Abby B. Looking for ideas on side hustles for carpenters? Unsure what you can do with your unique skills? Here are 15 ideas!
As someone who loves to DIY and flip furniture in my free time (picture down below), I get it why people are so invested into carpentry and woodworking. There’s just so many things you can do with a piece of wood!
In this article, I’ll be sharing 15 suitable side hustles for carpenters and woodworking, including recommendations of what you’ll need to start. At the end of the post, you can find more tailored options for making money on the side as a carpenter.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
15 Best Side Hustles For Carpenters
1. Sell your own stand-alone or built-in furniture
One of the main ways to make an extra income with your woodworking skills is to build and sell furniture you’ve made yourself. Furniture can either be a stand-alone piece e.g. dining table or a customized built-in one e.g. kitchen cabinets.
Going for a larger sized furniture would take longer time to get done and needs more materials. It’s also narrowing the audience you’re able to sell to – as most people don’t live in big houses. This of course depends on the area you’re based in and the kind of market you have access to.
Some furniture you can make to sell:
- Kitchen cabinets
- Wardrobe
- Shoe shelves
- Dining tables
- Study tables
- TV consoles
- Stools and chairs
- Outdoor furniture
- Pergola
- Swings
| What do I need to start? | – Skills to build furniture – Space and storage to work with – Platform to sell your products on |
Check out: The guide to good quality wood furniture
2. Start making videos for your personal YouTube channel
Already have a woodworking business and just looking for ways to make extra income? You can become a YouTuber by just recording your day-to-day activities as a carpenter.
Contrary to what others have to say, you don’t always need to make videos that requires a lot of planning and work. If you’re short on time and can’t imagine spending hours to edit a video, a simple “a day in my life” kind-of video works wonders!
You can start simple and later make more advanced videos to share your woodworking insights that could benefit others in your field. The key is to be consistent with your postings and make necessary improvements as you progress!
Common ways to earn with YouTube include advertising income, affiliate income, sponsorships and earnings from selling your own products.
Interesting YouTube channels in the carpentry and woodworking niche:
| What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
3. Become a podcaster for a niche you’re passionate about
Love ranting? Why not do it on your own podcast? Make it an educational one by talking about topics within your field of carpentry, furniture building or DIY.
Podcasting is much more manageable compared to vlogging for YouTube as it takes lesser time to edit. Just like videos, podcasts can be as short as 15 minutes and as long as 3 hours – your pick!
You’ll need a good microphone to speak into and to learn how to use an audio editing software.
Unlike YouTube, you will need to put in some effort into marketing your podcasts (Spotify or Apple) via social media as platforms don’t usually suggest random podcasts to listen to.
Podcasting allows you to make money through earnings from downloads and getting paid by brands for sponsorships.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 30 podcasts within the home improvement niche
If you’re more comfortable sharing your knowledge and opinion through written content, consider becoming a blogger for your own blog. It’s a side hustle suitable for introverts as it’s something that can be done from home and remotely.
It’ll take some time before your blog can bring in a good income so be prepared to wait! You can publish articles on carpentry, woodworking, home projects or DIY stuffs.
Just like other content sites, you can make money blogging through advertising revenue, affiliate income, sponsorships and from selling your own digital products e.g. courses.
Check out my article for step-by-step guide on how to set up a blog.
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Domain name & hosting – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Read: Why I invested in a blogging coach before doing anything else
5. Earn commissions by promoting affiliate products and services
While you can earn through affiliates by sharing your links on YouTube and on your blog, you can also earn the same commission through social media promotion. Affiliates work well on platforms like Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and TikTok.
You’ll do exceptionally well if you have a good number of followers and active on any of these apps! Even if you don’t, growing an Instagram or TikTok account is a lot easier than a YouTube channel or a blog.
Popular affiliate marketplaces to check out are Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. You’ll need to sign up for an account, get links for suitable products/services for your audience and start promoting!
Best to only promote products or services you personally use as you will have original photos to convince others to purchase. Some things you can promote include wood products, tools and home items.
| What do I need to start? | – Affiliate products or services you can promote – Social media account with growing followers |
6. Sell your photos online with stock websites
Have a passion for photography and taking nice photos of your surroundings? Make extra side income by selling your photos on stock websites.
Stock photos are needed for websites, blogs and businesses when they don’t have relevant photos to use within their content.
Although it takes some time for you to build your portfolio of photos, selling them as stock photography can bring in passive income at a later stage. However, the demand for some niches can be seasonal. Some evergreen recommendations are street photography, food and nature.
Compared to taking photos for events and clients, this is a side hustle that’s easier to get into as an introvert. These photos can be sold any time even as you’re asleep!
Stock websites you can join to start:
| What do I need to start? | – A good camera & photography skills – Basic photo editing skills – Consistency to upload photos frequently |
7. Get paid writing for other home blogs and websites
Instead of writing for your own blog, you can also make money writing articles for other websites or blogs. Its much more straightforward and your pay should be immediate!
When writing for others, standards are much higher and you’ll need the right writing skills – as it shows. This includes good writing skills (for the language you’re writing in), SEO knowledge as well as ability to do better-than-others research.
If you’re keen on learning the right ways and ready to be loved by clients, take up this beginner freelance writing course! The course creator teaches you how to pitch topics and even lets you become a writer for her blog (she only hires writers that goes for her training). Win-win!
Freelance writers are paid according to their experience and typically can earn up to $100 per article! Popular websites and blogs hires freelance writers for their content as it allows them to scale faster.
| What do I need to start? | – Writing skills – Good command of English – Promote your freelance writing service |
8. Create and sell online courses for carpentry
If you’re well experienced in carpentry, why not teach others how to do the same? Some people can make more money teaching others than they can doing the craft itself – and it shouldn’t be an issue!
People are usually more inclined to purchase a course if it teaches them to make extra money. They are confident they are able to recover the cost of the course this way.
So structure a short course teaching others how to design a type of furniture they can sell or how to start selling wood products online – if you know how to.
You may think that offering face-to-face classes is much better than an online course. But, its actually more efficient to pre-record your lessons and sell them on online learning platforms (I’ve listed some down below).
Not only do you get to reach a wider audience, but you also get to make passive income without really changing your daily schedule.
The usual price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67. By selling more, you can price the course lower and make it more affordable for others!
Some sites you can host online courses on:
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses is too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
9. Self publish your own woodworking e-book on Amazon KDP
Another way of making an extra income with writing is to self publish your own e-book with online platforms like Amazon KDP, Lulu or Book Baby. You can write books for carpentry, woodworking or home projects.
Aside from earning commissions on each sale, you can also earn from affiliate sales. As e-books are in the digital format of PDF, it’s possible to include links to products and even redirect people to your social media accounts.
This is also possible when selling Kindle e-books! As long as there’s internet, readers will be directed to the product or service you’re promoting when clicking links within the PDF.
I highly recommend creating your own e-book as a source of passive income – especially if you have an existing online audience to promote to. It may be harder to get sales without some self promotion!
| What do I need to start? | – Book writing skills – Join an online self-publishing platform |
10. Offer live carpentry classes for beginners
If you’re more comfortable hosting face-to-face classes compared to recording online materials, it’s still a route you can make money with!
The best way to start offering in-person classes is to make it limited and exclusive. Price your classes appropriately as you will be spending your valuable time and sharing insights from years of experience.
You’ll also need to account the equipment and materials you’re providing to participants. To get repeated sales, offer private lessons as well group ones and structure different classes for different levels (beginners to advance).
| What do I need to start? | – Tools and equipment for group classes – Space to host your classes – Platform to promote your services |
11. Sell customized wood products on Etsy
I usually talk about selling digital products on Etsy. But, as a carpenter, there’s just so many other things you can create to sell on Etsy!
If you didn’t know, there’s a whole category for “Woodworking & Carpentry” on Etsy that falls under craft supplies. Aside from selling ready wooden souvenirs and product, people also sell tools needed for carpentry and videos of how to create a specific wooden furniture (a.k.a. digital product).
Compared to large physical products, selling a digital product like a video guide requires no shipping or operations on your end. Once a customer makes a purchase, they will immediately be able to download the file.
You can check out my step-by-step guide on how to list digital products on Etsy.
| What do I need to start? | – A digital or physical product idea – Tools to create the digital product – Storage space to keep your ready wood products – Platform to sell on |
12. Do specialized renovation work in your area
Want to look beyond creating furniture and wooden products? You can offer specialized renovation services that involves carpentry work.
This can be building a wooden deck, installing wooden ceilings or fixing wooden floorings for homes in your area. It’s best to choose one or two services when starting out instead of doing everything. You will be able to price your services better that way!
You’ll need extra helping hand when doing renovation work as it’s a bigger task and involves installations. Partner up with a friend or relative when a job comes in your way.
| What do I need to start? | – Ability to perform renovation service – Vehicle for easy transportation – Platform to market your services |
13. Start a professional pet-sitting service
Don’t mind taking care of others’ pets in your free time? You can offer pet sitting services in your area for friends and neighbors!
Pet sitters are able to make $15-20 per visit and can bring in at least $200 in a single weekend with just 10 visits!
If you have a home with extra space, consider making your own pet furniture and play area so other pet owners are more willing to send their furry friends to you. You can take care of these pets while doing your day-to-day carpentry work at home.
It’s a perfect side hustle for anyone with great pet skills and experience handling their own pets!
Services you can include with pet sitting:
- Walking
- Home boarding
- Sleepovers and night care
- Training
- Bring to vet
- Basic grooming & care
- Travel trips
| What do I need to start? | – Good skills with pets e.g. dogs, cats – Tools for the service you want to offer – Socializing to get clients |
14. Thrift old furniture to flip for profit
Depending on where you’re based in, second hand furniture might be highly sought after. As a carpenter, you have the relevant knowledge to refurbish old wooden furniture and make it look new to resell again (at a higher price!).
You can start by buying unique old furniture for cheap (under $100) or pick up free furniture others no longer want within your neighborhood. Alternatively, look for them on sites like Facebook Marketplace or eBay.
Compared to creating these furniture from scratch, you’re working with a ready structure that only needs minimal enhancement. By a carpenter’s standards, it can take less than two days just to make it look good again!
| What do I need to start? | – Good eye to spot unique furniture to flip – Storage space to keep new furniture – Platform to resell your upgraded furniture |
15. Design your own merchandise with print on demand to sell online
Thought of starting an online business that brings in passive income but unsure what to sell? Print on demand is one I recommend to anyone starting a side business online – check out my seven reasons why POD is for you.
Print on demand works like dropshipping as you don’t need to be purchasing stock or put any money upfront until you’ve made a sale. It’s made possible for a lot of people as you can be selling POD merchandise on sites like Etsy or eBay – and don’t need your own website.
The chunk of the work lies in making designs. You can do so using simple tools like Canva or Kittl and later upload them to merchandise like t-shirts, phone cases and tote bags – I’ve listed more down below.
If you don’t wish to make your own designs and have some fund to spare, you can purchase ready designs on marketplaces like Envato Elements or Creative Fabrica.
Two best POD suppliers I usually recommend are Printify and Printful, as they both integrate seamlessly with Etsy. Once a customer makes a purchase, they will print and ship the products directly to them!
Pillow cases beautify wooden furniture and adds comfort!
| What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
13 Carpentry Side Work To Explore
Here are 13 ideas on carpentry side work you can explore:
- Make and sell your own home furniture
- Renovate or repair patio decks
- Build homes and play areas for pets
- Create carpentry tools to sell
- Offer built-in wood furniture for homes or cafes
- Start a boat fixing business
- Sell customized wooden décor for events
- Sell high-quality wooden cutting boards
- Create and sell wooden wall art
- Teach others how to woodwork
- Sell carpentry video guides on Etsy
- Write for your own carpentry blog
- Work part-time for others
9 Free Side Hustles For Carpenters
Here are 9 free side hustles for carpenters:
- Promote affiliate links on social media
- Become a freelance content writer for home and DIY blogs
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Teach others via recorded online courses
- Build your own YouTube channel for carpentry
- Design merchandise with print on demand to sell online
- Resell stuffs you no longer use for extra cash
- Pick up free furniture to fix and sell for cash
- Start a podcast for home projects
11 Woodworking Side Hustles
Here are 11 woodworking side hustles you can explore:
- Start your own woodworking YouTube channel
- Sell tools for woodworking
- Build kitchen cabinets for others
- Install wooden decks or ceilings
- Create small wooden products for home use
- Teach woodworking as an online course
- Write your own e-book on woodworking to sell online
- Offer minor home renovation services
- Create wooden furniture for cafes and restaurants
- Thrift second hand furniture to refurbish and sell
- Build pet lounge or play areas using wood
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustles for carpenters you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
There’s just so many ways to make extra income with carpentry. You’ll need to decide between a route that takes more energy or one that allows you more freedom later on.
Life is all about exploring, so find a side hustle that resonates to you the most. I always encourage my readers to build passive income streams and have the freedom of time!
Here are 15 best side hustles for carpenters:
- Sell your own stand-alone or built-in furniture
- Start making videos for your personal YouTube channel
- Become a podcaster for a niche you’re passionate about
- Share your carpentry and woodworking knowledge with a blog
- Earn commissions by promoting affiliate products and services
- Sell your photos online with stock websites
- Get paid writing for other home blogs and websites
- Create and sell online courses for carpentry
- Self publish your own woodworking e-book on Amazon KDP
- Offer live carpentry classes for beginners
- Sell customized wood products on Etsy
- Do specialized renovation work in your area
- Start a professional pet-sitting service
- Thrift old furniture to flip for profit
- Design your own merchandise with print on demand to sell online
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by Antoni Shkraba
