Woodworking Projects for Beginners

For the following projects, you will need the following tools:

An 8 point handsaw (8+ points per inch on the blade)
A drill with an assortment of bits
Assorted fasteners (screws, nails, etc.)

Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul
(Thanks for the song, They Might Be Giants)...

These are instructions for many woodworker's first 'real' project. It allows you to practice using a saw, drill, and some more of the basic tools many woodworkers will need. You also get to use a dowel for the perch, which - though is a small step - is more than just using flat wood. That and it provides you with experience cutting at angles to fit pieces together. There is also an opportunity for a beginning woodworker to use more wood breeds than just clear pine, but clear pine with a nice stain or paint will do in a pinch.

For Your Little Woodworker

I have a one year old child, so he isn't quite ready to begin wood working, but when I saw this pattern I knew it was a must build. This is a very simple project, but it is going to reinforce common practices like measuring, drilling, cutting, and gluing as a fastener. Again, clear pine is a good choice, and stain is a good finish choice. This can be used to put your young woodworker's first tools in, or make one for your own small hand tools. Though these concepts seem juvenile to someone older who may be beginning woodworking, the phrase "measure twice, cut once" is a time-honored tradition for a reason.

Finally, for the little worker who can't reach the tool bench, we have:

Oliver's Step Stool
(Though I've named mine Gabriel's Step Stool)...

This is another little task for the young woodworker in your family. If he can't reach the tool bench, how can he make nifty wood 'stuff' with mommy or daddy?

This stool is much more complex than it looks, though it is still a good woodworking project for beginners. This is a good project because it will introduce you to a coping saw, and give you different finish options besides painting and traditional staining. Tung oil is not hypoallergenic however, so be careful if anyone in the family has a nut allergy. Another option would be to use a synthesized Tung oil to produce a similar effect. Normal staining is also fine in a case like this, or painting. If your child is old enough, let them paint it!
Dowels

These woodworking projects for beginners will take the following amount of wood (assume clear, white pine).

3/4" pine:
2 - 5 3/4" x 8 1/2"
2 - 6" x 6 3/4"
2 - 6" x 9"
2 - 6" x 4 1/2"
1 - 8" x 14"
2 - 6 1/4" x 9"
1 - 3" x 11 1/2"

Dowels:
1/4" x 2"
3/4" x 14 1/2"

1/2" plywood:
1 - 13 1/2" x 5"
2 - 14 1/2" x 2 1/2" (the actual pattern calls for 3/8 here, but I would go for a sturdier box, and for consistency's sake).
2 - 6" x 5"