Handmade Holiday Gifts: 17 Woodworking Projects People Actually Want | Rockler

The best handmade gifts to make this year

We matched 2026 holiday gift trends against the most-downloaded projects in our free woodworking plan library. The handmade wooden gifts people treasure most are cutting boards, charcuterie boards, personalized Christmas ornaments, coasters, and keepsake boxes. They get used or displayed every day, they're easy to personalize with a name or date, and most can be made from offcuts by a beginner.

Every project here is one that gift-givers search for each holiday season and that Rockler customers build for family and friends year after year.

Use this table to match a project to your skills, tools, and time before December. In the following section, every project links to a free Rockler plan or the kit that makes it easier. Visit our Handmade Gift Guide for even more ideas!

Shop times are estimates for a reasonably equipped hobby shop; finish and epoxy cure times are extra.

Rockler has been a family-run woodworking supplier since 1954. Our store staff teach these projects in hands-on woodworking classes, and you can see customer versions of many of them in our customer project gallery.

Kitchen and serving gifts

Kitchen projects make the most-used handmade gifts, because the recipient reaches for them every day and thinks of you when they do. That's why a cutting board is the first gift on this list.

1. Cutting boards

An edge-grain board glued up from contrasting hardwood strips (maple, walnut, cherry) is the classic first gift project. No jointer or planer? Choose individual pre-milled strips or a cutting board kit with the strips already selected. Our free cutting board plans and building tips walk through the glue-up stage.

• Make it stand out: add a finger-pull handle, a juice groove, or a routed edge profile.
• Upgrade path: for the serious cook on your list, an end-grain or checkerboard board takes more time but is gentler on knife edges and becomes a showpiece on the counter.
• Finish: food-safe mineral oil plus a beeswax board butter (see Safety and food-safe finishes).

2. Charcuterie and serving boards

Serving boards have surged in popularity thanks to social media. Because they rarely see a knife, they free you to use figured wood, live-edge slabs, and decorative inlays.

• Cut out a paddle or free-form shape on the band saw, then soften every edge with a roundover bit.
• Trending variations: a lazy-Susan base, a brass or epoxy inlay, or matching sets of small cheese boards.
• A small live-edge walnut slab makes a one-of-a-kind board with no joinery.

3. Kitchen knives and knife blocks

Rockler knife hardware kits let you skip the metalwork: you get a finished blade and make only the handle. The kitchen line includes a chef's knife, santoku, paring knife and fillet knife, each machined from AUS-10 Japanese stainless steel and hardened to HRC 57–59.

• Cut the scales to rough size first, then glue wood or acrylic knife scales to the tang with epoxy, and finally shape with hand tools and a sander. It needs few tools, which makes it a good beginner gift.
• Pair the knife with a block. We have free plans for an in-drawer knife organizer and a countertop bamboo-stick knife block that holds any blade.

4. Coasters

A set of four to six coasters is the ideal stocking stuffer and a smart way to use scrap. Slice end-grain sections rom a turned or squared blank or check out this article and video to learn how to combine epoxy and wood in our epoxy accessories for a wood-and-resin look. Add cork or felt to the bottoms so they won't scratch furniture.



Ornaments and holiday decor

Ornaments are the gift that come back out of the box every December, so they carry a memory of the giver for years. They're also quick to make, so they are ideal when you have a long list of teachers, neighbors and coworkers.

5. Turned tree ornaments

Turn a finial-style icicle, a small globe, or a tiny tree from scraps too short for anything else; acrylic blanks give a glassy, colorful look. A mini lathe, a carbide mini turning tool set, and a few small blanks are all you need. Follow our step-by-step guide to making a turned tree ornament.

6. Scroll saw wood-and-epoxy ornaments

These take the familiar fretwork ornament one step further: you cut a holiday pattern, then fill the openings with tinted or metallic epoxy so the design reads like stained glass. Complete steps for this beautiful holiday gift can be found in this article.

7. Layered and personalized ornaments

Two- and three-layer wood ornaments cast shadows on the tree, and pairing a wood frame with a clear acrylic insert gives a modern look. Make each one personal: a family name, a "Baby's First Christmas" date, a new home's address, or a hometown map cut-out. A laser or CNC speeds up engraving, but a scroll saw and wood-burning pen work too.

8. Advent calendars

A wooden advent calendar becomes a family tradition. Build a shallow cabinet with 24 small drawers, or a simpler wall board with 24 numbered pegs or pockets. Plan ahead: it needs to be finished and gifted by late November.

9. Custom signs

Carved signs with a family name, cabin address or holiday greeting are popular housewarming and holiday gifts. Rockler Interlock Signmaker's Kits let you rout clean letters without a CNC, and the emoji templates add a playful touch. Start with our free custom sign plans.



Keepsakes and personal gifts

Keepsakes are where your best wood and cleanest joinery belong, because they're kept for decades rather than used up.

10. Jewelry, ring and keepsake boxes

Few projects say "handmade" as clearly as a small box. A ring box can be finished in an afternoon; a lidded jewelry box with a tray takes a weekend. Start with our free ring box and keepsake box plans.

• Show off a highly figured lid panel (curly maple, spalted wood, burl veneer) or visible joinery such as splines, box joints or dovetails.
• Personalize with an engraved lid or a hidden message under the tray.
• Quality jewelry box hardware and a felt or flocked lining make a modest box feel premium.

11. Picture frames

A mitered frame around a favorite family photo, a print, or a grandchild's artwork is a gift that gets hung, not stored. The challenge is gap-free miters: use a sled or a well-tuned miter saw, and the right picture framing tools. Spline the corners for strength and a contrasting accent. See our five tips for mitered picture frames.



12. Turned pens and tool handles

Pen turning is one of the easiest ways into woodturning and a reliable gift for coworkers and teachers. A pen kit, a mandrel and a blank produce a finished pen in an hour or two. The same skills apply to small turning project kits such as pizza cutters, bottle openers and ice cream scoops. Learn the basics in our turned handles guide (PDF).

13. Wood and acrylic rings

Rings turned from wood, acrylic or a combination make one-of-a-kind jewelry. You'll need a ring blank and ring-making tools, a ring mandrel, and the recipient's ring size. Get the size right before you start, since there's no resizing afterward. Our ring turning guide covers tools, materials and maker tips.



Games and bigger builds

Game boards turn a gift into a shared activity, and a single large piece can become the family heirloom.

14. Cribbage and chess boards

A cribbage board is mostly drilling hundreds of evenly spaced holes, which is tedious freehand. Rockler's acrylic cribbage board drilling templates clamp to your blank and make the track layout quick and accurate. Add a pocket or sliding lid underneath for pegs and cards. Get our free cribbage board plans.

A chess board looks harder than it is: glue up alternating light and dark strips, crosscut them, flip every other strip, and glue again. Frame it with a contrasting border.

15. Wooden tote

An open tote with a dowel handle carries tools, garden gear, craft supplies, or napkins and flatware for the table. It's an ideal weekend project for a beginner and uses common lumber. Download our free wood tote plan (PDF).

16. Box-joint blanket chest

A blanket chest with box-joint corners is an heirloom gift for a wedding or a new home. Box joints are strong and decorative, and a router table with the Router Table XL Box Joint Jig makes them repeatable. Start in October: glue-ups, sanding and finish on a piece this size take several weekends.

17. Bluetooth speaker cabinet

Rockler's wireless speaker kits, including the AM/FM Stereo Wireless Speaker Kit, supply the amplifier, drivers and controls, so all your effort goes into the cabinet. Any well-built box becomes a speaker that pairs with any Bluetooth device. See our free wireless speaker plans.

Personalize, batch, and finish before December

Personalization is what turns a nice board into a gift someone keeps; batching is what gets ten gifts done instead of two.

Personalization ideas

• Engrave or wood-burn a family name, wedding date, or "est." year.
• Inlay initials in a contrasting wood or brass.
• Cut a hometown, lake or state outline into a board or ornament.
• Choose woods with meaning: wood from a family tree, an old barn, or the recipient's home state.

Make several gifts at once

If several people on your list are getting the same project, mill all the stock in one session and run each machine setup for every piece before changing it. Six cutting boards take barely longer than two. Finish in batches too, so cure times overlap.

A build timeline that works backward from the holidays

When	What to Do
Mid-October	Pick projects, order kits, blades and epoxy, and buy lumber. Start any large build such as a blanket chest.
Late October	Mill stock and do glue-ups for boards, boxes and frames.
Early November	Shape, sand and cut ornaments. Finish the advent calendar so it can be gifted before December 1.
Mid November	Pour epoxy and apply finishes; allow full cure time.
Late November	Engrave, add hardware, and do final buffing.
Early December	Package, label with care instructions, and ship anything going by mail.

Safety and food-safe finishes

Anything that touches food needs the right wood and the right finish; anything with epoxy needs protection while you work.

• Wood for cutting boards: choose closed-grain domestic hardwoods such as hard maple, walnut and cherry. Many exotic species cause skin or respiratory irritation, so check before using them on food surfaces.
• Finish for cutting surfaces: Numerous food-safe finishes are available for woodworking projects these days, including food-grade mineral oil, topped with a beeswax-and-oil board butter. It's easy for the recipient to renew. Avoid film finishes on boards that will be cut on, because knives break through them.
• Finish for serving pieces: many cured oil and varnish finishes are considered food-safe once fully hardened. Check the manufacturer's label and allow the full cure time, often 30 days.
• Keep epoxy off cutting surfaces: use it on decorative pieces, coasters and serving boards that won't be cut on.
• Protect yourself: wear nitrile gloves when mixing epoxy, work with ventilation, and wear a respirator when sanding. Repeated skin contact with uncured epoxy can cause lasting sensitization.
• Include a care card: "Hand wash only, never soak, oil monthly" keeps a board looking good for years and makes the gift look professional.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest woodworking gift for a beginner?

A cutting board or a set of coasters. Both need only straight cuts, glue, sanding and an oil finish, and both can be made from offcuts in an afternoon.

What is a good handmade wood gift for someone who has everything?

Something personal they can't buy: a cutting board with their family name, an ornament marking a milestone year, or a keepsake box made from wood with a story behind it. A kitchen knife with a handle you shaped yourself is a strong choice for cooks.

How long does epoxy take to cure in wood ornaments?

Most tabletop epoxies can be handled after about 24 hours and fully cure in about 72 hours at room temperature. Cooler shops take longer, so always follow the product label.

What thickness of wood is best for scroll saw ornaments?

About 1/4 in. It's thin enough to cut cleanly with a fine blade and light enough to hang on a tree branch, while still holding an epoxy fill.

Can I make wood gifts without a full shop?

Yes. Knife handles from a kit, small serving boards, scroll saw ornaments and turned pens need only one or two machines. Many Rockler stores also offer hands-on woodworking classes where you can build a gift project with shop equipment and an instructor.

What finish is food-safe for a wooden cutting board?

Food-grade mineral oil, optionally topped with a beeswax board butter. It soaks into the wood rather than forming a film that knives would cut through.

When should I start making holiday gifts?

By mid-October for most projects. Glue-ups, epoxy pours and finishes each need cure time, and large builds like a blanket chest need several weekends.