51 WOODWORK PROJECTS that SELL PROFITABLY

 

 51 WOODWORK PROJECTS that SELL PROFITABLY

Home Business| Woodworking Projects & Designs | Woodworking Shop Layout Plans   

 This is a comprehensive list of studies of possibilities of projects for the home woodwork shop.

It includes suggestions for actual commercial products which sell for a profit. Also there is suggested strategy and direction to take in selecting a niche market and the finishes that the home entrepreneur could have for their products.

There is indication where there is a resource for woodwork plans anything from a woodworking bench Home Woodwork Shop Plans Layout. This is all possible for the beginner or the more experienced in a short startup time frame.

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 GARDEN WOOD WORKSHOP PROJECTS


GARDEN PICKET SECTIONS


 beginner woodwork project of edging fence


Project uses rough strips say Redwood rough sawed, assembled in a table jig and stapled  together by air gun. The wood should be in stock strip form and is  stained after assembly.  6’ &  8’ panel sections sold. Batch or bulk manufacture | Sold garden centers. Panel retail at $20- $25. Clearly you would need to have a good timber source and a garden  center who would give you orders of say 100+ panels


OVER SIZE PLANTING FLOWER BOXES 


project for wood garden holder box


Similar to the above is the outsize planter box. With a good timber source such as disused  wood pallets pallets you could develop a design and batch produce these. The non fussed  basic rectangular design won’t get you into any trouble and the  project would be run on the wood source shop organization efficiency. I wouldn’t consider  anything other than a nail air gun for speed of assembly & profit maximizing


WIND CHIMES - WIND MOBLES

wooden hanging wind chimes

This is a tricky market as shown by the bamboo example here from Asia. This basic design sells for a low price  . However there are project designs that are creative and are seen to be in the market place for $40 - $50. They are pretty easy to  make and assembly and easy to ship. The challenge is to get a design that is exciting and can be produced profitably in as batch volumes A batch of 6 off would yield you say $250 for 2 days work.


OUTDOOR PICNIC TABLE 

wood workshop project of outdoor picnic table










This is the classical "A" frame design that is well known and the construction is easy as seen. To make this possibly profitable you would need a low cost wood source and for the job to be for local customers due 
to the transport issue. I other words you will be trying to gear this that most of the price id for your labor.
Noted that the prices generally range $200-300 but can be higher. Say you batch produce 4 then your project output totals over $1000

THEME PLANTER


This is a very wide niche market and competes with steel and ceramic products. Product are noted at $100 but out sized and very different creative designs could find a slot in the market. For the example here you would use straight stock timber. Needs minimal hand finishing The body design could be  for nailed assembly only. Innovation of the design for emotional interest will determine the price. You need wood that is throw away like old pallets.  

INDOOR OUTDOOR POT HOLDER 

                                        
 Made from sawn straight stock pale timber anything grain. Partial assembly air staple gun and hand or air nailing. 2/3 assembly jigs. Prices range $150-300.  Batch say 4 comes to $800 retail.

CHAIN SAW SCULPTING

Chain Saw Sculpture in wood decorated with wood stain finish

If you are the artistic type then this is a very select niche with big mark ups as there is no real rule as to what the price should be. Generally you will be working on a commission basis. Timber will be free for most cases but one would have to have  a way of sourcing, handling & recovering large heavy tree logs often alone in the wild .
One would need a few chainsaws , one or two of these with modified tips .Prices range from $300 - $5000

 CABLE SPOOL  REEL TABLES

workshop Wooden cable spool table










This requires s good amount of creativity but not necessarily artistic ability.. Also a good ability to source the reels. For example its been noted that one spool could be broken up to produce two tables with the base of wood or welded steel scrap steel. 
Transport is an issue each way though some source of supply offer delivery. Push your  product to be exciting  or different in some way. Adding exciting decoration will up the price. Making two at the same time gives you $700 for the project. Prices range $200--400-$1000+ 

WOOD WORKSHOP PROJECT BOXES


PRESENTATION BOXES

wood workshop designed presentation hinged box

These are also known as keepsake or valet boxes and are typically natural grain  with satin or good gloss finish. This is for people who have high priced collectables like maybe wrist watches  and they either want a presentation box or a quality storage box made with typically a quality finish.
  The interior can be lined with a great color velvet or similar material and supports for the items in similar material. Personalized or embossing could add value. Prices are sort of $200 - $400. Setting up for 4 off batch manufacture of a generic selling size could see a project ticket of $1500.

ANTIQUE STORAGE CHEST TRUNK
Antique wooden storage chest trunk
Basically a large rectangular classic box trunk with a hinged lid. The attraction would be in the themed look and finish defined by the wood appeal, the staining and top finish followed by the fittings. 
There may be added value if there are internal removable storage trays and boxes. One should aim in the $1000 - $2500 price pitch. One would need creativity to support the price.

TACTICAL CONCEALMENT SECURITY SHELF
Tactical concealment security wooden shelf
This is a wall fixture in the house to hide typically defense items such  as a gun or mace. It would have a security catch to allow the bottom half of the shelf to open to access a weapon. Its function is twofold 
and this is to have and element of surprise and safety , and then access from the like of children.
Wood could be oak satin finish. Prices cab range up to $350 ea.


WOOD PROJECT PRIMITIVES


This is a niche for decorative and utility products in the home. This woodworking project area 
from a production point of view calls for different savvy wood sourcing strategies. It also calls
for mastery of techniques for fast wood removal from the product bulk piece using machinery
such as normal chain saws and chain saw discs fitted to angle grinders. 

Finishes can vary to rough scoured or smooth. Wood treatment could be oiling, sealing and staining. Need to go for large chunky rather than "usual stuff," Stools seem to get prices $300+ possible.

Primitive Display Dish & Candle Set 

    beginners woodwork project carved bowl 1beginners woodwork project carved candlestick

Two Rough Hewed Display Dishes

beginners woodwork project carved bowl 2beginners woodwork project carved bowl 3

A Twin Handled Lidded Container and a Four Legged Stool

carved lidded container  woodwork project  beginners carved stool beginners woodwork project

HOUSE & HOME


CHIP CARVED PANELS

Example  WOODEN CHIP CARVED PANEL

For this stock cut timber of soft basswood blanks are available online here . This is in the form of tiles  for small panel manufacture.  Patterns are available online and can be be downloaded. These panels and be built into projects that are planned.
Projects to choose from are   available such as  the fantastic resource of 16,000 plan resource from here. Incorporating these into the project naturally adds big value to the end price. 

OVERSIZE GATES & DOORS

     Workshop wooden pair hand carved front doors     Pair wood workshop design driveway gates sale for profit

These projects will be highly probably on a commission basis . There is no ceiling to price possibility here. A whole business can be built just in this niche market. There will be focus on quality of design, wood  selection and fittings & hinges. Transport is an issue to be considered so the market is likely to be fairly local.
 Prices for gates which aim for the upper end range from $5000 - $20,000.  Yes check  it out!   Doors seem to be $2000 - $4000

KITCHEN -  HOUSEHOLD

OVERSIZED SPOONS

Oversize carved wooden spoon project
The basic spoon single or in sets is not worth looking at . But there is a niche market for oversize and quirky designs. Not only to be unusual with the design but with the selection of wood with regard to the grain appeal. Walnut, Olive, Cherry woods. Prices $20/30/50+ per piece have been noted. Very big decorative Wall mounting ginormous spoon and fork pair have been noted at $150 per pair.

CHOPPING BOARDS

heavy weight grooved kitchen wooden chopping board
Your timber supply is a key here and the wood maple, walnut white oak is the best  woods. If you have the means to emboss then personalizing this can possibly double  the value. Also choose your size. Outsize is the most likely option. ie 10” x 15”  and bigger.  A possibility is to buy in pre chopping board stock in batches of say  20 alter to a better design and personalize this per order.  In shopping around I found the availability of wooden chopping boards to purchase retail    is very limited.
A 12” x 27”  Chopping bard has been note at $45 while a personalized butcher black.  chopping board has been seen as high as $75

WOODEN DOUGH BOWL

rough hewed wooden bread dough dish
Go for the large here. Usually primitive is fine for rustic farm look intended with  a sanded natural finish. Size is something like 12” x 22” x 3”’ deep. Imperfections  generally accepted lie limited cracking and knots.
Interior surface finish can be smooth or primitive. Do batches of four at the same time for retail ticket total  $280 @ $70 each

BUTCHERS BLOCK | BUTCHERS  BLOCK TABLE

floor standing wooden butchers chopping board
Using say a thick cutting board of 2” or more you could easily have say  a related products as an option i.e.  Chopping Block or Butchers Chopping Block Table using  straights cut stock timber to form the frame base. These are priced over a wide range $220 - $1400 , the thicker the block the more the price increases .

OVERSIZE BOWLS – KITCHEN & DISPLAY

woodwork shop carved project carved display bowl

Usually for semi display and  that these may be used for food display such as fruit.  This is for those who have artistic members of family or you are artistic. You could use acrylic or even dyes set off the relief painted in wax so the dye does not leave feathered edges. How much? Depends on the artist. Research the market well here. Stay away from anything bamboo.                                 Go for large only. I see prices range $30-$200-$300. Niche with tricky research. Paint batch of 3 or 4 design different but as one batch together.

WOODEN MATS –“BRANCH MOUNTS & PANELS

wood branch front door mat

Evenly sliced wood branches set onto say a rubber base using glue. These are called  “ Branch Mats”.   Finished they could be sealed topside. Asking prices of $80 have been noted. Produce in batches. 

ANTIQUED RUSTIC AMERICAN FLAG

Rustic American wooden flag panel project

This is a classic Standard produced in a simple panel form and is usually best appreciated with an antiqued or distressed patina look. The prices vary a lot between $100 - $300 but can vary. It depends on the size and the artistic rustic  appeal.                                                                                 The sizes where the money is are 12 x 24,18 x 36, 24 x 48. Some finishes are just a clean smooth satin sealed. Others are antiqued stained. With a batch of 5 off say  you could be generating well into the 4 figure dollar project level


SPECIALIZE DESIGN WINE RACK

woodwork shop designed stackable wine rack
Leave out the small stuff unless you find a design theme which is quirky and desirable or exciting. Probably with this niche product you are looking to developing  a design or two such as shown which is modular and 
can stack or build into big section  of wall. Here if you can get a commission to install onto a wall 6 modules   at a time you would find this to be profitable. Typically 72 bottle storage per module stack the  rack price would be $120.

WINE BARREL ART WOOD PROJECTS

COAT RACK

wall mounted wooden wine stave clothes rack
Made from a single stave/ I see on Etsy for $65 - $75 !!

 
PLANTER

wooden wine barrel planter

Selling  $50 - $160. Depending what you add on and put into it.

 

LAZY SUZANNE

wine barrel wood stave lazy susan project seller
Selling $110 - $180. Once again depending on your  creativity input. Wood surface treatment,  wood grain, edging and wood embossing effect all add into the value.
 

SERVING TRAY

Wood Workshop wooden stave home SERVING TRAY
Asking $100 - $150 . There is still wood left over from the heads which could make up two  more smaller   tray type creations or these could be use to fashion the handles. 

 
ARCHED CANDLE HOLDER

WINE BARREL STAVE ARCHED CANDLE HOLDER

Once again a single barrel stave selling $30 - $90 !! . If you sold these at $45 and the  barrel had 32 staves you would have a project size of $45 x 32 = $1440 for a few days work.!
 

WINE BOX HOLDER

WINE BARREL STAVE WINE BOX HOLDER
If you are using both heads of the barrel then the pieces of off cut staves are still very  valuable and can be used for candle holder or wood projects such as this wine bottle carry  holder shown

 
TABLE CENTERPIECE

WOODEN WINE BARREL HEAD TABLE CENTERPIECE
Guide price for the basic design indicates $100 - $150 but more for the example below which has better design featured incorporated

 
AMERICAN FLAG

WINE BARREL STAVE PANEL AMERICAN FLAG WOOD WORKSHOP PROJECT

Here is the good old standard which always has wide appeal and in many design form.  The example here    has a very antiqued look. It could be in flat form from the heads or curve  from the form of the stave strips. Sometimes the plaque shows distressing at the edges like scorching.. Prices  range hugely from $100 - $650 type of thing   

TOYS | SPORTS


YOYOs & SPINNING TOPS                                                                                                                     

BEGINNER PROJECT WOODEN YOYOs & SPINNING TOPS 1BEGINNER PROJECT WOODEN YOYOs & SPINNING TOPS 2

This is an evergreen toy which is usually seasonal and part of the wooden spinning toy niche market If you have a lathe  the yoyo halves can be turned out in mass pretty quickly from finished round wood stock material. This is helped if you can have prepared a profiling tool with the exact outer shape.  Assembly can be done gluing the halves together with a wood dowel at the drilled centers.
The yoyo can have a finish using the natural woodgrain or there are an infinite ideas you can use for color & design finish.  Don't for get to look into spinning tops Prices of $10-15 are achievable. Spinning Tops can be $10-15

SCALE WOODEN MODELS

SCALE WOODEN MODEL SHIP WORKSHOP PROJECT

Here we are not talking the commercial completed model or a kit form product but specifically a project that targets a one off project that is not available in the market and has superior quality and/or detailing
A lot of the time these projects are personal commissions, but the woodworker could decide to undertake a like one that has great historical significance . Nautical or architectural are the most common niches 
Prices are usually in the thousands of dollars like this one on eBay of the Cutty Sark asking $7500. Scale houses and even dolls houses can show the same posting prices. Sometimes the asking prices can be in the 5 figure range!! 
 
HANDBUILT GUITAR
WOOD HANDBUILT GUITAR
The market here is for hand made instruments and there is s demand for this. Some of these instruments
can be made to a formula design so there is little chance of  major failure. Design layouts and specifications   are available by doing your normal research. Probably the best product is the guitar which is the most prolific.   But there is a huge range in price and variety in the market. So be careful about just diving in! If you can inlay and have design features the you can add value to the price. Here is a good range of the possibilities.
Typically you may be looking to selling $1200-$2500 for commission sales of a good quality product.


DUCK CALLS
WOODEN PRODUCTION LATHE TURNED DUCK CALLS
There is still a niche market for the traditional here, and by this is meant lathe turned wooden duck calls. These have a traditional shape basically and sealed and /or vanished for waterproofing to hold their natural wood grain look. They can further be embossed for personalizing.
The plastic voice insert can be bought for pennies in the dollar. Prices range $10-20 . For a run of say 100 off you are looking to lay up to $2000 worth of stock/turnover for a couple of days labor with good markup. 

DUCK DECOYS – HUNTING & DECORATIVE
HANDMADE WOODEN DUCK DECOYS – HUNTING & DECORATIVE
Woods are usually white pine or cedar but also used are Beech Maple Walnut, Cedar, Cherry. Any wood could be used if you are going to paint but if its a working decoy then account needs to be made with regard  to waterproofing and weathering.
 A higher price play could be for models made in exotic woods with lovely wood grain and a deep clear gloss finish. This would be for the  decorative upmarket.   Prices seem to be in the region $150 - $300


STAND UP PADDLE BOARDS
WOODEN HOLLOW DESIGNED STAND UP PADDLE BOARDS WORK SHOP  PRODUCED
This is a niche market for high end sportsmen uses and this means the production of a hollow manufactured product using wood ribbing construction and PVC / wood sandwich facings. 
Note that kits & plans are available online. You can buy in at any stage. Prices $1200 - $2200


WOODEN INDIAN CANOE
WORKSHOP PROJECT WOODEN INDIAN CANOE

This is the same as the above idea for the high end sportsmen user. Construction and principle is the same concept ie ribbed core with veneer/ fiberglass outer skin . Kits are also available so you could have all the materials/plans online and just have the markup as your labor.
Cedar stripping is used. Full kits are available on line and there is a good markup from the purchase price   here to the canoe. Selling Prices range from $3500 - $10,000

CANOE PADDLES
Ply Wood CANOE PADDLES project to sell for profit

These paddles we are talking about here are upmarket custom for high quality canoe & stand up 
hollow paddle board. See this site yo get an idea of this woodwork project
Woods can be laminated Red Alder/Basswood/Roasted Basswood Overlay fiberglass & deep clear gloss epoxy. Full Length Sizes= 52"- 60" Special grip  Prices Range from $250 - $1000 

DESIGNER LUXURY BIKES

WOODEN DESIGNER LUXURY BIKE 1 WOODEN DESIGNER LUXURY BIKE 2

Well we've hade the Easy Rider in Motor Bikes, now we have the City Luxury Bicycle. This is centered around a wooden frame  which incorporates other normal bike parts such as the normal front, back and pedal mechanisms. You can go normal, fat tire and even electric here working out the innovation appeal and the costings of the various materials for best mix for highest profit . Woods are teak & mahogany.  Prices are in the range of $4000 - $5000 asking

EQUESTRIAN STORAGE BOXES

WOODEN EQUESTRIAN STORAGE BOXES WORKSHOP PRODUCED
Depending on the final outside look, the fittings used here and  what the box has extra inside  like slider and removable trays one should set out exactly the full product concept and see if this costs out for your materials plus labor input . I would look to producing say a batch of 3 at the same time for this to be viable. Of course how long will they take to sell is a consideration. Prices Range $500 - 1000


CROQUET GAME SET
woodwork production selling project croquet game set
The design is pretty standard and the prices vary a lot like $50 - $500.So it seems solid components and finish will be needed to raise the price to the higher level. The balls will be outsourced and maybe the hoops as well. Working off round stock wood size is a must. Best idea is to batch 10 sets@ $300 for $3000 target project value


OVERSIZE ANTIQUE ROCKING HORSE

large wooden antique rocking horse
This is going to be a challenge and will need good hands and a  good eye for the shaping. Like shaping say      a surfboard it needs a technical eye vs an artistic one. So don't be  afraid here. You'll need equipment that    can shift wood such as chain saw and chain discs  fitted to an angle grinder. 
Plans are available online. Prices range $2000 - $4000 - $6000 asking.


GAMES – BACK GAMMON BOARD

woodworking projects to sell backgammon set
The board is basically a hinged box with catches. The tokens could be lathe turned from round stock. You could choose the natural color of the wood with just a sealed finish. The coloring of the board pattern board is a challenge. This is the center piece and must not look cheap for best price. To get the price level you may be looking at inlay with  better quality cup & dice outsourced in.

CUSTOM CARVED WALKING STICK

Hand carved wooden walking stick project


Carved wooden walking sticks depend on your artistic assets you have at hand You should be able to place yourself in the $40 - $65 bracket for  this / But if you are not in the carving field then you could base your model on the classic "pistol" grip.
If so then to raise this to the previous price level then you will have to add some value with maybe a metal novelty molding insert and a similar ring on the shaft. A batch of say 5 produced together will give value output of say $250 total. 


AUTOMATIC – CUSTOM GEAR SHIFT CHANGE KNOBS

lathe turned auto gear shift knob wood project selling for profit
Bit of a fiddly niche market here. You would need to do this by specific request for a customer and have the source of the metal screw stud insert. a block of a good wood like walnut and a good pair of hands could shape this down to an isometric form comfortable for a hand .Polishing on a and a refit of any brand metal medallion may be called for . This is one of those fill in jobs. Price? Probably = $100+


WOODEN AUTO STEERING WHEELS

lathe  turned and hand finished auto steering wheel

I don't think you will want to be going into this market as it is too varied and complex.  BUT...
If you come across a good named vehicle steering wheel where the wood is badly damaged and the aluminum central frame bit is OK, you could turn the wood replacement halves and earn some good money. 
Some prices noted for Corvette, Porsche, Mercedes and Mustang could fetch $1000 - $1500

RINGS or BANDS


wood metal composite finger ring. Lathe manufacture

Self or relationship Commitment rings for both men & woman of all types such as engagement marriage and friendship using wood  are nearly always composite with other materials such as copper, gold, tungsten, antler, meteorite & more. Hey even dinosaur bone has been used!  
The wilder it is the better. Although technically a challenge the prices are very high with big potential markup.  Prices can range $100 - $1000 each


MARITIME -  SHIPS WHEEL

Ships wooden navigation wheel workshop project manufacture
This is fashioned from a central hub with 8 full length  fancy lathe turned spokes and 8 radial spacer pieces. Theses spacers can be cut on a bandsaw using the master plan drawing.
They could be either hand finished using a disc and spindle sanders or some craftsmen use routers and a swiveling jig that can be moved in a circular fashion here. Mahogany can be used for decorative but oak for marine work and stain & varnish is fine to finish Its a tricky market to  slot into. Choose your price target for your workshop project. Prices range $100 - $1000 up  to $2000.












































Woodworking Projects & Whittling of Wood

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Whittling wood, sculpting or shaping of wood by carving through the basic use of minimal means such a whittling knife or wood chisel or other woodcarving tools. This wood art is aided with instructions, resources and picture examples and videos. There is extensive information about types of woods to be used such as bass wood .
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This is a site for information about:
WOOD WHITTLING PROJECTS
Whittling wood, sculpting or shaping of wood by carving through the basic use of minimal means such a whittling knife or wood chisel or other woodcarving tools. This wood art is aided with instructions, resources and picture examples and videos. There is extensive information about types of woods to be used such as bass wood .

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