With winter right around the corner, it’s time to crank up the heat in your workshop and build some woodworking projects that will improve your indoor spaces.
31 Indoor Woodworking Projects to Do This Winter
Updated on Jun. 14, 2024
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Collapsible Dog Ramp
This simple dog ramp collapses down to a compact size that fits easily under a bed or sofa or inside a closet. Follow the video tutorial and step-by-step plans to build one for your best friend.
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Cedar Bath Mat
Ever seen a cedar bath mat like this online for $35 and thought, “Hey, I can make a better one for less.” You can build one, too, in three easy steps.
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Kitchen Step Stool
Kitchen stools can be incredibly helpful for reaching the upper cabinets if you, or someone you love, are vertically challenged. This particular one is designed in the shaker-style and features two steps and dowel joinery. However, the most important step in the construction is the use of a router and template to create the side parts. Build one yourself.
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Mudroom Lockers
Tired of a jumble of muddy boots and wet coats in your mudroom? Then hide it all away with these smart mudroom lockers. There’s ample space for concealing coats, boots, backpacks, and accessories, and the bi-fold doors allow ventilation as well. Moderate DIY skills are needed and the plans are adaptable so the lockers can be custom-made to fit your mudroom. Made from stained wood (check out our tips for finishing wood), this project will cost $150, but you can reduce the cost to around $100 by using plywood.
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Classic Chessboard
You’ll love playing chess on this custom-built chessboard. And it’s easy to do! Select the contrasting wood species you desire, gather up some glue and a few other tools and materials and you’re ready to start building. Check out the full project plans here.
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Floating Shelves
You can buy floating shelves in stores or online for $20 to $80 each. But before you do that, consider building your own. For about the same cost, you can get the exact size, thickness and look you want. You can even finish them to match your trim or furniture.
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Pallet Side Table
This stylish, modern table made of pallet wood is a great introduction to milling lumber and cutting joinery on a table saw.
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Dog Bowl Stand
Make your dog happy with this sturdy dog bowl stand, and perfect your pocket-hole skills while you do it.
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Pour-Over Coffee Maker
Before you go out and buy an expensive coffee machine, take a second and think about what they actually do. They boil water and then pour that water over the coffee grounds in a filter. Why not just do that yourself? The good news is that you can with this straightforward woodworking project.
Check out the video and plans for this morning wonder here.
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Build a Shoe Organizer
Store shoes up off the floor in clean, natural wood racks. This simple storage system can handle everything from winter boots to summer sandals, with no mud buildup or scuff marks on the wall. Build one to share or one for each member of the family! Find complete how-to instructions here.
For wet shoes and boots, we recommend this attractive, simple-to-make tray.
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Industrial Serving Tray
This industrial serving tray is constructed of vintage oak barn wood and trimmed with black iron handles. Get the step-by-step project plans.
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Tic-Tac-Toe Board with Game Piece Storage
Even in this age of techno-toys, kids still like a game they can play with anyone, anywhere.
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Nelson Platform Bench
This is a classic mid-century modern bench design that you can buy for about $1,200 or build in one day for $100. Your call.
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Stacking Totes
These totes are awesome in the way that they hold everything your kids need and take up almost no space because they stack together. If you have a portable table saw and a jigsaw, you can build four of these in an hour with a few sheets of plywood and some small casters.
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Simple Laptop Computer Stand
We all want to upgrade our desk either at home or at work. An easy way to accomplish that is to raise your laptop off of the desk and add a small amount of storage space, too. This project is as simple as downloading a PDF, drawing a shape and cutting that shape out with a jigsaw. The simple laptop computer stand is a great one-hour project that won’t strain your brain too much but will give some great practice at cutting tough parts.
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Angled Floating Bookshelves
Along with being visually interesting, these floating bookshelves are super simple to build. They use minimal material and require only a table saw or circular saw, a miter saw and a drill.
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Basket Stand
The secret to this handsome, durable basket stand is a biscuit joiner, which creates super-tough joints without metal fasteners or exposed wood dowels. It's an easier item to complete out of the woodworking crafts woodshop projects.
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Sofa Arm Tray Table
No space for an end table? This one fits right over the arm of your living room chair! Keep your reading materials, coffee and electronics close by while relaxing with this amazingly easy sofa arm tray table. Plus, you can learn a new joining method during this super-simple woodworking project. See just how easy this project is.
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Rustic Shelf
Bring a bit of nature indoors with this simple branch-supported shelf. You'll have to find two forked branches about 1 in. in diameter, with one relatively straight side that will sit flush to the wall. Find all of the simple how-to instructions for building this shelf here. And for lots of hints and tips on hanging shelves, check out our guide.
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Painting Bench
This simple but clever painting bench is the perfect starter project if you’re new to woodworking. It takes just four hours to build and costs less than $20. The multi-purpose design means it functions as a step for reaching high painting jobs, a seat when painting skirting boards or ground-level projects, and a handy seat when you’re ready for a break. It can even double as a table for that all-important coffee and donut to keep your energy levels high. With curved stretchers so it tucks under your arm, this lightweight bench is a handy, useful woodworking project.
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Reclaimed Wood Key Hanger
Spice up your entryway by creating this rustic key hanger using reclaimed wood. The whole project takes about an hour to complete.
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Giant Jenga
What more do you need to fill hours of time at a summer barbecue than a giant Jenga set? Maybe cornhole boards? But those take more than an hour. All you need is six 8-ft. lengths of 2×4, a circular saw and a sander for this project. It is that simple. See the full plans for this summertime classic.
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Folding Screen
This elegant folding screen has a multitude of uses. It can be used to divide a room, or to screen off an area such as a home office or craft space. It’s made from lightly stained white oak (although you could vary the wood depending on your taste), and is backed with plywood panels. These contrasting panels can be covered with wallpaper to match your décor or to pick out a feature color, as well as fabric, wood or window film on transparent acrylic. Tight grooves and tenons are essential for this project, so follow the advice in our table saw guide for perfect results.
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Simple Storage Cabinet
This wall-mounted storage cabinet is designed with simple joints and attractive, classic details. You can make it in just a few hours with a table saw and a drill.
Learn how to build a Simple Storage Cabinet.
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Desktop Catapult
Put this cool little desktop catapult on your desk at work to annoy your coworkers, or gift it to one of your young relatives. Because the only power tools we used are a jigsaw and a drill, this miniature catapult is an easy project for any DIYer to build.
See just how simple this little terror is.
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Hexagon Shelves
These hexagon/beehive shelves are an incredibly trendy item, and with good reason. You can make three or four of them in an hour and arrange them, paint them or stain them in any way that you want. The possibilities are endless. Hexagon shelves are simple to build and will give you confidence to start using more angles in your projects.
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Cantilever End Table
Defy gravity and add a modern splash to your living room by making this incredible cantilevered end table in about an hour.
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Wood-Framed Chalkboard
How many times have you forgotten an appointment and kicked yourself for not remembering?
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Floating Headboard with Storage
Build this modern headboard with floating storage cubbies in less than a day and with one sheet of plywood!
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Multi-Level Plant Stand
This sturdy little plant stand looks great on your deck or patio, and it’s a perfect place for some of your favorite plants when the weather outside gets too cold. And there’s no complicated joinery, so it will go together quickly.
