The 10 Highest Earning Wood Crafts that Sell

In our highly digitized and virtual worlds, sometimes it is necessary to x out the search bar, and search for some real connection. Some folks like to garden, some draw, paint, or write.

All of these are in some form creative, hands-on activities. Each requires a certain vision and connection to a medium. More importantly, each affords us the opportunity to make something tangible.

There is real satisfaction in that tangibility, and finding a version of this phenomenon that suits our individual skill sets can help us to achieve balance in our lives of work and leisure.

This is especially true of woodworking, a discipline that draws on all facets of practical craftsmanship and artistry. But what happens when the pieces you’ve been constructing as a way to wind down on weekends become more than that?

At the staff meeting on Monday, you struggle to focus, daydreaming about turned leg design. An idea flashes before your mind’s eye, at first for just a moment, but soon it is all you can think about: surely someone is making a living woodworking. Why not me?

If any of this seems to resonate, then you have come to the right place. In this article, we address the hobbyist on the verge of making a professional debut, featuring the ten best selling wood craft products for you to sink your hammer and nails into today.

Wooden Toys

In the modern era, it is safe to assume that anything made from plastic or composite material was once constructed from wood. As such, when you can find vintage wood or wooden replicas, it tends to be a bit of a novelty.

That is definitely the case with toys. Any level of research into the toy industry will quickly reveal that these babies are selling at premium prices. This is not solely because wooden toys are novel, but also safer.

That said, parents are perfectly willing to pay double, if not more, in price for even the most standard wood toys.

The difficult part about building toys as a source of income for your new woodworking venture is that safety factor. Because of the market your toys will be held to a high standard of accountability. For this reason, it is necessary to make sure you have all the information on what type of product testing or qualification process you would need to adhere to in order to sell your toys.

Baby Cradles

Like toys, wooden baby cradles are in extremely high demand. Again, because you would be designing and constructing with children in mind, there will be hurdles to jump through no doubt. The safety of those children, the protection of your reputation as a woodworker, and the potential profitability, however, seem worth it.

The bottom line is first time parents need cradles for their newborns. It is not something that is considered and decided against. With this in mind, if a large family is in the cards for a particular set of parents, they are more likely to go with durable, well built, wooden furniture for their children.

One way to market your cradles beyond commissioned work for friends and family is to build with self assembly in mind. This way, your cradles can be packaged as kits for easy online sales and shipping!

Chair Side Bookcase

Conventional bookcases are cool and certainly in demand, but even more sought after are chair side bookcases specifically designed to compliment couches or armchairs.

While this may sound a little too custom to turn a profit, the truth is most living room seating is made at a standard height. Thus, you can standardize your bookcases in a few different finished aesthetics to work in any decor.

Picture Frames

Picture frames are one of those projects that can be easily mass produced for a good profit. You can also use frames to hold you over in between commissioned work or bigger jobs since they are always in demand.

Come up with a few unique frame designs to keep any mass production from becoming stale. You can also use your frames as a way to experiment with new concepts in woodworking.

Small Wooden Boxes

We are not purposefully being vague. It is just that simple. Use your creative brain to think up unique box designs and sizes that serve very specific purposes. Then, using good wood with deep, rich grains, construct a sturdy box. Toy around with a couple different finishing options that are all relatively neutral so that they can be adopted to any room in any home style.

Birdhouses

One of the markers of a new home, and likely one of the most gifted housewarming items is a birdhouse. In addition to this clientele, there is a sub-culture of bird enthusiasts and bird watchers that are willing to spend big bucks for feeders and houses.

These can be commissioned, built specific to attract a certain type of bird, or standard. Remember, the bird house is one of the most quintessential woodworking projects, so there are likely hundreds of free plans available online.

Conclusion

Your woodworking dreams do not have to allude you, and you should never live with regrets concerning your livelihood. If you have the woodworking bug, then go for it! There is nothing to lose, especially if you are smart about the transition!

Start of slow, monetizing the projects you are building on weekends and time off from work. Stick to the items you know will sell like those listed above and post them on social media. Once you’ve proven your concepts, you can begin to mass produce, selling on Etsy or your own website.

Who knows? Before you know it, you could be a full-time carpenter, struggling to remember what the inside of your cubicle even looked like.