The dream of every woodworker is to make their hobby pay for itself. There is an incredibly satisfying feeling when someone else values your work enough to open their wallet for it.
But when you decide to start selling, you hit a wall: What should I make?
You don’t want to build massive dining tables that require freight shipping. You don’t want to spend 40 hours on a single item that you can only sell for $50.
The secret to a successful woodworking side hustle, especially when starting, is focusing on items that are:
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Small and Shippable: Easy to pack in a standard box without expensive postage.
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Batchable: You can make 5 or 10 at a time once your machines are set up.
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High Perceived Value: Items that look expensive and artisanal, even if they were relatively simple to make.
I have analyzed the current market trends on platforms like Etsy and Facebook Marketplace. Here are 10 small woodworking projects that are currently selling like crazy, which you can start building this weekend.
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1. Geometric Hardwood Coaster Sets
Coasters are the classic “scrap wood project,” but to make them sell, you need to elevate them beyond just square blocks of pine. Modern buyers love geometric shapes (hexagons, octagons) and contrasting wood tones.
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Why They Sell: They are an affordable luxury. People love buying them as housewarming gifts, wedding favors, or just to upgrade their own coffee table. They feel like a boutique item.
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Materials Needed: Small scraps of hardwood (Walnut, Maple, Cherry are best). Contrast is key.
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Difficulty: Beginner.
Pro Tip for Selling: Do not sell them individually. Sell them in sets of 4 or 6. Tie them together with a rustic twine ribbon or a simple leather strip for the listing photo. This immediately raises the perceived value from “scrap wood” to “gift set.” Finishes matter here—use a high-quality, water-resistant finish like Osmo or Rubio Monocoat for a premium feel.
2. Minimalist Wooden Phone & Tablet Stands
In the era of Zoom calls and watching Netflix in bed, everyone needs a place to prop up their phone. Wooden stands offer a warmer, more aesthetic alternative to cheap plastic ones.
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Why They Sell: Pure functionality meets decor. They are incredibly cheap to ship and solve a daily problem. The Work-From-Home crowd is always buying these for their desk setups.
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Materials Needed: A small piece of 3/4″ or thicker stock. You can make these from a 2×4, but hardwoods look much better.
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Difficulty: Beginner. It can be as simple as one angled cut on a table saw or miter saw.
Pro Tip for Selling: Design it with a small notch or pass-through hole at the bottom for a charging cable. Call it a “Charging Station” in your listing title. This added functionality makes it much more desirable than a simple block of wood.
3. The “Spa Day” Bathtub Caddy Tray
Self-care is a massive trend right now. A wooden bathtub tray turns a regular bath into a luxurious spa experience. It’s essentially just a nice plank of wood spanning the tub, holding a book, a tablet, a candle, and a glass of wine.
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Why They Sell: They are highly “Instagrammable.” People love posting pictures of their relaxing bath setups. They make fantastic gifts for partners or mothers.
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Materials Needed: One long board (usually around 30-32 inches, but measure standard tubs). Cedar is a great choice because it is naturally water-resistant.
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Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate (depending on how many features you route into it).
Pro Tip for Selling: Staging is everything. Your main photo should not just be the board leaning against a wall. Photograph it across a tub with a book, a lit candle, and a wine glass placed on it. You are selling the experience, not just the wood.
4. Magnetic Wall-Mounted Bottle Openers
This is the ultimate “man cave” or groomsman gift. It’s a piece of wood mounted on the wall with a metal opener at the top. The “magic” trick is embedding strong rare-earth magnets in the back of the wood, hidden from view, which catch the bottle caps as they fall.
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Why They Sell: They are fun, interactive, and solve the problem of bottle caps ending up on the floor. They are perennial best-sellers during Christmas and wedding seasons.
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Materials Needed: A piece of interesting wood (live edge looks great here), a metal bottle opener hardware (cheap online), and strong neodymium magnets.
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Difficulty: Intermediate (requires precise drilling with Forstner bits on the back to hide the magnets close to the surface).
Pro Tip for Selling: Create a short video showing a cap being popped and magically sticking to the wood. Video sells this product way better than a static photo.
5. Modern Floating Shelves (Small Sizes)
While big floating shelves are hard to ship, small ones (12″ to 24″ long) are perfect for online sales. They are used for displaying small plants, Funko Pops, pictures, or spices in the kitchen.
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Why They Sell: The modern, minimalist home decor trend is still going strong. People love the clean look of shelves with no visible brackets.
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Materials Needed: 2x lumber can be used if planed down and stained well, or poplar for painted versions.
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Difficulty: Intermediate (building the internal hollow torsion box or drilling perfectly straight holes for hidden bracket hardware requires precision).
Pro Tip for Selling: Include the mounting hardware (screws and drywall anchors) in the box. Advertise them as “Ready to Hang.” Buyers hate having to run to Home Depot after receiving a product.
6. Entryway Mail and Key Organizers
Everyone has that cluttered spot by the front door where keys get lost and mail piles up. A simple wooden organizer that mounts on the wall solves this daily headache.
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Why They Sell: High utility. It’s an organizational tool that also looks good.
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Materials Needed: Scrap pine or common boards work well here as they are often painted or stained cleverly. You’ll need some small metal hooks.
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Difficulty: Beginner.
Pro Tip for Selling: Offer customization. Let buyers choose the stain color or the metal hook finish (e.g., matte black vs. brushed nickel). Customization allows you to charge a premium price.
7. Artisanal Serving & Charcuterie Boards
Don’t just make a square cutting board. The market is flooded with those. Instead, focus on “serving boards” meant for cheese and crackers at a party.
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Why They Sell: The rise of “charcuterie” culture. People want beautiful backdrops for their food spreads when hosting.
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Materials Needed: Food-safe hardwoods only (Maple, Walnut, Cherry). Avoid open-pored woods like Red Oak.
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Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate.
Pro Tip for Selling: Focus on unique handles or shapes. A long, skinny board with an elegant handle looks much higher-end than a simple rectangle. Always highlight that you use a food-safe finish (like mineral oil and beeswax).
8. Raised Pet Feeder Stands
People love their pets and spend ridiculous amounts of money on them. A wooden stand that holds dog or cat bowls off the floor looks much better in a kitchen than metal bowls sliding around on the tiles.
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Why They Sell: It taps into the passionate pet owner market. It also has health benefits for larger dogs to eat at an elevated height.
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Materials Needed: Plywood with iron-on edge banding works great, or solid pine painted nicely.
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Difficulty: Intermediate (you need to cut precise circles with a jigsaw to fit standard-sized metal bowls).
Pro Tip for Selling: Design your stand to fit the standard stainless steel bowls you can buy cheaply on Amazon. Mention in your listing exactly which size bowl it fits (e.g., “Fits standard 2-quart bowls”).
9. Minimalist Jewelry Displays (Earring/Ring Stands)
These are delicate, small items that feel very boutique. Think of small wooden cones for holding rings, or a T-bar stand for hanging dangling earrings.
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Why They Sell: They are incredibly cheap and easy to ship. They appeal to a female demographic that values aesthetic organization on their dresser.
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Materials Needed: Very small scraps of nice hardwood. Excellent use for expensive exotic offcuts.
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Difficulty: Beginner (some turning on a lathe helps, but isn’t strictly necessary; sanding shapes works too).
Pro Tip for Selling: Photography must be bright, clean, and lifestyle-focused. Stage the stands with actual jewelry on a clean white background or a marble countertop.
10. Desk Organizers / Monitor Risers
With more people working from home, the home office upgrade market is huge. A simple wooden riser to lift a computer monitor, with space underneath to slide a keyboard, is highly sought after.
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Why They Sell: Ergonomics and desk organization. It makes a desk look cleaner and helps with neck strain.
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Materials Needed: A nice piece of 3/4″ plywood with edge banding, or solid hardwood.
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Difficulty: Beginner. It’s essentially a small bench—a top and two legs.
Pro Tip for Selling: Dimensions are critical here. Ensure your riser is wide enough to slide a full-size keyboard underneath. Mention the exact clearance height in your listing so buyers know their keyboard will fit.
A Final Tip on Pricing
A common mistake beginners make is underpricing their work. Don’t just charge for the wood cost!
A simple formula to start with is: (Materials Cost + Your Hourly Rate x Hours Spent) x 1.5 = Retail Price
Or, a simpler rule of thumb for small items: 3x your material cost.
Don’t be afraid to charge what your time is worth. If you make a quality product and take beautiful photos of it, people will pay for craftsmanship.
Start with one or two items from this list, perfect your process, get some good photos, and list them. You’ll be amazed at what happens next.