Have you ever dreamed of selling your woodwork creations on an online store? If you’ve honed your skills and perfected the craft, it’s probably time to start making real money from your artwork. But this is easier said than done.
Woodwork is time consuming and takes a lot of elbow grease; so it’s best to choose woodworking projects that you know will actually sell, especially when you’re just starting out.
Can I really make money from my woodworking creations?
Yes! If you are a talented woodworker and have the necessary skills and experience, then you’re extremely likely to find people who want to buy your work. While these people may not be local, and sometimes at the opposite end of the globe; they can be found online, and they’re ready to buy your woodworking creations!
Despite the fact that Woodworking is estimated to see a 4% decrease in employment by the year 2029, it is not a dying trade. It’s important to remember that these figures don’t take into account self-employed woodworkers and those who sell their projects as a part-time gig.
There’s a huge opportunity to make money in this profession, with the average hourly pay for a self-employed woodworker currently standing at $30.52. You can make anything from 18,000 dollars to over 60,000 dollars per year by selling your woodworking projects. The exact amount will depend on your skill level, experience, and the sort of projects you make.
So, what woodworking projects make the most money? And what wood products are the most likely to sell? In this article, we’ll guide you through the hottest woodworking projects that are selling best at the moment, in terms of Etsy Sales, Amazon trends, and Pinterest data. Let’s dive in!
Wooden Shelves
Wooden shelves sell, there’s no denying that. However, you should know that this niche is very saturated and extremely competitive. If you type the term “wooden shelves” into Etsy, you’ll see exactly what we mean.
So, if you plan on selling wooden shelves, they’ll really have to stand out from the heaps of others available. For example, you could specialize in rustic shelves by using weathered wood and industrial style hardware. Alternatively, you could make ultra-modern shelves coated in gloss, or ones designed specifically for children. The options are endless!
Bath Caddies
Rustic wooden bath caddies are all the rage at the moment, and it’s easy to see why. Bath caddies are essentially just a plank of wood that straddles the sides of your tub. You can use them to put your phone, or a beverage, or maybe a book.
The best selling bath caddies come equipped with wine glass holders, ipad/phone stands, and candle holders. Try thinking about how you can incorporate these handy solutions into your own bath caddy woodworking project.
Birdhouses
Birdhouses are a woodworking classic, but they’re still very much relevant today. While plain and basic birdhouses don’t sell so great (as you can get these for pretty cheap from a DIY store), unique, quirky, and novelty bird houses can be a gold mine.
Browse on pinterest for inspiration- there’s hundreds of super cool and funk birdhouse creations out there- so why not try making your own?
Dollhouse Furniture
If crafting an entire dollhouse sounds like a daunting task, consider making dollhouse furniture instead. It sells really well and very highly too, considering the minimal amount of wood needed for this project.
You can make anything from miniature tables and chairs, to four poster beds. The dollhouse online community is huge and thriving, take a snoop around and infiltrate a couple to find out what dollhouse furniture items are most in-demand!
Serving Trays
Who doesn’t love breakfast in bed? Serving trays make life a whole lot easier, and people always buy them. This is convenient as they’re pretty straightforward to make, so you can play around with the design and make your serving trays stand out from all the rest.
Consider rearranging wooden planks to make a herringbone pattern, or leaving them straight and hand painting your own pattern onto the tray. The possibilities are endless and this is a great woodworking project to let your imagination run free.
Wooden Planters
We couldn’t make this list without including planters- they’re simple(ish) to make and they sell like crazy! Some larger planters can sell for over a hundred dollars each, making room for huge potential profit margins.
You can make simple style pallet planters or go all-out and craft some raised chippendale planters. These sell great on local sites or Facebook Marketplace, and it saves you on shipping costs, too.
Wooden Name Crafts
As long as you have the right cutting tools, name crafts can be a great money maker. Some people use laser cutter machines to cut large planks into individual letters/initials or whole names.
Though, you don’t even need to fully cut through wood (or any other materials a laser can also cut, such as acrylic), as engravers can engrave names (or even contrasting images) onto wood.
These are usually used as funky wall art or quirky bookends to make a space feel more individual. If you have a laser cutter, you could also consider engraving a pre-made wooden object for a fee, essentially offering a personalized gift service.
Pet Beds
Some people take spoiling their pets to the extreme, and this involves buying a luxury bed for them to sleep in. Wooden dog beds are extremely popular right now, and the niche isn’t too saturated- so you’ll be able to stand out if you work hard at it.
If making a dog bed seems like too large a project, why not consider making tiny beds for rodents and other small pets? It can’t be much harder than making dollhouse furniture, and you can probably get away with a more lucrative price tag due to the nature of the niche.
Knife Blocks
These are another super simple build that can sell for crazy high prices. Keep it simple and make a basic knife block out of a beautiful wood, or hand-carve intricate patterns and designs- the choice is yours!
But remember to purchase some matching knives that fit snugly in your newly made knife block, as this will help to hike up the retail value.
