6 DIY Projects for Beginner Woodworkers

These easy woodworking projects are great for those developing their skill level

Looking for simple projects that require just basic tools that have great results and help grow your skills? 

There are many woodworking builds you can undertake, and plenty of woodworkers have experience trying different types of projects.

Try, fail and succeed, it all helps grow your level of experience. But these beginner projects, utilizing lumber milled on a portable sawmill or with scrap wood you have lying around, can help demonstrate your ability and improve it.

So what are some great projects for developing woodworkers? Let's get into it:

Essential Woodworking Tools and Materials for Beginners

Starting your woodworking journey doesn't require an expensive workshop filled with professional equipment. With a few essential woodworking tools and quality materials, you can confidently complete your first projects while developing valuable skills along the way.

Every beginner should start with a reliable set of basic hand tools, including:

• • Hammer

  • Tape measure

  • Combination square

  • Screwdriver set

  • Cordless miter saw

These tools are essential for measuring, marking, assembling, and ensuring accuracy. As you gain experience, adding power tools such as a cordless drill, circular saw, and orbital sander will help you work faster, improve precision, and produce cleaner results.

When it comes to materials, most beginner woodworking projects use affordable options like pine boards, plywood, or common dimensional lumber. You'll also need basic hardware, including wood screws, nails, wood glue, and sandpaper to assemble and finish your projects properly.

As your woodworking skills progress, you can gradually invest in more specialized tools such as:

• • Table saw

  • Jigsaw

  • Router

These additions allow you to tackle more advanced woodworking plans and create stronger, more professional-looking builds.

The key is to begin with the essentials rather than purchasing every tool at once. Building your collection over time helps you save money while ensuring you buy tools that match the types of woodworking projects you enjoy most.

What are some great beginner projects for budding woodworkers?

So what are some easy projects for those who are just getting started woodworking? Whether you want to build outdoor furniture, make some extra storage space or have some fun projects to impress friends, these ideas can push you and your experience level a step closer to becoming a master woodworker.

Slab Towel Rack

Courtesy Tom C. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

An easy woodworking project that can be helpful for your bathroom or laundry room is a towel rack. Tom's towel rack features a small slab milled on his Woodland Mills HM130MAX Portable Sawmill, giving him a little table for folding or storing things.

With a preconstructed frame you can simply mill and finish a slab and use it as the centrepiece on top, or go all out and mill and design the rack from top to bottom. Look at the style you want and be bold, especially for a project like this where you can experiment with something small, or challenge yourself to try something new.

Tool Shelving

Courtesy Aaron O. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

Have your own garage or workshop and need a place to store your tools?

Wall storage is convenient because you can have all of your tools, like drills, saws and measuring tapes, on hand and easily accessible. Tom's shelving, made using his HM126 Portable Sawmill, is simple and easily fits onto the wall of his shop.

While Aaron's look uses unfinished lumber you could paint or varnish them to look more rustic, giving your workshop some more country charm.

Round Bedside Table

Courtesy Mathew E. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

This beautifully finished log table is one of the key pieces of Mathew's renovated bedroom, made using lumber milled on his Woodland Mills portable sawmill.

Rustic round tables offer a lot of creativity with many different ways you can finish them. Their unique shapes and grain patterns ensure every one looks different, even if you use the same process across multiple pieces of wood.

So why not mill up some rounds and see if they can be put to use making side tables for your living room or bedroom?

Natural Shaped Charcuterie Board

Courtesy Brian C. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

Charcuterie boards come in all shapes and sizes, and a great place to start is to mill up some slabs and see what shapes you get.

Brian's charcuterie boards features an interesting design driven by the shape of the log. While you can mill a log into a square cant and cut it into any shape using a bandsaw, working with the natural contours of the wood can offer something fully unique.

Focus on the benefits of working with natural materials like wood and see what comes from it. You might be surprised what lies inside a log when you cut into it, and what the end product may look like.

Square Table

Courtesy Juan A. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

Want to step up your game and try something more complex?

A table made of homemade lumber can look really beautiful, and Juan's design is a simple one that can be easily replicated at home. The tabletop is made of several pieces of milled lumber while the frame is a simple stick-built structure with four legs and supports between them.

For such a simple design the end result is jaw dropping and something a lot of sawyers and woodworkers could make with just a little bit of experience.

Picnic Table

Courtesy Morgan N. from the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook Group.

Want a project that's simple but puts your skills to the test.

Morgan's picnic table was made from lumber milled from his HM122 Portable Sawmill, and was made for staff at the local hospital to have a place to sit and rest outdoors during breaks. It's a beautiful gift, and it's a simple one to make too.

While some picnic tables feature criss-crossing supports, Morgan's is a square frame that should be easy for new woodworkers to replicate. It just goes to show that you don't need to overcomplicate a project to make something that's both functional and looks great.

Anything else I need to know before I start woodworking?

Interested in seeing more projects? Check out our other lists and guides on how to get started doing woodworking.

If you want to grow your skills so you someday become a better woodworker in the future, there are some easy tips you should follow:

• • Look online at groups like the Woodland Mills Product Owners and Community Facebook group for projects to inspire you

  • Ensure you're always taking care and measuring twice to ensure no lumber goes to waste

  • Scrap wood can make for useful building tools, with lots of sawyers using scraps for inventive projects

  • Start small and work your way up, and add new tools each time you feel the need to grow your arsenal

What type of woodworking project should I build next?

Looking for simple ideas on what to build? Here are a few suggestions:

• • Custom-made birdhouses can add curb appeal and attract songbirds to your back yard

  • A simple wooden wine rack can be built in just a few hours

  • Floating shelves are very handy and be build in less than an hour

  • Desk organizers are a useful and easy project for beginners

  • DIY shoe racks are another easy project that can be completed in just a few hours