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!
#1 Homer's Spice Rack. Made For A "Shi**y" Gift Exchange
Image credits: snuzet
#2 Made This When I Was About 5 Or 6. Pencil-Holding Caterpillar For My Dad To Use At Work
Image credits: Aidan_Baidan
#3 A Kitty Door In A Door
Image credits: PiotrSanctuvich
#4 First Railing Lmao. Swear I Used My Tape Measure
Image credits: follow_the_light
#5 There Was An Attempt
Image credits: DIYwithDave
#6 Phone Holder For Google Maps And An 800 Mile Trip. I Had 15 Minutes-Ish And Very Few Tools On Hand
Image credits: FelixTheCrazy
#7 Tricycle
Image credits: rollobones
#8 My Dad's Cutting Board
Image credits: BlumpkinLord
#9 Made A Small Box Out Of Popsicle Sticks To Hold Toothpicks For My Work Truck
Image credits: BMXfreekonwheelz13
#10 TV Remote, Friend Said His Kids Kept Losing The Remote So This Was The Solution
Image credits: Kitchen_Turn_4017
#11 How About These Genuinely Sh*tty Steps In Our Garden ?
Image credits: SpinnySpinn
#12 Needed A Stand So I Made This From Scrap
Image credits: BladeLX 7
#13 Sh*tty Reconstructed Pallet Table
Image credits: ConfidenceRare
#14 No Fires Allowed... So Tiny Scraps Turn Into... Kind Of Larger Scraps
Image credits: Uncle_Chef
#15 Made A Stool. Despite Its Questionable Looks It Is Actually Quite Comfortable And Steady
Image credits: LogicalFig1759
#16 My Dad Made This Terrible Table
Image credits: rpmerf
#17 Soap Holder At My Friend’s House
Image credits: dimitrix
#18 This Coffee Table I Made
Image credits: notsellingsushi
#19 Practiced Making A Picture Frame From A 2x4. No Planning Ahead. Turned Out As Expected
Image credits: LadyBaconHands
#20 Lid Handle Fell Off, Wood Scrap Pile To The Rescue!
Image credits: rpmerf
#21 Old Desk Left By The Old Owners Of Our New House
Image credits: Gaming_Moth
#22 Combination Wardrobe And Nap Spot, First Thing I’ve Build Out Of Wood How’d I Do?
Image credits: willdotexecutable
#23 Walnut Sculpture I Made. My Wife Thinks It Looked Too Much Like A Certain Distasteful Emoji
Image credits: OldRunner2
#24 Found In The Wild…
Image credits: DKplus9
#25 Didn't Want To Rent A Crane So I Built One Out Of 2x4s
Image credits: walmart_fun_facts
#26 Plywood Chic
Image credits: FANGtheDELECTABLE
#27 Finally Finished The Treehouse, Total Cost Around $50. Everything Was Made From Items Found In A Barn
Image credits: Acrobatic-Animal2432
#28 Who Would Want To Do This To Their House?
Image credits: RampantLion757
#29 I Made This Stool A While Ago—thought I’d Share
Image credits: Owlettt
#30 Friend Made Beer Pong Table Out Of A Door His Dad Kicked In, Thought It Belonged Here
Image credits: mrdoctaprofessor
#31 Finally Get To Make A Post Here! Made Some Legs For This Leopard Bench
Image credits: djbrain86
#32 Found This On Fb. What Do You Think?
Image credits: Ghostballsinyourface
#33 A Stool Sample
Image credits: StartingaGwen
#34 From The "Quick And Dirty" File
Image credits: Elan2413
#35 Sh*tty But Effective Toddler Deterrence For Our Lazy Susan
Image credits: BaldingAndLovingIt
#36 I Give You The Double Decker Sofa. Ideal For Game Night With The Guys
Image credits: jh989
#37 Did I Win The Sub With This One?
Image credits: thaquatic
#38 I Needed A Weight Holder So I Cut Two Pallets And Screwed Them Together With Boards. Done
Image credits: MichaelSander
#39 Dice Tower Made From Sturdy Wood And A Firm Plastic Adhesive In 2020, Not To Brag But This Piece Speaks For Itself
Image credits: Coastal_wolf
#40 Professionally Made And Polished Thing To Hold Log When I Saw
Image credits: More-Possibility1884
#41 Deodorant Holder, My Wife Asked "Why Is There A Baby Stump On My Counter?" Lol
Image credits: joshuaquiz
#42 I See Lots Of Beautifully Made Mallets In Various Subs, Behold My Sh*tty Contribution
Image credits: Deeplymine
#43 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
Image credits: benmarvin
#44 Some Sage Advice
Image credits: TadpoleFun7453
#45 Was Told You Guys Might Appreciate My Teapot. Kettle Handle Used To Get Hot. Not Anymore
Image credits: Sharkhips
#46 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
Image credits: inside_your_face
#47 Standing Desk
Image credits: distractable
#48 Tower Built. No Blueprint, First Saw. 3 Hurricanes And 5 Years Later Still Standing
Image credits: Status_Procedure8255
#49 #update On My Shitty Wooden Chandelier. Thats How It Looks Finished
Image credits: edgasilk
#50 Recently Finished Project
Image credits: Little_woodymaker
#51 It Ain't Pretty But It'll Work To Keep Clothes Off The Bedroom Floor
Image credits: ThrowawayNerdist
#52 When In Doubt, Screw It
Image credits: onehappyb
#53 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
Image credits: Strobman
#54 Monitor Riser Stand Made With Hand Tools Only
Image credits: PhragMunkee
#55 Took The Glass From An Old Scale To Make A Window. I Need To Start Actually Trying When Taking Measurements
Image credits: Acrobatic-Animal2432
#56 I Also Made A Sh**ty Phone/Tablet Stand
Image credits: Lux_Interior9
#57 Cat Water Bowl Holder, Made From Scrap Wood & Cracked Where You See The Glue, A Bit Over Halfway In The Middle. Top Piece Was Warped, I Also Used 18 Gauge Brad Nails To Keep It Together. Notice The Beautiful Clamp Marks & The Wedge I Tacked On To Keep It Level. Hole Cut Out W/ Jig Saw
Image credits: Dekarde
#58 Repurposed Free Wood Has Become Ugly Garage Work Bench. Much Sturdy, Much Eyesore
Image credits: reetardgenius
#59 Made A Ramp For The Dogo, But I Guess It Was Too Sh**ty Since She Refuses To Use It
Image credits: moistsymposium
#60 Another Chair Made Out Of My Deck I Demolished
Image credits: Deadliest_Death
#61 First Metal Free Build. Incredibly Unstable, 4/10 Woodnt Recommend
Image credits: bovine-brothel
#62 When You Run Out Of Money For The Real Mounts, You Gotta Make Do
Image credits: Classic_Knowledge364
#63 Quick And Dirty Panel Lifter. Needed To Move A Sheet Of Plywood By Myself And Threw This Together With Scrap Bin Wood. Ugly Af But It Worked!
Image credits: Jordo-nb
#64 So We're Posting Sh**ty Treehouses Now??
Image credits: pmags3000
#65 This Mallet Someone Made
Image credits: klaschmauk
#66 0% Waste
Image credits: Bitten469
#67 My Crowning Achievement. This Bad Boy Presses All The Goo Out Of Tofu So That I Can Fry It Later. Improvements Will Be Made. Oh Yes
Image credits: Bewbz_lol
#68 Absolutely Textbook Quality Dovetails On My First Attempt
Image credits: BurtSandalman
#69 Finally Found A Reddit Where I Can Show Off. Here You Can See A Bird House, Made It Myself
Image credits: gentillekes
#70 I Slaughtered A Guitar Neck I Was Making, But Needed A Chisel Holder
Image credits: tarcus
#71 If You Can Build Something With Less Effort That Will Hold Your A** Up… Show It Here
Image credits: allaspiaggia
#72 8 Cuts + 12 Screws. Does The Job Though!
Image credits: Dill_picklex
#73 My 2 Year Old And I Are Making A Tree House! Its Only 3 Feet Off The Ground :) And I Couldn't Figure Out How To Make The Hole The Size Of The Tree?
Image credits: TeaGnomes
#74 I Needed Shelves And Had An Old Kitchen Bench. Admire My Bodge Job
Image credits: Grillenium-Falcon
#75 The Underside Of This Deck
Image credits: ToySoldierMC
#76 Stand For My Wife’s Mini X-Mas Tree. Weights Are To Keep The Cats From Pulling It Over
Image credits: meaty_maker
#77 Checkout My Sh*tty Bench-Top Sander!
Image credits: zorlack
#78 Happy Hannukah You Hacks
Image credits: cbogie
#79 Sh**ty Coffetable For My Coffee
Image credits: selaheldin
#80 Made This See-Saw With Scraps In My Garage
Image credits: Acrobatic-Animal2432
#81 Roast My First Bench
Image credits: reddit.com
#82 When It Works, It Works
Image credits: whiskeypatriot
#83 Needed A Workbench, Made A Workbench
Image credits: Prof_NXS
#84 Truck
Image credits: Now-done
#85 Check Out My New Laundry Shelf. I Made It Myself
Image credits: E_m_maker
#86 Six Modelos In And My Wife Tells Me That I Needed To Get The Cucumbers Going Up A Trellis. No Problem, Dear. Ezpz
Image credits: pervyninja
#87 Anaheim Convention Center
Image credits: SALTYP33T
#88 It’s The Attention To Detail That Really Sets This Transition Apart From The Rest
Image credits: HamOnTheCob
#89 Slapped Together Access For The Far End Of My Chicken Coop
Image credits: juniperwak
#90 Made A Stool
Image credits: reddit.com
#91 The Excellent Framing Work At A Job Site I'm At
Image credits: ILove2Bacon
#92 Literal Trash, But It's The Perfect Size And Shape
Image credits: icebergelishious
#93 Ia This An Optical Illusion?
Image credits: slumericanfan
#94 This Sub Is Perfect For Me As I Don't Care About Aesthetics And Only Functionality. Here's A Sh**ty Bench
Image credits: DirtyBendavitz