woodscrews! In this section I'll explore the most common problems people have driving screws—and my favorite solutions. Keep in mind that most problems related to driving screws have nothing to do with the screw or the driver, but everything to do with the pilot hole. I'll show you how to make pilot holes fastener-friendly—to avoid stripped heads, stalled screws, and loose threads.

Chapter 6: How to Finish Pine

Pine is great for building simple wood projects. It’s super cheap, easy to find, and easy to cut. However, getting a nice finish on pine is a different story. Pine is notorious for leaving streaks and blotches when stained, and stubbornly letting knots and defects show through several coats of paint. These problems shouldn’t stop you from getting a nice finish, though. With the right preparation, pine can take on a beautiful, high-quality finish that will last for generations.

Bonus: Build a Circular Saw Cutting Guide

Most builders agree that the best way to cut plywood is with a circular saw. That's because plywood panels are difficult to move around on stationery tools (like a table saw), and are just simply easier to cut with a portable tool (like a circular saw). You can buy a commercial cutting guide for several hundred dollars—or build your own for less than 20 bucks. In this series, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make your own cutting guide—using tools and materials you already have in your shop.

Bonus: EZ Pilot Hole Guides

Most of us know that drilling a pilot hole first is the best way to make sure fasteners go where we want them to go. But the location of that hole can be just as important as the hole itself. If it's not in the right place, you can easily ruin a project by splitting the fragile edges of the boards you're trying to join.

Bonus: EZ-Match Shop Charts

No more guessing about which size drill bit and fastener to use! My EZ-Match shop charts show you how to match bits and fasteners (shown actual size) to several sizes of boards. Includes charts for nails, woodscrews, and pocket holes.

Knowing Andy from his previous creations, he has the ability to simplify things down to basic steps, and present it in a really tidy form. The topics are very much for a beginner, which is who Andy is specifically targeting, and doesn’t fall into the common trap of assuming a certain prerequisite level of knowledge and terminology. This e-book isn’t going to suit everyone, but if you are, or know someone who is a beginner, perhaps who has looked at the timber in the lumber yards, or poked around the tools in the tool shop but hasn’t dared take that extra step and make a purchase, then suggest this e-book to them.

I just want to say you have done an excellent job at which you set out to do. Just reading your site and the imagery shows me that I would clearly understand without having to scratch and pull my hair out while searching the web to decode what I was reading

—Richard (project builder)

I just read Andy's book "How to Build Anything" and was really impressed. It is a profoudly simple and modern approach to woodworking and project building that anyone can follow. This ebook walks you through everything from design to applying finish. The instructions are super-easy and the great photos eliminate the guesswork. If you want to learn to build things, this is a very nice place to start.

—Patrick (BunkBedsUnlimited.com)

I took up woodworking about 7 years ago having very little experience with either hand or power tools. I'm progressing slowly. I just bought your e-book and it is brilliant. The photos are clear and helpful; the information is succinct; your writing is articulate and the layout is attractive and easy to follow.

—Marian (new woodworker)