To turn your woodworking projects into a thriving online business, you don’t need to be a skilled artisan. There are many popular wood projects to sell suitable for varied skill levels.
It’s just a matter of determining which ones are right for your online business idea. The global woodwork market is valued at more than $5.47 billion in 2026, while wood accounts for the largest market share—almost 30%—of the worldwide handicraft market.
Read on to explore easy woodworking projects that sell, and to learn everything you need to build your own handicrafts business.
Woodworking projects that sell
- Wooden signs
- Picture frames
- Wooden art
- Furniture
- Floating shelves
- Wooden kitchen products
- Charcuterie boards
- Wood boxes
- Birdhouses
- Planters
- Repurposed and scrap wood
- Wooden toys and games
- Candle holders
- Docking stations
Whether you’re expanding into the home décor industry or upcycling scrap materials into handcrafted products, here are small woodworking projects that sell:
Home and décor
1. Wooden signs
Wooden signs are a straightforward woodworking project to sell in an ecommerce business. They come in all shapes and sizes and can be used indoors and out. You can make them with simple scrap wood and customize them to your target audience’s needs.
Wooden signs are popular at events like weddings and parties, and as indoor décor personalized with quotes, sayings, or family names. They could also display inspirational quotes.
Customization options include hand-painting, carving, and branding. A Cricut or laser engraving machine also helps bring professional-looking designs to life.
Skill level: Beginner
Anyone can make basic signs with stencils and paint. Advanced signs (like those with carved letters) need some woodworking experience. You should be comfortable using basic power tools and have steady hands for detailed work.
It’s relatively easy to sell wooden signs through an online store. They’re often lightweight and can be shipped in small mailing boxes.
Cost: Low
Basic DIY supplies like paint and reclaimed wood are cheap. Costs go up if you decide to use a Cricut or source premium woods like walnut or maple.
2. Picture frames
It’s relatively easy to make picture frames in various sizes and styles, and to pair them with wall art for a marketable upsell.
Save money and practice sustainable crafting by repurposing old or scrap wood, as Barnwood USA does.
Skill level: Beginner
Straight cuts and simple joinery make frames a suitable project for new woodworkers.
Cost: Low
You can use scrap or reclaimed wood to keep material costs down. If you’re selling online, make picture frames that fit flat-rate shipping boxes to keep shipping costs low.
3. Wooden art
Selling art online is a great way to turn creative projects into income. Wood is an excellent crafting material for producing a variety of items. Knowing your audience, their preferences, and your own production skills provide useful creative boundaries to experiment with.
Skill level: Easy to advanced
The skills you’ll need depend on your vision; simple wood cutouts and elaborate sculptures require different skill sets.
Cost: Varies.
Raw materials, techniques, and end use will determine your product costs—you can acquire wood and paints cheaply for simple projects, or spend a premium on supplies (like epoxy resin) to produce high-quality goods.
4. Furniture
Claiming almost 40% of the US furniture market, wooden products can turn online furniture sales into an attractive opportunity.
Environmentally conscious brand Fyrn, for example, sells beautifully crafted wooden furniture—including its staple collection of chairs—on its website.
You can also sell your wood furniture at craft fairs, where customers can interact with your creations and better imagine them in their own space.
These in-person events also provide an excellent opportunity for live customer feedback. If people repeatedly comment on similar things or ask the same question, it helps inform what and how much you produce, and how you market them.
For example, you could capture happy buyer testimonials on the spot with your phone or revise your marketing copy to address common questions or concerns.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Pieces like stools, coffee tables, and end tables may be doable for beginners, while chairs and dining room tables demand more experience.
Cost: Moderate to high
Building safe, durable furniture requires time, quality wood, and hardware.
To reduce your startup costs, consider flipping furniture instead. Pick up pre-loved items from estate or garage sales, then renew them with a good sanding and paint or stain to restore their appeal. Take special precautions if you think they have a previous layer of lead paint.
5. Floating shelves
Floating shelves suit a range of rooms—kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and home offices—making them a practical addition to your woodworking business. Plus, they ship flat, which keeps packaging straightforward.
Skill level: Easy
Straight cuts, clean sanding, and a basic wall-mounting bracket system are the core requirements.
Cost: Low
Opt for pine to keep costs down for standard designs. Premium woods like walnut or white oak increase material costs.
Because shelves rely on repeatable cuts and a consistent finish process, batch production works well here. Reduce per-unit time and material waste with production planning versus individual runs.
Kitchen and dining
6. Wooden kitchen products
Kitchen products sell, with the US kitchenware market on track to earn over $19 billion in 2033.
Join this market by crafting simple wooden cutting boards and wooden coasters or specializing in detailed wooden utensils, serving trays, or wine racks.
Old World Kitchen started when seasoned woodworker Trevor Polder decided to sell hand-carved wooden spoons at local fairs. Eventually, Trevor and his family sold their wares on Etsy, finally moving to Shopify to scale their business.
“There’s a huge amount of distraction on Etsy,” says business manager Loran Polder. “It’s more like strolling through a crafts fair rather than intentionally driving up to a brick-and-mortar store.”
Skill level: Intermediate
Even basic products like cutting boards and coasters require attention to detail, while spoons and spatulas–which need shaping—demand more advanced woodworking skills.
Cost: Moderate
Costs vary by project, with small cutting boards requiring fewer material inputs than large wooden bowls, for instance.
7. Charcuterie boards
Charcuterie boards can be high-margin project for woodworkers. Source hardwood boards and pitch wooden charcuterie boards as a gift. Offer personalization through laser engraving or burned monograms to sell them with premium pricing.
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate.
The core techniques are straight cuts and smooth finishing. End-grain and edge-grain designs require more skill.
Cost: Low.
Offcuts from larger furniture projects can bring material costs down. Budget for food-safe finishing oils when pricing your wood project to resell.
Consider promoting your favorite oil for board maintenance with an affiliate marketing link for an additional revenue stream.
Or, work with the manufacturer to purchase it wholesale and bundle with your boards as a kit. As your sales grow, you might be able to collaborate on a private label or white-label version branded for your business.
Read: Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Complete Startup Guide
8. Wood boxes
Suitable for both skilled artisans and newbies, boxes can be as straightforward or complex as you like, ranging from storage crates to ornate wooden jewelry boxes.
Take this idea further by offering customizations such as laser engraving. Enjoy the Wood, for example, sells personalized wooden memory boxes through its online store:
Skill level: Beginner
Basic boxes like storage crates are great for beginners—you just need to hone your skills in straight cuts and basic joints. Elaborate projects like carved jewelry boxes require more skill.
Cost: Low
Startup costs vary depending on details such as wood type, hardware, and whether you plan to incorporate carvings or inlays. Again, you can save on costs by flipping old pallets into boxes.
Outdoor and garden
9. Birdhouses
Birdhouses can be an excellent niche market to get into, with recreational birders representing a growing market. Recent data shows one in three US adults enjoy the hobby.
Stone Bridge Collections caters to bird lovers with its wooden, species-specific birdhouses with rustic charm and designed for outdoor spaces. The company even sells a bat house in its online boutique.
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Crafting simple birdhouses is fairly approachable. To build specific homes for specific birds, you’ll need the skills to create the angles, holes, and spaces that appeal to them. Consider collaborating with a bird organization or rescue for advice on what specific varieties prefer or need.
In addition to the credibility from the bird experts, you could offer a promotion to their members or donors. The organization may also be willing to endorse your birdhouses or share a link to your online store on its site and at its facility.
Cost: Low to moderate
Basic birdhouses are inexpensive, but intricate carvings, unique specifications, or high-end wood will add to your product development costs.
10. Planters
Wood is a great material for making everything from planter boxes for small home vegetable gardens to tiny succulent holders to be used as desk accessories.
If you’re making planters and pots, consider expanding your product range into complementary items for home gardeners, such as potting tables and benches.
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Basic box planters for plants are relatively easy. If you can make straight cuts and drill holes for drainage, you can build a planter to sell online.
Cost: Low to moderate
Planters are generally affordable unless you’re using premium exterior-grade wood or hardware.
11. Repurposed and scrap wood
Shippers and ecommerce companies use wood pallets to move products, offering an ideal opportunity to transform potential waste into scrap wood projects that sell.
Market your upcycled pallet projects well, and you might be able to charge more—on average, customers will spend an extra 9.7% for sustainably produced products. Just avoid greenwashing in your marketing.
The following all make great repurposed wood pallet projects:
- Planter boxes
- Decorative signs
- Coffee tables
- Wooden benches
- Chairs
- Wooden business card holders
- Mail sorters and key holders
- Wooden serving trays
- Raised garden beds
- Bed platforms
- Shelves
Infinite Abyss is a brand whose online store features home and décor items made from wood pallets. The company also offers a DIY guide with a collection of woodworking projects, called Wood Pallet Wonders, that teaches crafters how to make versatile pieces.
Keep in mind that the bestselling projects might not be the most profitable once you account for shipping costs. Do your research before you start manufacturing and selling, aiming to keep shipping costs down.
You may even find that digital products like DIY guides become one of the more profitable items in your product ecosystem.
Skill level: Beginner to intermediate
Taking pallets apart is simple, but strenuous and time-consuming work. You’ll need to know how to safely remove nails without splitting wood, how to sand rough edges, and how to make straight cuts with a saw.
Cost: Low
You can find pallets for low prices, and even for free. You’ll also need a crowbar, hammer, saw, work gloves, and safety glasses to take them apart.
Gifts and accessories
12. Wooden toys and games
The wooden toy industry is set to be worth $43.29 billion by 2034. Capitalize by using wood scraps to create blocks of different shapes and sizes for kids’ toys and gifts. For extra flair, consider painting, engraving, or etching them.
Wood Wood Toys, for example, sells wooden Montessori-inspired toys to parents who follow the education style:
From wooden chess sets to wooden puzzles, toys can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Just be aware that children’s toys are subject to strict safety regulations, and get a Children’s Product Certificate for every toy you produce for kids.
Skill level: Intermediate
Puzzles or toys with moving parts require skills like sanding and painting.
Cost: Moderate
Meeting safety standards with smooth edges and non-toxic finishes takes time and money; shipping costs for large toys can add up.
13. Candle holders
Experts from Grandview Research forecast the US candle industry to reach $5.8 trillion by 2033. But you don’t have to make them with a candle business to take advantage. Turn scrap wood into decorative candle holders instead.
This woodworking project is a good idea if you want to start a seasonal business. Google Trends data for “candle holder” shows peaks around winter holidays when people are shopping for gifts:
Skill level: Intermediate
Basic holders can be made with a saw and drill. For personalized candle holders, use laser engraving tools.
Cost: Low
Candle holders use small amounts of wood and minimal hardware. Opt for non-toxic finishes for holders that will sit near an open flame.
14. Docking stations
Wooden docking stations are desk organizers that hold phones, watches, and everyday carry items while routing charging cables.
They’re CNC wood projects that sell—well-made docking stations command premium prices. Oakywood, for example, sells a walnut triple wooden docking station that holds an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods that retails for $109.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Learn how to carve the wood and coat it with a protective material. Oakywood’s docking station, for example, is coated with a protective layer of wax oil to give the wood a smoother finish.
Cost: Moderate
Hardwood offcuts work well for most designs. The main cost variable is finishing time.
Most profitable wood projects
Understanding profit margins in woodworking
Gross profit margin is the amount of money left over after you’ve accounted for product creation costs. If materials cost you $5 and you sold an item for $15, for example, your gross profit is $10, representing a gross profit margin of just over 66%.
The ideal profit margin depends on the type of project. Furniture brands tend to have healthy margins—around 30.28%, according to NY Stern School of Business’ January 2026 data.
| Price tier | Example wood products |
|---|---|
| Small | Coasters, candle holders, keychains |
| Mid-tier | Charcuterie boards, floating shelves, docking stations |
| High ticket | Custom furniture, dining tables, built-ins |
Smaller handcrafted items can perform significantly better on a per-unit basis, because material costs are low relative to what buyers will pay for handmade, personalized goods. They can also be faster to ship and made in batches to reduce labor cost.
Seasonality plays a role, as some woodworking projects are in higher demand at certain points throughout the year. Search demand for “bird houses,” for example, peaks in spring months like March through May.
Tip: Use a profit margin calculator to determine product prices and make sure you’ll earn a profit when selling your wood crafts online.
Top 5 high-margin items
Look for ideas that turn low-cost materials into premium wood projects that sell for premium prices.
Some of the most profitable wood products to make and sell include:
- Custom furniture
- Home décor and accessories
- Wooden toys
- Decorative wall signs
- Birdhouses
Each of these wood product ideas have personalization potential. Analysts estimate the global gift personalization market to hit $509 billion in 2026. Tap into this by upselling personalized versions—like a children’s name etched into a wooden toy set or a decorative wall sign using your customer’s surname.
Consider working with a realty firm to supply them with new homeowner gifts featuring the client’s name and year they bought their house.
How to sell woodworking projects
Building your woodworking projects is just the start—it may take trial and error to discover which items will sell:
1. Choose your product
Use the list above to generate ideas. Once you’ve chosen a trending product, start with a test project. Ensure you can execute your creation to a level that satisfies paying customers while remaining profitable. Be sure to include your time in this equation.
2. Identify your market
Start by exploring your local woodworking scene to get a sense of the market. Spend time at farmers markets, craft fairs, and furniture stores to understand what’s selling in your area.
If you notice that everyone’s making farmhouse tables, but there aren’t many modern pieces or specialized built-ins, you might have found a unique niche store idea.
The real test comes from putting your work out there. Small craft fairs can teach you a lot about pricing and customer preferences.
You might find that customers love your design style but want different wood species, or that they’re willing to pay premium prices for custom modifications. Or you might find that no one was making modern pieces because they don’t sell well in your region.
3. Build a website
To sell online, you need to build an ecommerce site.
Running an online store on your own domain gives you control over your business—from pricing and promotion through to shipping and fulfillment. Third-party marketplaces come with restrictions, while physical spaces require overhead expenses like rent or, in some antique or craft malls, a percentage of your sales.
You can use Shopify’s website builder to create an online storefront for your crafting business. With access to customizable, mobile-responsive themes and 24/7 live support, it’s easy to create a storefront with a simple website design. Extend the functionality of your site with more than 8,000 apps in the Shopify App Store, including tools for marketing, analytics, and support.
Once you’re ready to start selling, Shopify has everything you need to connect with your audience. You can accept payments, capture leads and customer information, and send emails from the platform.
Oakywood, for example, leans on Shopify to sell wood furniture online. It taps into advanced tools—like augmented reality (AR) to show a 3D model of their furniture in a customer’s home.
“[Customers] reach out post-purchase to say the AR model was a game changer and the thing that made them purchase those products,” says founder Mateusz Haberny.
4. List and price your products
Take high-quality product photos, write compelling descriptions, and list your wood projects online for the world to see and purchase.
Tip: Tools like Shopify Magic use artificial intelligence to generate product descriptions, edit product photography, and even create conversion-focused email campaigns.
Price your products high enough to cover your time and expenses and still earn a profit, but not so high that your target market won’t buy them. Use a profit margin calculator: Enter your cost of goods sold (COGS) and apply your desired profit margin to determine a retail price.
5. Drive traffic to your website
Once your website is up and your product pages are live, attract visitors to your online store. You can drive traffic through both organic and paid marketing strategies and tactics, such as:
- Social media marketing
- Search engine optimization
- Contests and giveaways
- Earned media and public relations (PR)
- Partnerships with other brands
6. Check analytics and improve
Over time, you’ll have more data to help you better understand your crafting business.
“It can be very difficult to figure out which channel a sale came through,” says Guillaume Drew, founder of Or & Zon. “It’s easier when it’s an online sale. But for an offline sale, it can be very tricky. This is why you need a proper attribution model.”
Tip: Shopify analytics shows key sales, orders, and online store visitor data, among other information. Analyze that information to uncover strengths, weaknesses, and new opportunities.
7. Explore different sales channels
Your online store is the best way to sell woodworking projects because you have ultimate control over the customer experience and product prices.
That said, driving traffic to an ecommerce site can be challenging. Some customers head to other platforms when they’re in the market to buy wood items.
Get the best of both worlds by combining your online store with other sales channels, such as:
- Online marketplaces
- Social media storefronts
- Local events
Online marketplaces
Etsy and eBay are popular among wood sellers, because their users often seek unique or personalized products. Blogging Wizard’s 2026 study found wall décor is one of the bestselling product categories on eBay, for example. The trade-off for accessing this built-in customer base is a lack of access to customer data and fierce competition.
Social media storefronts
According to a 2025 Shopify survey, 35% of store owners identified building a social media presence as one of their top growth strategies in their first year, making it the second most common approach.*Use platforms like Instagram and TikTok—eMarketer reports more than half of social buyers will shop on TikTok this year.
Read: What is TikTok Shop & How It Works for Sellers Now
Local events
Sell your craft show wood projects locally with a booth at a community event. You could also take a leaf from Infinite Abyss’ book and set up shop inside another retailer’s store. Prioritize smaller giftable items—coasters, candle holders, and personalized signs—because buyers can carry them home without arranging shipping.
Tip: Shopify helps you sell online and in person from a single platform, with native integrations for TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Inventory, order, and customer data flows to a single back end to simplify operations and offer seamless customer experiences.
Kickstart your woodworking business today
If you want to sell wood projects, set yourself up with a reliable online store builder like Shopify. Shopify has a whole suite of tools to manage every aspect of your business with the features you need at every stage.
*Based on a 2025 survey of 500 Shopify merchants conducted in English across Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States. Respondents were established merchants with two or more years on the platform. Results reflect the experiences of this specific sample and may not be representative of all merchants.
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Wood projects that sell FAQ
What are the most profitable woodworking projects for beginners?
Some of the best woodworking projects for beginners include:
- Coasters
- Picture frames
- Candle holders
- Wooden boxes
- Planters
- Wooden signs
- Wall art
What woodworking project sells the most?
Here are a few ideas for woodworking projects that sell:
- Wooden signs
- Wooden pallets
- Kitchen products
- Cutting boards
- Furniture
- Boxes
- Picture frames
- Children’s blocks
- Birdhouses
- Planters
- Art
- Wine racks
- Raised garden beds
How can I price my woodworking projects effectively?
Here’s an example of one common pricing formula: Calculate your total material costs (e.g., wood, hardware, finishes) and multiply by three or four to cover your time and overhead. From there, check if similar items in your market sell for that price, and adjust accordingly to keep your prices competitive.
What wood projects are selling right now?
Trends dominating the woodworking industry include:
- Repurposing scrap materials
- Minimalist or intricate designs
- Premium craftsmanship
- Neutral color palettes
- Customized wood products
- Premium children’s toys
How do you make good money in woodworking?
To make good money in woodworking, source free or low-cost materials and turn them into customized premium products. This can include furniture, luxury home décor, garden projects, or personalized wooden signs.
