It's hard to think of a raw material as useful and appealing as wood. Besides making boats, buildings and other structures, you can use it to fashion cabinets, chairs and all sorts of home furnishings, plus produce carvings, picture frames, inlays and other artistic pieces. Working with wood can be an enjoyable and fulfilling activity all by itself.

Cutting, shaping and joining techniques have evolved over the years, especially since the advent of power tools. But centuries-old methods never die, they just become more refined. People still chisel wood and cut it with handsaws. Now they have better-quality tools than their forebears, especially power tools, which are faster, cleaner and require less effort.

Woodworking is not without its hazards, though. One of the most important things a beginner needs to know is how to work safely.

What Is Woodworking?

Woodworking is the art or craft of turning wood into decorative and useful objects. Plenty of tradespeople in the construction industry work with wood but wouldn't consider themselves woodworkers. Three things set a woodworker apart:

  • A specialized focus on wood as the medium;
  • A diverse collection of cutting, shaping and joining tools;
  • A shop where they work.

The shop is as important as the tools, because it provides space for organizing wood projects and flat, stable surfaces for assembly.