Maybe you have just recently purchased some tools and a tool belt or would like to try a new hobby. If so, we have some simple projects for you to practice with before you tackle bigger projects. All of these have simple tutorials that you can find on YouTube, and only require a few dollars of materials.

They may seem simple, but you should spend time trying to perfect your skills.

1. Small wooden boxes –  Building small wooden boxes are perfect for every beginner in woodworking. Here you will practice measuring squares, scribing them, cutting to size, and nailing them together. It is functional for storage, but does not need many materials and can be made at any scale. 

2. Wooden Pallet– A simple wooden pallet is easy to make, and sometimes, it won’t even cost you a dollar. This can be used as a room decoration, garden wall, table, and many more. You will take what you learned about measuring, cutting and simple fastening with a box, and transition to a slightly bigger project.

3. Birdhouse – Birdhouses are a carpenter’s traditional beginner project- and for a good reason, Without needing much skill, you can create a good looking and fun project that will also benefit your environment. This will require more precision with angles and small fittings, but if you take your time can easily be done.

4. Children’s Chair – This is another fun and easy project to do. You will want to make sure that each leg is equal and it is a sanded wood so you don’t experience any splinters. Also, make sure the wood is strong enough to hold your expected weight. This will take all your other skills, and begin to implement screws as the primary fastener. Screws do a better job resisting pull forces rather than nail’s torque forces. You can learn more about the different types of fasteners here.

5. Sofa Sleeve – The design is both fun and simple to build as it does not require lots of skills, but you can customize it to your exact specifications. Look online for a starting point of the dimensions, but then try to create your own plan and dimensions to improve your planning skills.

Practice Makes Perfect

Continue to hone your wood crafting skills with simple projects until you’re ready to move forward with the big ones. It takes patience, knowledge, and skills to get the best results. By staying small, there is no pressure to mess up as you can just grab more wood whereas starting too big you will feel more pressure not to mess up more expensive wood.