I never use a plan other than the ones I develop personally. There are always changes I would want to make to any plan, even my own. I like the idea of being 100% responsible for my project, that no one had any input into my design. I am big on making models, so scale and realism are important to me; something I can never find in a store bought plan.
Being a retired engineer, I strive for precision in my projects, whether they be in wood or metal or a combination. I use Autocad© to design my projects, something I spend a lot of time doing before I start a build. This may not appeal to other woodworkers who would like to get to the building period quickly. As I said, I am retired and can devote the time to designing. In fact, I greatly enjoy designing over building. My computer is full of designs that have never been built.
