Any advice for making some money from woodworking?

[DomValente]

I started with a workshop in an area where I new nobody.
The trick, I think, is to make the best possible furniture you can and sell it to the right people, i.e. high profile people. You will only need a couple to start with and if your work is good enough the ball will roll.
I know your area and I sell a lot of furniture in Hadley Wood(get the picture)
Besides all the other difficulties that have been pointed out I wouldn't go for the mass market, the Chinese have that sewn up. You can't do kitchens from home so stick to good quality expensive pieces, time is not an issue when it's a hobby.

Good luck

Dom

 

[Gary S]

Maybe my Accounting and Finance degree will come in handy then :wink:

It certainly will! That's the best start you could have.

And the rest of your attitude is right, too. And I hope that doesn't sound patronizing, it's not meant to.

Very best wishes.
Steve

I didn't take it as patronising at all - thanks for your best wishes!

Gary

 

[Gary S]

I know your area and I sell a lot of furniture in Hadley Wood(get the picture)

I get the picture, indeed...

My wife works at a private all girls school - the daughters of premiership footballers, big businessman and so on - the kind of people that earn in a week more than I earn in a year

I wonder if they'd like me to build some furniture for them... :roll:

Failing that - if you need another pair of hands, Dom, when you're trying to make furniture for all those rich Hadley Woodlians then give me a shout!

Cheers

Gary

 

[Scrit]

I wonder if they'd like me to build some furniture for them... :roll:

Perhaps not, but you might well find them receptive to smaller items such a jewlery boxes, humidors, etc. as a sort of "thin end of the wedge" approach

Scrit

 

[Bodrighy]

I am not trying to earn money, I haven't even got the nerve to ask people to buy my stuff as I don't think it is really good enough to sell. Despite this, as people find out that I turn wood, they ask to see something and when they see the nice little bowls I slaved over to get a good finish they say, "oh very nice." Then they see the quirky thing I played around with and made out of a wormy piece of wood from a stream they ask, "how much." The point is that if there is a market I reckon it is in those areas that are different, unique and that you won't see in MFI or Habitat or wherever. Theoretically at least, there are people who will pay for something that is different but not for everyday things. Like Steve, my ambition is to make enough to buy those tools etc thta I need. I doubt I'll ever make enough to live on. It would stop being fun then :lol:

Pete

 

[matt]

Make "nice" towel rails that are large enough to comfortably hold enough towels for a normal sized family.

There you, that's it, my closely guarded gem of an idea - yours for the taking... If you make millions, remember me...

Small "cabinets" to conceal outside taps, complete with insulation.
Damn, there goes another one...

 

[woodbloke]

Gary - I'm with Steve on this one. I've had the odd article published in one of the mags and provided it's the right sort of stuff, editors will usually snap it up. Photography is an issue but much easier now with digital cameras, I just send in a load on a disc shot under different lighting conditions and then they can pick the ones that suit and if you can include pics with yourself it it that's even better. They will edit, but in my experience, not too heavily. The knack is to write in such a way as to inform but not ramble, about 350 words per page is about right and if you can make the text a little bit witty or insightful that helps as well. Working drawings (orthographic, exploded and isometric) are essential so you need to know your way around a drawing board. At the end of the jour, I don't make anything from it but the cheques go into the woodypot for new kit but the best bit for me is the buzz from seeing your article in print and maybe on the front cover in WHS - Rob

 

[Steve Maskery]

... and maybe on the front cover in WHS - Rob

Only four times

 

[Adam]

You'll also have to provide drawings. You'll spend lots of time getting it right, then it'll get put through a fax machine, all your carefully colour-coded information will be erased and a ghost of your work will appear, people will say "I don't understand that" and it will have your name on it.

I have to say I take the opposite view. The drawings, being the most time consuming is the thing I hate the most. I send in a hand sketch, maybe one sheet, maybe two, with an extra CD (so the illustrator can have a copy of the work-in-progress shots), and just note the key dimensions on them. I've decided its not effective to do anything more advanced - they don't use them anyway. Each "writer" they have has their own peculiarity - I, for example, insist on writing in the first person, send crappy drawings but have good work in progress shots, and other authors have slightly different sets of strengths and weaknesses. Don't get hung up on drawings - you'd be amazed what they can whip up from a rough hand sketch.

No doubt they tell you to send in "good" drawings - they don't get a cutting list from me either - given I don't actually have one!

Adam

 

[Anonymous]

Gary

I know a few people who majke momney on the side form woodworking

One makes bird tables and has an outlet for thsoe (try nurseries etc.) and the another makes planters

I think you should consider the implications of knocking something up for a low price time and time again - could be very tedious and boring

 

[lurker]

Gary S,

I don't understand your original post.

You say you are short of money, then you say you are an accountant, I thought all accountants earned pots!

Jim - just off to see the £$*$%* company bean counter who has queried my expenses :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

[Gary S]

I think you should consider the implications of knocking something up for a low price time and time again - could be very tedious and boring

Very true - I'd rather not go down the 'mass production' route where you don't make much per item but make lots of items. Things like bird tables would be great because you can customise and change them as you build them and (hopefully!) not get too bored doing it. I'm a fully paid up member of the RSPB too so it would tick that box as well :lol:

Cheers

Gary

 

[ike]

Keep it as a hobby. Drop the word around friends and neighbours - the proceeds can go towards more tools (or even baby milk I suppose :roll: ). I've covered the cost of my workshop and tools that way over several years. Keep it low key and preferably cash the taxman is unlikely to find out. :wink:

I'm constantly astonished by utter wooden rubbish sold in the sheds/shops/garden centres. Either that or something of ordinary 'OK' quality has a ripoff sticker price on it. Either way there are always some people willing to pay for decent quality handmade substitutes. Find a couple of those and word of mouth hopefully will get you a steady trickle of projects.

cheers,

Ike

 

[devonwoody]

Gary, be careful, an unfriendly resident in the road might make telephone calls to the ??????????? or the ????????
Your house insurance company could turn nasty if there is any sort of claim,

Even the water board would want business rates on their bill.

 

[Gary S]

Gary, be careful, an unfriendly resident in the road might make telephone calls to the ??????????? or the ????????
Your house insurance company could turn nasty if there is any sort of claim,

Even the water board would want business rates on their bill.

I don't use water when I'm woodworking?!

Just kidding - it's a valid point, as Scrit made before, and if it was to become more than just making odd bits for family and friends then I would have to seriously have to consider liability insurance and everything else that goes with it.

 

[devonwoody]

oddly enough if you have water connected but not used for the trade you are in they still want the higher rate, or used too.

 

[Gary S]

oddly enough if you have water connected but not used for the trade you are in they still want the higher rate, or used too.

Probably the dastardly ACCOUNTANTS who work for the water companies trying to stitch everyone up.

If all else fails blame the accountants... :wink:

 

[woodbloke]

You'll also have to provide drawings. You'll spend lots of time getting it right, then it'll get put through a fax machine, all your carefully colour-coded information will be erased and a ghost of your work will appear, people will say "I don't understand that" and it will have your name on it.

I have to say I take the opposite view. The drawings, being the most time consuming is the thing I hate the most. I send in a hand sketch, maybe one sheet, maybe two, with an extra CD (so the illustrator can have a copy of the work-in-progress shots), and just note the key dimensions on them. I've decided its not effective to do anything more advanced - they don't use them anyway. Each "writer" they have has their own peculiarity - I, for example, insist on writing in the first person, send crappy drawings but have good work in progress shots, and other authors have slightly different sets of strengths and weaknesses. Don't get hung up on drawings - you'd be amazed what they can whip up from a rough hand sketch.

No doubt they tell you to send in "good" drawings - they don't get a cutting list from me either - given I don't actually have one!

Adam

The mag that I write for (F&C) have insisted on decent drawings with dimensions, not just something done on the back of a fag packet. The working drawings that have been sent in have usually been reproduced accurately, or the information contained within them used to make, for example, a much better 3D exploded drawing (case in point is the avatar jewelry box) If you don't send in decent drawings then there is a really good chance that your project will be badly projected in the mag.
It's worth considering that the whole point of a working drawing is that it should contain everything that another individual needs to know to make the article and should be presented in a clear and unambiguous way so that there is absolutely no confusion about the content of the drawing - Rob

 

[Adam]

It's worth considering that the whole point of a working drawing is that it should contain everything that another individual needs to know to make the article and should be presented in a clear and unambiguous way so that there is absolutely no confusion about the content of the drawing - Rob

I realise that, but as Steve said, certain magazines don't make use of the detailed info - so why bother! If they insist and they were used - then yes, maybe I'd consider it. On the other hand, why does a hand sketch need to be any less informative to the draughtsperson that they use to draw it up and make an exploded view? Generations of designs were hand sketched by engineers etc and then passed to a drawing department to be drawn up by a draughtsman. Given it will be re-drawn / changed to suit the magazine I find that a sketch, with key dimensions is all they should need to work out the rest - espcially if they have a set of WIP photos. Indicate the length of one tenon on a table for example, and they should work out it applies to all - no need to detail it several time. Perhaps for readers yes, but these drawing departments attached to magazines are probably well versed in this sort of stuff now.

Adam

 

[woodbloke]

It's worth considering that the whole point of a working drawing is that it should contain everything that another individual needs to know to make the article and should be presented in a clear and unambiguous way so that there is absolutely no confusion about the content of the drawing - Rob

I realise that, but as Steve said, certain magazines don't make use of the detailed info - so why bother! If they insist and they were used - then yes, maybe I'd consider it. On the other hand, why does a hand sketch need to be any less informative to the draughtsperson that they use to draw it up and make an exploded view? Generations of designs were hand sketched by engineers etc and then passed to a drawing department to be drawn up by a draughtsman. Given it will be re-drawn / changed to suit the magazine I find that a sketch, with key dimensions is all they should need to work out the rest - espcially if they have a set of WIP photos. Indicate the length of one tenon on a table for example, and they should work out it applies to all - no need to detail it several time. Perhaps for readers yes, but these drawing departments attached to magazines are probably well versed in this sort of stuff now.

Adam

Adam - I understand what you are saying, however when an engineer, say, made a quick sketch of a component to be drawn up in the drawing dept it would have always gone back to the originator for final approval and authentication before general use. My point is that proper working drawing(s) should be able to be sent to any person in any part of the world (who can understand English) and the component or job should should be able to be built without them having to 'work out the rest'.

To labour my point still further, imagine for a moment if Rolls-Royce sub contracted Pratt & Whitney in the USA to make the RB211 turbojet (the current version of which is fitted into BA 747s) or even part of it and only gave them the rough outline drawings and then said ..."here you are chaps, rough outline only I afraid, but you're 'Murricans, you can work out the rest of the engine and see what needs to be done" :shock:

Good, unambiguous working drawings are fundamental to good engineering and manufacture. They are another form of communication and should IMHO be done and presented to the best of your ability.....if you don't know how to, that's a different argument - Rob