Here are 8 ways to get inspiration for new woodworking projects. They are in random order, but I think the last one is the most important.
Many of you have probably at some point wanted to make something, but did not know what. This is not a problem for me. You might think that’s because I am so creative and you feel that you aren’t. That is not correct, most of the things I make have many people made before me. I may make it in a new way, but I have got inspiration from others. So my easy explanation of why I always have a project to do is I plan my inspiration.
1 Instagram – Get inspired by beautiful photos
On Instagram, you will find people in all categories who share what they have created. You will find a lot of classic Instagram photos where the photos should be as beautiful as possible. But many of the woodworkers on Instagram are good at sharing things from the whole process of making a thing. So Instagram is not only a great way to find new projects to create, but it can also be a place where you can find new ways to do things.
If you want to find inspiration on Instagram for the first time, it’s good to start by searching on hashtags. For example, you can start with #woodworker, and from there continue down the rabbit hole. By this, I mean that you can start as wide as searching for #woodworks, and an hour later you are sitting searching for something as strange as things made of matches. I’m sorry if this is something you’re interested in, but you have to agree that it’s a little weird?
Woodworkers on Instagram have a good tone between them and want to help each other. If you are not on instagram yet then you should consider this just to be part of this group of nice people.
You can get some inspiration from my Instagram profile here
And remember to follow the ones you think are good, so you be updated when they post new projects. If you follow what popular people on Instagram make, you can pick up trends that are coming. It can help you if you want woodworking to be a source of income for you. So you may be the only one at your local trade show who has this product. Or you can be one of the first to sell this online.
2 Pinterest – Your inspiration bank
Pinterest can be where you save all the inspiring ideas you find in all the other channels I mention. You can do this easily by adding Pinterest’s extension to your browser. If you see a picture you want to save, a red P will appear in the left corner of the picture. Then you can save the image on one of your boards.
This is called pinning a picture. For those who remember corkboards, it’s like attaching the image to your virtual corkboard. You can have as many boards as you want. Then you can choose whether it should only be private or whether it should be that someone else can see it. You can share a board with whoever you want. This can be a great way to work with someone you are going to do a project with or a customer you are going to make something for.
But Pinterest is not only a place where you store pictures, it is also a great search engine. You can find images others have already pinned. Search for anything and you will most likely find the images you are looking for.
You can also click on the photos to get more information that the person who pinned them has added. Here you can also comment on the picture or ask questions. You can also find the link to where the image is taken from. This can be useful if you need more information about how things are made.
3 Facebook – Woodworking inspiration from new and old friends
Facebook may not be the first place you think you should find inspiration for your next woodworking project. But it’s actually a great place to find inspiration. If you go through your news feed, you will not find much that inspires among the photos of the dinner and the children of your friends.
Join a woodworking group on Facebook
Facebook is much more than just your feed. For example, you can find many groups for woodworkers. These are groups where you can see what others are working on, but you can also ask questions to other good woodworkers in the groups on Facebook.
One thing you should be aware of is that the different groups have their own rules. In some you are allowed to post things you have made for sale, while in others this is forbidden. So read through the rules in the group before you post anything for sale or share anything from your own websites or channels.
It’s nice to be a member of some of the big groups that have members from all over the world. But being a member of a local group can be even more interesting. If you join a group of woodworkers in the area where you live, you may get a big surprise at what your neighbor or colleague is building without you knowing.
Share tools, save money
Being a member of a local woodworking group can also help you find new friends and partners for a project. But it can also save you a lot of money. Let’s say you’re working on a project where you need a special tool, but you’ll probably never use it again. Then you can ask in the group if there are others who have this tool you can borrow.
4 Youtube – See what other woodworkers are making and get inspired
As a woodworker, there is an incredible amount of inspiration to be found on Youtube. While many other inspiration channels mostly only show the finished product, you will find much more inspiration on how to make the product on Youtube.
Youtube is a platform where many woodworkers post how they have made a particular product. This means that you will not only be inspired to make exactly the same product, but you can also learn from how they make the product. So you can find inspiration on new techniques and products you can use in your woodworking.
Youtube is the world’s largest video platform where anyone can create their own “TV channel”. This means that you can subscribe to their channel and then be informed when they post a new video.
You can check out my Youtube channel here.
When you watch a video on Youtube, Youtube will suggest similar videos that you might like. You may want to watch a few videos of how several people have done the same thing. So there can be several ways to make a product. You can then make a choice of what you think is the best method for you.
5 Google – The search for woodworking inspiration
As the world’s largest search engine, you can find a lot of inspiration for your woodwork via Google. You may have found this article via a google search?
There it is not only articles like this that you can find on Google. You can as you probably know also search for pictures and videos.
In the same way as on Instagram and Pinterest, you can search for inspiring photos. My experience is that a google search will easier find exactly what you are looking for than the other two. This is because Google has better algorithms that better understand what it is you are looking for.
But it’s not just photos and videos that Google can help you find inspiration with. For example, you can use Google maps to find galleries, museums, and libraries near you that can inspire you. You can also search for other woodworkers nearby that you may visit to share experiences and see how they are working.
6 Twitter – Be inspired by others
Twitter is probably the social media channel that you think of the least when it comes to finding inspiration to do woodworking. But it is actually a good channel for inspiration. Text is the main communication method on Twitter, but you can also share photos and video.
Also on Twitter you can search for hashtags like #woodworker and #woodwork and find inspiration for new projects. But what’s a little different in relation to Instagram is that you see the text first. Since the text is the main part of what Twitter is, it will always come first. When you browse on Instagram, you most of the time never stop to read the text. While on Twitter it is the main focus of the feed. And then you might be able to capture more easily what the other person wants you to see in this particular image. Which can inspire you in a different way than just looking at pictures.
Another benefit I see on Twitter is that there are fewer of all the glossy photos you find on Instagram. Another thing I like is that you can zoom in on an image on Twitter, and it stays zoomed-in. On Instagram, you have to keep your fingers on the screen all the time you want it zoomed in, if not it bounces back to normal size.
7 Books – Inspirational woodworking books
If you think you can not find any inspiration for woodwork from books, then think again. I will be honest to say I thought books were outdated in terms of finding inspiration and learning things about woodworking.
Yes, videos can be easier to understand at times, but a well-made book can be just as good to understand, and you do not have to pause it and rewind. Pictures and video are not always enough, you need to be explained how and perhaps why you do things this way.
The bible for woodworkers
I will recommend two books, the first is the most important. This is “Woodworking: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Skills, Techniques, and Projects”. This is a “must-have book”, there are useful things to learn no matter what experience you have as a woodworker.
The first chapters go through the most basic things you should know as a woodworker. Everything from how to set up your workshop, safety, and properties of the different types of wood.
The book contains 41 projects you can be inspired by. There are over 1200 pictures in the book, which makes it very easy to understand. With its 448 pages, it is almost like a bible for us woodworkers.
Fun and inspiring book
The other book I would recommend also has tips and plans, but that’s not why I recommend this one. I recommend the book “Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop“. Mostly for the humorous and good feeling the book gives you when you read it.
The book is written by Nick Offerman who is perhaps better known to most as an actor than a woodworker. But he is a good woodworker also who has published several books on the subject. I have so far only read this book by him, but I will order more of them.
I am amused with Nick’s humor and recognize this from the character Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreations”. Not to say that Nick is like Ron, but you notice that he has brought some of his humor into the character Ron.
Both books are also available for download to Kindle. “Good Clean Fun” is also available as an audiobook from Audible.
8 Make a list of your Inspiring woodworking ideas
This is the most important way to get inspiration and to get things done. After you have found a lot of inspiration on the other seven ways to find inspiration, you need a system for storing the ideas. There are many ways you can do this, but here I will tell you how I do it.
I have made a spreadsheet where I enter all the ideas I get when I see someone do something cool. The reason I use a spreadsheet is because then I can plan the ideas for when I will make them.
How to set up the inspiration list
In this list, I have six columns which are “Name of the idea”, “Material to buy?”, “Tools to buy?”, “Category”, “Comment” and “Link”. I will give a brief explanation of the last three.
In “Category” I write which category of work this idea falls into. This can be something like “wood and epoxy” or “wood and LED”.
“Comment” probably speaks for itself, but here I add a useful comment. Like “I have to learn to code an Arduino before I do this project”. Or it can be an idea I have on what materials I should use.
“Link” here I can post a link to a photo or video of what the idea is. This could also be a video I saw on youtube, or a picture I found in a group on Facebook.
The reason for having a list of ideas
The reason why you should have a list or spreadsheet is because you should remember all aspects of the good idea you had 1-2 months ago. Do you remember what you thought of when you wrote down the idea “candlestick idea” two months later? Neither do I.
Another reason to have a list is to make sure you have everything you need for this idea. If you have a list that says what materials you are missing, you know what you need to order. When I add a new idea to my list, I always go online to find what I need. It’s not always that I order it there and then, but then I store it in a shopping list. This saves me time when I will order, and I know what the tool or material I need costs.
At the time of writing, I have 55 ideas on my list. Around 20 of them I could have started today, as I have planned and ordered what I need. This means that I always have something I can do, and I always have a list full of inspiration.
No more excuses for not making something
Making something is the greatest feeling there is, so don’t make excuses for why you can’t make something. Plan for your future inspiration, or rather your lack of inspiration. Make a system for your ideas, it doesn’t need to be like mine, make one that works for you.
Are you curious about which tools I use? I have a list for this too.
