Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
As cliche as it sounds, masters of crafts aren't born. They're made through hard work, failure, and perseverance. So while someone hasn't traveled far on the road to excellence, they are destined to make mistakes. And the subreddit '[Bad] Woodworking' has plenty of examples to prove it.
Sharing pictures of various projects falling short of their ideal version, this online community embraces Bob Ross' happy accident approach and provides quite a few lighthearted giggles along the way. Whether it's a child's pencil holder or a driver's phone holder, if there's a production, there's a way to mess it up!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Homer's Spice Rack. Made For A "Shi**y" Gift Exchange
You May Also Like:
#2
Made This When I Was About 5 Or 6. Pencil-Holding Caterpillar For My Dad To Use At Work
Mickysixxx 1 year ago
Yep, there's a reason it's still around. I'd cherish this if my kids made it
Load More Replies...
Joe Publique 1 year ago
This is probably one of your Dad's most prized possessions. Wholesome AF.
liam newton-harding 1 year ago
The fact that it appears you dad has kept this all these years says everything :)
zububonsai 1 year ago
This is my absolute favourite here, craft projects by 3 -6 year olds. 😍 --- PS: I was gifted a "wish fulfiller" once, it was made out of colourful corn puff things (looks like mini marshmallows, you wet them and you stick them together there, so you can create little sculptures). Mine looks like a dragonfly 😍 and is very helpful.
Binky Melnik 1 year ago
This is outstanding because I’d laugh every time I look at it, and I imagine coworkers would, too! Kids are funny unintentionally, but it’s often the best kind of funny!
Yuffa Kinazzo 1 year ago
He wrote his last will and testament with that very same pencil as he almost bled out after being pierced in an arteries by the jagged nail sticking out of it. The accompanying notebook paper holder finished him off when it landed on his head.
We managed to get in touch with the moderators of '[Bad] Woodworking' and they agreed to give us more insight into this subreddit.
"Moderating here is fairly simple and the general philosophy is to let downvotes take care of unpopular content," the team told Bored Panda.
"Some posts are off-topic but get upvoted and they usually get left alone, even if reported."
#3
A Kitty Door In A Door
#4
Recently Finished Project
#5
Woke Up To Snowmageddon In Texas And Sister Asked If I Had A Sled For Her Daughter (Which I Didn't) So I Built Her A Shitty One Real Quick
The moderators said there have been some bans from off-topic spammers but it has been a while since the last time.
"People generally seem to post about things they are proud of or happy about, but know could use improvement," they added.
The maturity of the subreddit's members, their respect towards each other, and their genuine interest in the craft as well as the desire to get better at it have to be some of the main reasons why this niche community, despite being almost a decade old, remains active.
#6
Didn't Wanna Pay $13 For An Extension Cord Reel. I'll Make My Own With $1.30 In Materials And $1,300 In Tools
RafCo (he/him/ele) 1 year ago
Kinda like my garden. Why would I spend $3 on lettuce when i can grow my own for $50
#7
Made A Small Box Out Of Popsicle Sticks To Hold Toothpicks For My Work Truck
#8
Phone Holder For Google Maps And An 800 Mile Trip. I Had 15 Minutes-Ish And Very Few Tools On Hand
#9
Deodorant Holder, My Wife Asked "Why Is There A Baby Stump On My Counter?" Lol
Many insiders believe that woodworking is somewhat easy to become decent at but takes a lifetime to master.
Even Paul Sellers, whose biography as a woodworker began in a small joiner's workshop in 1965 in Stockport, England, and who now has two of his pieces gracing the Cabinet Room of the White House, calls himself "a lifelong amateur woodworker."
So staying humble and not being ashamed of your mistakes seems to be really important in this particular field.
#10
Tricycle
#11
Did I Win The Sub With This One?
#12
When In Doubt, Screw It
Vicki Doggurl 1 year ago
It looks good, but it might need a couple more screws!! Or some nails.
#13
There Was An Attempt
It's one of those things where the journey really is more important than the destination. "In making, I find unsurpassed peace," Sellers wrote in one of his blog posts.
"It's a silencing of excess that gives me encouragement in the simplicity of making with my hands."
#14
A Stool Sample
#15
8 Cuts + 12 Screws. Does The Job Though!
#16
How About These Genuinely Sh*tty Steps In Our Garden ?
#17
TV Remote, Friend Said His Kids Kept Losing The Remote So This Was The Solution
Sellers has spent a large part of his working life in the USA where he taught woodworking courses and he advises everyone to embrace the challenges. "Throughout my work teaching classes hands-on, I learned from students what troubles them the most. Cutting square, planing square, cutting straight and sharpening a perfect edge, the list could be exhausting were we to go down that road," he recalled.
"We could soon convince one another that we should just go the machine route. And yet there is something truly magical every time you develop a very particular skill you never thought you could or would own."
#18
Some Sage Advice
#19
Sh*tty But Effective Toddler Deterrence For Our Lazy Susan
#20
Made A Ramp For The Dogo, But I Guess It Was Too Sh**ty Since She Refuses To Use It
#21
Walnut Sculpture I Made. My Wife Thinks It Looked Too Much Like A Certain Distasteful Emoji
"Thinking back through my years as a full-time, lifetime, lifestyle maker, I can recall every step where I earned my ability through my stubborn determination not to give up. Some recollections came when I was one step away from giving up and giving in. In that split second, a lone voice, barely audible, said just one more try. There it was. The launch was complete and I was flying in euphoria as all resistance left, the cut was made and the two pieces slipped perfectly together for the very first time," the woodworker explained.
#22
Practiced Making A Picture Frame From A 2x4. No Planning Ahead. Turned Out As Expected
#23
Stand For My Wife’s Mini X-Mas Tree. Weights Are To Keep The Cats From Pulling It Over
ginger a. freckleburger 1 year ago
You can't stop cats from knocking over Christmas trees. It is a fact.
#24
Finally Get To Make A Post Here! Made Some Legs For This Leopard Bench
#25
Did I Have The Correct Tools? No. Does It Look Good? No. Does It Function Well? No. Am I An Idiot? I Don't Have All The Answers
The moderators of '[Bad] Woodworking' said that, ideally, they would like to see more engagement, as they're sure there is plenty of "content" being created nearly daily in every neighborhood, "but probably most people would be put off by having their work labeled as [bad] here."
"It seems to be a space for people that are capable of more and have respectable creations, but need a quick solution and would agree that what they made is a bit comical."
#26
Repurposed Free Wood Has Become Ugly Garage Work Bench. Much Sturdy, Much Eyesore
#27
I Slaughtered A Guitar Neck I Was Making, But Needed A Chisel Holder
#28
Found In The Wild…
#29
Another Chair Made Out Of My Deck I Demolished
#30
#update On My Shitty Wooden Chandelier. Thats How It Looks Finished
#31
From The "Quick And Dirty" File
#32
I Also Made A Sh**ty Phone/Tablet Stand
#33
No Fires Allowed... So Tiny Scraps Turn Into... Kind Of Larger Scraps
#34
This Coffee Table I Made
Karmageddon 1 year ago
Porcelain tea seat, priceless. Tea with friends, priceless. This tea table, worthless.
#35
Happy Hannukah You Hacks
#36
My Dad's Cutting Board
#37
Absolutely Textbook Quality Dovetails On My First Attempt
Xander Man 1 year ago
Just mix some sawdust with glue, and spread it into the cracks... No one will ever tell the difference... Make sure to sand it down tho... 😁👍
#38
Made A Stool. Despite Its Questionable Looks It Is Actually Quite Comfortable And Steady
#39
Found This On Fb. What Do You Think?
#40
Soap Holder At My Friend’s House
Trash Panda 1 year ago
I guess if you have an outdoor shower, you don't mind a plywood soap holder
#41
Plywood Chic
#42
My Dad Made This Terrible Table
#43
Didn't Want To Rent A Crane So I Built One Out Of 2x4s
#44
Finally Finished The Treehouse, Total Cost Around $50. Everything Was Made From Items Found In A Barn
#45
Was Told You Guys Might Appreciate My Teapot. Kettle Handle Used To Get Hot. Not Anymore
#46
First Railing Lmao. Swear I Used My Tape Measure
Aidan Pite 1 year ago
I believe they used their tape measure. However, the tool they actually needed to use was their protractor.
#47
I Needed A Weight Holder So I Cut Two Pallets And Screwed Them Together With Boards. Done
#48
Professionally Made And Polished Thing To Hold Log When I Saw
#49
I See Lots Of Beautifully Made Mallets In Various Subs, Behold My Sh*tty Contribution
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Rahul Pawa 1 year ago
Seems like at least a quarter of these are amazing, not "weird", "hilarious" or "uncraftsmen like".
Jack S 1 year ago
Once locked myself out of my house and went full McGyver. Found a bamboo stick, a hook for hanging a garden basket and some green wire put it all together and made like a hook'a'duck type device. Put it through the catflap and managed to get my key from the worktop. I was so pleased with myself lol. Then I realised the back door was unlocked the whole time lmao.
Jack S 1 year ago
To clarify I locked myself out the front door then got all the "supplies" from the back garden.
Load More Replies...
jenjie.newt 1 year ago
So much engineer in this post - no aesthetic, no cost, minimal functionality, far overthought
Rahul Pawa 1 year ago
Seems like at least a quarter of these are amazing, not "weird", "hilarious" or "uncraftsmen like".
Jack S 1 year ago
Once locked myself out of my house and went full McGyver. Found a bamboo stick, a hook for hanging a garden basket and some green wire put it all together and made like a hook'a'duck type device. Put it through the catflap and managed to get my key from the worktop. I was so pleased with myself lol. Then I realised the back door was unlocked the whole time lmao.
Jack S 1 year ago
To clarify I locked myself out the front door then got all the "supplies" from the back garden.
Load More Replies... jenjie.newt 1 year ago
So much engineer in this post - no aesthetic, no cost, minimal functionality, far overthought
Related on Bored Panda
