While the internet’s full of various creative groups and intriguing pages that capture your attention, some of these digital niches are so special and wondrous, you don’t ever want to leave. And the r/woodworking subreddit, with a whopping 3 million members and nearly 13 years of online presence, is one of those groups that keeps you loggging in.
The group is dedicated to everything and anything to do with woodworking and carpentry, whether the projects are done as a hobby or professionally.
Grab your saws, axes, chisels, and sandpaper, dear Pandas—we’re about to groove our way deep into the wondrous world of working wood. Saw a project that you absolutely loved? Give the photo an upvote and go visit the subreddit to show your appreciation. PS—for some more DIY inspiration, check out Bored Panda’s earlier article about the r/woodworking right here.
#1 What Is This And Where Do I Find The Plans?
Image credits: CoinsForCharon
#2 First Violin Is Finished!
Image credits: Ruvidman
#3 Imagine The Look On My Face When My Boss Said “You’ll Be Lead Carpenter On This Stair Job” When I Had Never Made A Single Tread Before. Lots Of Work By Lots Of People, I Can’t Take All The Credit, But Damn If I Didn’t Pour My Blood And Sweat Into This Staircase
Image credits: woodworking
If you’re like me, you might be itching to get into woodworking after staring at these cool projects (I especially loved the owl art piece, but what about you?). I gave it a go when I was little, but back then, I didn’t have the patience and willingness to fail to see my projects to the end.
While I personally know the most simple principles of working with wood (go with the grain, take your time, wear gloves, be careful with the electric saw, don’t expect to finish everything in a single day), they don’t even scratch the varnished surface. Like all skills, carpentry takes time and diligence to master. And the best way to learn is to get stuck in, instead of reading tips on the net.
#4 Vlad The Builder: Project #(We Lost Count)
Image credits: WendellBerrymore
#5 Still Weaving As The Seasons Change.. So Close To Wrapping This On Up!
Image credits: magicalstickbending
#6 I Restored The Circa 1910 Door In My Room To Its Original Glory! It Was Covered In 4 Layers Of Latex Paint And Very Crusty Varnish! This Is My First Woodworking Project (I'm 14) And I'm Going To Try To Restore Our Other Original Doors!
Image credits: B_N07
If you want to give woodworking a go, start off with a very simple, tiny project and see how you feel about it. After all, it’s best to give a new activity a go and check if you actually enjoy it before buying all of those expensive power tools. Instead, get some cheap and simple tools and some sandpaper to start things off.
Better yet, check your garage to see if there are any leftover tools from previous generations (just remember to oil them before using them so you don’t hurt yourself)) or even pop over to your DIY expert neighbor’s home to borrow theirs for a spell. You never know, they might even give you some great advice or even agree to help you out with the fundamentals.
#7 Carved An Owl, A Bit Different
Image credits: BerkshireMtnSculptor
#8 Old Piano To Bookcase Using Lid As Back
Image credits: -cakestar
#9 Bunk Beds I Built For Grandchildren
Image credits: reddit.com
The ‘Woodworking’ subreddit will be celebrating its 13th birthday on August 27, so if you enjoyed these photos or you’re a woodworking enthusiast yourself, consider joining the subreddit or at least popping in and saying a quick ‘hello there.’
Earlier, my colleague Liucija had a chat with one of r/woodworking’s main moderators, Joseph aka Joelav. He told Bored Panda that the online group was created as a “place for woodworking redditors to get together and exchange ideas, techniques, advice, and projects.”
#10 Recently Finished Up This Sculpture, Will Be Raffling It Off Soon To Raise Money For St. Louis Children’s Heart Center!
Image credits: LBOWER43
#11 When You Tell Your Retired Cabinet Building Father In-Law That The Guys From Home Depot Said No To What I Wanted Designed For My Kitchen. He Said “Meet Me In My Shop”
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 Milo's Treat Box. It's A Box. For Treats. For Milo
Image credits: reddit.com
Back in February, the community had 2.7 million members and has gained an additional 300k in the months since then. It really has “grown from humble roots” and is now visited roughly a quarter of a million times each and every day. That’s the sort of popularity that you can’t get without quality content, so it goes to show that the subreddit is built on solid foundations.
#13 Built Some Stairs Down To The Ocean, And A Drinking Spot Half Way Down
Image credits: shaunNags
#14 One Of My First Few Epoxy And Wood Working Projects. What Do You Think?
Image credits: TheTree_Meister
#15 I Bought Myself A Tablesaw And To Test It, I Built This Little Birdhouse. Many Lessons Learned With This Fun Little Project
Image credits: reddit.com
The core rule that the entire r/woodworking community is built around is originality of content: people can only share the things and projects that they made themselves, they can’t just post random cool things they found while searching the net or saw IRL. “This keeps our content original and organic,” Joseph told Bored Panda earlier.
#16 My Latest Piece Made From Clear Cedar Scraps From A Deck We Built Not Long Ago. A Little V-Day Gift For My Wife
Image credits: reddit.com
#17 Finished My First Cutting Board! 14.5" By 20" By 1.6". Inspired By The Works Of Mc Escher
Image credits: reddit.com
#18 My Friend And I Wanted A Boat So We Built One. Nothing Fancy But We Enjoyed Having To Forge Out Rib Supports, Bend Planks, Collect Sap To Make Pitch, And Do A Few Other Interesting Things
Image credits: reddit.com
#19 I Built This Ceiling Lamp Out Of Oak
Image credits: things-ex-machina
#20 Viking Style Chest I Made For My Wife. The Carvings Are Inspired By The Carvings Found On The Oseberg Ship
Image credits: Rogue-ish_Badger
#21 Marvel Mayhem. Made From Different Woods. All Natural-No Stains Or Dyes. Collaboration With Tom Whalen. 3’x2’
Image credits: woodland_porpoise
#22 I Make Custom Lighting From Bent Ash/Oak - Here Is A Piece I Completed A Couple Weeks Back
Image credits: ovuud
#23 I Know Epoxy Tables Can Sometimes Get A Bad Rap, But I'm Really Proud Of How This Black Walnut & Black Epoxy Coffee Table I Made Turned Out
Image credits: Skip106
#24 My Son And I Have Recently Started To Make Robots Together
Image credits: snuttekudden
#25 Secret Room Tardis. Our Son Always Wanted A Secret Room So I Built Him This Dr Who Tardis. It’s Bigger On The Inside!
Image credits: Surveyor607
#26 Brass, Oak, And Shou-Sugi Sideboard
Image credits: Glittery_Kittens
#27 Just A Girl With Her First Woodworking Project Ever! Now We Have Some Spoiled Chickens
Image credits: runrungirl
#28 I Carved This Portrait Pipe Out Of Briar Wood
Image credits: RadonLab
#29 A Little Under Cabinet Spice Drawer I Built. So Satisfying And It Really Makes Finding The Right Spice A Breeze
Image credits: greenasaurus
#30 Posted This Awhile Back Before It Was Done. Got A Few Requests To See It Completed With Books Of It, So Here It Is!
Image credits: krispyankle
#31 Beside The Garden Wall...
Image credits: DarkHollowDulcimers
#32 Reef Coffee Table
Image credits: Shned_neeblay
#33 Surprised My Mom With New Pantry Cabinets While She Was Out Of Town
Image credits: Banana_Dolphin
#34 Hope You All Like This Kumiko Lamp I've Been Working On - Hand Tools Only With My Tiny Workbench
Image credits: MAXIMUM_TRICERATOPS
#35 Made A Guitar Out Of 45 Old Skateboard Decks. Turned Out Pretty Cool I Think
Image credits: windowlookinggood
#36 I Built This Chaise Lounge For My Wife
Image credits: timberbiscuitww
#37 Under Stairs Pandemic Project - Update - Mostly Conplete
Image credits: reddit.com
#38 A Chair I Made Last Year That I Need To Find A Home For!
Image credits: VVTron
#39 A Pile Of Logs I Stacked A Few Years Ago
Image credits: reddit.com/
#40 A Recent Pool Table We Built
Image credits: reddit.com
#41 I Drove Across The USA Visiting A Sawmill In Every State And Made A Map Of Local Woods! (Info On The Woods In Comments)
Image credits: reddit.com
#42 I Put My (Purple) Heart Into This Box. Engagement Ring For My (Soon-To-Be) Fiancée I’ve Been With For Three Years. Wish Me Luck
Image credits: reddit.com
#43 Built This For My Wife. I’m Jobless Due To Covid, She Posted A Pic And I Started Getting Orders, Guess I’m A Woodworker Now
Image credits: reddit.com
#44 Another Jewellery Box I Made. Made From Maple Wood, And The Interior Is Yellow Velvet
Image credits: MCWoodcarving
#45 Threw My Best Friends A Baby Shower Today And Surprised Them With These. Tears All Around
Image credits: wrk15
#46 My End Grain Chessboard And Table Saw/Miter Saw Pieces. Thanks For Looking!
Image credits: Saviorofthe_Universe
#47 Stressful Joint!
Image credits: reddit.com
#48 5 Eleven Foot Posts I Turned On My Circa 1850 Lathe. Had To Cut One In Half The Long Way Too
Image credits: reddit.com
#49 Ended Up Making 5 Of Them
Image credits: reddit.com
#50 Chicken Coop I Made From All Recycled Materials
Image credits: BrandedVet