Stuck at Home? 4 Indoor Woodworking Projects for Hobbyist Carpenters

Cabin fever is a nightmare for hobbyist carpenters. When you’re stuck in doors and can’t go out or do anything, holing up because of the coronavirus/COVID-19 emergency. But if you’re a woodworker who has stocked up on material from your local lumber supplier or gathered repurposed wood, then there’s some good news. Woodworking doesn’t have to stop just because you can’t go outside. You have your tools and are ready to go, and there’s no shortage of smaller, but nonetheless fun and worthwhile hobbyist carpentry projects you can pursue. 

All you need are a few hand tools, some sandpaper, and your patience. You can turn this downtime into a productive endeavor that will hone your skills and let you do projects that you might have been pushing aside.  

Toolbox or Tool Bench

So you have the tools you need for woodworking projects… but what if you don’t have a place to put those tools in? Maybe your first project should be a toolbox, then! It’s not a sizeable project so it can be done mostly indoors. And it will also be quite useful for your DIY purposes. You’ll be creating a wooden stool with a cavity in it for holding tools. This will give you a place to stow away your equipment AND a comfortable place to do your work. This can be made with scraps of plywood or pallet wood.

Serving Tray

Ever wanted to have breakfast in bed, either for yourself or for your partner? A serving tray is ideal for this (and will help prevent messes). Your partner will also definitely be most impressed. All you need are enough planks to get the right size. Just add outer rails to hold the planks together and keep stuff in. Repurposed handles can be screwed on for added effect.

Book Ends

For hobbyist carpenters who are avid readers, this is a definite must. Save yourself the trouble of slanting or falling books on your shelves. Make your stack of tomes look neater and more organized. Clamp-on sliding book ends are a fun carpentry project for those with these concerns. Got scrap wood lying around? You can reuse the leftovers of your previous projects for this. Use two squarish planks, cut out slots in the bookshelf so that the planks will slide in and hold the books up. Or you can use large blocks, either attractive ones on their own or those you’ve carved up with some designs, and when they’re well sanded and oiled they can work as bookends on your shelf. 

Feature Wall

This is the largest one among our suggestions, but it’s also the most impressive. It will only take a day or two. It entails attaching planks to a wall in order to give the place a rustic and warm ambiance. Pallet wood is frequently used as it is randomly varied. Repurposed shiplap siding also does the job. All that’s needed is to sand these boards nicely and they can just be glued on the wall with liquid nail or something similar. 

Hobbyist Carpenters Persevere!

We all have downtimes. Either it’s the weather, like being cooped up for a while during winter. Or we just don’t feel like going out. Sometimes it’s a health emergency. But if cabin fever is rising, or if your hands are itching for some activity, then these DIY activities are perfect for hobbyist carpenters. Woodworking projects that are small-scale and doable indoors will allow you to keep your hobbyist carpentry skills on point. And you can produce quality output that can enrich your home and even your workspace.