4 DIY Woodworking Gift Ideas (and How To Make Them)

When it comes time to give gifts, it’s a fantastic opportunity to put some of your woodworking skills to good use and create some handmade gifts for friends and family. Creating something yourself is an extra special way to show someone you care. Continue reading to see 4 DIY woodworking gift ideas for woodworkers to build and how to make them!

If you are interested in getting great gift ideas for the woodworker in your life, check out this blog.

Let’s get into the DIY woodworking gift ideas:

1. Farmhouse-Style Blanket Ladder

This one is straightforward to build but can really make a space feel that much homier. I have sold a handful of these this holiday season, so I can confidently say they are a DIY gift hit.

You will need:

• 3 1×4 pieces
• a handful of screws (plus whatever finish you want)

You want to cut two pieces to 60 inches long (a miter saw is a great choice here!) and the third piece cut into five 15 inch pieces. After everything is cut, mark 8 inches from the top of your long pieces and then every 10-12 inches down your board for your step locations. Then you can start assembling your steps onto the sides!

Things that can take this to the next level:

1. Cut a 10-15 degree angle on the bottom of the side pieces so the ladder tips back slightly. You can then match that same angle on the top side so it sits flat against the wall. Don’t do that cut with a miter saw, a circular saw is much better and safer at that angle.
2. Put your steps at the same angle as the bottom angle so the step is parallel to the floor. This creates a really clean look.
3. Put some small rubber feet on the bottom to protect hard floors and stop the ladder from sliding.

2. Custom Cornhole Boards

This is another pretty straight forward DIY gift idea for woodworkers — cornhole boards.

You will need:

• Four 2×4’s
• One sheet of ½” plywood (at least enough for 2 24″x48″ pieces)
• Carriage bolts (⅜ x 4 inches)
• Wing Nuts
• Screws
• 6 inch hole saw

You will need to take your 2×4’s and cut them in to four 24 inch long strips and four 44.5 inch long strips. After this is complete, create a box with two of each of the lengths making sure that the 24 inch long strip has the end grain exposed. This will give you a 24×48 box. Repeat this with the remaining wood and you have your frames built.

Cut your plywood in to two 24×48 inch pieces for the tops of the boards. To create the hole, mark 9 inches from the top of the board and centered on the board side to side. Use your hole saw and drill to create the hole opening.

Now you can assemble the board and prepare to make your legs. The legs should be about 11.5 inches long overall with a ⅜ size hole 1.7 inches from the top and side. A matching hole will need to be located on the sides of your cornhole boards. Once that is all complete, you can fully assemble and start playing!

Some added touches:

1. Use a Kreg jig to have all your screws located on the inside and bottom of the cornhole boards. This hides all the hardware and gives a much cleaner look.
2. Cut a small angle (10 degrees) on the bottom of the legs so they sit flat against the ground while playing.
3. Paint a nice pattern or shape on top for an extra special gift

3. Wood Cutting Board

Cutting boards are a popular and high quality gift in general. This one can vary in difficulty based on the end product you are going for. You could do a simple face grain cutting board, edge grain, or go for the end grain cutting board.

You will need:

• Wood of your choice (go with a nice hardwood)
• Waterproof wood glue (Titebond III)
• Clamps (Bessey Parallel)

I won’t go in to detail with this gift as the style you choose will dictate the steps but some things to keep in mind while doing a cutting board:

1. Make sure your edges are very straight and clean for good glue ups
2. Make sure your clamps are snug during the glue up
3. Fully cover the faces with glue for good strength
4. Sand, sand, sand, sand, wet, sand. The more you sand (and to higher grits) the better this will turn out. Make sure to wet the board at the highest grit and then allow to dry and sand again for the smoothest finish.

4. Magnetic Wall Mounted Bottle Opener

This is another pretty simple item that can be a great DIY gift for woodworkers to make. If you are interested in making this with a CNC Router, I have a plan available on my Etsy shop. You can snag that here — CNC Router Bottle Opener Build Plan

You will need:

• Wood of choice (Pick a hardwood)
• Wall-mounted bottle opener (My choice)
• Rare Earth Magnet (What I use)

This is a pretty straightforward build that can be done with some other offcuts. You want to cut your piece to size, my suggestion is about 5 inches wide and 10 inches tall. Mark a center line at the top of the board and place your bottle opener on that line to mark your mounting holes. Drill you mounting holes for the bottle opener.

On the back side, mark a center line on the board and then mark 1.75 inches from the bottom. Drill a 1.25 inch hole at this location for your magnet. Definitely use a forstner bit style for this drilling and get extremely close to the front side of the board with your hole. Take your time and keep measuring so you don’t break through. Glue the magnet in to this hole.

Now flip the piece back over, finish as desired, and mount the bottle opener to the front.

Things that can take this to the next level:

1. Place a mounting feature on the back for easy hangup on a wall. You can use the small hangers. I have a router table so I use a keyhole bit and make keyholes in the back
2. Glue up different types of wood for some interesting contrast
3. Engrave or laser (or find someone who can do this for you) something that would mean something to the recipient

This post contains affiliate links for products I used to create these gift ideas. This means if you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Please know that I only make recommendations for products I am currently or have previously used and feel are a worthwhile investment. I hope you find them useful. Authenticity is important to me and so is your trust.