8 Reasons I love Woodworking

  • More than 20 Years Woodworking Experience
  • 7 Woodworking Books Available on Amazon
  • Over 1 Million Words Published About Woodworking
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree from Arizona State University

Come See What I'm Making on Etsy!

Check Out My Shop!

I receive Commissions for Purchases Made Through the Links in This Post.

This is 8 Reasons I Love Woodworking. There are a lot more of course, but these eight are some of the best reasons to get into woodworking so you can love it too. Enjoy.

If You Like My Posts, You'll Love My Books

See My Woodworking Books Here

I Love Woodworking and Building Things

8-Reasons-I-love-WoodworkingWoodworking is such an awesome hobby and there are so many reasons that I love woodworking. Everyone has their own particular reasons of course, and mine are very dear to me.

Woodworking is just one of those things that when it gets you, it really gets you. There are just so many different things that woodworking overlaps into that before you know it you’ll find out that you’re doing all kinds of woodworking related activities.

I’ll show you my eight best reasons coming up, and feel free to share your own at the end of the post by leaving a comment. I love woodworking, and if you’re thinking about getting into the hobby, I bet you’ll love it too.

See Also: 19 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Woodworking

You Can Make Anything You Like

One of the things I love the most about being a woodworker is that you can make nearly anything you like. In the beginning you may me a pinch more limited by your abilities, but over time you can eventually make anything.

Come See What I'm Making on Etsy!

Check Out My Shop!

In general the principles of woodworking are the same no matter if you’re making a dining room table or a wooden pen. You still need to have good joints, smooth surfaces, and a solid structure.

Once you know the pillars of good woodworking and what it takes to make a good project, the actual type of project itself is just a detail. This is a really good feeling, because there is just about nothing that is beyond your ability to make.

See Also: 20 Easy DIY Woodworking Projects With Tutorials

Wood is Such an Amazing Medium

Another reason that I am so in love with woodworking is that wood itself is just an incredible and diverse medium. As far as creating things goes, there is just no better material that you could possibly use in this entire world than wood.

Wood comes in nearly any color you could imagine. For someone that is a beginner in woodworking you may not know that you can find wood that is naturally green, red, purple, black, and white. Once you see these pieces, you might even think that they are died or somehow man-made.

They are not. Wood comes in a number of different densities, looks, and grain patterns as well. The diversity that you get to choose from is just outstanding. This gives you a lot more choices and a lot more ability when it comes to making a unique project.

See Also: 10 Fun Things to Build With Wood

You Can Make Things to Sell

Woodworking is a production hobby. Unlike consumption hobbies where you get to enjoy the process but don’t really get anything out of it, woodworking offers you the ability to make things and produce work that has value.

Come See What I'm Making on Etsy!

Check Out My Shop!

One of the things that you can do with all of that value you’re producing is sell it. This can help fund your hobby and take it to the next level. Tools and materials do require money, and if you turn some of your projects into profit, you can turn a profit into more tools.

Most hobbies are pretty much a money pit. You’re paying for the experience, and you know that you’re never going to get any money back from it. Woodworking can be different if you want it to be, you just make the decision and start selling things.

Even if you are able to sell just enough to cover all of your expenses and let you buy some new tools, that would be a huge win. Most hobbies require some money, but if you can go flat after your sales that is excellent.

See Also: Make What You Like and Sell What You Make

Improve Existing Things

Something about woodworking that is a lot of fun is that you have the ability to make exactly what you want and improve on existing things. Most of the time when you go to the store to buy something, you’re not buying exactly what you want.

Instead, you’re picking the closest thing to what you want. It’s always a compromise, and it’s never 100% perfect. When you’re a woodworker, you get to pick and choose which features you like, and get rid of the ones you don’t.

If You Like My Posts, You'll Love My Books

See My Woodworking Books Here

This means you get to design and build the absolute perfect coffee table that is handmade just for you. It also means you can design an acoustic guitar that fits perfectly with your exact playing style and preferences.

The ability not to have to settle is definitely one of the biggest reasons that I love woodworking.

See Also: Wood Design and Woodworking Ideas

Make Your Own Home Repairs

Most things in your home are made out of wood. Knowing a little bit a woodworking can help you make repairs and fix things that need attention. Interestingly enough, fixing wall board is not that much different than working with wood either.

Home repairs can be expensive, especially if you have to find a company and they have to send somebody out to do the work. Once you understand some basic woodworking skills, you can apply those to home repair as well.

If you are a woodworker, you should never pay somebody to come out and patch drywall. If you can fill a void on a piece of wood and level it with sandpaper, you have all of the qualifications to fix a hole in your drywall.

See Also:Woodworking and Self Reliance

It Teaches You to Figure Things Out

When you are working on a project, making that item will force you to think about processes and create models in your head. Essentially, woodworking will teach you how to think in ways that you may have never thought before.

Come See What I'm Making on Etsy!

Check Out My Shop!

This is phenomenal for a lot of reasons, and thinking is one of those skills that can be used in a million different capacities throughout your life. On top of that, you won’t even feel like you’re learning anything because it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Woodworking is essentially a long series of problems that you solve. In the end, you end up with a project, and a whole lot of learning. This ability to figure things out will permeate other parts of your life too, and improve them.

See Also: 11 Killer Tips for Using a Wood Planer in Your Shop

It’s Not Expensive to Get Started

No matter what anybody tells you, woodworking is not very expensive to get into as a beginner. That being said, if you think you need every single tool in the world and only the best versions of those tools, then you might need to take out a second mortgage.

At the beginner level, I love woodworking because you can start out with some basic hand tools and actually accomplish quite a bit. You can even shop the used market for a few entry-level power tools to get your feet wet and speed the process up.

A gently used tool is really no different than a new tool. If it was cared for well, it will typically provide a long time of good service to you. Also, if you get started with just the tools that you need, you can enter the game for a low price.

Over time, as you build different projects and as you hopefully start selling some of them, you can add more tools. As the years go by, your tool selection will improve and your ability to do different functions in woodworking will expand.

See Also: 13 Myths About Getting Into Woodworking

You are in Good Company

Finally, I love woodworking because it puts you in very good company of the wood workers that are alive today and that have been dead for a very long time. Some of the most amazing people throughout history have been woodworkers, and you can be too.

They were people thousands of years ago who made wooden furniture that is still standing and found inside of the great pyramids of Egypt. They were using different tools, but someone building a chair thousands of years ago is no different than you building one today.

The great violin makers from a few hundred years ago are another fantastic example of the people you will share a kinship with. These folks built some of the most sought after instruments in this world, and they did it by candlelight, without electricity.

All of these people had to solve problems, figure out ways of making their projects, and get their tools to do more than they ever expected. You will do the exact same thing, and you can feel the unity with past and present woodworkers.

If You Like My Posts, You'll Love My Books

See My Woodworking Books Here

See Also: How to be a Modern Renaissance Woodworker

Your Action Assignment

Now that you know all of these different reasons that I love woodworking, it’s time to take action. If you want to know what this feels like first hand, you need to take some steps to become a woodworker.

The absolute best way that you can get started is to find something that you would like to make. Find something that makes you excited. The excitement and the desire to make this project will be what helps propel you to learn about woodworking.

Start with a couple of good books, and watch some YouTube videos about making that project. The more you learn, the more the excitement will build. Start looking at tools, and make the dream of being a woodworker reality.

If you have any questions about why I love woodworking, or you want to leave your own comment about why you love woodworking, please Post a Question in the Q&A Forum and I’ll be glad to help. Happy building.

Post Author-

  • More than 20 Years Woodworking Experience
  • 7 Woodworking Books Available on Amazon
  • Over 1 Million Words Published About Woodworking
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree from Arizona State University
Buy My Books on Amazon

I receive Commissions for Purchases Made Through the Links in This Post.

Come See What I'm Making on Etsy!

Check Out My Shop!

 

You Can Find My Books on Amazon!

woodworking and guitar making books
 

An Exclusive Member of Mediavine Home

Westfarthing Woodworks LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.