Should I pursue this?

[rbdoby]

Most of us here do woodworking just for the love of it, not to make money. I build stuff for the experience or for gifts. I had several small projects I had cluttering up the house so I set up a table at my wife's business to sell these pieces. The pieces were pens, bottle stoppers, small boxes and trays. In a month my wife had sold over $200 of stuff.

In the past 2 weeks I've had 4 people ask me to do some woodworking projects for them, building small boxes and repairing some furniture.

Any advice on following this opportunity would be helpful.

Rick Doby

 

[gritz]

It's a great way to get more tools and accessories without guilt.

 

[Matt Schnurbusch]

I you can continue to leave stuff at your wife's place of work for sale, I definitely would. I would also take on the project requests if you are confident that you can pull them off.

I agree it would be a great way to increase your tool or wood collection.

 

[Dragon]

Why not? I wouldn't say quit the day job just yet but if you've got people buying what you do and asking for more, then give it a shot. Ya never know what might come of it.......

 

[red]

If you have the time to devote to doing these projects, go for it. I did this same thing back in the 90's and turned it into a custom furniture business that ran for over 10 years. It can be a great experience and opportunity.

Red

 

[Scwood]

I think you should go for it.But I would be careful not to get too many orders where you feel like you are "getting behind" or you cant do something else because you have to fill orders.If you put pressure on yourself to always be in the shop the woodworking can stop being fun.But if your like me where your job is woodworking and your main hobby is woodworking there is no such thing as too much shop time.

 

[christopheralan]

Why not? I wouldn't say quit the day job just yet but if you've got people buying what you do and asking for more, then give it a shot. Ya never know what might come of it.......

+1
Congrats on selling some of your things! That is an awosome feeling. If you build it they will come and hopefully keep coming! Have a diverse selection and offer a deal every now and then. Just make sure you be fair to your self on pricing. I know most wwers don't charge enough when they first start. Check out is blog:

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/pricing-your-work/

Good luck and may you have large sales!

 

[gator]

Just make sure you be fair to your self on pricing. I know most wwers don't charge enough when they first start. Check out is blog:

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/pricing-your-work/

Good luck and may you have large sales!

Agree. Do Not underprice yourself. I tend to underprice myself and I use (depending on the project) $20.00/hr minimum plus materials with a 50%markup. If it is a more complicated job (as I perceive it) I go up on the hourly rate. If I have to do any travel, for material or supplies, the hourly rate goes up (rather than try to add in mileage numbers). I give a total price up front (not broken down by hours/material) and if they want to discuss it, I'm sorry but that's what the job will cost. If they accept it, then I do the best job I can do in the time frame they accept.

George

 

[Mt. Gomer]

I'd say go for it as long as it doesn't take away from your enjoyment of woodworking. I've had the experience of having a hobby (something I truly enjoyed) become a (part time) job. It was great for a while but eventually I found myself doing it becuase I had to do it (we had come to depend on the extra income to make ends meet), not becuase I particularly wanted to do it. It sucked the enjoyment and satisfaction right out of it and I came to resent it and ended up burning out.

The good news is, after some time off and re-working our budget, I was able to get back to it as a hobby and enjoy it every bit as much as I used to.

 

[drw]

You have a wonderful opportunity, just know when to say "no"! Do not let the business rob you of the joy you find in your hobby. If you can successfully combine both, go for it.

Best of luck,
Donn

 

[rbdoby]

I you can continue to leave stuff at your wife's place of work for sale, I definitely would. I would also take on the project requests if you are confident that you can pull them off.

I agree it would be a great way to increase your tool or wood collection.

Matt,

My wife owns the business, I think she would leave the stuff there.:gar-Bi She owns a gym and all of the requests came from here clients. I guess a big part of this is letting people know you are capable of doing.

Rick Doby

 

[rbdoby]

Chris,

Thanks for the blog. It makes a lot of sense. I've never known what to charge for my time.

Rick Doby

 

[christopheralan]

Chris,

Thanks for the blog. It makes a lot of sense. I've never known what to charge for my time.

Rick Doby

Pricing is a tough thing man. I really undercut myself for a few years but I felt guilty if I thought I charged too much. When I realized that my skill, time, and craftsmanship were worth something, things really changed. I did lose some sales, but moreover, I lost customers who didn't value my work, which turned out to be a blessing.

Know your limits though. I have had some customers who wanted me to make something that I couldn't do well enough to feel comfortable doing it, yet they waved cash in front of me. When that happens, you need to know if you can get good at doing what ever it is they what done, or refuse the work all together. It can be a gamble. If you refuse the work, they might not come back for other things. But if you do a lousy job at the project, they WON'T come back for other things, and your reputation could be at risk. Good luck and I wish you well! Keep us informed of how things are going.

 

[Mike Davis]

Rick,

I really hate to give business advice, mostly because I have failed at it too many times.

I think you are level headed enough and have a long track record to prove you know what you are doing.

You have a great shop, fantastic skills, a good eye for design, an outlet for your work and a supporting wife. With all that I would think you could be successful in anything you want to do.

 

[ptt49er]

I really hate to give business advice, mostly because I have failed at it too many times.

That might be why you'd be one of the best people to give advice. Sometimes the best lesson's are those hardest learned!

You have a great shop, fantastic skills, a good eye for design, an outlet for your work and a supporting wife. With all that I would think you could be successful in anything you want to do.

:thumbs_up:thumbs_up

As long as you are enjoying it and making money at it, go for it! :icon_thum

 

[jhreed]

I am sure this post is an inspiration to a lot of us that are struggling with the cost of tools & materials to support our passion. You have stimulated many ideas for me to pursue to get some cash coming in to support my cost. I have not had a problem with giving away anything I have made and at that price have had some requests.
I thought everyone was giving there work away, then I talked to Earl, our artist turner. He had a great idea about how to market his work.
I would like to hear how others use there hobby to return some cash to the shop.
James

 

[shopsmithtom]

It's great to see all the encouragement from everyone here. Being a "newby" (and an out-of-stater that was allowed in...which I'm grateful for, by the way) I'll first offer my support because I'd probably love to do that too, but I'm going to risk being a
"rain on your parade" guy just a little bit, because I think anyone who goes into business needs both the dream & a dose of realism upside the head before you dive into that pool.
Here's my 2 cents worth in that regard. Make sure you know the business of business as well as the skill of your craft. There are lots of folks who go into business with great skills but no business knowledge & struggle more than they need to & sometimes ultimately fail, not because their work wasn't good, but because they just couldn't manage the business end. Many guys brought up the pricing issue...great points made. To get the pricing right (which is probably a learn as you go thing) you need to know your fixed & variable costs, and how to read a profit & loss statement among other things.
I jumped into a business without knowing that stuff & the results weren't pretty...I learned the hard way.
If you're going to kinda get in a little at a time, it will give you the time to get a handle on this stuff as you go without "quittin your day job". Don't miss this chance to learn all you can.
There, I probably bored everyone with that end of it, but I sincerely hope I didn't dampen your spirits. I just wouldn't want anyone to go through what did if it can be avoided.

 

[Guy in Paradise]

On a limited basis

I found that I didn't enjoy filling customer wants much. They often wanted poor choices of wood and design, often desiring regal work without enough funding, but sometimes I was able to do what I thought best. I now enjoy doing my own projects, and if the family doesn't want the piece, it always sells on the quarterly display table.

 

[Trent Mason]

Rick,

I say go for it. One way to keep the pressure off is to not give a time limit for completion whenever possible. Plus if you're making a lot of pens and bottle stoppers, those don't take long anyway. For a bigger/more complex piece of furniture, I wouldn't guarantee it by a set date unless it was pretty far in advance.

Right before Christmas, I was losing my mind with 5 or 6 projects going on at the same time and trying to get them all done in time for Christmas. :swoon: Having more time would've made all the difference in the world. Also, don't forget, if it takes the fun out of it, you can always turn projects down. :icon_thum

 

[rbdoby]

To all who have replied to this thread,

Thanks for all the advice. I did not think there would be so many responses. Looks like I'm going to take the plunge. I'll keep everyone posted on how it goes. I know I'll have some questions on furniture repair.

Rick Doby