Earning a living from woodworking ???

[tusses]

How many of you do ?

What do you do ?

how do you market it ?

I want to !

Do people pay for 'fine furniture' or is it only woodworkers and antique dealers that recognize the work and attention to detail ?

I am well into VW's and my bread an butter work will be converting vans into campers and making camper interiors to sell separately. Its all pretty much pattern cutout, glue and nail/screw stuff tho - no place for dovetails Laughing

A few years ago I tried to sell repro antiques from a pitch in an antiques barn, but I found people didn't want to pay for the amount of work involved ??

maybe I need to be in a 'quaint' little village somewhere !

I see stuff for sale in the net at the right kind of prices - but it doesn't mean they sell !

any advice ?

ta

Rich

[jaco]

Rich, I am sure some of the "self employed" memebers will be along shortly, after the pint, roast beef, pud and snooze.

[jonnyd]

Hi Rich i think you are doing the right thing in thinking about a niche to get into with the camper vans. I make a few pieces of fine furniture a year mainly for established clients but doing this alone wouldnt pay the bills. The majority of my work now is kitchens, wardrobes, built ins and staircases. As for marketting i dont bother, all of my work comes from word of mouth and recommendations and i have always had enough work. I would presume for your camper van work you would have to go to the vw shows and market yourself there.

Jon

[tusses]

Thanks Jon

I am very into VW's (I have about 20) and I go to the shows anyway.

I bought 7 of the newer vans a few months ago (before the summer prices came ! ) and the prototype is nearly finished. Ive made patterns of the finished design, so the other 6 should go quickly.

I have been self employed for the past 12 yrs doing this and that - had a computer shop for about 5 years and hated it ! I did a few houses when the prices were going up at a silly rate !. I had a narrow boat shell built, as we now live by the canal, but I just sold that unfinished because the boating market has took a bigger dive than the houses ! I got out quick and got back my money so am happy with that one.

I keep coming back to wood tho. The only reason I haven't stuck with wood so far is because I havent found the bread an butter stuff to keep me going. Maybe the camper thing will be it ? Who knows !

Then I can 'create' whatever fine stuff I like and just offer it for sale in an online gallery or something with no worries about 'having' to sell it quickly (apart from the space needed to keep it ! )

I have just about all the equipment I need bar a few router bit sets for making door mouldings and stuff, and I have a small but workable workshop 16' x 20'

I was interested in how many others were doing it !

anyway, I'm off to the pub before they stop serving the roast beef

Rich

[mrgrimsdale]

What about going up market with the vans; teak, iroko, dovetails, brass knobs etc. Caravans - real wooden ones, carts etc? Then there's boats. Narrow boats will bounce back - fitting out for other owners with real traditional furniture?

cheers
Jacob