A very wise man once said to me, fill the empty space in your life with something creative and see how things change.
And if you somehow found this article, I am pretty sure you have this endearing quality of doing something creative.
And let me tell you even if you don’t know about the ‘W’ in woodworking, you have chosen an exceptional hobby to get into.
There is just something so beautiful and organic about creating something beautiful out of raw nature.
So, is woodworking a good side hustle?
Woodworking is not only a good side hustle, but an overall excellent hobby to fill your time and space with. And if you do things right, and make continuous learning a process, you can even convert it into a profitable business let alone side hustle.
Now you see, I know you won’t be satisfied with such a simple answer and I don’t want you to, to be honest.
In the subsequent sections let me answer all the questions around the core query of is woodworking a good side hustle that I know you have in some corner of your mind.
What Exactly Is Woodworking?
Once again, I know you already have some idea of what woodworking is, otherwise why would you be here.
But do you really know what woodworking can be?
You see woodworking is the art of creating something out of wood that may serve some purpose or serve the purpose of being completely decorative or ornamental.
While that does broadly answer what woodworking means, it’s quite natural if you find your mind wondering what all things can you create should you choose this hobby.
You see when you say woodworking you are looking at creating things like cabinets, furniture, instruments, dishes, etc. As woodworkers grow in knowledge and experience they also create very ornate crafts out of wood like sculptures, miniatures, trinkets, and puzzles.
Now you see if there is one thing that can bring an element of retro in your home, creating something out of wood.
Depending on the scale woodwork can happen in your backyard, your garage, a dedicated space, or a medium to large-sized manufacturing plant.
If I am speculating it correctly keeping the context of the discussion in mind most people reading this will be beginners.
While nothing would be better than having a professional woodworking space for yourselves, a small space a little away from the hustle and bustle of living space will suffice.
At this point, I feel it’s imperative for me to point out a very important difference that beginner woodworkers struggle with.
The difference between woodworking and carpentry.
Is carpentry the same as woodworking?
The answer is no, although carpentry and woodworking operate in the same domain of woodcraft yet both fields operate in different capacities.
Simply put, woodworkers craft items out of wood, and carpenters are responsible for installing those items on site. Woodworkers work in singular or multi-personnel capacity in production spaces and carpenters take tenders and work on residential and commercial sites.
I will in the future create another post, where I will lay out the differences in a much more detailed way, but as of now, I think you should be set with that piece of info.
Best Resources to Learn Woodworking
Before you start your woodworking side hustle, the first step will obviously be gaining knowledge.
However, we need to be careful here, many beginners make their first mistake in this step itself.
You see woodworking is a very practical art and you will at some point plunge yourself into the practicality of the craft.
So, don’t get trapped in the hoarding knowledge phase when everything is new. You need to have the basics of woodworking, yes but eventually you must take steps to get your hands dirty so to speak.
Now, what are the best resources to start learning woodworking?
Well, in this age of the internet there is no shortage of resources, let me tell you that.
There are countless forums, woodworking communities, social groups, subreddits, blogs (like Carpenzine), and YouTube channels that you can refer to, ask questions and learn from.
However, at this juncture, I have to acknowledge one fundamental problem that I face every time I set out to learn a skill.
And that is information overload.
It’s funny how every good thing also comes with a drawback. But that’s a good thing because it’s the drawbacks that open up more possibilities.
Every skill needs a different approach when it comes to learning.
For instance, when I started learning about SEO, I needed to start by learning what exactly keywords are and how to find them. Afterward, I needed to learn how to craft an article that is optimized around that keyword.
When it comes to woodworking which is such an active visual skill if you wish to progress quickly and additionally make money out of it, you need a structured approach.
You need a precise strategy with relevant woodwork blueprints to keep you on the right learning track.
Because if you are not careful, it is just so easy to lose your footing when you are bombarded with information.
The way out is having a mentor who has already charted the path, that you are looking forward to taking.
So, if you are okay with spending around $50, this course from Teds Woodworking has been receiving exceptional results from beginners.
Once again, is it absolutely necessary to get a course, and only then you will be able to learn the ins and outs of woodworking? No, absolutely not.
But it becomes so much simpler when you have a compass in the form of an instructional course to navigate through the jargon and the unnecessary fluff.
Also, I am well aware of the fact that there are many courses out there that are absolute garbage and are put in place purely to mint money.
For that reason, I am suggesting just one budget-friendly, relevant and high-quality course, which will cover all essential basics comprehensively.
Now, if you can invest around $50 for the course that’s excellent, but if for some reason you can’t, here are some of my go-to FREE woodworking resources.
- Woodworking for Mere Mortals is an excellent YouTube channel where Steve does a great job relaying informative videos that cater needs of beginners and experts alike.
- Eventually, you will have to start working with wood lathe and dabble into woodturning. And for that Andy Philip is the perfect video resource.
- There isn’t any single go to resource for scroll saw, but there are a lot of videos out there about the skill that you can learn from. Browsing through forums and subreddits is what I will do to receive answer to any query I may have.
- For project ideas and patterns, Pinterest is an excellent visual platform. Also, I found this site by Ana White that relays many beautiful FREE woodworking plans.
5 Beginner Woodworking Projects
So, once you have put in the necessary work and learned the basics of woodworking, its time to put it into action.
If you have enrolled in Ted’s Woodworking course you can skip this section because he will walk you through hand in hand with the best beginner-suited woodworking projects.
But if you haven’t, here are some widely accepted and agreed-upon woodworking projects that suit beginners.
One thing to keep in mind is that investing in projects that provide value and at the same time are easy.
At this stage, you don’t want to rush into advanced projects and lose your motivation if you can’t accomplish them.
Remember slow but very steady.
- Wooden Chopping Board or Serving Tray
Not only is the project simple but is exceptionally useful. The project will push you to explore concepts like dry-fitting, scribing arc, and gluing.
You can use the finished project or even gift it to a loved one.
- Shoe Rack
Once again, an excellent project that is incredibly useful and at the same time isn’t too difficult to create.
If you can be a little creative you can even try and give it the necessary strength and design so that you can use it to access higher shelves by climbing over it.
It’s a fun little project.
- Wooden Bench
Once again, there are two routes you can take with a project like this.
Create a simple bench, a small one or you can create one that has space to keep simple tools like screwdrivers, or tools that you are going to use while woodworking.
Or you can create a bench that is also a shoe rack. You see how many creative doorways open?
- Book Shelves
If you are looking to create something exclusively for gifting it. I don’t think there can be a better project than a bookshelf.
Yes, the product is going to be linear, there isn’t much you can use it for apart from placing books, but the many ways you can design it are just fantastic.
You can use a gift like this to convert someone who doesn’t read a lot into a bookworm.
Just google simple but creative bookshelf and you will see what I am saying.
- Spice Rack
A little bit of googling will show you if there is something that will push your skills to the limit as a beginner is creating a spice rack.
The project seems simple but the sheer creativity and the design variations you can produce out of it are numerous.
I was skeptical as to relay this project or not but hey, if you are into woodworking I am already hoping you like a challenge.
How to Make Money Woodworking?
So, I think I have relayed the necessary groundwork that will help you start pursuing your woodworking side hustle.
Now, let’s get to the sweet part. Money.
How can one expect to make money once he or she has decided to dabble into woodworking?
First and foremost, you need to come to a certain level of competence to start making money. You can refer to the resources I have listed above or go through this course if you wish to gain competence relatively quickly.
Don’t expect to make money from the first day or don’t try to find shortcuts if you wish to make this a sustainable side income or a business.
Yes, I know this is a side hustle, but that doesn’t mean it won’t require your attention.
Whatever time you are able to spare you will need a certain focus and a willingness to learn. You will have to move slowly but very steadily if you want this to work.
Here are the ways via which you can look forward to making money using woodworking.
- By flipping furniture
I know this isn’t as niche woodworking as you might have in mind but let me tell you this is a very important skill as far as the business side is concerned.
If you are an absolute beginner, you would want to know what kind of wood products you are interested in selling or even creating.
And selling woodwork projects is the best way to learn about all that.
You can buy furniture and woodwork products for cheap, develop your competence, restore the product and sell it at a higher price.
In this way, you will learn the art and even make money while doing it.
- Creating custom products or furniture
Once you are a bit seasoned with woodworking and your craft is honed, custom-made wooden products have a very high-profit margin.
You can create products like bed frames, nightstands, tables, decorative sculptures and sell them for money.
You can list yourselves on local newspapers and similar media and get some projects for yourselves.
- Become a teacher
I know this will take time but I want you to morph into a teacher as you grow and develop as a woodworker.
And with the resource that we call the internet you can if you do things right have so many students that you can teach your art.
You don’t need to be the grandmaster Sifu of woodworking to start teaching. If you have developed a fair bit of competence in even one domain of woodworking you can teach people about it.
- Enlist your products on Etsy
Etsy is an excellent portal to sell your handcrafted products online. There are so many sellers on Etsy that are delivering their handmade woodworking products with a good margin across the world.
The best part is on Etsy people know what they are looking for and it is usually something unique.
And woodworking is one of the best ways to create unique products.
If you have already created a few projects it will be worth your while to start enlisting it on Etsy.
- Create a YouTube channel
This is again a step that you can take once you are sure of your art. There are so many people out there like you who are actively looking for anything that you have to teach.
And YouTube is one of the best ways to reach people who need your knowledge and want to learn from your skills.
As your following grows you will even be able to monetize your video content and generate ad revenue.
Is Woodworking Even Profitable?
If you can make woodworking into an active learning process, hone your skills with the time you have, and diversify your income intelligently, woodworking has the possibility of being exceptionally profitable.
You see when you start a business, regardless of whether or not it is woodworking, you never know whether it’s going to be profitable or not.
The only thing that you can know is whether there is a demand for what you are doing or not.
And the best part of this technology-dominated world of ours is that there is demand for basically everything as long as the product that you are creating or the business that you are opening provides value.
Value and learning have to be at the core of it and you will see as you start different avenues will open up via which you can expand your business and the income that results from thereof.
I seriously hope you enjoyed the article as much as I enjoyed writing it.
If you have any other questions just let me know in the comments and I will clarify them as soon as you can.
Good luck with your venture and I hope this is not the last time we are seeing each other 😊