Can woodworking be profitable?

Yes, a woodworking business is profitable. If you price your products strategically and keep expenses low, you can make a good profit margin from selling your woodworking projects. If you sell a wooden cutting board or wine rack for example, it won't cost as much to make as say fully polished coffee tables.

shopify.com - 13 Woodworking Projects and How to Sell Them Online in 2022 - Shopify

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Many successful ecommerce success stories started with a hobby .

One hobby you can turn into an online business idea is woodworking. And you don’t need to be a skilled artisan to turn some woodworking projects into products. There are projects suitable for all skill levels—it’s just a matter of figuring out which project is right for you. In this article we'll cover the most profitable woodworking projects as well as everything you need to get started. For some of these projects you need little more than some wood glue and a few pieces of quality wood.

Basic woodworking tools

Each of the following woodworking project ideas requires different materials, tools, and expertise. That said, there are some basic woodworking tools you should have at your disposal before diving in.

Scrap wood, pine wood, or your wood of choice.

Wood planks

Wood glue

Handsaw for cutting

A cutting board or mat.

A power drill

A mallet or hammer

Safety goggles and gloves if preferred.

13 handmade woodworking projects that sell

1. Wooden signs

Handmade wooden signs come in all shapes and sizes, and people use them in lots of different ways, indoors and out. As such, wooden signs are an incredibly easy woodworking project to get started with. Wooden signs are a great starting point for those looking to turn their woodworking hobby into a business that generates side income. You might see wooden signs in and around people’s homes as decoration—consider offering personalized signs featuring a family’s last name, for example—and also at events like weddings and parties as welcome and directional signage. There's nothing better than hanging a few high quality wall signs in your home. Use your creativity when figuring out how to make wooden signs to sell. You can create wooden signs in a number of ways, depending on your skill set, resources, and creative aspirations. Maybe you hand paint designs onto wood pieces or you cut out letters and shapes from pieces of wood themselves. Wooden signs can be made with simple scrap wood and be customized to fit the needs of your target audience.

2. Wood pallets

Shippers and ecommerce companies use wood pallets to move large amounts of product. The problem is, these wooden pallets are wasteful—but they’re ideal material for a variety of woodworking projects you can turn into cash flow. So when it comes to wooden pallet projects that sell, you can consider a lot of the ideas on this list. The following all make great pallet projects:

Planter box

Decorative sign

Coffee tables

A wooden bench

Chair or small bench

Wooden business card holders

Mail sorter/key holder

Wooden serving trays

Raised garden beds

Bed platform

Shelves

Infinite Abyss has a collection of woodworking projects in its DIY guide Wood Pallet Wonders, available on its Shopify store. It also sells beautiful handmade wooden serving trays and shelves—many of which are repurposed from wooden pallets. Just remember, if you plan to sell these products online you need to account for shipping and handling—both in terms of protecting the product from damage while in transit and in terms of keeping shipping costs down , especially for larger and heavier items. The projects that sell the most, might not be most profitable when accounting for shipping costs etc, so it's important to do your research.

Learn more: Putting the Pieces Together: 26 CNC Projects That Sell

3. Kitchen wood products

The possibilities are quite frankly endless when it comes to wooden kitchen products. You can keep it simple with a wooden cutting board and wooden coasters or go for something more specialized like detailed wooden utensils. You could even create a wooden serving tray, or a wine rack! Kitchen products have proven time and time again to among the top projects that sell consistently. Canada-based artisan le Père Vic creates a variety of handmade wooden kitchen products to sell on his Shopify store. You’ll find napkin holders, coasters, cutting boards, serving utensils, and more among his collection. Old World Kitchen is another fantastic example of a skilled woodworker who built a business around those projects. The merchant started selling wares on Etsy and eventually moved over to Shopify to scale the business.

4. Furniture

Furniture stores have been among the hardest hit when it comes to closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while this may seem like a negative sign at first glance, it actually creates a lot of opportunity for selling furniture online . As consumers have fewer in-person options, they’ll have to turn to online shopping to fulfill their needs. Environmentally conscious brand Fyrn sells beautifully crafted wooden furniture on its website, including its staple collection of chairs.

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5. Surfboards

Contrary to what you might think, surfing is a year-round sport, so there’s a pretty consistent demand. However, many surfboards are made of foam, fiber, plastic, and other materials that aren’t exactly environmentally friendly. Using wood is one way to make surfboard manufacturing a bit more sustainable —at least that’s what David Dennis of Ventana Surfboards and Supplies has figured out. Plus, it’s a lot more affordable, leaving room for lower prices and/or greater profit margins.

6. Boxes

Another flexible idea, wooden boxes make great woodworking projects that sell. And it’s a suitable idea for skilled artisans and newbies alike. You can go straightforward with basic crates and storage boxes or get creative with decorative shelving and jewelry boxes. With a little bit of wood glue, you can really create some incredibly creative boxes that your customers will love. Shopify merchant Timber + Gray uses wood to create frames for signs with inspirational quotes.

8. Children’s blocks

Children’s wooden blocks are fun toys that promote fine motor skill development. And they’re old school, so parents get a sense of nostalgia when they see them. This idea is great because you can use wood scraps to create blocks of different shapes and sizes. You can also paint them different colors or add burnt iron designs. PoppyBabyCo and Manzanita Kids each sells different wooden blocks for children. You can get creative with your own collections.

9. Birdhouses

Birdhouses are a lovely indoor or outdoor decoration. Some are more functional while others serve purely decorative purposes. Plus, birdhouses are a common item for people to collect, so it’s an excellent niche to get into. Again, you can create a simple bird house using just scrap wood, but obviously the higher quality material you use the better. Many Shopify merchants sell wooden birdhouses online. K Squared artisan boutique has one for sale on its ecommerce website. Stone Bridge Collections has an entire category dedicated to its wooden birdhouses. Stone Bridge’s birdhouses are species-specific—it also has a bat house for sale.

10. Planters

Wood is a great material for making planters and pots for all kinds of plants—everything from planter boxes for small home vegetable gardens to tiny succulent holders to be used as desk accessories. Woodchuck sells desktop planters and also promises to plant a tree for every product sold. You can also create complementary items for the home gardener. To accompany an outdoor planter box, consider items like potting tables and benches, like this one from Lee Display :

11. Art wood projects

Selling art online is a great way to turn your creative projects into income. Wood is an excellent material to craft with, and you can make a variety of items. It really depends on your creativity and skill set—and what customers are willing to buy. Feel free to experiment with your creations. You might also choose to pursue a specific niche. Track Sculptures is a perfect example of this. The Shopify merchant makes wooden sculptures of the maps of racetracks all over the world—a unique and special item for racing fans in particular.

12. Wood turning

Wood turning is a more advanced woodworking skill set. If you’ve mastered it, you’ve open the door to a lot more opportunities when it comes to having your woodworking project become a massive success. You can make many of the items on this list with wood turning. But first, let’s define what wood turning is: wood turning is when you put a piece of wood on a rotating axle and then use handheld tools, like a lathe, to carve a shape in the wood, which is symmetrical all around the axis. A&D Woodturning specializes in stair posts, newels, spindles, and similar items. They sell their products online, and they also show behind-the-scenes action on Instagram. This is a great tactic to show people how the product is made and reiterate the value of purchasing a carefully handcrafted item.

13. Wooden toys

Wooden toys are one of the most profitable woodworking projects and for good reason. Parents around the world are looking for toys that are fun and entertaining, but more importantly safe and non-toxic. Plastics and other harmful materials are on the minds of parents everywhere. Happy Little Folks for example created handcrafted wooden toys that are earth friendly and can be enjoyed by children of all ages. Of course, wooden toys can be enjoyed be people of all ages, from wooden Chess sets, to wooden puzzles so you can keep your options open when thinking of your next woodworking project.

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How to sell woodworking projects

Creating your woodworking projects is only half the battle. Once your projects are ready for new homes, it’s up to you to find them. It will likely take some trial and error to discover which woodworking project will sell, but here are a few tips to help improve your chances of success.

Choose your product

You might already have some woodworking projects and ideas under your belt. But you might also be starting from scratch with no idea which product you want to make and sell. You can use the list above as a starting point to give you ideas. Once you’ve chosen your product, you’ll want to start with a test woodworking project. Make sure you can execute your creation so you’re not only happy with it yourself, but paying customers are as well. Whether you want to create a cutting board or get a little more complex, there are virtually endless options to choose from.

Here are some more resources to help:

Identify your market

After you know what you want to make and sell, it’s time to figure out who is willing to buy it. This market research should consist of a competitive analysis, social listening, and industry analyses. These resources can get you started:

Build a website

You need a place to sell your woodworking projects, and one of the smartest places to do that is through your own ecommerce site. The reason why is because you have complete control over your business—from pricing and promotion through to shipping and fulfillment. Third-party marketplaces come with more restrictions, and a physical space has more overhead. If you’re just starting out, you can DIY your website builder from Shopify —no coding experience required. Start with these resources:

List and price your products

Now it’s time to take product photos , write compelling descriptions , and list them online for the world to see—and purchase. You’ll definitely want to list the items on your website, and you might also consider third-party marketplaces. Etsy in particular is a great place to sell handcrafted goods, but there are Etsy alternatives worth checking out as well. You can search "wood projects" on Etsy to help you discover which wood projects are most popular. Pricing is another story. You want to price your products high enough to cover your time and expenses and still earn a profit on top of that, but not so high that no one will buy. Here are some resources to help you price your products:

Drive traffic to your website

Once your website is up and running and your product pages are live, you have to put in a bit of work to attract people to visit your online store. You can drive traffic through both organic and paid marketing strategies and tactics. Some resources to get you started are listed below:

Check analytics and improve

Over time, you’ll have more data that can help you better understand your business. Your Shopify analytics dashboard shows key sales, orders, and online store visitor data, among other information. Over time, you can analyze that information to uncover strengths and weaknesses and even potential new opportunities. Here are some resources to help you master your data: Free Ebook: Ecommerce Analytics for Beginners Find out which metrics are the key to establishing and growing your online business. This free guide is the perfect first step in learning about ecommerce analytics. Get the free ebook now

Kick-start your woodworking business today

When you’re ready to start selling your woodworking projects, get yourself set up with a reliable online store builder like Shopify. Shopify has a whole suite of tools to manage every aspect of your business, with the features you need at launch and as you scale.

Illustration by Chris Gash

Ready to create your business? Start your free trial of Shopify—no credit card required. Email address Start free trial

shopify.com - 13 Woodworking Projects and How to Sell Them Online in 2022 - Shopify

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