Can you post an image of what you are trying to get?

Workplanes are actually pretty easy. You select the workplane tool, then select either a face that you wish to create a workplane parallel to, two lines you wish to use to define a plane, or three points you wish to use. You can then either input an offset value or drag the workplane out to the desired offset. Workplanes can be created reletive to any geometry, sketch, or origin feature.