Woodworking

Woodworking Introduction

Woodworking is the art and craft of making items from the wood. The early humans have worked with wood along with stone, clay and animal parts. The earliest known products of woodworking include the hunting gear like sticks and spears, and objects like vessels. The later developments made it possible to create furniture, cabinets, sculptures etc.

Woods are typically sorted into 3 types: hardwoods typified by tight grain & derived from broadleaf trees, softwoods from corniferous trees, and man-made materials such as plywood & MDF. The woods are selected based on their quality of grain, resistance to tools, and their response to adhesives and finishes. The popular woodworking favorites include Aspen, Basswood, Butternut, Black Walnut and Oak. The other popular woods are Cedar, Fir, Pine, Ash, Birch, Cherry, Mahogany, Maple, Agba, Alder, Obeah, Teak, Iron, Jarrah, and Chestnut.


Woodworking Tools

There are several types of woodworking tools depending on the project and area of work. A variety of tools are used for cutting, finishing, joining and polishing. The tools are mainly divided into hand tools and power tools based on their source of energy.

Hand tools are those which don't receive any external power and are used by force and skill. They include Clamps, Chisels, Claw hammer, Square, and Tape measure.

Power tools receive external power from battery, motor or electricity. The common power tools include Drill, Sander, Miter saw, Table saw, Planer, and Band saw.

You need to find the best woodworking tools that suit your needs. The popular tools include apron, table, workbench, kits, joints, vise, cnc router, table, jigs and lathe. The woodworking supplies are easily available in most parts of the world and you can even find used woodworking machinery or used woodworking tools for sale. Many online stores like ebay and amazon provide these tools for regular prices, so it's not difficult to get them. Most of the basic woodworking tools are beginner-friendly. However, it takes a little practice to gain skills.


Woodworking Shops

As described earlier, the woodworking shops exist everywhere, and you only need to take your smartphone out of your pocket and search for "woodworking stores near me." You can easily get supplies and can even pick the tools that you like. The following are some of the popular woodworking shops online:

  • klingspor

  • grizzly

  • mlcs

  • koetter

  • rockler

  • sauder

  • woodpeckers

  • veritas

  • highland

  • peachtree

  • irs auctions

  • psi

  • nick offerman


Woodworking Tutorials

Nowadays, it became extremely easy to learn anything online as there are many free resources available. You can read blog posts or watch tutorials on Youtube. If you're like me, then you can search for "woodworking classes near me," to attend classes in a woodworking school. However, the easiest option still is the online tutorials as they are easy to access. There are also communities to get help from like reddit woodworking subreddits. There are many books, websites, podcasts, and magazines like fine woodworking magazine.

You can also attend woodworking shows to get some inspiration. There are many shows in 2019 but just a few in 2020 due to the crisis. I personally recommend to learn from the videos as you won't understand everything from reading books considering that woodworking is a practical work. There are other resources like woodworking for mere mortals and woodworking for beginners, which are really helpful if you're just starting. If you haven't done already, you should check Ted's woodworking course to learn everything through video tutorials and plans.


Woodworking projects

You can easily find small woodworking projects online for cool projects. The online communities can provide innovative ideas for woodworking projects that sell. You can also sell simple furniture but you need to make something interesting if your objective is to make a lot of money. More on that shortly on next section. YouTube is a great resource for finding woodworking projects for kids. However, you need to train them about safety as the projects require some guidance.

The free printable woodworking plans are available in pdf online. They can be used for small and easy projects. Teds woodworking has many free woodworking bench plans. If you haven't checked already, the sketchup woodworking models are a good source of inspiration. Some people design woodworking logo when they are beginners, but you can start with easy projects like chair.


Woodworking Jobs

Woodworking jobs are generally available in furniture companies. You can either start looking for them or offer freelance services to people looking for custom woodworking. There are some great ideas like selling woodworking gifts on online stores. They have a very good demand and if you can promote them well, you can make good income.