Do you have a lot of wood lying around? Are you crafty or have you always just wanted to learn how to make money woodworking but you didn’t know where or how to start?
Well, then today is your lucky day because I am going to give you the inside scoop on how to make money woodworking at home.
We’ll cover the basics like:
- Best woodworking tools
- what the easier projects are
- which items sell
- where you can sell your items, and
- some affordable (plus free) courses to help you get started with making money from woodworking at home.
Ready? Let’s go.
DISCLAIMER
Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.
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- Make Money As A Freelance Model
What is Woodworking?
Was I the only one made to take mandatory woodshop classes at school?
Yes? No?
I wouldn’t recommend letting me operate heavy machinery but let me tell you, I made a killer birdhouse back in the day.
For those of you who didn’t have to sit through woodshop or don’t know what woodworking is but you want to know how to make money woodworking, let me tell you what it is.
According to our dear friend, monsieur Google, woodworking or woodwork is the activity or skill of making things from wood; hence the term: woodwork.
Easy no? You could take a slab of wood, throw on some hooks, and call it a utensil organizer.
Slap a nice price tag on it and tada -you’re a woodworker!
What Woodworking Tools Do You Need?
So, you want to know how to make money woodworking, but you have no idea what kind of tools you will need to embark on this journey.
Woodworking, like any other hobby, can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it to be.
If you’re a beginner, I recommend getting started with a few basic tools and when you’re making a decent amount of money from selling your woodworking creations, trade-up, and buy more.
As a beginner, I recommend buying these tools to help you get started:
- Circular Saw – This took helps in making straight cuts on lumber and plywood
- Jig Saw – A jig saw is great when you’re making curved cuts or cutting out interior shapes
- Power Drill – Some people already have this lying around their house but if you don’t I suggest buying one because you’ll need it for drilling holes and driving screws in order to secure your wooden creations
- Orbital Sander – This is for sanding the final work. You could go traditional and save money by buying a roll of sandpaper but that is a lot more work, time, and won’t give you as good a finish.
An entire set of tools can cost less than $200! You’ll make that back in no time and getting started for $200 is a steal if you ask me.
Easy Woodworking Projects You Can Sell
If you want to start woodworking at home for money and you’re looking for easy woodworking projects you can sell, look no further.
I’ve scoured the world wide web in search of easy projects you can make if you’re a beginner at woodworking.
These easy projects are perfect for anyone who is just starting out and for those who want to keep things simple:
1.Wood Coat Rack
How hard can it be to make a wooden coat rack?
Think about it, if you find a beautiful piece of wood in the forest or a fallen branch, you could easily stick some hooks onto it and there you have it -a wooden coat rack.
I especially like this one because it doesn’t use metal hooks or this one if you’re looking for an easy standing coat rack to make!
2.Step Stool
If you’re vertically challenged like I am, you’ll have one of these around the house.
A step stool is both handy and easy to make -have a look at this one. It’s two slabs of natural wood on the top and two more on the side.
All you have to do is figure out the right measurements for you, cut the wood, secure it with screws, and throw on a coat of paint if you want to get fancy.
3.Tealight Holder
I love lighting tealight candles and if you do too, this is a great project to take up if you’re just starting out.
You can make something like this, which is super impressive but is minimal work.
Find a beautiful piece of wood, cut it in half, measure the perfect dimensions for your tealights, and carve out the shape.
4.Floating Shelves
These shelves can be made extremely fast and are easy to modify to custom sizes depending on what the customer needs.
You can jazz it up with a coat of paint or offer various wood varieties to give your customers options.
5.Rustic Signs
Rustic signs are incredibly easy to make and even if you don’t have the tools to engrave them or you have horrible handwriting, this pin shows you how to work around that issue.
Rustic signs can be made from pallet wood, reclaimed wood, or any lumber you have lying around.
Top Selling Woodworking Items
Excited to start woodworking yet? I am but I know it can seem daunting when you’re wondering how to make money woodworking.
Which is why I always say, research is key.
Do you want to know the secret of how to make money in woodworking?
Make and sell items that are popular and you are well on your way to making money woodworking.
What are some top-selling woodworking items?
I’m glad you asked because I have a whole list ready for you. I scoured the net in search of the most popular woodworking items people looked for and put it altogether for you.
Here are some of the top selling woodworking items on the net:
1.Plywood Coffee Table
Everyone needs a coffee table, regardless of if they drink coffee or not, so it’s no surprise that plywood coffee tables are popular.
They look great, they are lightweight, multipurpose, and are aesthetically pleasing.
This is an easy DIY project to undertake because if you think about it, it’s only 5 pieces of wood and it requires little to no fasteners. It’s quick, easy, and plywood is cheap.
2.Planter Boxes
Since the pandemic hit, everyone and their cat has become a self-professed expert gardener, so planter boxes sell like hotcakes.
They can come in various shapes and sizes -this means you can customize them based on your clients needs.
They are an easy and inexpensive way to start making money in woodworking. You’re basically making a large or small box to be filled with earth and plants.
3.Blanket Ladder
Blanket ladders are a perfect introduction if you’re looking to get into selling furniture style woodwork. They look effortless and just like the plywood coffee table, they’re fairly easy to make.
Two pieces of wood on either side, secured with multiple dowels or pieces of wood in the middle. As long as you measure them to a tee, you have a functioning blanket or towel ladder.
4.Picture Frames
Instagram hasn’t killed picture frames just yet. You may be surprised how many people actually look to buy custom picture frames.
If you learn how to make these, you can offer them in various sizes and colors. You can even take custom orders for larger or smaller frames.
5.Wine Racks
Wood wine racks come in all shapes and sizes -you can make smaller racks that hold up to five bottles or larger ones. I’ve seen some wall to wall wine racks that sell for a pretty penny.
6.Custom Cutting Boards
That’s right, custom cutting boards are a thing. These make great wedding gifts and are super easy to make -you just need to measure out a slab of wood, cut it, sand it, engrave it -a special date, name, or even a phrase- and make quite a profit.
Don’t believe me?
Have a look at this engraved custom cutting board for over $800.
7.Cheese Boards
Another easy yet profitable project to help you make money from woodworking.
Just like the custom cutting boards, cheese boards do really well online and if you offer a customizable option, you can charge quite a bit for that service.
Because let’s be honest, cheese = life!
8.Coat Racks
I wrote about coat racks earlier on in the post under easy projects to undertake when you are just starting out with woodworking and guess what?
Not only are they easy to make but they are in high demand.
Rustic coat racks made from wood make a statement and can add to a home’s charm. What’s great is you can fashion them from a chunky wooden centerpiece and a few nails or wire hooks and you’re basically done.
How Much Do Woodworkers Make?
Okay, we have gone over the tools you need to begin woodworking, items that are easy to make, top-selling items you can make, but the real question is, “can you make money woodworking?” or what you are really asking me here is, “how much do woodmakers make?”
According to Woodshop News, some woodworkers have boasted an average of $1,500 – $2,000 in sales monthly.
But ultimately, how much you make will depend on how much you spend on materials and what you charge for the items.
For instance, let’s say you purchase or find reclaimed wood (free) and turn it into a set of chairs.
If you make one chair and decide to charge $75 for it, then you make another four chairs for a kitchen table or dining table, that is $300 in your pocket.
Where and How to Sell your Woodworking Projects
How to make money woodworking at home? Great question.
There are plenty of ways for you to make a living woodworking.
I’ve compiled a list of how and where you can sell your woodworking projects.
1.Start Selling Locally
There are plenty of great local venues you can sell your woodworking projects.
Heck, you can even place a sign outside your house, pull up a chair (that you made) and sell your projects from your doorstep.
I’ve done this before with some handmade crafts and I went back home with a pocket full of cash.
Some other local sales avenues to pursue include:
- Holiday markets
- Craft fairs
- Coffee shops
- Flea markets
- Farmer’s markets
2.Selling Your Woodworking Online
It’s 2020 my friends and it would be remiss of me not to mention selling your woodworking projects online.
The internet is a great way to start selling your projects. You could place an ad on craigslist or your local equivalent to it.
You can start your own website and build a woodworking empire or you use platforms to list and sell your items on.
Here are some great websites to help you sell your woodworking projects online:
We all know and love Etsy. This is the first website that comes to mind when I think of DIY or handmade projects.
Creating a shop on Etsy is free and the website is well known. It’s a great place to start out and list all of your beautiful woodworking creations and if you offer customizable options, you’re bound to make a sale.
Ebay is not just a platform for selling used stuff -you can list your woodworking creations on this website and make some extra money.
Artfire is an online marketplace to sell craft supplies, vintage items, and handmade goods. Doesn’t that sound like just the place to sell your creations?
- Facebook Marketplace
Everybody has a facebook right? Even if they aren’t using it. Facebook is a great way to connect with people but did you know Facebook has a Marketplace?
That’s one way to reach an audience. Facebook marketplace can be accessed from your regular Facebook account and you can post listings for free.
Amazon is a giant and just like facebook, they have a separate section called Amazon Handmade where you can sell your wooden craft creations.
The great thing about selling on Amazon handmade is that your products will be listed on the most popular eCommerce site in the world – Amazon.
The only tricky thing about selling on Amazon Handmade is that you first need to apply to be a seller and if you get accepted, you can begin selling your works there.
Be sure to take fantastic pictures of your work because that will be part of the application process.
Have you heard of Uncommon Goods? I love it. They have sellers that create and sell unique items or uncommon goods for a fair price. It’s essentially another version of Etsy but it is not as oversaturated as the latter.
To sell your items on this platform, you need to submit an application for each product.
The product will go through an evaluation process to see if it’s a good fit for the company and if you pass, you get to sell your products on the platform
Here are some other websites where you can sell your woodworking creations:
Good Online Courses to Learn Woodworking
Whew, we’ve covered quite a bit on how to make money woodworking from home but if you’re like me and you really want to know everything from A-Z, why not take a quick course to see what woodworking is all about.
Not sure where to start? I’ve got your back -here are some courses (in order of affordability) for you to look at before diving into the world of woodworking:
Udemy
Udemy is a great platform to learn various skills -professionals post video tutorials and course packages on the website at a range of prices.
If you’re strapped for cash, I found an introductory course for free, an affordable one priced at $15 and a pricier one at $40.
Free Woodworking for Beginners
Level: Beginner
Cost: Free
This free course on Udemy teaches you to make two things; a boot remover and a wine display. Psst -remember wine racks are a top-selling item?
You can learn how to make these things for free by creating an account on Udemy and signing up for the class.
It contains 12 lectures and should take 44 minutes to complete.
Who is this course suitable for?
- Beginner woodworkers looking to improve their woodworking game
- People that have never experience woodworking before
- People that are familiar with woodworking but want to do more projects
5 Creative Woodworking Projects | Bumper DIY Course
Level: Beginner
Cost: $15
I love this course on Udemy not only because it is affordable but because you learn how to make five specific projects with guidance -all for the price of $15.
There are a total of five lectures -one for each project and the whole thing should take you two hours and twenty-seven minutes to complete.
You’ll learn how to:
- Build a stackable vegetable planter
- Build a decorative wooden planter
- Build a simple wooden planter
- Build a bird table
- Build a small aviary (animal enclosure)
- Develop basic DIY and carpentry skills
Who this course is for:
- Anybody interested in developing DIY skills
- Budding carpenters
- Gardeners wanting to create their own planters
- Those who wish to grow their own fruit and vegetables at home
- Bird or pet lovers who want to create a beautiful bird table or an aviary (animal enclosure) to keep pets in
Here’s a sneak peek at their course content:
Woodworking Classes: Basic Carpentry
This course is a slightly pricier than the two I’ve listed above. The course creator Jean Baptiste Van den Heede has been a carpenter for 35 years and through this $40 course, he will be handing down priceless carpentry knowledge he has acquired through the years.
This course includes:
- 4.5 hours on-demand video
- 2 downloadable resources
- Full lifetime access
- Certificate of completion
He also includes a technical drawing of the furniture you will create and an explanation of the type of wood you will need to work with, as well as fittings.
Here’s a sneak peek of the course:
Have I answered all your questions? I bet you’re not wondering how to make money woodworking anymore.
I’m going to have a look through my attic and see if I can pull out those birdhouses I made in highschool and sell them online now. Happy woodwor(moneyma)king!
How to Make Money Woodworking (and Most Profitable Woodworking Projects)
