Have you always been interested in trying out woodworking but were afraid it was too hard? That’s an understandable concern: mastering a new skill, particularly one as in-depth as woodworking, can seem overwhelming at first. That said, the difficulty of learning a new skill is a subjective experience, one that will vary depending on a variety of different factors.
For example, your previous experience, woodworking goals, skill with your hands, artistic abilities, speed of learning, patients, and available practice time can all impact how well you learn woodworking. Difficulty can also differ based on your design skills, including how well you can plan projects ahead of time or follow instructions. But no matter what your current schedule, experience, or ability with woodworking, there are tools that can streamline this process for you.
What is Woodworking?
Wood is one of the oldest and most reliable crafting materials in the world. In ancient times, it was used to build things like sleds, furniture, tools, art, homes, and even streets. As one of the few completely renewable building materials, wood is still heavily used to make everything from paper to flooring. As a result, woodworking is one of the major backbones of civilization.
Woodworking is also unique because of its adaptable skill levels: you don’t have to become a master woodworker to enjoy this art! Many people simply learn a few basic crafting techniques to build tables, desks, storage boxes, and other items. That said, you can also master more advanced woodworking skills to become a professional and make good money.
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Benefits of Learning Woodworking?
When you master woodworking, you open yourself up to creating a world of fun and practical projects! For example, you can make things like a “sofa sleeve” to place on your couch as a cup holder, wine racks, doormats, interesting art pieces, serving trays, and even cupboards. If you’re an intelligent and skilled woodworker, you can make just about anything!
Furthermore, learning woodworking can help you save money by making it easier to fix things in your home. For example, if your wooden door doesn’t work properly any more, you don’t have to buy an expensive replacement: you can instead build an even better door to take its place. If you get good enough at woodworking, you can even sell your projects on sites like Etsy.
What Are the Hardest Parts of Learning Woodworking?
Mastering woodworking is going to take time, energy, and patience to handle and might take 5-6 months to perfect basic skills and a year or more to feel comfortable with more advanced techniques. While your learning time may vary based on many factors, the following challenges are the biggest you’ll face when learning woodworking and must be properly handled.
Affording Tools and Materials
If you’re interested in learning woodworking, you’re going to need a sizable budget to get started. One source estimates that it costs over $1,100 just to get started in woodworking. These expenses include wood (which can cost over $100 or more, depending on your project), measuring tools (up to $50 or more), saws ($200-300 per tool) and more.
Can you cut back on these expenses? Yes. We suggest using inexpensive and gently used hand tools at first to minimize your costs. You can also buy less expensive or even slightly used wood on which to practice. Look at it this way: if you still enjoy woodworking after using nothing but hand tools and old wood, you’ll likely love it when using power tools and better materials.
Getting Hands-On Experience
Mastering woodworking requires regular practice to improve your techniques and expand your knowledge as much as possible. It’s critical to gradually improve through hands-on experience building small projects before working up to bigger ones. To master woodworking, you’ll want to practice at least a few hours a week or more.
It’s best to set up a woodworking area in your home to improve your learning experience. Typical workshop locations include garages, storage sheds, unused rooms, attics, and even basements. If you’re practicing in your home, try to soundproof the walls to avoid annoying your family. Don’t forget to install dust removers to keep your workshop’s air clean.
Moving Past Mistakes
It happens to just about everybody when they’re learning something new: an unexpected mistake that ruins your project for good. This frustrating experience is difficult to prepare for and move on from and may cause some people to quit learning woodworking entirely. Don’t give up! Instead, treat mistakes and problems as powerful learning experiences.
For example, rather than beating yourself up after making a common mistake, examine what happened honestly and objectively. What caused the mistake to happen? Was it something you did wrong or an error by your teacher? Trace what happened to its root and find a way to prevent it from happening again. This step can help you become a better woodworker.
Let’s say you were working on a birdhouse project that ended with improperly squared walls that look lumpy and unshapely. Rather than smashing the project and quitting woodworking, figure out why you didn’t square the walls properly. For instance, you might not have clamped the wood pieces together before joining them: make sure you do that on all projects from now on.
Knowing Where to Go Next
Once you start mastering a few basic woodworking skills, you might be stuck on autopilot a little. For instance, you might focus on building projects that you feel comfortable crafting without really expanding your abilities. That’s fine if you simply want to build a few basic things. However, if you want to move on to more advanced techniques, you might feel a little lost.
In this situation, it’s smart to talk to other carpenters to see what skills you should practice next. You can also download free woodworking project plans online to guide your learning experience. It’s important to continually challenge yourself when trying something new, so find fun and interesting ways to expand your woodworking craft and improve your experience.
Staying Motivated to Learn
Have you ever tried learning something new, like a language, and found yourself getting bored or unmotivated? That’s a common problem for many people: there are simply too many distractions that can pull you away from learning. As we age, mastering new skills gets harder, which can frustrate many people and cause them to quit practicing.
We suggest joining woodworking social groups to improve your motivation and stay focused on your learning. These clubs connect you with fellow woodworkers in your area with whom you can set up projects, practice sessions, and even social gatherings. These activities can keep you focused on your education and immerse you in this unique culture.
How to Make This Process Easier
If you’re interested in learning woodworking but feel intimidated by these challenges, it’s important to know what resources are available for you. These unique steps can streamline your education and help you become a better woodworker. We brainstormed four different ways that you can make learning woodworking a simpler and more effective process:
- Woodworking Guides: Over the years, many carpenters like Bob Villa have published in-depth woodworking books and guides that can help you master this skill. These self-directed programs included in-depth lessons, projects, and even diagrams you can use for your practice.
- Free Video Classes: Video platforms like YouTube have transformed the learning market. For example, you can follow woodworking channels and watch their in-depth videos to learn, practice, and master many unique skills. Try this option if you have a limited budget.
- Apprenticeships: After mastering a few woodworking skills, you might want to try an apprenticeship with a carpenter near you. Often, they’ll take on workers as “gofers” and gradually introduce you to more advanced carpentry techniques. Try this option if you’re serious about a carpentry career.
- Guided Learning: CourseHorse provides guided woodworking classes that include live professors and socialization opportunities with other students. Options include online courses, as well as classes in cities like New York and Los Angeles and even private group programs.
Choose carefully among these different options to find one or more that makes sense for you. We strongly recommend guided classes because they include a teacher who can help correct your mistakes and provide exercises that improve your learning experience. These learning programs often provide materials and tools that make your training much easier.
Key Takeaways
- Woodworking is one of the oldest but most beneficial crafting skills to master
- Practicing woodworking can help you make attractive items for personal or commercial use
- Persistence and patience can make woodworking much easier to master
- Everyone makes mistakes when learning woodworking: you can learn from them
- Woodworking doesn’t have to feel like an impossible skill to learn
- You can contact CourseHorse to learn more about private, online, and group woodworking classes