Wood is a material that has always been able to inspire people who can work with their hands, and continues to do so. In this selection, we have collected directions for business on wood products.
Business in the production of wooden products can hardly be called simple. To succeed in it today, even in the format of a small carpentry workshop, you need a combination of several factors at once - this is high skill, productivity, the ability to beautifully sell your creations and the desire to spend on everything besides money another valuable resource - time. In the face of competition with the bottomless market of China and the development of hypermarkets, specialization and your own unique niche products in which you want to grow and develop are simply necessary to survive. In this collection, we will offer several such directions. You can start trying your hand at many of them almost immediately, without professional tools and space.
1. Production of wooden bread boxes
Such a thing as a bread box with the help of imagination and a little effort from a household item can turn into a highlight of the kitchen. You can master both the entire production process from creating a blank to final processing, or start small. For example, if you live in a large city, you can purchase ready-made blanks in the form of raw boxes. Usually they are sold in stores like Leonardo and Leroy Merlin. Having bought handles and a lid there, you can focus on honing the decor, while not doing carpentry work.
But, of course, it is possible to reduce the cost of bread bins only with self-production. To do this, at a minimum, you will need a jigsaw, a furniture stapler, wood glue, small nails and self-tapping screws, awnings and wood stain. As for the material, plywood or odorless wood is suitable - for bread bins, it is not recommended, for example, to use coniferous wood. Basically, bread bins differ in doors - they are hinged, folding or accordion, so each of them has its own accessories. To stand out from other bread bins, think about how else it might look. Perhaps it will be a bread chest, the body of a Soviet truck with the inscription “Bread”, or a triangular corner bread box, thanks to which the hostess can save space in the kitchen by pushing it into a corner.
2. Wooden stands and tables for laptops
A laptop stand can become a sought-after functional product “for yourself and for others”. Since their prices are usually in the range of 1-3 thousand rubles, this product is perfectly positioned as a stylish original gift. In connection with the coronavirus today, many people have switched to remote work. And while working at a laptop, they came to the conclusion that they don’t really want to sit at an ordinary table all the time.
There are many types of laptop stands. These can be trays for working while lying in bed, folding or sliding tables, which are used to work from the sofa. The latter, by the way, can be used simply as a magazine, or for eating. In this direction, much depends on the quality of wood processing and filing. Such a product should look aesthetically pleasing and look expensive both in the photo and in reality. The problem is that it will be difficult to compete on prices with Chinese goods, so even in this case you will have to somehow surprise the buyer.
3. Making garden furniture
Coronavirus and restrictions on movement have forced many people to stay within their region and start landscaping plots and summer cottages. As a result, the demand for garden furniture has increased. Being engaged in its production, you can produce tables, chairs and garden benches, armchairs and sofas, deck chairs, deck chairs, swings, gazebos, awnings, pergolas and much more. Wood in such production is one of the most popular materials, which is both environmentally friendly and gives room for imagination. Despite the fact that wooden garden furniture needs constant care and treatment from moisture and pests, it is rightfully considered one of the most comfortable and pleasing to the human eye. And no one forbids combining it with metal and other materials.
At a minimum, for a small production, you will need a set of thickness gauges, drilling and milling machines, grinders, a circular saw and a jigsaw. In addition, there will be secondary expenses, such as equipment, hand tools, a vacuum cleaner and an aspiration system. As a result, the amount for the minimum set can easily exceed $3000. And given the set of starting materials, the total investment (subject to work on your site on a minimal scale) can be estimated at $5000-$7000.
4. Production of unusual backgammon
Backgammon, made according to an exclusive project, can be an expensive gift both at the final price and at cost. Especially when it comes to manual work. But today a cutter can reduce costs and labor costs - with the help of a CNC machine, everyone, if desired, can make the production of backgammon a profitable process. Classic ornaments for backgammon are made in oriental style, but today you can find backgammon for absolutely any plot.
As for the types of wood, oak and beech are excellent for backgammon, alder is also used. In order for your backgammon to serve for a long time, when choosing, you should rely on wood with high hardness and density. In addition, it is necessary to take care of giving the product an expensive look by testing various processing options on different woods. Don't skimp too much on hinges.
5. Wooden rocking chairs for children
Wooden rocking chairs for kids today are made in such a way that adults also want to turn into a child for a while. Here, as in many other areas of working with wood, everything is limited by your imagination and the ability to bring the idea to life. The rocking chair can be made either on a spring or on an arcuate basis like rocking chairs. As for the forms, here it is worth listening to the children themselves. Some of them will definitely like to swing on tumbler airplanes or tumbler horses. But someone may already prefer to climb on a unicorn or a minion. But do not forget about the parents, because the decision to buy in the end is made by them.
6. Production of wooden utensils
Wood is an excellent material for making bowls and plates, trays and containers, cutting boards, rolling pins and shaped rolling pins (more on the latter later). Birch, larch, linden, aspen, cedar, juniper, bamboo, hevea are often used for dishes. Moreover, in dishes from different breeds, the same dish can acquire a slightly different, unique taste.
As a starter set of tools for making wooden utensils, you may need a lathe, cutters, jigsaw, saw, chisel, planer and grinder. For dishes, the lower part of the trunk, rhizome or burl of a freshly cut tree is best suited. The wood should have a straight-grain structure without shells. Finished products are covered with food varnish or other means that are harmless to the body and do not spoil the quality of food. With the help of social networks, various kitchen sets, salad divider plates, gingerbread boards and much more are sold today.
7. Manufacture of chests, caskets and cases
To make the simplest box or case, it is not necessary to have an arsenal of expensive equipment. A milling table with the most primitive cutters, a jigsaw, a grinder and a couple of clamps can usually be enough. And as a starting material, you can even use scraps of parquet, all kinds of wooden dies, pieces of plywood, MDF and chipboard. Since the boxes and cases are small-sized goods, they can be made at home, in the format of a mini-business in the garage.
In the future, with the development and accumulation of experience, it is possible to master new technologies, try different types of wood and processing. In addition, already at the start, you can practice decorating, for example, by immediately purchasing ready-made blanks on Aliexpress and similar sites. A larger and more expensive option in this direction may be the production of chests: the principles of their production are largely similar. You can sell your product using social networks, souvenir shops, fairs, marketplaces, and so on as channels. And, of course, you should think carefully about your unique selling proposition.
8. Manufacture of wooden wall clocks
It would seem that a watch is a thing that not everyone can do, but only an experienced specialist, but today this is not entirely true. On the net, you can easily find ready-made blanks, both just for decorating watches, and ready-made watch mechanisms. And there are as many ideas for the appearance of the clock as you can’t find with any other home decor items. Moreover, the most non-standard options are sometimes made even without a CNC and a cutter - with a set of hand tools such as a saw, a screwdriver, a hammer, a chisel, a ruler and pliers. All this can be found at home in almost any owner.
The most important thing to do to start making watches is to get inspired. You can start by exploring DIY clocks that can be handcrafted on the knee, and then move on to more complex options. Someone is inspired by the unusual shapes of the dials - they are made convex and convex, in the form of surfboards and cars, they are torn apart or completely disposed of, leaving only the hands and the internal mechanism. On the “1000 Ideas” portal, for example, we talked about the trend towards facelessness and ultra-minimalism, which is actively used in watchmaking. Experiments with clocks and time truly have no limits, so you can always find that idea that no one else has.
9. Making sculptures from stained wood
Along the banks of large rivers or on the sea coast, you can find a lot of stained wood, the so-called firewood, which is great for handicrafts. Sometimes the craftsman already has some kind of profile in which he is already working, and sometimes the idea of future products and sculptures is prompted every time by the very form of the finds. In the second case, the creative process turns into art. Such products are in demand in landscape gardening, sold as expensive and exclusive gifts to 'important' people, bought as a kind of symbols and trophies by hunters or fishermen (for example, if the sculpture is a fish or animal). Also, if you know a place where you can find a lot of stained wood, have a boat and an echo sounder, you can earn money selling it, because such material is valued quite expensively.
10. Production of wooden toys
Wooden toys are experiencing a renaissance today. Whichever way you look, there are pluses everywhere - environmentally friendly, safe, aesthetic in appearance, pleasant to the touch. All that remains is the “little thing” - so that not only adults, but also children like them. And not only the smallest, but also older children, teenagers. There are more than enough ideas in this direction - catapult toys, designers, tumblers, development kits and much, much more are made of wood - you can peep something in this collection. What is especially pleasant, the minimum set of tools is enough for the production of some options.
11. Production of figured rolling pins and gingerbread boards
Such a kitchen appliance as a rolling pin in one form or another has existed for more than 3 thousand years, but recently it has been undergoing a transformation. Figured rolling pins with ornaments in the form of patterns, animals, cities, and so on began to appear more and more often on the net. Figured rolling pins are used in baking and when working with dough, which is best suited for shortbread dough. Curly rolling pins are also used to work with mastic, natural and polymer clay and children's sand-clay.
You can make curly rolling pins with fine detail using laser engraving. These rolling pins are best made from hardwoods such as beech. Gingerbread molds are also in demand today. Before the advent of machine tools, craftsmen who create boards with counter-relief carved into them had to have unique skills in champlevé carving, and the manufacture of such boards was ordered by the best bakers.
12. Production and sale of children's towns
Children's towns made of wood are aesthetically attractive slides, houses, stairs and swings that can be sold for tens and even hundreds of thousands of rubles, also providing services for the assembly, installation and delivery of equipment. They are most often made from pine and larch, but wooden towns are rare in their pure form. Usually they are combined with metal profiles for the base, or plywood is used in some places. Another thing is that when starting such a business, you will have to compete with companies that have been operating on the market for decades, and this format is closer to a factory than to a carpentry shop. In the production of wooden platforms, one cannot do without a set of machines, a staff of at least a dozen employees, premises of about 500 square meters, even for a small production.
13. Production of hangers
If you're looking to find a budget niche in woodworking that requires more brains than hands, consider hangers. It takes very little in terms of effort and physical labor, and many hangers can be made from materials that others consider almost rubbish. On the net you can find many examples of hangers from old cuttings of garden tools, backs of chairs, wooden rings and horns from coat hangers, hangers from rake teeth, tree knots, and so on.
14. Production of wooden stairs
The staircase is one of the main functional and interior elements for country and just private houses with several floors. Wooden stairs can have completely different sizes, designs, types of finishes, be single-flight and double-flight, have sides and finish end openings or not. But be that as it may, a ladder is not a carpentry product where you can rely only on yourself. Here you will need a designer, an architect, a woodworker, an installation team, and, preferably, hire a separate sales specialist.
For your workshop for the production of stairs, an area of u200bu200babout 150 squares will be required. Since wooden stairs often include various carved or forged railings, unusual balustrades and railings, sculptures, lamps, etc., expensive types of wood are often used, the staircase turns into a rather expensive product for both the manufacturer and the client. Which, however, are not translated from that at all. Ideas for unusual stairs can be viewed in this collection.
15. Making flower pots
If you're looking for something that's easy to make and sells for more or less, consider flower pots. For the production of planters, it is not necessary to acquire expensive professional tools, and the remains of timber and lining can be used as materials. On the Internet there are examples of making outdoor planters using firing, antiseptic treatment and water-based varnishes with dyes. There is nothing complicated in the production technology, and in order to do everything faster than by hand, you will need a circular saw and a grinder.
16. Manufacture of furniture for pets
One of the interesting niches in wood products manufacturing is pet furniture. Wood can be used to produce dog kennels, claw houses and tables with labyrinths for cats, houses and castles for rodents, and much more. The cost of production of furniture for animals is small, and large premises for the workshop and warehouse are not needed. Since there are more and more such products in pet stores, you need to think carefully about how you will differ from the mass market. Not only a sense of style will help here, but also knowledge of the habits of animals. For example, cats like the ability to watch from hiding places, so the walls of the houses are often made with small windows. Also becoming popular are cat ladders, catwalks and island shelves that are hung on the walls and allow cats to satisfy their natural need to climb trees and hills.
18. Making height rulers
How to turn an ordinary flat board into a real family heirloom? Nothing complicated. If you put length measures on it and fix it on the wall, you get a growth ruler. Becoming in which constantly growing children will be able to celebrate their growth. Of course, in order to sell the line expensively, a piece of plywood will not suit you, you will need to test different types of wood and how they are processed and decorated. The design can be anything: the simplest - in the form of an enlarged school ruler. But it is not necessary to adhere to a rectangular shape. For example, the image of a giraffe is great for growth rulers, when divisions and centimeters are marked on the long neck of the animal.
You can also consider original captions for different marks. Here you can show imagination, for example, denote the lowest growth with the words “gnome”, “hobbit”, “midget”, and the highest with the words “giant” or “Gulliver”. In short, after you consider these and other questions, you may have a whole “line” of thematic lines that are not yet represented by other sellers.
19. Production of business boards
Busyboards are educational stands and houses for children from 1 to 4 years old. On business boards, various objects are attached, such as handles, switches, levers and buttons, with which the child can interact and develop his ingenuity in the first years of life. If desired, almost anyone can create bodyboards, the main thing is to apply a little imagination. All items can be purchased in household goods stores, art stores, on sites like 'Aliexpress' or found almost for nothing on classifieds sites. However, you need to make sure that the parts are not too small, sharp and brittle and remember that children will play with them.
At a fairly low cost, business boards are sold at prices ranging from $50 to $100. The cost depends on the size and content. It is better to promote such products through social networks and the Internet. And also think about advertising in places where mothers with children flicker and walk - in parks, courtyards, at the entrances of new buildings, where young families call in, and so on. You can start such a business with about $2000 available.
20. Unusual wooden shelves and racks
One has only to drive in the phrase “unusual shelves” in the search query, as in response, such a range of shelves immediately appears, the existence of which cannot be suspected in advance. Shelves in the form of branched trees and cacti, in the form of boats and planes, honeycombs and fish skeletons. Ideas immediately arise, for example, for collectors of car models, a wall rack in the form of a truck, the trailer of which is divided into many small shelves, is perfect. The size of which will allow you to place in each one or more copies of toy cars.
Shelving in the form of Swedish ladders can be considered one of the interesting ideas. Thanks to the rung-steps and the stable form of the rack, the owner, who often has to get something from the upper shelves, does not need to resort to the help of a ladder.