Downloads Delivered by Email

All substantive downloads such as plans and calculator output that is more than just a simple value or short table of values are delivered by email, usually in the form of a PDF, rather than by direct download. This of course requires you to enter your email address to receive the requested file. This page explains why I handle downloads this way. But the first thing I want to tell you is that your email address is used for no other purpose than to automatically deliver the requested file to you. Email addresses are never sold, rented, or used by me to spam you. Take a look around this site. It is large and contains a wealth of lutherie information that is made available for free. This is definitely not the way email spammers behave.

Here's the reason downloads are delivered via email. I used to provide for direct downloads of plans and tabular calculator results. And I used to find that unscrupulous people who had downloaded these plans made them available on other websites, which is against my terms of service. The really sleazy even tried to sell them. As a reasonable and ethical person, you probably would not believe the extent to which this occurred. I used to have to spend considerable time searching for these and issuing take down requests. It got to the point where I either had to figure out a way to stop this behavior, or I would have to stop offering free downloads.

I understood that no one ever wants their email address to be posted to the internet. If there was some way I could include the email address of the person downloading a plan right on their copy of the plan, then they would probably never post that plan on the internet somewhere. Getting the downloader's actual email address requires soliciting it and delivering the plan via email to that address. I personally never see these email addresses - the downloader software automatically prints the email address on a copy of the plan or tabular calculator results, emails that copy to the person requesting the plan, and deletes the email address.

This has worked out very well. I rarely find illegal copies of my plans and tabular calculator results on internet sites anymore, so I am able to continue offering free downloads in this manner. It works out for me, and I hope it works out for you too.

Last updated: July 21, 2025