Tedswoodworking Plans For Small Deck Boxes · Updated September 2026
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If you want a cheap, huge grab-bag of woodworking plans and you're comfortable filtering out the duds, TedsWoodworking gives you dozens of small deck box and outdoor storage designs for a one-time ~$83. The biggest strength is sheer volume with cut lists and diagrams included; the biggest caveat is uneven quality and a dated, clunky download interface. Beginners who want one perfect, curated plan will be frustrated — intermediate DIYers who like options will get their money's worth.
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When people search for TedsWoodworking plans for small deck boxes, they usually picture a single tidy blueprint. That's not quite how this works. You're buying access to a library of roughly 16,000 plans, and the deck box designs are scattered across the outdoor furniture and storage categories.
Once you find them, the good ones are genuinely useful. A typical small deck box plan runs 3–6 pages: an overall dimensioned drawing, an exploded assembly diagram, a cut list broken down by board, and a materials/hardware list. For a two-foot cushion or tool box that sits against a rail, you'll see frame dimensions, slat spacing, and lid hinge placement spelled out.
The cut list is the part that saves real time. Instead of guessing at a lumber order, you can walk into the store knowing you need, say, eight 1x6 cedar boards at specific lengths. For an outdoor box where wood choice matters, that precision is worth more than the download itself.
A deck box lives outside, so the plans need to address moisture — and this is where TedsWoodworking is hit or miss. The stronger plans specify cedar, cypress, or pressure-treated lumber and call out drainage gaps or a sloped lid to shed rain. The weaker ones treat a deck box like any indoor project and leave water management entirely to you.
In practice you'll want to add your own finishing steps: exterior wood glue, stainless or coated deck screws instead of the generic fasteners some plans list, and a marine-grade sealer. None of that is exotic, but don't assume the plan covers it. Treat the diagram as the skeleton and bring your own outdoor-build knowledge for the rest.
If you're building a box to store cushions or pool chemicals, look specifically for the plans that show a lined or gapped bottom. A few designs include a slatted floor that lets water drain and air circulate — exactly what you want to stop mildew.
Ted markets this heavily to beginners, and that's only half true. A confident first-time builder can absolutely knock out a simple slatted deck box from these plans in a weekend. The exploded diagrams are more forgiving than text-only instructions.
But there's no hand-holding. Most plans assume you know how to make a square cut, drive a screw straight, and read a dimensioned drawing. There are almost no videos, and the plans don't teach technique. If you've never touched a circular saw, you'll be pausing to watch YouTube — which is fine, just know that going in.
The honest sweet spot is someone who has built a shelf or two, owns a drill and a saw, and wants a proven design rather than winging their own measurements.
The single most common complaint — and it's valid — is the member portal. It looks like it hasn't been redesigned in years. Plans are grouped into categories, but the search is weak and some entries are mislabeled.
Set aside 20–30 minutes on your first login to browse the outdoor and storage sections, download every deck box and storage bench plan that looks decent, and save them to a folder on your computer. Do that once and you'll never fight the interface again.
The bonus CAD/DWG files are a genuine upside if you own SketchUp or AutoCAD, because you can stretch a box to fit an odd corner of your deck. If you don't use CAD, those files are just clutter.
At roughly $83 one-time, and often discounted below that during promotions, the math is easy if you'll build more than one project. A single custom plan from a designer can cost $15–40, so a handful of usable outdoor designs already covers it.
Be ready for the upsells. After you pay, the checkout flow pushes additional plan packages and DVDs. You don't need any of them — the core library already contains the deck box and storage plans you came for. Just click past them.
The 60-day money-back guarantee is the real safety net. If you log in, hunt for a small deck box plan, and hate what you find, you can request a refund. That removes most of the risk of the inconsistent quality.
Buy it if you enjoy having options, plan to build several outdoor projects, and don't mind curating the good plans from the mediocre ones. The volume plus cut lists is a legitimately strong combination for the price.
Skip it if you want exactly one perfect, video-guided deck box tutorial and nothing else. In that case a free YouTube build or a single paid plan will serve you better without the clutter.
Also skip it if you expect premium, magazine-quality blueprints throughout. The quality ceiling is high on the best plans but the floor is low, and that variance annoys perfectionists.
Before cutting anything, re-measure your deck space and cross-check the plan's dimensions against your own tape measure — don't trust a scanned plan blindly. Add 10–15% to any lumber estimate to cover mistakes and knots.
Upgrade the hardware the plans suggest. Swap standard screws for stainless steel or coated exterior deck screws, use exterior Titebond III glue, and finish with a UV-resistant sealer so your box survives more than one season.
Keep a running folder of the plans you actually use. Over a year of projects, that curated folder — not the messy portal — becomes the thing you paid for.
There are several outdoor storage and deck box variants across the library — different sizes, slatted versus solid lids, and bench-style combos. You'll need to browse the outdoor and storage categories to collect them, since they aren't grouped in a single tidy folder.
The usable plans do — a materials list, hardware list, and a cut list by board length. Quality varies, so always double-check dimensions against your own measurements before buying lumber, especially on older scanned plans.
It can work if you already know basic saw and drill skills, thanks to the exploded diagrams. But there are almost no videos and no technique instruction, so a true first-timer will need to supplement with YouTube tutorials.
Yes. There's a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you log in, look for a small deck box plan, and find nothing worth building, you can request a refund within that window.
Only if you handle weatherproofing yourself. Choose cedar, cypress, or treated lumber, use coated or stainless fasteners, include drainage gaps, and seal it. The better plans mention this; the weaker ones leave it to you.