I've recently come across a website, http://www.eureka-business.com, that outlines a plan for making money manufacturing Adirondack chairs and other outdoor furniture using their plans and jigs. If you've not seen it, please do check it out. Has anyone out there done this? Have you made money or, at least, recovered your investment in this? I'd love to hear from you! raynations1@aol.com
Thanks
Ray
making $$$ in woodworking
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greenhornet
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making $$$ in woodworking
Ray
Gray, bought new in 1979, SS bandsaw, SS jig saw (old style), SS jointer, upgraded to 510 mid-'80's, I think.
Gray, bought new in 1979, SS bandsaw, SS jig saw (old style), SS jointer, upgraded to 510 mid-'80's, I think.
This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer: How valuable is your woodworking time? I have found this to be a hard question to answer since I do this in my spare time, along with other hobbies.
I suppose one way to do this would be to cover the cost of materials used to create your project plus a percentage. One way you could do figure out what to charge would be to attend a few craft show/bazaars and see what others are charging for their work.
BPR
I suppose one way to do this would be to cover the cost of materials used to create your project plus a percentage. One way you could do figure out what to charge would be to attend a few craft show/bazaars and see what others are charging for their work.
BPR
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dusty
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ryanbp01 wrote:This is probably one of the hardest questions to answer: How valuable is your woodworking time? I have found this to be a hard question to answer since I do this in my spare time, along with other hobbies.
I suppose one way to do this would be to cover the cost of materials used to create your project plus a percentage. One way you could do figure out what to charge would be to attend a few craft show/bazaars and see what others are charging for their work.
BPR
But you have no way of telling how much time/material they have invested in what they are selling.
What you might learn is what prices are too high (don't sell) but then maybe it didn't sell for other reasons.
I think that it is a crap shoot until you have experienced in your own locale. What sells here in the desert probably won't move in NY or Miami or Boston or .....
"Making Sawdust Safely"
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
Dusty
Sent from my Dell XPS using Firefox.
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osx-addict
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A few months ago (late summer) we had a guy roaming the neighborhood trying to sell patio chairs (adirondaks for some + other styles), picnic tables and other stuff down that line.. He was selling a complete set of 3-4 adirondaks for about $150 if I recall.. They looked fine but I didn't need any at the time so I sent him on his way.. I guess I'd be a bit skeptical that you'd be able to break-even with your time, materials & effort if you have many big-box stores (hd, lowes,etc) nearby there they sell those sorts of things on the cheap -- most people probably would opt to buy the overseas editions if they can save $25 on a set over your locally/handmade items.. At least that's my impression.. Especially with todays crappy economy and tight budgets.. YMMV.
Rick
S/W of Los Angeles, CA
1983 Mark V model 510 (SN#140061)
S/W of Los Angeles, CA
1983 Mark V model 510 (SN#140061)
This site is similar to one that started in Canada several years ago. I know that business was sold tp a U.S. outfit and the styles and pictures are the same (eg: footstool) so it may be a another generation of this same business.
I ordered the starter kit at the time and got parts, DVD, etc and built two chairs. They are good chairs.
As a business, it is questionable, as it all depends on wether you can find an outlet for chairs at the prices they quote. The outlets are there! you just have to find them. For instance near where I summer in Vermont, a local chap produces cedar chairs, tables, etc and sells them for top dollar both at his roadside stand, and through a local high end general store that caters to the tourist crowd. They even ship them anywhere, for a good price.
Personally, I never found an outlet.
The other issue is time. I didn't view the full internet site, but the one I bit on said you could build a chair in less than an hour. That may be true if you have all the equipment, especially a large drum sander, and jigs. I don't so I spent about ten hours building and each chair (I think I spent too much time sanding). Not much return at this rate. However I don't regret the experience and I now have two chairs and the patterns to build more.
I would suggest you investigate more before jumping in.
Good luck
John
I ordered the starter kit at the time and got parts, DVD, etc and built two chairs. They are good chairs.
As a business, it is questionable, as it all depends on wether you can find an outlet for chairs at the prices they quote. The outlets are there! you just have to find them. For instance near where I summer in Vermont, a local chap produces cedar chairs, tables, etc and sells them for top dollar both at his roadside stand, and through a local high end general store that caters to the tourist crowd. They even ship them anywhere, for a good price.
Personally, I never found an outlet.
The other issue is time. I didn't view the full internet site, but the one I bit on said you could build a chair in less than an hour. That may be true if you have all the equipment, especially a large drum sander, and jigs. I don't so I spent about ten hours building and each chair (I think I spent too much time sanding). Not much return at this rate. However I don't regret the experience and I now have two chairs and the patterns to build more.
I would suggest you investigate more before jumping in.
Good luck
John
Looks like you'd have to build and SELL 60 chairs to just only recover the cost of the basic package.
SS 500(09/1980), DC3300, jointer, bandsaw, belt sander, Strip Sander, drum sanders,molder, dado, biscuit joiner, universal lathe tool rest, Oneway talon chuck, router bits & chucks and a De Walt 735 planer,a #5,#6, block planes. ALL in a 100 square foot shop.
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Bob
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Bob
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robinson46176
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I had a good friend (now deceased) who made excellent income out of his woodshop from two enterprises. The first was finishing out the interiors of ambulances. The second was making grandfather clocks and selling them for "a lot"...
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farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
farmer
Francis Robinson
I did not equip with Shopsmiths in spite of the setups but because of them.
1 1988 - Mark V 510 (bought new), 4 Poly vee 1 1/8th HP Mark V's, Mark VII, 1 Mark V Mini, 1 Frankensmith, 1 10-ER, 1 Mark V Push-me-Pull-me Drillpress, SS bandsaw, belt sander, jointer, jigsaw, shaper attach, mortising attach, TS-3650 Rigid tablesaw, RAS, 6" long bed jointer, Foley/Belsaw Planer/molder/ripsaw, 1" sander, oscillating spindle/belt sander, Scroll saw, Woodmizer sawmill
greenhornet wrote:I've recently come across a website, www.eureka-business.com, that outlines a plan for making money manufacturing Adirondack chairs and other outdoor furniture using their plans and jigs. If you've not seen it, please do check it out. Has anyone out there done this? Have you made money or, at least, recovered your investment in this? I'd love to hear from you! raynations1@aol.com
Thanks
Ray
For six $grand for the basic package, I think I could develop my own templates, jigs, and etc., using less expensive plans and such and local wood and hardware. Oh, and buy a new 520 and other tools and still have enough to have a nice dinner out to celebrate the savings.
Edit: plans for $18: http://www.woodcraftplans.com/osc/adjus ... 63c571f9b6
You might try selling at places such as farmers markets. The ones around here let non-food vendors sell products, and I have seen some smaller wood products a few times.
Good luck on your first $million,
Roy
Hi,
I can tell you that my experience is you really have to know what you are doing to make any money in hobby woodworking.
I have helped out a few people who have attempted to get rich in their spare time and all of them failed. I've also know people who when in the profession and set up shops and again they have all failed.
The problem is defining what you really want from the undertaking and what will be the measure of your success or failures.
I also know know people who thought that they loved their hobby so much that becoming a full time woodworker really sounded great before they did it but then after they really hated it and the hobby as a result.
Just a couple of family related stores then you can move on in what ever direction you want.
Brother #1 retired early after having gotten started in craft shows while still working. Both he and his wife were really into this. The more money they made the more then got into. It got to be a job but they kept going. They were working 9 months of the year, seven days a week and many many hours a day. Even in the off season they worked planning new items and building models and jigs etc. They invested in camper then a worked up to this home on wheels that costs as much as a home. Every weekend was another town, and maybe a few close ones during a week day. They were very good at knowing what people would buy and kept new products coming out all season. (You show a new item and seem to be selling them the next weekend 3 or 4 others had them, usually in a cheaper less quality form). They always made the item small enough that the person would buy it then and not say they would come back of it later which often didn't happen. They found that people like sharp edges and not rounded over edges, they like thing with personal touches like a dog bone shape with Fido's name... well this is getting off subject. After a few years of this both of them started to have health issues. The whole game got to be way to much... we sometime call him the 3/4 of a million dollar man as that is what it came down to keep him alive. I worked for a large highly regarded company as an engineer and he was bring in 30K to 40K more then I was making but it had a cost. So was this a successful event or not, you decide.
Brother #2 owns his own business which is located in a summer vacation area so the winter months are really dead. He is not one to sit around so he builds bird houses over the winter. When I say bird houses I mean a lot of them. A typical winter might yield 800 to 1200 birdhouses. He finds people doing remodeling and takes the old materials and scrapes and pays nothing for the materials other then the time to collect and transport them. He has to buy nails and glue and sometimes some wire to hang them with and some odds and ends of this and that sort to add some oddity to the houses. This amount is so small per bird house as not be of any worth. He then cuts up and gets the basic home made then stores them in stacks and stack. Towards spring he add novitiates and hanging wires to the ones he is doing, so the are ready to sell. He then sells the houses for $3, with a very few reaching as high as $5 or $7. He has tried to raise the price to $4 and they don't sell! I should mention he has them on display out front and there is a money box so it is self service and trust. So you sell 800 of them for $3 you still get $2400. He sells out most years and even makes a few during the season in addition to finishing the ones he has stored, and he makes some bird feeders and a few special order items for locals. He is happy for the extra cash, keeps busy winters and sure never wants to figure out how much per hour he made.... Success or not?
Did any of this make sense? I guess to summarize it is a lot more then just dollars and cents and more of does it make sense.
Ed
I can tell you that my experience is you really have to know what you are doing to make any money in hobby woodworking.
I have helped out a few people who have attempted to get rich in their spare time and all of them failed. I've also know people who when in the profession and set up shops and again they have all failed.
The problem is defining what you really want from the undertaking and what will be the measure of your success or failures.
I also know know people who thought that they loved their hobby so much that becoming a full time woodworker really sounded great before they did it but then after they really hated it and the hobby as a result.
Just a couple of family related stores then you can move on in what ever direction you want.
Brother #1 retired early after having gotten started in craft shows while still working. Both he and his wife were really into this. The more money they made the more then got into. It got to be a job but they kept going. They were working 9 months of the year, seven days a week and many many hours a day. Even in the off season they worked planning new items and building models and jigs etc. They invested in camper then a worked up to this home on wheels that costs as much as a home. Every weekend was another town, and maybe a few close ones during a week day. They were very good at knowing what people would buy and kept new products coming out all season. (You show a new item and seem to be selling them the next weekend 3 or 4 others had them, usually in a cheaper less quality form). They always made the item small enough that the person would buy it then and not say they would come back of it later which often didn't happen. They found that people like sharp edges and not rounded over edges, they like thing with personal touches like a dog bone shape with Fido's name... well this is getting off subject. After a few years of this both of them started to have health issues. The whole game got to be way to much... we sometime call him the 3/4 of a million dollar man as that is what it came down to keep him alive. I worked for a large highly regarded company as an engineer and he was bring in 30K to 40K more then I was making but it had a cost. So was this a successful event or not, you decide.
Brother #2 owns his own business which is located in a summer vacation area so the winter months are really dead. He is not one to sit around so he builds bird houses over the winter. When I say bird houses I mean a lot of them. A typical winter might yield 800 to 1200 birdhouses. He finds people doing remodeling and takes the old materials and scrapes and pays nothing for the materials other then the time to collect and transport them. He has to buy nails and glue and sometimes some wire to hang them with and some odds and ends of this and that sort to add some oddity to the houses. This amount is so small per bird house as not be of any worth. He then cuts up and gets the basic home made then stores them in stacks and stack. Towards spring he add novitiates and hanging wires to the ones he is doing, so the are ready to sell. He then sells the houses for $3, with a very few reaching as high as $5 or $7. He has tried to raise the price to $4 and they don't sell! I should mention he has them on display out front and there is a money box so it is self service and trust. So you sell 800 of them for $3 you still get $2400. He sells out most years and even makes a few during the season in addition to finishing the ones he has stored, and he makes some bird feeders and a few special order items for locals. He is happy for the extra cash, keeps busy winters and sure never wants to figure out how much per hour he made.... Success or not?
Did any of this make sense? I guess to summarize it is a lot more then just dollars and cents and more of does it make sense.
Ed
{Knight of the Shopsmith} [Hero's don't wear capes, they wear dog tags]
Hi Ray,
I didn't check out the Web site you referenced, so I don't know what help they provide beyond a pattern, but Woodcraft has pre-made templates for Adirondack chairs for $30.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020116/19538/Adirondack-Chair-Plans-and-Templates.aspx
If you have their current sale flyer, you could use the coupon on that to save an additional $10.
I didn't check out the Web site you referenced, so I don't know what help they provide beyond a pattern, but Woodcraft has pre-made templates for Adirondack chairs for $30.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2020116/19538/Adirondack-Chair-Plans-and-Templates.aspx
If you have their current sale flyer, you could use the coupon on that to save an additional $10.
Rick Dubbs
2004 520 w/bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, DC 3300, Universal Lathe Tool Rest, Talon chuck, & Lathe Duplicator
2004 520 w/bandsaw, jointer, belt sander, DC 3300, Universal Lathe Tool Rest, Talon chuck, & Lathe Duplicator