Might have to call it a day...

[Stevie-Raw]

..Well after a year and a half of scratching around for work and not getting any, I'm thinking I might just knock this woodworking mullarky on the head, close my workshop and sell up. The business isn't even washing its face never mind making me any money.

Sooooo...can anyone suggest a good place to sell the machinery I have for the best price? I've also got some nice planes which are mint condition having seen very little action. I'll post a list if anyones interested.

Thanks
Steve

 

[Chems]

Thats very sad Another victim of recession.

 

[OPJ]

Very sorry to hear this.

If you post some details on the planes, I'm sure there'll be plenty of interested parties on here!! :wink:

 

[Tierney]

Sorry to hear about it. At least you can say that you tried it. The normal drill (no pun intended) seems to be to list all your items and prices you expect for them. I'm considering buying a drill press or bandsaw; but, you might be too far away.

Cheers,

David

 

[Doctor]

I'm really sorry to hear that, but I want to be brutally honest with you. Viewing your previous posts it sounds like you set up your workshop on a whim, as you mentioned you don't have 20 years experience and this shows in your post about where to find bed hardware and timber knowledge.
Through experience virtually all cabinetmakers know that all hardware could be bought from 1 or 2 companies.
This is a tough industry and the only way you will make any money is to ensure there is sufficent work coming in (need a business mind) and that that work is done quickly and efficently (experience).
There are loads of competent guys on this forum, who can knock out some half decent stuff but most couldn't do it quick enough to make a living.
For anyone else thinking it would be lovely to make furniture for a living, this is the reality of most startup cabinet making businesses.
With regards to the equipment, second hand dealers will offer peanuts for the lot, ebay is luck of the draw, if you post details here you may do alright.

 

[clewlowm]

hi mate really sorry things have not worked out, times are hard. good luck with what ever you decide to do! as for selling equipment i would follow the good advice and put a list up.

 

[dickm]

Bad luck - guess you didn't chose the best time to jump into the business. Regarding selling your stuff, it might be worth getting the bigger stuff in to a specialist auction. You're not <that> far from Bedford/St Neots, where Peacocks (think they are Wilson Peacock these days) have regular sales of machinery. Or there is a specialist over towards Leicester, but I can't immediately recall the name.
To judge by the prices fetched for absolute rubbish at an auction here recently, the old bidding fever can still work its magic!

 

[JonnyD]

The problem with an auction is that stuff can make next to nothing as well as top dollar so its a bit of a gamble. I have seen machines worth 10's of thousands go for a few hundred quid and likewise something tatty go for a song. Probably best to put a list up on here first.

Jon

 

[dicktimber]

Yes Doctor, you were brutal......
So where does a guy start???
I find your comments cutting.
Truthful yes, but non the less, with little constructive direction for anyone following this site.
People do things this guy did.
Full stop.
At least he had the B...s to do it,
If you had the time to trace every post this guy made on this site to comment on his ability to source stuff, then either you are a top boss in a conglomerate, or you have so much work you don't know what to do with your time.

Mike

 

[mailee]

I \ am very sorry to hear this too. It is a sad fact of life if customers are not buying then there is nothing you can do. I am lucky at the moment and have a list of jobs to go at, but there is always that nagging fear that it could dry up at any moment. Hope you get sorted soon.

 

[Stevie-Raw]

Thanks for the replies chaps, but its not a done deal yet. Its something I may have to do and I feel it would be prudent to research my options beforehand - not the day before it happens!

Now then, Doctor. Thanks for your brutal honesty although I didn't ask for your brutal honesty, I asked for suggestions as to where to sell machinery. My business was not set up on a whim. it was something I'd been considering for 10 years. No I don't have 20 years experience as a cabinetmaker but we all have to start somewhere. Did Alan Peters, David Savage, James Krenov etc etc wait 20 years before setting up shop? I'm in no way comparing myself to them but I hope you see my point. Your reference to bed hardware (a request I made in a previous post) was to source alternative suppliers. The answers I received were in line with what I already knew. My knowledge of timber? Not sure what you're getting at there. The bed was to be made in American Black walnut at my customers request. Yes I know it has sapwood which is vastly different to the heartwood.

And for what its worth, to anyone considering the same..it is lovely making furniture for a living - its bloody great, but unfortunately through lack of effective marketing and the recession (that one was out of my control) I haven't been able to get enough work to provide a living and if I can't ring the changes soon, its gotta go.

 

[Doctor]

Yes Doctor, you were brutal......
So where does a guy start???
I find your comments cutting.
Truthful yes, but non the less, with little constructive direction for anyone following this site.
People do things this guy did.
Full stop.
At least he had the B...s to do it,
If you had the time to trace every post this guy made on this site to comment on his ability to source stuff, then either you are a top boss in a conglomerate, or you have so much work you don't know what to do with your time.

Mike

Erhhh, Mike, 11 posts doesn't take that long esp with "view all post" took about 1 minute,and its saturday night with nowt on tele!!!
A guy starts by getting workshop experience
Great Steve had the balls to do it, as do all business owners but if it doesn't work out is it worth it?
Thats not for me to pass judgement.
My comments weren't particularly aimed at the original poster, more towards people who are thinking about taking this route, think hard about it, it will not be the fantasy most people imagine.
Yes people do this sort of thing, most however usually have worked in some sort of commercial environment for a number of years building up experience.
As for the last comment, well i'm the boss but its not a conglomerate and yes I have a lot of work on, due to marketing heavily, a good website and excellent word of mouth and producing fabulous furniture quickly due to experience.

 

[Doctor]

Steve, I apologise for my brutalness it must be tough times. Sometimes I post before thinking.
The previous post overlapped yours.
Just for the record at least one of the names you mentioned have gone bankrupt in the past, as I say it's a difficult business.

 

[TheTiddles]

Anything you place into a public domain is open for comment, wether you like it or not. If you don't like it, there are flights leaving every day.

As for the actual subject of the thread, you are likely to get some pretty fair prices here if you post what you have and some good pictures

Aidan

 

[Grinding One]

Unless your broke,I would keep the Machines and find another job for now,do woodworking on the side...Buy good stuff once and do not give it away.
Good Luck To You my friend!! Do not look back,the future will be gaining on you...

 

[Mr T]

Hi

I must admit that when I read the comments from the Doctor I thought he was being a bit judgemental on very little information.

Those who have seen this months edition of Good Woodworking will know that I freely admit that giving up a good job to make furniture was a "bloody stupid thing to do". I now realise that my skills were not nearly as good as I thought they were. I think this is a common experience for hobbyists who take the plunge. It would have been good to get more training before going it alone but this was not an option in my circumstances. I suspect this may also be the case with Steve.

After twenty years in business I think I now have the skills! But if I had not gone for it when I did it would never have happened and I would have missed out on twenty very creative and satisfying years.

However skill is not the only factor, as in any entrepreneurial activity you need to have the ego to believe your product is the best and be able to tell people that. It also helps to have a spouse who is a doctor, solicitor or banker even, or to be a retired banker yourself!

Everyone makes decisions based on the things that are important to them and the influences on their life at the time, I am not sure it is up to others to judge those decisions.

Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble!

Chris

 

[Digit]

Unless your broke,I would keep the Machines and find another job for now,

Word for word what I was going to say, at least you can then work part time and build up a customer base.


Roy.

 

[BradNaylor]

I've arrived to this thread a bit late I'm afraid, having been away for the weekend.

First of all Steve, I feel for you. Very few people manage to make a go of things first time in business; it is a totally different environment to being in paid employment.

However, having read your comments in this thread and in your original thread where you described setting up on your own, I suspect all is not lost just yet.

I just did a search for cabinetmakers in your area and the best I came up with was this;

http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction ... 823038&M=0

I presume that this is you.

The thing is, you are not easy to find and you don't have a website. I would imagine that the number of leads you get coming via the internet is tiny. Yet for a very small outlay you could have a website working for you 24/7 selling your services across your local area.

As you may or may not know, I share a workshop with another cabinetmaker. 18 months ago he was in just the same position as you; on the verge of packing it all in due to not making a decent living and, in his case, the trauma of going through a difficult divorce.

I meanwhile, had a big workshop on the other side of town employing a number of staff and losing money by the day. I hankered after a simpler life just making furniture without any of the attendent hassle of running a significantly sized business.

We got our heads together and I closed my company, moving in with John (Phil to his family & friends) and operating as a sole trader.

Neither of us has looked back. We are both now making good profits and have order books full for 6 months or more. Our overheads are shared and so are tiny in comparison to those inevitably taken on by a guy working by himself.

It sounds to me that you have a workshop all set up with decent gear. To give up now and flog it all off piecemeal would be tragic. Now is the worst time in 20 years to be selling woodworking equipment - you would be lucky to get more than a couple of grand for the lot in the current climate!

You obviously enjoy woodwokring as a career. You have done a lot of the most difficult things already; going full time pro, finding premises, setting up the workshop etc. All you need to do now is find a way making it pay.

I would urge you to look at the idea of getting someone else in to share the costs of the workshop. Two people working don't need much more space than one. Our shop is only 800 sq ft and accomodates two of us easily - and that includes a full sized spray booth.

I would also urge you to look at your marketing. A website alone should bring in enough work for a self-emplyed cabinetmaker so long as t is optimised properly and appears on the first page of a Google Maps search.

The other thing ito consider is the type of work you are looking for. If you insist on only doing commissions in solid wood with hand-cut joints and a high level of 'design input' the chances are that you will go bankrupt - just like Thomas Chippendale did!

Twice.

If however, you are happy to give people what they actually want; good quality fitted furniture at a price that meets their budget - then you will find that there is plenty of work out there.

The recession is being blamed for all manner of businesses going to the wall. In the main however, these are businesses that were pretty crap anyway.

There are huge numbers of people completely untouched by the global economic meltdown. My current clients include a police inspector, a GP, a school headmaster, and the chief executive of a major clearing bank. I don't see these types of people cutting out any further expenditure on nice things for their homes. What they might do though, is choose a relatively inexpensive local craftsman over a national company charging twice the price!

I am convinced that a recession is the perfect time to be setting up a low-cost bespoke furniture business. You are in an ideal position to be undercutting your fat and bloated competitors, so long as your marketing is in place and people actually know you exist.

I am not so convinced that a recession is the best time to be attempting to re-enter the world of paid employment. Particulary in IT!

Cheers
Brad

 

[MikeG.]

Brad,

I am full of respect that you would take the time and trouble to write such a thoughtful, helpful and optimistic......(and long!!!).......posting in these circumstances. I hope it helps Steve out of a sticky spot.

Mike

 

[Ironballs]

I would agree, if Steve has a look through some of Brad's previous posts to do with internet marketing then it may be the lift he needs.

Good luck mate