#1 Always Wanted A Wooden Hat. So I Made One
#2 Got A Board From An Old Dining Table, And I Restored It
This is the first time I'm posting in this subreddit, though I've been following it for a while, and I'm really happy with the result I got after reading what gets posted here for almost a year. It was my project, but in a way, it's also thanks to everyone who posts here that I managed to get the finish I wanted in such a satisfying way.
What do you think of the result?
Edit: A few people asked about the finish. It’s a water-based sapelly stain, followed by a coat of grain filler to even out how the pine absorbs, then three coats of satin water-based varnish (V33 Ultra Resistant), lightly sanded between coats with the last one left untouched to keep the sheen.
#3 Wooden Cardinal I Made
The Beginner Woodworking subreddit showcases work from hobbyists with very little to no experience. Woodworking is an intricate craft that takes years to master, but these people have apparently done it much faster.
So what makes a woodworking project particularly impressive, especially from someone with little experience? According to Wildwood Rustics owner Elvin Zimmerman, it’s all in the details.
#4 Finished This Lamp For My GF, Never Done Before, Handmade And Freestyled, Turned Out Alright
#5 Made A Bed For My Son!
“Impressive woodworking isn’t always about how intricate a piece looks. It’s also about a carefully crafted design, high detail, and an understanding of how to showcase the natural beauty of the wood’s texture and color,” Zimmerman told Bored Panda.
He adds that elements like accurate measurements, precise lines, proper joinery, and careful sanding also show a woodworker’s growing craftsmanship.
#7 My Carpentry Exam
#8 Made A Slide Out Makeup Vanity For The Wifey
The bottom cabinet for the hamper storage is on Blum 30” slides…I wish they made them in 32”. I copied an off the shelf design for those pull-out trash cans and kinda just made it up as went along. For the curves I used an old end plate of a wire spool as a guide for my router.
Newly acquired tool: this projected served as an excuse to pick up a Graco X5 sprayer.
#9 Check Out My Chair
The plans are essentially a woodworking course, and are stellar. I've learned so much building their pieces, and started working on my own designs.
Anyway, this chair is the the most complicated project I've attempted and I'm proud of the results. I got my first table saw last year and I'm already certain I'll be making furniture in some capacity for the rest of my life. It's a wonderful hobby.
With some sewing help from my partner, we also made our own cushions from foam/batting and fabric. Turns out, upholstery is awesome. Buckminster Upholstery on YouTube is a true hidden gem. The man is like the Paul Sellers of upholstery. We used his video on making a simple cushion almost exclusively to figure out ours. Watch his more complicated projects to really appreciate him as a master furnituremaker.
Anyway. Now the garage is too hot in Texas and I've decided to spend the summer focusing on hand tools.
Finally, credit to Steve Ramsey, the absolute youtube dad GOAT, who taught me all the basics and will always influence my woodworking is the best way.
I'm 35, and have a fairly intense career in medicine that occupies a lot of my headspace. Woodworking is not easy, but it takes focus and patience and calm, not frenetic rapid decision making and constant communication with other people. It's an amazing counterpoint and has made me feel like a much more balanced person. I'm even reading books again! (Hello Lost Art Press)
It's also just stupid expensive - especially if you want to buy mostly nice things that are made with care and will last. But I certainly feel better about buying quality tools that will be useful for a few decades than I do about most of the other crap I consume.
Others notice the much finer details. For handmade solid timber shelving specialist Justin Brown, understanding grain direction and how wood moves sets a skilled craftsman apart from someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
“Warping, splitting, and bad finishes are usually attributed to a lack of understanding of how those work. That’s a difficult concept for a beginner to grasp, so it’s impressive when they understand it,” he said.
#10 I Guess I’m A Woodworker Now
#11 Three Years Of Progress…
If you are someone that is sitting on the sidelines like I was a couple of years ago, it’s time to get out of the grandstand, pick up some tools and start making some stuff!
I hope this is encouragement that someone needs! Merry Christmas Sawdust Santas!
I don’t really share very much in this group anymore, because people complain that it’s not beginning woodworking. But this community meant a lot to me early on. You can see a lot of my other projects in my post history.
So how does a novice woodworker create impressive pieces so quickly while learning the craft? According to Brown, most of the learning curve happens in the first three to five projects.
But once you get the hang of reading wood grain, applying proper pressure, and learning how different joints react to tension, everything becomes muscle memory.
#14 Rate My Chair
But anyways! This is my Adirondack style chair. I never built a chair before this, so I used Epic Woodworkings Adirondack chair as inspiration. By looking at them they look similar, but there's some obvious changes made and some not so obvious changes made. I believe the only things I didn't change were the corbel profiles, and the front legs with the half lap joint. Everything else was tweaked and played with a bit to bc more comfortable and reflect upon what I learned about in school when it came to construction and design. The wood is African Sapele for those who were curious.
I ended up making 14 of these in 2 separate batches, and they've taught me a lot about furniture design and production.
Anyways the whole point of this post is to get some feedback on the design, and have discussions about how certain processes happened!
“Building things you need speeds up the learning process,” Brown said. “For example, making a shelf for your home will give you an incentive to make sure that shelf turns out great because you have a real dimension, a real consequence, and a reason to get it right. You cannot do this when practicing on wood scraps.”
#16 My Daughter Made It For Me For Christmas, I Cried A Little When I Opened It
#17 Mid-Century Walnut LEGO Display Shelf
Doors still need to be installed, apparently concealed hinges are super complex, and I bought ones that aren't large enough...
#18 Wedge Ramps For An Aging Cat
Zimmerman says that starting with manageable projects to master fundamental skills helps shorten the path to building intricate pieces. He emphasizes that the goal should be to become comfortable with different tools and designs while experimenting with new techniques.
“For someone looking to start woodworking, I’d recommend starting with something smaller and functional like a shelf, bench, or end table,” he advises. “Highly detailed or elaborate projects could be intimidating, so starting smaller and working up to those pieces will make starting seem less daunting.”
#19 Giraffe Bookcase
