Resources for Woodworking Education – Ever wanted to start learning the basics of woodworking? What about how to use woodworking hand tools to make intricate, detailed designs? Or perhaps you’d like to learn the art of creating a sturdy and elegant bench for your garden or outdoor space.
Maybe you’re even an advanced woodworker already who wants to take their craft to the next level.
Whatever your goals for furthering your knowledge of woodworking, there are amazing resources available on the internet to help teach you.
Below are nine of the best ways to get up to speed on cool projects and key techniques, or just admire the beautiful crafts of passionate woodworkers.
1. Fine Woodworking
Fine Woodworking is one of the longest running and most respected publications in the woodworking space.
It’s one of the few woodworking publications that continues to produce print issues, which are worth picking up for their beautiful, glossy photography and insightful articles.
But publisher The Taunton Press (which also produces sister magazines like Fine Homebuilding) has also taken its game thoroughly into the 21st century by launching finewoodworking.com with a huge array of tutorials, projects and articles from the magazine’s illustrious history.
2. Woodworking for Mere Mortals
Pro woodworker Steve Ramsey dispenses great advice for novices and advanced woodworkers alike through his channel, Woodworking for Mere Mortals.
Ramsey’s combination of a down-to-earth style with excellent production values has earned his channel a big following. Plus, most of his videos clock in under 15 minutes, making them easy to digest in small chunks and quickly get up to speed on a topic.
The exceptions are his longer interviews with fellow woodworkers, which are rich and fascinating discussions worth spending some time with.
3. Make Something
The title of this one says a lot, doesn’t it? Make Something is the perfect resource for those looking for detailed plans that they can use to create awesome woodworking projects.
Each plan is accompanied by a video from founder David Picciuto in which he provides a step-by-step demonstration of how to make the project.
His plans range from small knick knacks to major pieces of furniture like desks and bed frames, which makes his website an equally great resource for both novices and old hands.
4. The Wood Whisperer
Looking for somebody who can teach you the basics of woodworking and have you cracking up at the same time? Get introduced to Matt Spagnuolo, aka The Wood Whisperer.
On his YouTube channel and website, which he’s been running since 2006, Spagnuolo completes beautiful projects while adding his own colorful commentary to keep you entertained.
He’s even expanded his efforts into creating a new community of woodworkers through the TWW Guild, an online community that provides detailed premium lessons and support from a network of woodworking pros.
5. Woodworking Network
Interested in getting a bird’s-eye view of the woodworking industry? Dive into Woodworking Network, a trade publication for the woodworking industry.
You won’t find much in the way of project tutorials or tool reviews here, although features like Ask a Woodworker can provide some interesting insights on different kinds of materials and techniques.
What you will get from Woodworking Network is a line on the most important stories that affect industries like furniture building and architectural millwork, and that information is critical for anyone who wants to understand the trade through the lens of a business professional.
6. Wood by Wright
If you’re a hand tool enthusiast, or you want to learn the basics of working with tools like hand planers and pull saws, the YouTube channel Wood by Wright is everything you’re looking for.
Woodworker James Wright is remarkably talented with these time-honored tools, but he breaks it all down with good humor and humility in a way that doesn’t talk down to novices.
Watching Wright work, you’ll almost certainly fall into the soothing, hypnotic rhythm of hand tool work — and, before you know it, you’re a hand tool diehard.
7. The Spruce Crafts
The Spruce is a wide-ranging site for everything related to home improvement and maintenance, and its sister site, The Spruce Crafts (TSC), has a ton of great woodworking content available.
It’s an especially good choice for beginners, who will appreciate the comprehensive array of tutorials and basic tips that TSC offers.
But experts will also find plenty to love from the site’s in-depth discussions of various tools and shop design, as well as its variety of projects and tutorials.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration, instruction or just some eye candy projects, TSC is a top-notch resource.
8. The New Yankee Workshop
Do you enjoy the unhurried, no-frills style of PBS shows like This Old House? Do you want a treasure trove of woodworking content, taught by a master and stretching back all the way to 1989?
Then you need to check out woodworker Norm Abram’s legendary New Yankee Workshop, which spent 20 years bringing beautiful woodworking projects to public television viewers.
Abram has made the bulk of the show’s 200+ episode run available to watch for free through his website, so you can enjoy the serenity of watching a master at work and get some inspiration for projects of your own.
9. /r/woodworking
Reddit is a great platform for hobbyist communities, and the /r/woodworking forum is an active and healthy community with over three million subscribers.
Users come together to share pictures of their best projects, commiserate over their not-so-good ones, review tools, exchange techniques and much more.
With all of that woodworking knowledge in one place, you’re almost certain to find someone who can answer your question (although, since it’s an anonymous internet forum, take it with the standard grain of salt).