For the uninformed and absolute beginner, woodworking can be daunting. The idea of creating something both functional and aesthetically pleasing may seem like an impossible feat, and understandably so.
These people, however, are here not only to prove you wrong, but perhaps also to inspire you to take a shot at this meditative, intricate craft. They’ve even shared their work on the Beginner Woodworking subreddit, a growing community of over 330,000 members.
#21 After Making A Few Cutting Boards And Little Boxes, My Girlfriend Saw This And Said, "Wait, You Can Actually Make Nice Things?"
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Meanwhile, Brown advises finishing a project no matter the outcome. He says powering through wobbly outcomes builds confidence, rather than starting ten projects that never get finished.
“And of course, learn to use hand tools, even if you have (or plan on buying) power tools. Chisels, saws, marking gauges, etc., all teach you about wood and how it reacts to different pressures and angles, and it will set you apart from other beginners and help you improve your skills quicker.”
#22 I Thought Buying Slabs And Turning Them Into Shelves Would Be Easy. I Was Very Wrong But I Did It
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#23 Made My Desk Finally. I Felled A Tree From My Late Grandmothers House And Used The Wood From It To Make This. I’m Very Happy With How It Turned Out
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#24 The Wife Wanted A Small Ladder For Her Race Medals. She Saw One On Fb For $60 And I Naturally Told Her I Could Build It For $20. New Tools And $200 Later We Have The Finished Product
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#25 What She Wanted vs. What She Got. Def Didn’t Plan This Correctly But I Think It Worked Out. Go Easy On My Skills
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#26 My Family Scoffed Hearing That I Wanted To Try Woodwork As A Hobby. "Pft, You Won't Do It..." So I Did It. It's Small And Nooby But I Made It. Handheld Circular Saw Only
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#27 New Neighbors Are Newly Expecting Parents
New next door neighbors are expecting their first baby so I figured I’d make em a welcoming gift to the neighborhood, and their baby a welcoming gift to the world. 8 species of wood. Pine, paduke, black walnut, claro walnut, olivewood (the bottom but forgot to get a pic. You can see a little of it in pic 2), white oak, mahogany, and aromatic cedar (juniper). Finished with Odie’s Oil. Making perfect shapes is not easy, thus, they are not perfect. Adds character. There are two of each shape, the other half are in the box.
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#28 Taught Myself Carpentry Through Youtube/Reading Books Throughout Lockdown, It Has Taken Me A Year But I Finally Have My Shed! Completely Insulated, Even The Doors Acoustic And Thermal. If Only I Could Actually Get A Job As An Apprentice
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#29 Built A Laptop Stand
Finished up this laptop stand the other day. First time doing splines and working with some more complex angles.
Made with walnut and maple splines.
Made with walnut and maple splines.
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#32 Built The Wife A Library
Overall really happy with the end result, but more importantly the wife is thrilled. Was my first project of this size. Definitely made some mistakes along the way and generally just figured a lot of things out as I went. But wood filler and caulk is my friend, and the dark paint is forgiving.
Some things I learned:
• Nothing in my house is straight, square, or level.
• Should have used plywood over pine. The pine was a pain to work with due to warping/cupping. Will see how it holds up over time.
• I shouldn’t have used latex paint for bookshelves, but live and learn. Giving the paint a couple more weeks to fully cure before stacking any books.
• The darker the paint, the more coats needed for full coverage. Everything was sanded, primed, sanded again, painted, sanded again, painted again for a good finish. Still a few spots to touch up. A sprayer would have been better but basements don’t offer much ventilation.
• Wish I would have done butcher block or something more substantial for the “countertop” as the 3/4” pine just looks diminutive by comparison.
• Did some basic rechargeable motion-sensor LED bars in the cabinets, but LED strips are on the way for the shelving. That’s another project entirely but I’ve planned in advance and built in some lips to hide the LED strips and will require minimal drilling of holes to run the wiring.
Some things I learned:
• Nothing in my house is straight, square, or level.
• Should have used plywood over pine. The pine was a pain to work with due to warping/cupping. Will see how it holds up over time.
• I shouldn’t have used latex paint for bookshelves, but live and learn. Giving the paint a couple more weeks to fully cure before stacking any books.
• The darker the paint, the more coats needed for full coverage. Everything was sanded, primed, sanded again, painted, sanded again, painted again for a good finish. Still a few spots to touch up. A sprayer would have been better but basements don’t offer much ventilation.
• Wish I would have done butcher block or something more substantial for the “countertop” as the 3/4” pine just looks diminutive by comparison.
• Did some basic rechargeable motion-sensor LED bars in the cabinets, but LED strips are on the way for the shelving. That’s another project entirely but I’ve planned in advance and built in some lips to hide the LED strips and will require minimal drilling of holes to run the wiring.
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#33 New To Woodworking And I Made A Mudroom
Other than a crosscut sled and the bmw workbench from Steve Ramsey, this is my first big project. I watched a ton of YouTube videos, used this old home mudroom bench plans to help develop my approach, and then customized this for the space. I’m pretty proud! I used pocket holes and birch plywood mostly.
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#34 Made A Music Stand For A Gift, And It Was The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done
I have all Ryobi starter tools and managed to break, damage, or burn out the motor on five different tools trying to make this thing. But I got it done, and I'm happy with it, though I can still see the imperfections, and they bother me, like some tear-out on the maple shaft, a slight gap where I didn't clamp the hinge plates down enough, and places where I had to add glue and sawdust to even out the seams. My wife tells me not to worry about it, so I'm trying not to critique it too badly. What do you guys think?
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#36 Winter Project Finally Done In June
Usually take on a new project every winter. This one took a lot longer than expected. Needs a few minor touch ups but happy to be done!
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#38 My Attempt At Making A Planter Box Using 2x4 Lumber
This was my first attempt at making a planter box using 2x4 lumber and finger joints.
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