14 Most Profitable Products for Handmade Woodworking Businesses to Build and Sell



14 Most Profitable Woodworking Projects to Build and Sell

Making beautiful, hand-crafted wood items to sell is an extremely creative and rewarding way to make money. Naturally, like any art or craft project, some woodworking creations sell better than others.



Most Profitable Woodworking Projects to Build and Sell

If you’re determined to turn your creative, woodworking skills into profit, take a look at the following 14 most profitable woodworking projects to build and sell.

Wooden Toys

Unlike many of their plastic counterparts, wooden toys can withstand the test of time. Not only do they possess longevity, but toys made of wood look fabulous in nurseries and children’s bedrooms, hence these quirky items will always be sought-after.

Put your best woodworking hat on and start making wooden dolls, puppets, train sets and more – the perfect gift for a child at Christmas.

Coat Racks

Rustic coat racks made from wood make a striking feature on the wall of any home. These desirable home accessories are also easy to build requiring little more than some chunky wooden, nails and wrought iron hangers, making them a super profitable woodworking project.

Fruit Bowls

Fruit bowls are a ubiquitous feature in almost every household, providing an eye-catching and practical feature in kitchens and dining rooms. These household accessory staples look even more striking when made from real wood.



Whether they’re made from a solid piece of wood or from fragmented pieces, fruit bowls are a sought-after item for the home and are therefore a profitable woodworking project.

Picture Frames

Wooden picture frames are easy to make and can be made to look unique by the decoration, color and embellishments you add to the wooden frame. Wooden picture frames will always be in demand and being inexpensive to make, are a profitable woodwork project to embark on.

Plant Boxes

Wood is a great material for robust and eye-catching plant boxes, which make a great addition to patios, terraces, gardens and even indoors. These simple-to-make and sought-after items are one of the most inexpensive and profitable woodburning projects you can get involved in.

Wooden Furniture

It’s hard to resist a piece of bespoke, handmade wooden furniture that provides a robust, lasting and practical feature in the home. From coffee tables made from pine to wardrobes in mahogany, set yourself a rewarding and profitable woodworking project making beautiful pieces of furniture.



Wooden Utensils

Spoons, knives, forks and other utensils made out of wood don’t just look great and can be used solely as ornamental pieces, but they can be functional features in the kitchen and dining room, conducting heat more efficiently than metal utensils.

Capitalize on the unique properties of wooden utensils by making your own exclusive and highly profitable knives, forks and spoons made from wood.

Corner Wall Shelves

Corner wall shelves that are made from chunky wooden pieces provide a unique feature in both traditional and contemporary homes.

These woodworking projects are fun to try and, other than the wood and glue, cost next to nothing, meaning you can sell your creative inventions for a tidy profit.



Birdhouses

Birdhouses look fantastic when they are made from a high-quality wood and they aren’t as difficult to make as you might have thought. Start knocking together redwood, cedar, pine or cypress and you’ll have a desirable product bird-enthusiasts will want to buy from you.

Wooden Pallet Christmas Trees

Wooden pallet Christmas trees are incredibly easy to make and can be sold for a tidy profit for those seeking a quirky alternative to a real Christmas tree. Simply build your tree by placing pieces of pallet wood on top of one another and add some pretty Christmas decorations for a creative woodwork project you can sell for a profit.

Coffee Cup Racks

Like coat hangers but on a smaller scale, coffee cup racks are easy items to make from wood and make superb Christmas and birthday presents for anyone who loves unusual and quirky items in their home.

These desirable kitchen items don’t take long to make and are inexpensive, making wooden coffee cup racks profitable woodworking projects.



Dog Beds

Dog beds can be expensive and for dog owners looking for an alternative to plastic beds, ones made from wood could prove attractive. These sturdy, comfortable and attractive beds for dogs aren’t difficult or expensive to construct, making them a profitable woodworking project to build and sell.

Rustic Headboards

Put your artistic woodworking skills to best use by working on beautiful, handmade, rustic headboards made from stunning wood. Such pieces of furniture make a great addition to a bedroom and will always be in demand, making them a lucrative woodwork project to embark on.

Wine Racks

Wine racks made from wood are not only sturdy, but they look great in the home. These desirable items are neither expensive nor difficult to build and can be sold for a nice profit for wine-lovers looking for an eye-catching and robust place to store their bottles.

Related reading: 51 Business Ideas for 2020



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8 Comments ▼

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a professional freelance writer and journalist based in the United Kingdom. Since 2006, Gabrielle has been writing articles, blogs and news pieces for a diverse range of publications and sites. You can read "Gabrielle’s blog here.".

8 Reactions
  1. Always nice to see project ideas. Yet, to make a living while woodworking all projects need to be scaled up so that one can actually earn enough to survive and compete against the flood of Chinese imports and others. Substitute products made from plastic, metal or wood are a common place and normally cheaper due to mass production and human rights violations. Politicians don’t care about the disappearance of many of America’s Cottage Industries and most consumers don’t care as well.

    • Hi Paul, I agree completely with your statement summary. I am UK based yet ALL your issues are mirrored here as well. I regularly do my due diligence before embarking on making from scratch (my medium is wood).

      For me I pull up three website pages, Ebay, Amazon and Alibaba.com. I would conclude 80%> are Chinese imports, and to the ignorant in society, price is king and quality (home grown) becomes lower in the decision rankings. I would add that many (UK based Companies) are actually Chinese based with a sat alight outlet in our country, which leads itself to being import and tax free!

      It makes me laugh when I hear the bull*it from UK politicians that employment is lower that ever before! In truth the employee market is diminishing quicker that the rain forests, leading to a biblical sized growth in cottage industry, primarily working from home.

      Would love to know what the US version is on my latter part.

      Best

      David

    • Truth is many people have, indeed, gotten lazy and distracted to what makes life worthwhile… Most business owners want to stay at home and not have to work. Thus, creating an image that everyone can’t live, however, society keeps encouraging this belief… It used to be hard to sell something ppl didn’t need because we only bought what was needed for most.. All the fancy things that people use or wear was made by someone local who either ran their own business or employeed a lot of people to help them. They didn’t just stay home and show off their wealth… All classes of society and races are at fault; China just seen it setting in and took advantage of an opportunity we gave them… We need to stop blaming China for our choices…

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  3. How would one go about actually selling these hand made articles of woodwork? Which sales channel or outlet is the best if you want to get started as an own business say?

  4. Great post but it did miss a few items that sell very well and super easy to make. I’ve made a great deal of money selling Rustic Home decor. I walked away because of my other business (Marketing agency? got super busy.

    It’s been years since I created anything and I’m super excited to get back and create things that people will enjoy.

    Great article.

  5. This is a great tips for small business owners out there and those who love doing woodwork for there projects.