ABOUT WOODWIKI
The woodworking curriculum we wish existed when we started
YouTube has millions of woodworking videos. Magazines and forums have more. We're organizing all of it into a learning path you can follow.
One video says buy a table saw first. The next says you only need hand tools and a workbench.
You can find how to cut a dovetail or apply polyurethane. You can't find what to learn first or what builds on what.
We organize guides by skill level and link them together. Each one tells you what to read first and what comes next.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Five principles behind every guide
These shape what we publish and how we write it.
Opinions are a kindness
You've been researching hand planes for two weeks. You don't need another list. You need someone to say “buy this one” and tell you why.
Teach understanding, not steps
“Leave a 1/8" gap” works until the conditions change. We teach the principle behind the instruction so you can troubleshoot problems you've never encountered.
You have enough to start
A folding table in a garage works. A circular saw and a straight edge will get you there. We start with the simplest tool that produces a good result.
Guides that know where they fit
Each guide links to prerequisites and next steps. Those connections turn scattered tutorials into a path you can follow.
Honest difficulty builds trust
Your first five dovetails will have gaps. We tell you that up front so you can track progress instead of feeling defeated.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Built for three types of woodworkers
We write for these three people.
GETTING STARTED
You bought some tools and built a cutting board. Now you're stuck.
You don't know what to learn next. Most videos assume tools you don't own or skills you haven't built yet. You need a clear path, one step at a time.
BUILDING MOMENTUM
Your projects work. They just don't look like what you see in your head.
You can see the gap between your work and good work, but you can't close it. You need to understand the principles behind the steps.
REFINING THE CRAFT
You build furniture for your house. You want it to look professional.
You have limited shop time. You need finishing techniques that go beyond basics and design principles that help you stop following plans.
WHAT WE PUBLISH
Six guide types
We write guides to last. A guide published today should still be accurate and useful five years from now.
Concept guides
Explains the reasoning behind the technique
Technique guides
Skill level up front, simplest tool that works
Tool guides
One recommendation backed by reasoning
Reference pages
Answer first, explanation second
Troubleshooting
Lead with the symptom, then the fix
Project guides
Time, cost, tools, and prerequisites listed upfront
We're building this one guide at a time. Browse what we've published so far.
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