Hi, I’m Jak, and I’m the person behind Woodworking DIY. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be running a woodworking website, I would have laughed. I did not grow up in a workshop, I had no real tools to speak of, and the closest I came to building anything was assembling flat-pack furniture with an Allen key and a lot of patience. Woodworking was something other people did. Then I got to know Erik, and everything changed.
That was about two years ago, and it turned into one of the best things I have ever picked up.
How it all started
Erik was my neighbor. He is a professional woodworker with a proper shop, the kind of place that smells of sawdust and fresh-cut timber the moment you step through the door. For a long time I only knew him as the friendly guy nearby who always seemed to be building something. One day he invited me in to see what he was working on, and I was hooked before I had even picked up a tool. Watching a rough, ordinary board turn into something clean, solid, and genuinely beautiful in his hands was the spark that started all of this.
I asked if I could try. Erik, being the generous person he is, said yes, and he has been teaching me ever since. That first afternoon in his shop turned into a standing invitation, and a hobby I never expected turned into a real passion.
My first real build: a pigeon house for my grandfather
My grandfather loves pigeons, and he needed a bigger pigeon house. So, still very much a beginner, I decided I would build it for him. I made the whole thing from raw materials, and because I had my regular job to work around, I could only chip away at it in my spare time. It took me roughly a month from start to finish.
I will be honest about how it turned out, because that honesty is the whole point of this site. It was not perfect. There were measurement errors, and a few parts ended up slightly misaligned. But it was solid, and more importantly it worked. It had small doors, a section for feeding, and separate spaces where the pigeons could build their nests. My grandfather was thrilled with it, the pigeons moved right in, and standing back and looking at something I had built with my own hands, something a member of my family actually needed and now used every day, made me genuinely proud. That pigeon house, flaws and all, is where my woodworking journey really began.
Meet Erik, and why almost everything here traces back to him
I want to be honest about this, because it matters. Almost everything I know about woodworking, I learned from Erik. He is the professional. Woodworking is his full-time craft and his living, and he has forgotten more about it than I have learned so far. He taught me how to hold a chisel, how to read the grain, why a sharp blade is safer than a dull one, how to cut a joint that actually fits, and a hundred small things that only someone who does this every day would think to pass on.
For Erik, it is a profession. For me, it is a passion I fit around the rest of my life. I am a hobbyist, and I am proud of that, because I think it puts me in exactly the right place to help other beginners. I remember what it felt like to be completely new, to be intimidated by the tools and the terminology, to make a measurement error and not understand why a part would not line up. I have made those mistakes, and I have had a patient professional right next door to explain what went wrong and how to do it better. That combination, a beginner’s memory and a professional’s knowledge, is the whole reason this site exists.
Why I started Woodworking DIY
As I learned, I started writing things down, partly to remember them and partly because I kept wishing someone had explained them to me in plain language from the start. So much woodworking advice online is either too basic to be useful or written for people who already know what they are doing. I wanted to make the kind of resource I needed when I was beginning: clear, honest, beginner-friendly guidance from someone who is genuinely still learning, with a professional’s experience standing behind it.
That is what Woodworking DIY is. It is where I share what I have learned, the projects I build, the tools I actually use, and the honest lessons that come from both my own trial and error and Erik’s years at the bench.
What you will find here, and why you can trust it
Everything on this site comes from real, hands-on woodworking. When I write a guide, it is because I have done the thing myself, usually more than once, and often with Erik looking over my shoulder to keep me honest. When I recommend a tool or a product, it is because I believe it genuinely helps, and I say so plainly when something is not worth your money.
You will find beginner guides, project ideas, honest reviews, and practical tips, all written in plain language and all aimed at helping you build with confidence rather than leaving you more confused than when you arrived. I try to be upfront about everything, including the fact that some links on this site are affiliate links, which you can read more about in our disclaimer. I only ever recommend things I would use myself or suggest to a friend.
Safety matters a great deal to me too, because Erik drilled it into me from the very first day. You will see it woven through everything here, and if you are just starting out, our woodworking safety guide is the first thing I would point you to.
Let’s build something
Whether you are picking up your first chisel or you already have a few projects under your belt, I hope Woodworking DIY helps you enjoy this craft as much as I do. It turned a quiet curiosity into one of the best parts of my life, and it started with nothing more than a friendly neighbor, an open workshop door, and a pigeon house for my grandfather. If I can pass a little of that along to you, this site has done its job.
If you ever want to say hello, ask a question, or show me what you are building, I would love to hear from you through our contact page. Thanks for being here, and happy building.
Jak
Founder, Woodworking DIY
