How many on here make a living at woodworking?

[Jeff Monson]

Just like to see how many members on this site are actually make a living at woodworking, its a dream of mine to do so as I really enjoy it, I'm just afraid to make the plunge with the limited experience I have.

If so are you a shop owner or employed at a shop?

[Jim Hager]

I want to make a living as a pro woodworker but for right now I will have to be satisfied with making my primary living as a teacher and a supplemental income in my shop. I did the books the other day and it looks like a very real possibility.

I have a pretty good client list adding up and one of these days pretty soon I'm gonna pull the trigger and set out on my own. I guess I should start another TICK< TICK< TICK to time when I bail out of the day job.

All of my Saturdays and Sundays are spent in the shop trying to keep up with my list of clients. Right now I've probably got enough work to keep me busy for 2 months if I were a full timer. People seem to be happy to wait on me.

[Frank Pellow]

Jeff, check the poll in the thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=16587

[Jim Fancher]

It's just an expensive hobby for me. One of many.

[J.R. Rutter]

I'm making a living at it. Of course it took about 4 years to get to that level. Lots of laying awake at night wondering how on earth I could avoid going back to a regular paycheck job. But, knock wood, things are cruising along. Always a new challenge, a new risk, a new reward. I am still the sole employee, and have taken the path of upgrading my shop and machinery rather than invest in employees. It is hard sometimes working 10, 12, even 16 hour days occaisionally, but I wanted to be a producer, not a manager...

[Steve Clardy]

Yes. I do. Not to sure about actually making a living sometimes.
But I really enjoy it!!

[Chris Dodge]

It's part time for me (20 hours per week) but I am seriously considering going at it full time. I have done the math and can do very well with it. My wife is a little worried though because she likes the security of my current job and benefits. I have so much woodworking work coming my way right now that I am turning away customers because I don't have the extra time to do more. Tough decision to make. Security or doing what you love...

[ROBERT ELLIS]

Jefff I'm new to the creek but not to full time woodworking. This may shock some but I'm going the other way. I'm gonna be starting to work for my brother at his business and hopefully put woodworking back to hobby status, and maybe even make a few pieces for myself. I've been wworking mostly full time since 97' and here's a few tips I'll pass on to you for what it's worth.

Try to sell directly to the public. Thereby cutting out the wholesale market to prevent losing a large part of your profits. I got in the groove of starting out selling to dealers and got stuck in that mold.

Your location will be a big factor as to whether or not you'll be successful at it. Where I live folks here don't make as much as they do in the bigger cities, and they're unwilling to pay the higher retail price. This was my major reason I had to sell wholesale to dealers away from my hometown.

Assuming your married, if your wife works and has a decent job, it will make things much easier. Also if your bent on wworking full time, ease into, build up a clientale.

Keep in my mind furniture buying by the public can be a fickle thing. Things can change overnight. Another 9-11 will cause folks to keep thier wallets next to them. I know, this happened to my wworking business, and it took a couple of years for things to pick up again. It's still not what it used to be (at least for me)

As J.R. posted, you can expect to put in long, long hours in the shop! Not to mention the "perpetual war sawdust wages against you".

One last note, I remember the other night reading an article in FWW (I think Jeff Dunbar wrote it) about some secrets of a successful wworking career. It would be well worth your time to read it. If you like, I'll try to find what issue it was in.

Well I could write a book on the subject, but wouldn't want to bore everyone.

Hope I've helped some. Good Luck in your future decisions.

Robert

[Tim Devery]

Fulltime, if you count installing and finishing hardwood flooring.
It must count, I come home coated with wood dust.

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

I can't say that I'm making a living Woodworking, but my art is starting to be recognized. In a couple of weeks, we are taking a cruise in the Carribean and my sales from December, alone, are paying for all the shore excursions. I have also started improving my tools, totally supported by sales. I'm not really trying to make WWing a business for me.

Bruce

[Keith Outten]

Jeff,

I have been woodworking for 30 years, professionally for the last five. Robert's comments about the September 11th disaster are true and had an effect on my business as well. I had to take a break from full-time briefly but my shop work over the last two years is back to a full-time workload although I still have a few months left working my day job for CNU. Although I have tried many types of woodworking these days my work is mostly commercial signs and some custom millwork. I don't use wood exclusively anymore but it is still a big part of my business. Another major material for me is solid surface materials like Dupont Corian. Using Corian is very simular to wood in that it can be shaped with routers, cut with saws and glued using various types of adhesives. Solid surface materials are worth a look for most woodworkers, the option of using it for table tops and other ways to enhance a project can make a difference, something like the old marble top tables of days gone by.

Making a living at woodworking can be very difficult, the Walmart mentality of some customers should not be discounted and there is very little work at the high-end for start-ups. Some have a lot of success in the cabinet industry as there is always work from the construction of new homes. Custom furniture is certainly a viable option but can be very difficult to market enough business to stay alive, at least in the beginning.

Plan carefully and don't underestimate the value of marketing.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Well I'm going to jump in here from very different angle.

We (my lovely wife and I) run her family's liquor shop, here in Tokyo Japan. I work 12 to 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, we often work on Sundays part days as well. We have tried very hard to "Specialize" in the fine wine and cigar area, we are becoming successful at this, but the market here is cut throat, and the economy, in general, is still just puttering along. We have a lot riding on this business, loans on new 6 and 7 floor buildings, mortgages etc. etc. We make a living, but honestly, I think if I worked at a hamburger joint the hours I do a the L shop, I'd take home more money.

Why do I tell you this? Well, I have a buddy, who also runs a liquor shop, he is heavily into wine, and he works as hard as me if not harder, but there is a huge difference, he just simply LOVES it, he LOVES any and everything to do with wine, he has scraped together the money to visit Italy & France, he lives for the whole wine thing. On the other hand, for me it is a job, I never intended to get into this business, I did not wake up one day and say "Gee I'd like to run a liquor shop" I just came along to help out my wife's family, when she could not work, as she was pregnant with our first daughter (12 year ago!).

So you see, if you really, really love the whole wood working thing, if you love to create with your hands, if it makes you feel good, well then, if you do feel that way, then even a struggle will be worth it. If you are doing it because you think it might be a decent way to make a living, well you may very well be disappointed.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but you also have to be careful who you take your advice from on this subject, if the person is running a successful business doing this wood working thing, then I'd take their advice much more to heart.

I'm preparing for the day when the MILFH dies, we will most likely lose the business, as the death tax here is 70%, yes that is right, they take 70% and leave us with 30%, unless I take a 30 year mortgage to buy back my own building and business, I'm sunk, so at that time, I'm going to go into business for myself doing this woodworking thing

OK who wants a go on the soapbox, I'm done!

Cheers!

[Art Mulder]

... we will most likely lose the business, as the death tax here is 70%, yes that is right, they take 70% and leave us with 30%, unless I take a 30 year mortgage to buy back my own building and business, I'm sunk, so at that time, I'm going to go into business for myself doing this woodworking thing

So far, woodworking is strictly a hobby, and with one exception, strictly for my own families enjoyment. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much if I *had* to do it every day. I have scored some income, but from writing about woodworking for a magazine, not from selling pieces. And yeah, the magazine income is fun, but again, I think it would be very very hard for someone to make a decent living writing about woodworking.

Stu, this is probably an obvious question, but don't people try to get around that tax by giving away their possessions before they die?

[Paul Canaris]

Thats the plan when I retire

[Tom Horton]

I'm a full time "home repair specialist". People break it, I fix it. I've been in the home building business for almost 30 years, and I'm self-employed now, going on 5 years. It's not an easy way to make a living, but if you are a stickler for details, and are honest, your work will reflect that. That's what gets the business. Marketing is good, but word of mouth is best. I have a large shop that is used for woodworking, and many other things, but my client base is largely those who need small item repairs.