Ten Wood Craft Ideas for Your Home 24 October, 2020   

What do you think of when you think of home? A place that you can belong: warm, welcome, and cozy. Home is where you hang your hat. Home is where the heart is. There is no shortage of homilies (pun intended) on the home. 

When we think of warmth, doesn’t that conjure up the image of a fire crackling in the fireplace or a massive bed laden with comforters and soft pillows? What these images have in common is wood. Regardless of your color scheme or what climate you live in, a bit of wood can inject a bit of rustic magic and hygge into your world. Check out these wood craft ideas, and perhaps one of them will make your home an oasis of calm.

01. Natural-looking wooden flower

If that flower had you wondering where what species it was, or which florist to get it from, you wouldn’t be the only one! Sorry to spoil the surprise, but the title says it all; it’s made of wood!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A stick

• A sharp knife for carving/whittling

• Wood glue

• A drill bit and a small bit

Instructions:

• Choose your stick

• Peel your bark till you have a relatively smooth surface to work with

• Round off the edge of the stick

• Carve the row of petals closest to the stick

• Following through – carving the rest of the petals.

•  Attach a stem for your flower

• Color your flowers by spraying them with food coloring

• Arrange your flowers, and you’re done!

02. A table for your sofa arm

Here’s a handy solution when you don’t have a table around to keep your drinks or snacks as you watch tv: a sofa arm table! This is one of those wood craft ideas that are useful as well. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• A 1 x 6 wood piece

• A Miter saw/miter box

• Painter’s tape

• Wood glue

• Leather (optional)

• Polyurethane

Instructions:

• Measure your sofa's arm.

• Saw your wood into three pieces. Alternate the angles so that they will fit together in a U-shape.

• Sand your piece till smooth

• Lay the pieces of wood with the flat side facing up.

• Glue the mitered edges, and fold the sides up to create your table. Leave to dry under weights.

• Adding leather to your table's underside will give it a better grip and prevent any sofa fabric from getting caught in the table.

• You can now paint the wood before finishing or use polyurethane to finish it.

• Let dry, and slide it over your sofa arm.

03. Lazy Susan

Why buy when you can make it? You could probably pay a pretty price for the beautiful lazy Susan in the picture, but wouldn’t you rather make one when it's easier to make it for a fraction of the cost?

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A finished round piece of wood (smaller than your table)

• A rotating spice holder

• A rotating spice holder

• Paint and wood stain such as polyurethane

• Bonding glue

Instructions:

• Paint/stain the round piece of wood and leave it to dry for 8 or more hours.

• Glue the top of the spice holder to the bottom of the piece of wood. Let it dry overnight.

• Voila, your lazy Susan is done! Place it in the center of your table and enjoy your meal without having to ever get up from the table. What are woodcraft ideas if not to make your life a little easier.

04. Wooden cheese board

A well-done cheese board is a thing of beauty. Of course, cheese isn’t the only thing it’s good for. It’s also good for snacks, sandwich assembly, and cut fruit. It adds a rustic touch to your table and looks grand when you have guests over.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Hardwood board

• Paintbrush

• Sanding block

• Wood stain or butcher block finish

Instructions:

• Cut a piece off the wood board.

• Sand down the edges of the board and any rough bits.

• Slather both sides of the board in wood finish, dry it overnight, or as long as the stain/butcher block finish container indicates.

• Clean with soap and water, and maintain that gorgeous sheen with (vegetable oil or any food-safe oil)

05. Balsa wood greeting cards

Want to do something original for your next occasion? Why not send a balsa wood greeting card? It’s unique, will last forever, and is less likely to get thrown in the bin during spring cleaning. It’s one of those evergreen wood craft ideas that you will be forever remembered for.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 board of thick 1/8-inch balsa wood

• 1 board of thick ¼ -inch balsa wood (or 1/8 inch wood stacked 2 layers deep).

• A razor blade or utility knife to cut wood with

• Cardstock

• Colored construction paper (or any other firm paper)

• Paint and paintbrush

• Scissors 

• Glue

• A cutting pad/mat/surface

Instructions:

• Fold and cut the paper.

• Trace shapes that you want to work with onto your wood.

• Use the razor blade to cut around the pieces.

• You can choose to paint the pieces or keep them plain.

• Customize the background of your card by cutting out details and painting your construction paper.

• For the frame, cut four rods of wood from the 1/4th thick wood you had gathered with your materials, preferably between 1/4 inches – 1/3 inches.

• Assemble your elements, glue them together, start with the backgrounds and frames on the card, and end them with the balsa wood details.

• Add a personal message on the inside, and you’re done!

06. Wooden curtain rods

Wooden curtain rods are a simple way to add a touch of luxury to your living room.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 1/4" wood dowel cut 1” -2” wider than your window

• 11/2” to 2” hole saw.

• Medium grit sandpaper

• Cordless drill

• Stainless steel wire brush

• Wood stain

• Paint

• Dark Wax

• Dowel screws (options)

Instructions:

• Measure your brackets to drill a hole for the curtain rods

• Sand rough edges from the cut

• Distress your brackets and then stain them.

• Create grain in your brackets by running a wire brush on both sides of the bracket.

• Paint and wax your brackets.

• Repeat the steps with the brackets with the dowels (your curtain rod)

• Hang your brackets, and connect the dowels using dowel screws (if your windows are too wide for dowels).

• Hang your curtains.

07. Animal coat rack

This is a great project for a children’s room. If inspiration ever fails you in the child room décor department, woodcraft ideas are a sure hit.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 large ‘S’ hooks

• 2 hanging hardware

• Acrylic paint

• Transfer paper

• Template

• 6.5” x 16” x ¾” wooden plank

Instructions:

• Draw your animals on paper.

• Make the ‘tail’ hooks by bending the ‘S’ hook.

• Prepare the board by sanding the plank and drilling 2 large holes to fix your hanging hooks.

• Paint your background. Once dry, tape your templates to the plank, transfer the pattern and draw it.

• Color in the animals, drill holes for the tails, paint the tails separately, and when dry, screw them into the holes on the plank. Done!

08. Laser-printed photos on wood

Gone are the days of photo albums and photo frames. But add a touch of wood with a photo detail, and you’ve got an adorable keepsake at hand.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Digital file/scan of a photo you love

• Light-colored wood piece or panel

• Photo-editing program 

• Scissors

• Laser printer

• Edge of a gift card

• Matte gel paint 

• Mod Podge

• 2 different brushes

• Towel Rag

Instructions:

• Take your photo and flip it to make sure it prints on the right side.

• Set your photo at 300 DPI, and size it to the surface of your wood piece.

• Laser print your photo on thin paper. Get a double print just in case something goes wrong.

• Paint a thin layer of matte gel on top of your photo, and lay it face-down on the wood, smoothing out any bubbles or wrinkles with the edge of a gift card.

• Let it dry for at least 8 hours.

• Wet a rag with water and lay it over the transfer. Rub off the paper gently.

• Once dry, use the mod podge and other brush to seal your finished work.

09. Train with tracks

This delightful little project will give your child the joy of making his own train. Don’t let the fun stop at toy trains, though, with a little ingenuity; woodcraft ideas will generate many ways for kids to have fun. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3 wooden blocks

• 1 wooden spool

• 6 pieces of wagon-wheel pasta

• Chipboard/cardboard sheet

• Cotton tuft

• Kid-friendly paints

• Popsicle sticks and mini craft sticks

Instructions:

• Give your child the wooden blocks, wagon-wheels, and cotton spool to paint.

• Cut chipboard/cardboard for the top of the train and train windows. The tracks cut a strip of chipboard/cardboard wide enough to accommodate the tracks made of mini craft sticks.

• Glue the shorter sticks, evenly spacing them out, to the chipboard/cardboard. Glue the larger craft sticks on either side to complete the tracks.

• Remember – More tracks mean more fun!

• Once the painted pieces are all dry, glue them together.

10. Wooden welcome mat

Do you want a practical doormat that doesn’t look raggedy or caked with mud?

Why not try this simple wood doormat?

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 planks of Cedar/Mahogany/Pine 2 by 2”s (8 feet in length)

• Wood stain

• Polyurethane coating

• A thick rope, longer than the planks

Instructions:

• Drill holes in all the planks after measuring and cutting them to size.

• Apply a wood stain, leave to dry, then finish with a polyurethane coating.

• Knot the thick rope around each plank to assemble your mat.

Domestic bliss is the sum of an interesting life and a lovely, welcoming home. Armed with these great wood craft ideas, may you experience the pleasure of injecting a little color and creativity into your daily life with projects that are as practical as they are pretty.