20 Best Selling Wood Crafts You Can Make With Hand Tools (With Plans)

Published Categorized as Woodworking Business Tagged , ,

Well, technically you can make any wood project with hand tools. But some just go faster than others. This is a list of hand tool woodworking projects that can be made with minimum fuss and time spent, and yet are very popular and high selling items.

Simple Wooden Boxes.

There is all kind of projects you can make here. Wooden boxes can be as simple or complicated to construct as you make them. The good news is that they are one of the best selling items in the category of simple wood crafts. In order to make your wooden boxes a success think of specific purposes for them and design them accordingly.

Doing this has many benefits. It allows you to give out message or purpose to your buyer for making the purchase. It will also help up come up with meaningful variety and designs to make for the same project. Of course you can make some great looking general purpose boxes as well and just let the buyer’s imagination decide what they need it for.

Free Box Plans, Make A Keepsake Box, Box Making Techniques, Simple Storage Box

Name Plate Planter.

This is a great project because people love to have one. It is essentially a house number plate with a small plant. It really looks great on the house gate or right next to the main door. 

Birdhouses

Just one of the series of small outdoors / garden wood projects that you can make with hand tools. Garden wood projects are really popular, ask anyone. People love to buy them and woodworkers love to make them, especially hobbyists. Garden projects can range from large to small, from complex to simple, from time consuming to weekend projects. But they all have one thing in common. They are all high in demand as they add a great value to life whether they are porches, garden chairs or birdhouses.

So have a look at all the garden projects you can do and choose the simple ones that you can make easily with hand tools like birdhouses, planters, hanging pot holders etc. A thing that you might pay attention to when it comes to building birdhouses is that certain designs can be built specifically for a particular species of birds to encourage them to nest.

So if you can create a wonderful niche and variety by making species specific birdhouses.

22 Free Bird House PlansOver 50 Bird House Plans, Bird Houses For Different SpeciesHow To Build A Basic Birdhouse In 7 Steps 

Small Wood Tables.

Small tables are small projects that are a strike a good balance between simplicity and being a woodcraft of great utility and mass appeal. You can easily make small side tables using only hand tools in good time. There are thousands of woodworking plans to choose from. Just remember, the smaller the wood project, the easier it is to sell it online on places like Etsy And eBay. How to make a Narrow Cottage End Table. 

Small Wood Stools

This is along the same lines as small tables, only simpler perhaps. At this level you will realise that there is not much difference in the constructor techniques of small tables and stools. Both need to be sturdy and use strong jointing techniques. And once you get adept at it, you know that you can turn out dovetail or mortise and tenon joints with your hand tools really quickly.

Hand tool wood crafts

Wooden Wine Holders And Racks

Wine holders and racks are simple projects to make and fetch top dollar. Simple as they may be, you do need to pay attention to the finish. As long as they are classy people will love to buy them. As with every wood project you make, make sure they are sturdy and long lasting. Here is one project where using a good looking hard wood makes sense.

It adds that extra exotic feel of the project. Here is a very interesting wine holder project. It’s easy to make and is sure to draw a lot of attention. Its called the Floating Wine Stand. Have a look.

Wooden Arm Chair Cup Holder

If you can join a few pieces of wood together, you can make this project. A super practical project that people love to have in their homes. Several of them, in fact. Here’s how to make an easy and good looking one.

Wood Pen Drives

This is a small project, and we mean that in its size. But it is a tedious one. Once you have the knack for it, you can start making several of these very quickly, with few tools and little expense. Its a pretty cool wood project to sell online as it has a mass appeal and it super easy to ship.

Wooden Pen Holders

Stuff for the office table always makes a lot of sense for small woodworking projects. Don’t just think pen stand here. Think paper weights, trays, note holder etc.

Wood Paper Weights

Paper weights are simple wood projects. Its good to know ways to make that block of wood look good. Either you should be able to give it contours, make it round or do some engravings on it. Use a wood with an interesting grain pattern that will really show once you are done finishing and polishing it. Remember to keep the finish clean. Since the wooden paper weight will be often kept directly on important papers, it shouldn’t damage or stain them in any way.

Again, a super friendly hand tool wood project to sell online.

Wooden Book Ends

A very common wood craft that is found in multiple numbers in ever household. They can be made with hand tools as most them are simple in design.

Simple Wood Pallet Projects

Pallet projects have become very popular, especially with the hobbyists. The reason is that even the really good looking ones can be easy to make. Check out our post on 10 popular wood pallet projects

Wood iPad Stand.

This is a super cool wood project that you virtually make out of one piece of wood, no joints and gluing involved. Accessories for mobile devices are very popular. And when you make something usual like a wooden stand for the iPad, it is bound to catch some extra attention. A great wood craft to sell online. Have a look at How To Make A Wooden iPad Dock

Wooden Drawer Organiser.

The secret of making high selling hand tool only wood crafts is striking a balance between simplicity and utility. A drawer organiser has tons of utility value. If you have ever used one you will know that they are super helpful to have. And guess what, people usually  have more than one drawer in their homes. :).

What you need to do it put some thought in to making a good design for it. You can also make an adjustable design that people can put according to their needs.Build A DIY Drawer Organiser.

Wooden Office Tray.

An office tray looks great on any table where work is supposed to happen. It helps sort and organise different small objects that are required for day to day working like notes, pens, staplers etc. A very sought after item this is a simple wood project for your hand tools and to sell online. Here’s a free plan for a stacking desk tray.

Wood Planters.

A wonderful and simple wood project for the outdoor and garden. There are many plans and designs to choose from. From simple planters that are placed on the ground to ones that hang in a frame, they are all good hand tool wood projects to make and sell. Here are a few ideas for wood planter designs. Here’s a wood plan to make a simple planter.

Wooden Spoons and Ladles

People are beginning to use more of wooden spoons and ladles for cooking and eating. The reasons are that they are safer and less toxic than plastic, they give a more earthy feel to savouring food, they have the charm of a past era and they look good. You can make them with hand tools but the work will go faster with a simple lathe, as there it a lot of curving and shaping involved. How To Make A Wooden Spoon.

Wooden Small Toys

Toys are usually complicated to make. But pick out the ones that are not. I don’t have to tell you that you have limitless choices. And just in case you are wondering, yes, wooden toys are still very popular and a top choice for parents as well as for gifting. They are safer, non-toxic and last a really longtime though the rigours of child play.

Just make very sure that you adhere to strict safety standards as well as any laws in your state that govern making things for children. Here are links to some very good free plans for children’s toys. Wooden Toy Plans, Free Kids Toys Plans, Wooden Toy Projects.

Wooden Door Mat.

You don’t get to see this too often. The last place I remember seeing it was in my club by outside and inside the dressing rooms for the swimming pool. Which is why making this wood project is almost like making a niche craft. And niche crafts sell better than others and fetch a great price.

The other reason for this being a high selling hand tool wood project is that it is actually very useful. Here are some great links including a video on how to make a wooden door mat in half a day. 

Wooden Wall Shelves.

Wall shelves can be made in many shapes, sizes and designs. Always a great wood craft that people look forward to buying. Have some variety going for you so that when people see then they are able to imagine a use for some of them.

Wooden Candle Holder.

Here’s a plan for the simplest of projects that’s popular in all places and all seasons. Wooden Candle Holder Plan.

1 comment

We'd love to hear from you.. Queries are welcome.