Poll: Make Money At Woodworking?

[Steve Clardy]

I'm full time with my own shop. Wife works a part time job for grocery money.

[Frank Pellow]

Hey Tom, I just noticed that your percentage ranges overlap at the boundaries.

[Greg Mann]

I have a lot of projects around the house, more carpentry than woodworking, that I am knocking off myself. I just remodeled our kitchen and know that I saved a ton over hiring it out. What I save on projects is my justification for tool aquisition. It is more rewarding that way (but might not be if I was doing this for a living ). I think most of us got hooked that way.

Greg

[Jim McCarty]

I am a general contractor who does mostly finish carpentry and cabinetry. I have been doing this for the past 25 years.

[Mike Cutler]

At this time none, and I'm good with that. I do it as stress relief and to make some nice furniture/remodeling to the house. I've had requests for projects, but I pass. The requests come from friends and co-workers and I don't want to take a chance compromising those relationships.
I've been told that I do good work, and maybe it's true, but I'm slower than erosion. I get just as much satisfaction out of making a shop jig as I do the final result.
I'm also very fortunate, I have a wife that supports me in my "endeavor" and usually is the catalyst to make me buy a new tool or machine to make things easier, I'm pretty hardheaded at times .

[Mark Riegsecker]

I agree with Mike Cutler, the risk and reward is not always there. If an item is sitting in your house, guests can easily complement. Once they pay for that same item you, the friend and/or fellow factory worker have now taken on a new role, open to objective expectations that are rarely ever met for one reason or another.
I've sold things in the past and there were rarely an occasion I didn't harbor a feeling that the "customer" really wasn't satisfied. They said they were.... but that lingering feeling.....
In my experience, the hardest thing in the world to do, other then lose weight, is to make money selling workshop projects. Correctly I mean.... I read in a book long ago, the title went something like, " selling your stuff", boy was that depressing. The author listed all the expenses involved with the project that you're expected to add up in order to actually make a profit.
Ignoring his advice we amateurs inevitably end up adding a couple of bucks to the finished product for that new saw blade or a new router bit calling that profit. Which brings me back to my first sentence.

Often times when our goal is to sell we then lose our focus of why we started and why we continue. As was mentioned by others, most of us started out of necessity I know I did. However, it isn't long before it naturally evolves into furniture for the LOML, children's toys for Christmas, out door projects that we would probably not buy because many times it needs to be custom. On and on it goes making it a very self rewarding albeit, expensive hobby that we justify by improving our surroundings and to satisfy an apparent need for challenge.
I certainly don't want to insult or sound of someone full of arrogance. There's nothing wrong with selling your wares I suppose it can be fun too, part of the challenge. I never did it long and today feel fortunate that I no longer have a need nor inclination.

I love this hobby and love what it gives me which I get from nothing else. And after finding this forum I see I'm not alone. I have monitored this forum for a while and it has become my favorite. I'm not entirely sure. It might be the format or the information that's available. I just know there is a wealth of information here and I've learned a lot in just the few weeks I've been with you. I extend my deepest gratitude to this forum and to all of you who contribute.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

As I'm still currently finishing my new shop I'm experiencing a tremendous deficit. But I do it as stress relief from the job. It's something I enjoy and someday I hope to be a craftsman of sorts.

[John Bush]

0.00% $$$$ for me but I make garden seating benches and potting benches for various benefit auctions in the area. It's a great excuse to buy more stuff and make dust!! The winners of the items at the auctions are very appreciative of the efforts donated and usually pay much more than the item's realistic value. This serves to boost my ego far above any logical level, but then I feel totally justified buying more stuff and making more dust!! Man, what a deal!! John.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I started out last year making and selling some of my homemade hand tools. I got a website up the first of the year and things have taken off. To me it's a supplementary income which pays for my tool and woodworking habit and provides a few extra bucks. I love making my marking knives, awls, plane hammers, and bowsaws. I feel both productive and proud that I can make things which other woodworkers desire and can use in thier shops. I decided that for me the way to go was completely legitimate. I formed an LLC, got a federal ID number, and even pay taxes on what I make. Of course, since I have a dealer in Germany and export to him, there wasn't much chance of flying under the IRS and customs radar anyway.

I expect that the business will grow and eventually I'll have more types of tools, though still only specialty stuff for the hand tool enthusiast. My main concern is managing growth so that I'm not stuck only making tools. I still want to be able to make furniture. When I retire I expect to devote about half time to toolmaking as a supplement to my retirement income. Unfortunately, retirement is till 10 years away.

[John Gregory]

My wife and I built our shop because we enjoy woodworking as a hobby. I think we spent less money building and equiping our shop than many do buying a boat and a truck to pull it.
We have built two or three things for people I work with and charged them a little more than cost of material. We build a lot for family and they just pay for cost of material and supplies. LOML and I think we picked a great hobby. Other's pay for the supplies we need for our hobby.

We hope that when we retire, we can bring in some extra cash doing woodworking. Time will tell on that.

John and Kris

[Mark J Bachler]

This is kind of a hard one to answer. So I'm going to tell ya a little story.

For 18 years I worked as a cabinetmaker in a production shop. Now I do estimating & CAD for a similar shop (day job). A year or so ago I built my own shop. The deal I made with OWHN (ol' what’s her name) was that the shop would pay for itself. I borrowed 42K for the 28 x 40 building, all the machines & tools. Working evenings & weekends, I've been pulling in between $1200 to $1600 a month for the last 4 months. All in all I am making the payments ok, BUT, as Jim B. said I'm starting to destroy my enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, I love my shop & I love working in it, however it would be nice to do something besides hump out kitchens (gravy) for a change. I have a 32' oak bar & back bar to build coming up in March / April which may be just what I need to stretch out a little. Eventually I'll have everything paid off & then I can kick back & do whatever I want, right ???????

Thanks for letting me rant a little.

Like you had a choice.

[Byron Trantham]

I retired last May. Since then I have had a commissioned job in the shop all the time. Since the end of May I have done 2 lingerie chests, 2 coffee tables, a toy box, a wine rack and some misc. small stuff. Just hope this will last. My biggest problem is that I work slowly, and my shop only has room for one project at a time.

Starting this week I have to take a break, the wife has got a new large screen TV and it won't fit the old cabinet, so I have to build her a new TV cabinet before I can take on anything else.

So far I am really enjoying being retire and spending every day in the shop woodworking.

Bob

Bobby,
You and I are on the same track. I make money at it but I won't be rushed. I spent 36 years being rushed - no more! I tell clients, "So long as you aren't in a hurry, I'll do it." In four years of retirement and a couple dozen projects, not a single person has "put the pressure" on me. I really enjoy working with wood, but what the hey, if they want to pay me so be it. BTW, the most frequently asked for items are picture frames! It amazes me what people will pay for them considering they can go to WalMart, buy it that day, and pay A LOT LESS. Of course I mount them, cut matts, install dust shields and mounting harware. Depending on the client, I have even gone to their house and hung them.

[Tom LaRussa]

Hey Tom, I just noticed that your percentage ranges overlap at the boundaries.

Frank,

I know, but I was too lazy to type out a bunch of greater-than-X-but-less-than-Y type statements.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Frank,

I know, but I was too lazy to type out a bunch of greater-than-X-but-less-than-Y type statements.

It didn't skew the results too much. The overwhelming outcome is that most of us in this craft do not do it for the money. Most of us do it for the joy and satisfaction.

[Thomas Prondzinski]

I have a small woodworking business outside of my 40+ week job,so far helps to buy the tools. Doing my first kitchen now.



Tom