Can you really make a decent living at woodworking?

[Anonymous]

john wrote

I'll quote a little bit high and see what happens

and hope that your customer doesn't know about this forum

Regards

Roy

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Well, rugby of course Andy. I play it--still, well just about. I watch it and devour it. Tri-Nations, Super Twelve, Currie Cup, Celtic League, Zurich Premiership, Heineken Cup, French Championshipship, and most importantly of all, The Six Nations and The World Cup.

It's all encompassing and I don't even hang a shelf at weekends or nights for the nagging queen, ha, ha-- unless I really have to.

Mind you, she reciprocates by refusing to show me how to use a computer when she's not working, and that's what she's been doing for years.

It's far too boring to take your work home at the weekend. You need a break from what stresses you out during the week, and for me weekends mean rugby, not furniture making. Slainte.

 

[Anonymous]

Like the sad *** that I am I have been surfing round old threads on a Sunday morning and have come across this really interesting one from a couple of years ago (before I got involved).

I have to say that I have found most of the posts depressingly pessimistic as regards making a living out of woodworking. I set up as a cabinetmaker 18 months ago and while I have not yet got to the point where I'm drawing a really good salary (fortunately my wife does) I have not found any difficulty in filling my order book months in advance with interesting and profitable work.

I started out with the intention of concentrating on individual freestanding pieces of furniture, but like many before me have been shunted in the direction of kitchens and fitted furniture. For some reason the perceived value of these in the public's eye is far greater than that of individual pieces.

My advice to anyone thinking of setting up professionally would be as follows;


1. Even before you start out make yourself a website using a program such as Web Plus (£40 at PC World last time I looked)

2. Take out a semi-display ad in Yellow Pages ('Cabinet Makers' is a good category)and time your start-up to coincide with the publication of the next book. Highlight your website address in the ad. Also sign up with Yell.com.

3. Keep your overheads LOW!!!! If you can work from home - great. If you need to rent a workshop make it as cheap as possible - don't worry about how it looks, or having a showroom - nearly all your business will come from you visiting potential clients at home. The only thing I would make sure of is that you have 3-phase power. This makes buying second hand machinery much cheaper.

4. The going rate for a site joiner is around £150 per day. For a kitchen fitter around £200. Their overheads are a van and a bunch of tools. You need to charge MORE than this because you also have a workshop which is costing you money even when you out on site or quoting for a job. £30 an hour would be a starting point! The work is out there - you just have to attract it - hence my emphasis on marketing even before you start out.

I could go on and on...


... however, Sunday is my one day off a week, SWMBO is at work, and if I haven't installed new skirtings and architraves in the hall by the time she gets home she'll have my plums on a skewer!

My one day off...

 

[Anonymous]

I forgot one thing...

If you are going to be fitting furniture then buy yourself a Fein Multimaster now - without delay.

Hang the expense, it will pay for itself on the first job!

 

[Anonymous]

If you don't have any photos of work you have done then 'borrow' some! :lol:

Big Dunc i am truely disappointed, I would be so ****** off if someone borrowed my work and pretended it was their work.

The big kitchen companies would have you in the courts as quick as possible.

 

[JFC]

I think id be pretty annoyed if someone was showing my work as their own aswell . As for what market to aim at don't forget replacement windows and doors , most of the bigger companies just want to replace the whole thing but if you offer a new opener at a fraction of the cost your name will get around very fast . Also matching old mouldings is a nice earner , almost every victorian house has a bit of skirting board missing or the like that they cant get hold of .

 

[Anonymous]

You're quite right, Senior.

What was meant light heartedly this morning doesn't look so clever now.

Duely admonished.

Dunk

 

[Dave S]

1. Even before you start out make yourself a website using a program such as Web Plus (£40 at PC World last time I looked)

I disagree. A text editor/Web Plus/Dreamweaver, will no more make a web designer out of furniture maker than a hardpoint saw/cheap Chinese import/Wadkin will make a furniture maker out of a web designer.

I find it surprising when someone has worked hard and learnt to make good quality furniture (for example) and then chooses to showcase it on what it the equivalent of a flat-pack from Argos.

Of course, you are right that minimising costs is important when starting out. But whilst cash might be in short supply, time is often not. What I would do is try to find a local web designer who needs the services of someone skilled with wood and do a deal.

IMO, good craftsmanship deserves to be showcased well. More to the point, as a potential customer, I am put off companies with poor quality websites. I have to say, Dunc, that I admire your work, but I don't think your own website comes close to doing it justice.

All that said, you are the one successfully making a living from making furniture. To give some context to my thoughts, working with wood is a hobby for me, and it's IT/e-commerce that pays the bills.

cheers
David

 

[Scrums]

Thanks dunk for getting this thread going again - or I'd never have noticed it.

You've edited your post so I can't see your grave misdemeanour, though I don't think you were talking so much about plagiarising peoples work, rather using a certain amount of licence to show what your business is capable of.

I opened a small 'gallery' area in my workshop a couple of months ago, and I've found life in professional woodworking a very steep learning curve. I too thought I could knock out a few examples of nice furniture and use them to demonstrate my skills and type of design and the commisions woul slowly come in based on that. But it ain't working.

The 'bits and pieces', ie: Turned bowls, clocks and giftware are moving slowly, but as yet no furniture. In the New Year I shall have to have a rethink and get some web design done, some advertising and all that. I have a web site but it's not cutting it for me, I had the Yell.com guy in a couple of weeks back but their charges are frightening.

On a final note - I know a Furniture maker who faced with having to expand his business and take on a couple more bench joiners to cope decided to cut out altogether - now all he does is resell machinery from bankrupt furniture makers and joinery firms! - and he's doing well.

Chris.

 

[gardenshed]

If you don't have any photos of work you have done then 'borrow' some! :lol:

Big Dunc i am truely disappointed, I would be so ****** off if someone borrowed my work and pretended it was their work.

The big kitchen companies would have you in the courts as quick as possible.

And I now have no idea if the photo's on Big Dunk's web site are borrowed or ........................... :?:

 

[Losos]

I would say Duncan was being light hearted. In the sales & marketing game big corporations do much worse :wink:

If you're just starting out you need something to show people. If they ask "Did you make that" you have to reply honestly.

Still, what do I know, I chucked the day job long ago