Some people think that woodworking is a dying art that belongs to the forgotten bunch of crafts that we, humans, don’t find any place for in our hectic lives. But this is not entirely true.
These days, when we live in houses built as quickly as possible with as few extra details as there can be, wood is somewhat of a premium material which is long-lasting and has that genuine value. And you can do wonders with it!
Just take a look at the fan-favorite subreddit “Woodworking,” which is basically an online collection of the most intricate, creative, and breathtaking examples of things you can do with wood.
Created twelve years ago, it’s now a home to a whopping 2.7 million members who share mad woodwork skills crafted in furniture, household items, and anything, really.
#1 After 8 Months Of Hard Work I Can Finally Call It Done! Over 1600 Hrs Of Work Into One Staircase
Image credits: MauiMakes
#2 I Just Turned 20 And Have Been Doing Woodwork For About A Year Now. Just Finished This Cherry Desk With Blackened Legs
Image credits: GreenBeanLambTagine
To find out more about the amazing r/Woodworking community on Reddit, Bored Panda reached out to its moderator Joseph, who goes by the handle u/joelav. Joseph told us that the subreddit was created in 2008 as “a place for woodworking redditors to get together and exchange ideas, techniques, advice, and projects.”
“It has grown from humble roots to a 2.7-million-member community,” the moderator said and added that on average, r/woodworking is visited 250,000 times daily, which makes it a powerful corner online to get some incredible wood inspiration.
#3 Maiden Voyage Of My First Cedar Strip Canoe! No Kit, No Plans, No Staples
Image credits: flyingrobotgirl
#4 Made This To Replace The Stupid Lazy Susan Cabinet. Yay Or Nay?
Image credits: reddit.com
Incredibly, there’s one key rule in the community and it’s that people are only allowed to share things they have made themselves. “This keeps our content original and organic,” Joseph explained. So every incredible piece of woodwork you see here is really made by someone’s hands in the group.
When asked about their favorite woodworking pieces, the moderator team has decided on a couple of great examples. First, it’s this “tricky but beautiful joinery,” then there’s this “very detailed post on building a bookcase.” Another great wood piece according to the mod team is this home office inspiration for all those Zoom meetings.
And for those who feel short on space but are working from home, this amazing old design brought to life again may give some inspiration. But the moderator team also stressed the fact that woodworking, no matter how cool it may be, is not really all “fun and games.” See this post as “a reminder for the shop that accidents happen.”
#5 Melting Wood Effect Im Working On. Still Needs Some Sandpaper Love But Very Pleased With My First Attempt
Image credits: papertomm
#6 Vlad The Builder: Third Project. We Went For The Classic Picture Frame To Work On The 45s On The Mitre Box. He Got To Help Me Set Up The Router Table, But Dad Had To Lend A Hand On That Cut. He Also Tried Out The Brad Nailer And Glue (March,2018)
Image credits: WendellBerrymore
#7 Some Of You Asked
Image credits: sl7ven_de
#8 My 14 Year Old Daughter Made This In Shop Class And I Couldn’t Be More Proud!
Image credits: Deathbysnusnubooboo
#9 'splitting From The Norm'. A 16-Year Old From A Local School Has Made An Insanely Awesome Piece
Image credits: ToxicSneak
#10 Heard There Was A Plywood Challenge So Here Is My Plywood Rocker For Consideration.
Image credits: smurtle-the-turtle
There are many types of woodwork and each is a craft on its own: from carving, whittling, and scroll-sawing to wood burning (pyrography) and construction-related woodwork. But there’s something about working the wood which makes it nostalgic and beautifully old-fashioned.
So is woodworking really a dying art? After all, many consumers are driven by price and not by quality, as it used to be. You won’t find long-lasting, high-quality wood in current home decorating styles where everything revolves around price and practicality.
#11 Chessboard With A Twist I Made For My Sister And Her Family
Image credits: PonderSquirrel
#12 I Keep Seeing All Your Quarantine Projects, So I Thought I Might Share Mine Here Too
Image credits: artnovation
#13 9' Hollow Wooden Longboard
Image credits: kokomosurfco
#14 I Carved And Gifted The "Terminator Pipe" To Arnold Birthday And He Sent Me A Photo
Image credits: RadonLab
#15 I Made A Squirrel Bar
Image credits: thompsonwoodworks
On the other hand, there are my indicators that show that woodworking is in fact having a renaissance. First, sites like Etsy and Amazon Handmade are filled with woodworkers selling their incredible wooden pieces. Moreover, some sellers offer unique pieces for reasonable prices.
According to Scott Curry, the author of “Make from Wood” magazine that provides woodworking tips for woodworkers around the world, “On Etsy, I’ve found everything from large items like dining room tables down to a lady who carves amazing designs and scenery from single pencils!”
#16 Definitely The Biggest Project I’ve Ever Done. Solid Oak Through And Through, All Locally Sourced In The Scottish Highlands
Image credits: are_you_the_farmer
#17 Scrollsawn Project With All Natural Woods (No Stains Or Dyes). Prince John And Hiss From Robin Hood. Oodalally!
Image credits: woodland_porpoise
#18 Carved From Salvaged Barn Wood As A Gift For My Friend Who's Pug Recently Passed
Image credits: tyus
#19 First Try At This Japanese Wizardry
Image credits: vaskosotirov
#20 A Bunk Bed I Built For My Daughter’s 5th Birthday
Image credits: Foolishcoyote
Scott also believes that just like online impact, local impact too has played one of the key roles in bringing woodwork into the spotlight. For example, "The number of local craft fairs has significantly increased in recent years if you live in a decent-sized city. Organizers have learned that there are nice profits to be made by organizing an event.”
#21 Here Is A Prototype Table We Are Making Using The Original Golden Gate Bridge Suspender Ropes And Claro-Walnut Top. Both Are Over 80 Years Old!
Image credits: grammywelder
#22 I Carved This Gandalf Pipe Out Of Briar Wood
Image credits: RadonLab
#23 Wife Wanted A Dr Seuss Themed Nursery So I Built A Dr Seuss Bookshelf
Image credits: ekjohns1
#24 So I Finished This Chair A Few Days Ago
Image credits: ActualVPD
#25 I Carved A Wooden Octopus Who Looks Like He's Scared Of Swimming
Image credits: seanpt3009
Scott says that attending a local craft fair feels like walking through a real life Etsy store, where you find rows upon rows of woodworkers set up. “The turnout of both buyers and sellers would not be as big as it is without the growth in popularity within woodworking,” he concludes.
#26 Really Happy With The Way This Live Edge Elm Table Turned Out As You Can See On My Face
Image credits: L0114R
#27 Archway A Coworker And I Trimmed Out Recently. Painted Picture At The End
Image credits: ZamDamn
#28 My First Woodworking Project. A Fire Rack To Display All Of My Hot Sauces!
Image credits: TylerWelsch
#29 This Will Go Down As One Of The Coolest Builds I’ve Ever Done. Wine Barrel Wine Cellar
Image credits: Dangnamit
#30 My Mom Died From Cancer, But Before She Passed She Asked Me To Make Her Urn. We Would Jokingly Refer To It As Her Death Box. She Was A Strong Woman
Image credits: undrqualified
When you think of it, it’s never been easier to start woodworking. “Gone are the days where people became interested in woodworking because they watched their grandfather working in his shop.”
The sources on the internet for learning to work the wood are endless, and there is surely something for both beginners and already advanced wood artists.
#31 Made A Coffee Table. I Think The Proportions Are Perfect
Image credits: TC1671
#32 End Grain Cutting Board Made From 157 Pieces Of Black Walnut, Birdseye Maple, And Padauk
Image credits: Chirurgo
#33 Girlfriend Wanted A 'My Secret Wood' Ring, So 10 Failed Rings Later, I Made One Just How I Pictured It
Image credits: reddit.com
#34 My 14-Year Old Son Built This Coffee Table For His Sister And Her Boyfriend As A Christmas Gift. It Measures 28” X 42” And Is Made Of Red Oak With Red Oak Stain And Polyurethane Finish
Image credits: TexasKolache
#35 First Attempts At LEGO Men. My Lab Is Showing Off Her Latest Creation Too
Image credits: jpbronco
#36 Who Told My Wife That I Could Make A Hand-Carved Solid Maple Dresser Before The Baby Came?!? I Did It, But Wow That Was More Work Than I Thought It Would Be
Image credits: topninja1
#37 I Made Three Colorful Sharks In Wood With Epoxy Resin, Matte Finish
Image credits: woody_wood_carver
#38 Walnut And Oak Bunk Beds
Image credits: CasperFatone
#39 A Rare Look At The Hobbit As A Minimalist Movie Poster Made From 8 Different Woods. I’m Going On An Adventure!
Image credits: woodland_porpoise
#40 Library I Did. There Are Many Leather Bound Books, And It Smells Of Rich Mahogany
Image credits: headyorganics
#41 Finally Got Around To Finishing My First Real Desk, I’m Super Proud
Image credits: finnaginagain
#42 Dresser I Made
Image credits: in_stagraham
#43 Boat I Made In My Garage. Plans Are From Glen-L Boat Plans. This Is The "Squirt" 10 Footer. Took Me 2 Years To Make. I Had A Blast Making It
Image credits: bmd112
#44 I Made An Inexpensive Desk
Image credits: Existing-Load
#45 My Attempt At The Mountain Napkin Holder. It's A Nice Project To Use Up Some Scraps
Image credits: Estragon94
#46 I Made A Walnut Coffee Bar
Image credits: el_dpalablo
#47 I Made A 600 LED Programmable Infinity Mirror Coffee Table!
Image credits: Procupine
#48 1yr Later, Finally Finished My First Table
Image credits: Hdj1500
#49 Rocket By Me
Image credits: Mattallday
#50 Tried My Hand At Woodworking And Made Some Dining Table Benches
Image credits: _nikknack_