Woodworking has a long and storied history, most likely going back as far as human material creation itself. After all, wood can be worked, to some extent, without metal tools, it’s pretty abundant and is, in so many ways, just a very practical material to work with.

Indeed, early humans and Neanderthals' were quite proficient at using simple flint tools to work wood into whatever they wanted. However, unlike many other materials, wood tends to not last nearly as long, so much of it has not been preserved. Fortunately, the ancient Egyptians not only wrote things down, but buried their furniture and depicted it in drawings.

This is a key way we can see that even thousands and thousands of years ago, we were already using all sorts of wooden furniture, from beds to chests, chairs and tables. Once humanity entered the bronze age, woodworking became so much easier, as metal tools make short work of most lumber.

Nowadays, cheaper, mass produced materials make up most of the things we use on an average day. The result is that often, real, handmade wooden items start to feel like luxury. After all, hardwood floors are often a selling point even though the rich of the past would have used stone and tiles.

Modern trade networks also allow us to access more unique and interesting woodworking items than our ancestors. After all, in the past, the items you could buy (or make, if you were so inclined,) would be limited by the materials available to you. Getting exotic hardwoods imported would be a clear sign of riches.

In case you were wondering, we call hardwoods “hard” because they come from trees with a more condensed structure. In other words, they are quite literally harder. This tends to also mean they take a lot longer to grow, which in turn makes it more expensive. That being said, there are some exceptions.

Yew, for example, is classified as a softwood despite actually being harder than American cherrywood. Some softwoods can be treated so as to make them resistant to the elements. Indeed, if the item is going to sit in a cool dry room for most of its use, there is nothing wrong with using some softwoods.

So if you are looking for some home improvements, wood is generally a very good choice. It tends to be quite strong compared to its weight, it's durable and not nearly as brittle as other things. Wood can break, but it’s unlikely to shatter the way glass or ceramics might.

Woodworking looks good and tends to last a long time unless you truly mistreat it. After all, a lot of the “vintage” furniture you can find in shops or receive as part of an inheritance will be made from wood. This might be a good investment if you are willing to pay a bit more for quality work. Handmade items are, in the long run, worth even more.