Woodworking is a diverse and impressive crafting skill that can be used to create things as simple as a birdhouse to items as complex as homes and intricate artwork. In this in-depth article, you’ll learn about the many benefits that learning woodworking can provide you, regardless of your goals and interests.
What is Woodworking?
Woodworking is not only one of the most ancient crafts in the world but one of the most important. In fact, historians state that woodworkers have crafted civilization by utilizing wood from trees to produce art, buildings, vehicles, paper, books, and clothing. Incredibly, historians state that Neanderthals were already using wood in their day-to-day lives. That fact means that woodworking is as old as civilization and in fact outlived its inventors, the Neanderthals.
Even with all the advances in science over the last 10,000 years, wood is still one of the most commonly used crafting materials in the world. Why? It’s renewable, which means that it can be regrown with time. By contrast, plastic and metal are non-renewable, meaning that, even with recycling, they’ll eventually run out. That makes woodworking an eternally useful skill, one that will likely become even more important as metal and plastic sources finally disappear.
Benefits of Learning Woodworking?
Once you master woodworking, you can start making fun and useful projects for personal or commercial use. For example, beginners can make things as simple as chopping boards and serving trays to give away as gifts to loved ones. Advanced woodworkers can produce items like bed frames, desks, tables, and even build sheds, garages, and homes. This uniquely adaptable nature means that you can enjoy woodworking even if you never master it fully.
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Even better, woodworking can actually improve your physical health. How? You’ll be on your feet while you create projects in your workshop, helping to offset some of the lethargy caused by working an office job. Furthermore, you’ll build strength lifting and hauling wood, using tools, and carefully joining wood pieces. While it might not take the place of jogging, every bit of exercise like this helps to keep you in shape by getting you on your feet and active.
In fact, learning woodworking can provide far more benefits than we have time to list here. Even if it takes you 5-6 months to feel comfortable with basic techniques, the learning experience itself is very rewarding. By the time you master woodworking after about a year or two, you’ll experience even more advantages that will make you glad you took the time to practice and perfect your skills as a woodworker. Here are a few more benefits of learning this craft.
Starting a New Career
Are you tired of your current job and want to find something dramatically different? You’re not alone: The Great Resignation that rocketed through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond saw millions of people quit their jobs to pursue a different career. In fact, this massive wave of job change isn’t over yet and is likely to stick around for a few more years. Why not learn woodworking and potentially start a new career? After all, it’s a skill that’s always in-demand.
Just how much can you make? That depends on the career you pursue. For instance, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that woodworkers can make a median pay of $36,710 as of 2021 (their 2023 statistics have yet to be released). That equates to about $17.65 per hour. While that might not seem great on the surface, note that it’s just the median salary: you might make even more money. Even better, you don’t need an advanced college degree to start.
That said, carpenters make more money than basic woodworkers. The the BLS states that they make a median salary of $48,260 annually or $23.20 per hour. Furthermore, this job does include apprenticeship training that can help you master more advanced woodworking skills. While this career is growing at a somewhat slow rate (2% per year), you could start a carpentry business after learning more advanced skills and improve your earning potential considerably.
Creating Attractive Artwork
Did you know that creativity is an inherent trait of all humans and that expressing yourself through artwork is a powerful emotional experience? Well, according to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, creativity is far more important than most people realize and is critical to consider in education and growth, no matter your age. Mastering woodworking can help you produce attractive artwork and practical projects that can stretch your creative mind.
Thankfully, CourseHorse provides unique woodworking learning experiences that can help improve your artwork dramatically. For instance, you can attend the Virtual Wood Burning Workshop with up to 500 of your closest friends to master this unique skill. In this private group class, you’ll work with a live professor who can provide hands-on support that makes mastering wood burning easier. You can then use this skill in any of your wooden art projects.
If you get good enough at producing attractive wooden artwork, you could even transition into a career as a fine artist. This field is more competitive and lucrative than you might think! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, craft and fine artists can make a median salary of $49,960 yearly or $24.02 hourly. Even better, this field has a job growth outlook of about 6%, which is average for the job market. This career option is perfect for the creatively inclined.
Making Projects for Your Home
Are you tired of spending a lot of money on furniture and other items in your home? That’s understandable: after all, Home Advisor states that it can cost an average of $16,000 to furnish and decorate a home and even more for some people. However, learning woodworking can help you offset many of these expenses by teaching you how to build these items for your house! Knowing how to build couches, chairs, and tables is a huge financial benefit.
To help you better meet this goal, CourseHorse provides the A Guide to Upholstered Furniture Course held by the New York School of Interior Design. This class teaches you how to upholster wooden furniture to improve their look and enhance their comfort. This virtual class can be scheduled as a self-paced learning experience or a real-time class. In this way, you can choose an option that suits your personality, learning preferences, and daily schedule.
Other classes cover even more items that you can use to decorate your home or sell at art fairs. For example, Buddy Up! Craft a Side Table is a CourseHorse class in New York City that teaches you and a friend (or partner) how to craft a side table. You’ll not only get access to a live professor but also get wood and tools to build your project. Programs like these teach you the techniques necessary to build a myriad of fun and attractive items for your house.
Producing Great Gifts for Your Loved Ones
Every year, you probably have to give a dozen different gifts to family members and loved ones. This experience is more important than you may realize, as both the gift-giver and the receiver receive heavy emotional benefits from this exchange. For example, giving a gift that someone truly appreciates can release endorphins in both you and the person to whom you give the present. As a result, it’s critical to find something that your loved ones will truly enjoy.
Thankfully, learning woodworking can help you give better gifts to your loved ones and make them feel truly appreciated. For instance, instead of giving them another Amazon gift card for Christmas, you could make them something like a bookshelf, storage unit, desk, or even a beautiful picture frame. These highly personalized gifts show your loved one that you care deeply about them and can improve your relationship immeasurably.
Even better, you could also teach your children and other loved ones how to handle basic carpentry and woodworking skills themselves. For example, you could sit down with your son or daughter and teach them how to build things like birdhouses, skateboards, storage boxes, and even personalized signs for their bedroom. Teaching someone a new skill is truly a gift that keeps on giving, especially if they use it later in life to make items for others.
Saving Money on Repair Projects
Have you ever paid a carpenter or repair expert hundreds of dollars for a project that only took them a few hours? This financial headache is frustrating and completely avoidable. In fact, in the past, our ancestors typically handled home repairs themselves because they were taught these skills at a young age. That said, you can still master home repair techniques by learning woodworking skills from CourseHorse. They provide many classes that may help you!
For example, Boston Building Resources holds the Window and Screen Repair Clinic that can help you save money on screen repairs. Rather than having to buy all-new screens when they rip, you can use the skills mastered in this workshop to fix them yourself. This clinic is a very inexpensive learning opportunity that provides many benefits. For example, you could repair screens for your friends and family at a small fee to save them money as well.
Furthermore, you can also take more advanced classes like Construction Work 2 and Construction Work 3 from West Valley Occupational Center if you live in the Los Angeles area. These courses teach workplace safety, resource management, mathematics, and hands-on construction skills you can use to either start a new carpentry career (as we’ve already discussed above) or perform complex and financially rewarding repairs for yourself or others.
Meeting New People
As we age, it gets harder and harder to meet new friends and expand our social circles. That’s because people are often too busy with family and friends or simply don’t feel like they have the time to spend with others. However, woodworking is a uniquely social activity, one that may include working with other carpenters on projects like boats, carts, bookshelves, barns, storage sheds, and homes. Thankfully, there are many outlets you can use to meet fellow woodworkers.
For instance, Meetup is a social website that includes multiple clubs and groups that you can join based on personal interests. Thankfully, there are nearly 100 woodworking groups on this platform with almost 65,000 unique members! These include art, construction, and workshop groups that can help you meet new friends and expand your woodworking skills in highly personal environments. You can even make a group if you can’t find one that interests you.
Furthermore, Core Moment includes a list of state-based woodworking groups that list each organization’s address and contact information such as their official website. You can research different groups in your area, learn more about their requirements for joining, and start attending their meetings. In this way, you’re likely to meet a broader range of potential friends and fellow carpenters and can potentially expand your skills in a fun and social environment.
Reducing Your Stress
Are you like millions of other people around the world and experience high levels of stress? Unfortunately, the modern world makes stress almost impossible to avoid, which is a serious issue. After all, multiple medical publications have called stress the “silent killer, ” as too much causes heart damage, triggers heart attacks, prematurely ages your body, and affects your cognitive development. Thankfully, learning woodworking may give you a better stress outlet.
For example, Harvard Health Publishing states that working with your hands can reduce stress and depression symptoms and balance your emotional health. That’s because people inherently like creating and don’t have enough outlets for it in their day-to-day life. Furthermore, creating new projects with your hands makes you feel like you’re a master of your domain, ala Seinfeld. That confidence boost can also cause an endorphin release that may improve your mood.
Furthermore, Psychology Today states that working with your hands can improve your problem-solving skills. For instance, creating new projects requires careful consideration of your materials, tools, and the processes you can use to create attractive wooden items. In this way, you’ll learn to see problems from unique angles and apply these skills to your everyday life. That can minimize your stress and improve your confidence by making you feel more competent.
How to Start Learning Woodworking
There are many ways to learn woodworking, including self-guided lessons on YouTube, as well as books that provide simple projects and skills exercises you can use to become a better woodworker. However, CourseHorse provides many online woodworking courses, as well as in-person classes, that can help you become a better woodworker. Available in-person programs in cities like New York and Los Angeles include beginner-level classes like Craft a Side Table and advanced courses like Woodworking—Intermediate/Advanced.
Online learning is an interesting option because it opens you up to classes around the nation. So, if you live nowhere near a major city like Chicago, you can still take woodworking courses on the internet and master impressive crafting skills. Furthermore, online learning lets you practice at home, meaning you can avoid traffic and stay safe. While virtual programs don’t typically provide you with tools and materials, they’re still an excellent option if you can’t find an in-person course that interests you. For many people, virtual training simply works the best.
Key Takeaways
- Woodworking is an ancient skill that helped transform civilization
- Wood is still one of the most widely used crafting materials in the world
- Learning woodworking can provide many personal and economic benefits
- Woodworkers can create many unique and beneficial items
- Working with your hands as a woodworker can help manage stress and anxiety
- Social groups make woodworking a more fun and enjoyable experience
- You can learn woodworking on CourseHorse with in-person, online, and private group classes