HandicraftsHandicrafts can be coupled with other major crafting skills such as CookingCooking and CastingCasting and significantly shorten the time to level the other two skills. It can also be complemented with skills such as ProcurementProcurement and CollectionCollection, and therefore turning trash items such as Common GrassCommon Grass, SandSand and StoneStone into highly valuable commodity.

Handicraft can be used to make trade goods such as alcohol, as well as make Gems from ore collected in Landing areas. It is also responsible for making all furniture throughout the game, and can add valuable boosts to your ship by building Figureheads and Wooden Ship Armours.

Because Handicraft is such a versatile, each nation will have its advantages and disadvantages:

• Spain Spanish players and Portugal Portuguese players will have easy access to WheatWheat, BarleyBarley, OlivesOlives, Sugar CaneSugar Cane, AlmondsAlmonds and WineWine.
  
• France French players will have the Bordeaux to Nantes trade route as well as access to the Brewery secret Part 2Brewery secret Part 2 from Montpellier, and
  
• Netherlands Dutch and England English players will have the raw materials of LumberLumber and other metal ore and Industrial goods from the North Sea.
  

Recommended:

• Complete intermediate schools before getting Handicrafts.
  
• Get HandicraftsHandicrafts skill as favoured, it lowers the proficiency to level up.

One of the biggest problems with Handicraft is that most recipes start at level 2, so at level 1 your options are very limited. You can of course try and purchase a Shipwright's sawShipwright's saw from players, but that equipment would cost about 3 million ducats.
The next best thing is try to get your Handicraft to level 2 by crafting level 1 items.

Sail to either Malaga, Nantes or Syracuse, purchase Medical preparation bookMedical preparation book from shopkeeper. Go outside Nantes (South Nantes) the town through the gatekeeper and use either ProcurementProcurement or CollectionCollection skill (on a grassy patch) to gather Common GrassCommon Grass (about 200 should do the job) and turn them into OintmentsOintments.

Although, CastingCasting is not essential, having casting at rank 7 and being able to make BronzeBronze would make leveling up HandicraftsHandicrafts faster.

For details on how to level up CastingCasting, see Casting guide.

The reason is that you can turn BronzeBronze into Bronze SculptureBronze Sculpture and the materials to make BronzeBronze can all be found in Hamburg.
If you wish to master Handicraft and you are from either England or The Netherlands, it is highly recommended that you start off with CastingCasting and use HandicraftsHandicrafts as a complement rather than head straight into Handicraft.

Purchase as many IronIron from Amsterdam as you can and then sail to Oslo.
In Oslo combine LumberLumber with IronIron to make Cedar platingCedar plating from Making extra wood armouringMaking extra wood armouring.

The recipe book required for making Wood SculptureWood Sculpture is obtained from CairoCairo. It is best to ask a friend from a Mediterranean nation to bring the book for you. It is a very long travel from Cairo back to the North.
Wood SculptureWood Sculpture will sell for quite a lot in Oslo, and this recipe can make you rich very quickly.
The disadvantage is that Oslo has no close by ports, so you will have to buy LumberLumber from other players.

Before you start your late game handicrafts, it recommended that you have a high level in CollectionCollection, at least R6, and even better, if you have farm that was producing the raw materials for crafting. The items needed for crafting late game materials in Handicraft are a pain to gather, and most such as Red OreRed Ore, BeehivesBeehives and Vegetable OilVegetable Oil can only be obtained through CollectionCollection in Landing areas. Before you head out to collect the materials make sure you stock up on Food items to replenish vigour. If you can produce the required items in your farm, then you can level up quite easily.

Congratulations on making it so far, now is where you can see how Vigour5 can be turned into 25,000 Ðucats. The ores required for cutting gems can be produced from your farm, and that is probably the easiest and best way to acquire them.
Otherwise you will have to collect them youself:

• For RubyRuby, Red OreRed Ore can be collected (require CollectionCollection - R5) outside Tunis.
  
• For AmberAmber, Yellow OreYellow Ore can be collected (require CollectionCollection - R5) outside Stockholm.
  
• For EmeraldEmerald, Green OreGreen Ore can be collected (require CollectionCollection - R5) outside Athens.
  

If you have the India permits, then head to Ceylon after getting the Jewel cut books and Collection rank 2 to collect Red OreRed Ore, Green OreGreen Ore, Yellow OreYellow Ore, White OreWhite Ore and Blue OreBlue Ore and turn it into Gems. It's not as good as Oslo but makes lots of money.

Graduation!!! You have mastered the art of Handicraft, you can now turn unwanted objects into prized possession, and with level 15 at your disposal you can millions in a matter of minutes. But wait, there is still something more challenging. Yes with Handicraft, you can also build Furniture for people’s Apartments. These Furniture will allow players to store various items and trade goods in their apartment as well their Skills.
The highest level Furniture is requires rank 17 Handicraft, and if you make it, you will become the world’s most Legendary Carpenter.
So Good Luck and Sail Safe.