The author does like to from scratch, ru-vid.comUgkxbnOKZBE4evMO5V2vroHeCjq6d_MV6wJO shaping and trimming wood from large blocks into fine finished products. As another reviewer mentioned, most projects require a lot of high-dollar equipment that most of us don’t have the room or budget for. But, knowing how to do these things, even if we won’t be able to practise the full stack project, is still great.
Don't listen to a RU-vidr who has taken a small part of woodworking, made a business out of it and now thinks he's a "expert". I've been a professional woodworker my entire life and I can say from experience that you can make a great living doing it. 99.9% of the world are not woodworkers and will pay you to build the things they can't.
What he is an expert in is not woodworking. His expertise is in accounting. You’re right, you can make a living out of woodwork. But he’s not talking about making a living. He’s talking about mass production at scale. Most woodworkers don’t have a $10M business. This guy does. That makes his advice on unit economics worth listening to.
Woodturner here. Yup, you ain't paying the bills making toothpick boxes , bowls, or pens. But that's why I have a painting business. It supports my tremendously expensive hobby lol.
There is a guy in my county who sells his custom pens to judges and elected officials. I asked him how he was able to make a living and score that kind of client. He said, "They've never seen anything like it and nobody else was offering to them. To add a premium fashion to them created an envy in the political space and the market was born." So, he's still crushing it.
I'm not saying there wasn't some good advice here, but it is kind of ironic that some ******* on RU-vid is telling me not to listen to some ******* on RU-vid.
@@fyreundubh yeah, dont start if you dont love doing it. And start has a hobby. Than maby one day you get a good idea, or you build up a customer base so you can go all inn.
I've heard it in so many industries. "There's no money, there's no money!" It's only true for the majority of dopes who don't even try. I can see the writing on the wall for this guy. He doesn't manage his employees or his money well. You can just tell. And since there's no spark of creativity in him he'll fail as soon as his basic products finally stop moving. It's unfortunate that he's not salting money away for that inevitability but what can you do to help some people...
Yup I agree with everyone's comments, however, you find 15 gas stations in one stretch, do you think each gas station is in service "just because " you go out for the day "50 restaurants within same facility, and each and e everyone is occupied " whether there's a million woodworkers in a neighborhood or just 5, everyone has their own technique and specialties they offer their clients... don't quit what yall passionate bout,
Resin tables when done professionally are in demand, are they not? Im not sure why youd add that piece of furniture to the list when no wood slab is exaftly like another, which is what you said you should aim for... your logic is that people only make resin tables because they look good in video form, and the end products just hang out collecting dust? It seems silly
I turned pens for a few years regularly, made some crazy pens with expensive exotic woods, epoxy, leather, denim, various metals and gems. They take quite a while to sell and never bring in what they should. The amount of time you put into a single simple wood pen works out to be about 45 minutes once you get your grove down. The problem is that most people won't spend $100+ for a pen, so you need to be down in the 20-30 range before they move at a decent pace. That works out to approx $30-$40 an hour for you, minus materials and pen kits, you're down to 25-30, depending on what you use, minus time invested in listing, packing, shipping, etc.. Now if you start adding epoxy to the mix, your cost goes way up and you still can't sell them for more than 30-40. The idea is to make something and have it gone to the buyer as soon as it's done. There were times when I was sitting on 100+ pens just waiting for them to move... All told, with prepping, making, listing, packing, shipping, you are busting your ass for maybe $15 an hour profit and it's not consistent AT ALL. You might as well work at McDonalds, that would at least be a consistent pay check. That being said, I still love my lathe, and I love making pens, but these days someone needs to order one. Most times I just make them as gifts for friends/family. Take my time, make something that fits the person, make a box and all that. It's much more enjoyable that way.
I would rename this to 5 Projects that I cant sell. Because I have literally sold every product, multiple times, that we were just told not to sell. I dont like videos of people telling others what to make or not make. Every market, location, ect is different. Big city people might like more modern looking items, but people living in the country like more rustic items. But just because it doesnt work for him, doesnt mean it wont work for anyone else. Not everyone is looking to have a $5M wood working business with 1 item.
This is great advice. The only exception is depending on where you live. I live in Cyprus and there is barely anyone making smalls so the market is great for someone like myself as I have barely any competition. So everything I make and sell is very new and unique to the majority of people in the island.
That is more local I can sell 3d pritns well at shows with my booth, but online yeah its hard as hell with all the printers with same files as me. I got cnc for acrylic light up signs printing the rest of it on the printer, and found out one co2 laser is expensive but will do that job way way way faster lol. And two I like making the vector files for cnc. Like I started making my own simple objects as well using vector files exported to auto cad format. Its why I am looking this little 3018 pro cnc and debating maybe I should make more things out of softwoods, and less out of plastics... There is actually less people doing that in my area then 3d printing lol. But he is talking flag ship like own/lease your own workshop business. Little stuff is neat and I could probably work hard and get to point I can get my own place and set up in a garage, and not need a normal job doing it. But this guy is talking he has business with a workshop and employees. Hence pointing out the stuff like the wood pens are neat but you train some one to make those they just save up and get a lathe in their own garage or shed and they can quit and make their own. Like I have had helpers with my 3d print stuff at my booth and really pick up fast they can do this themselves for a couple grand and be on same level as me since all my good sellers are licensed files lol.
Starting off strong with b.s. you clearly know nothing about. Small item woodworking projects make TONS of money. And loads of people share plans because they know that a lot of people aren't that great at plans, while still wanting others to succeed as well. Such an asinine comment saying nobody shares or sells plans for something that actually sells is just a dumb thing to say.
As someone with a wood working business who does a lot of woodturning you are 100% right on it being a bad choice if you want the business to be scalable.
You're dead on about coasters. I make money as a hobbyist with cutting boards at $200 each from exotics woods but wasted an entire weekend when I took a custom order for coasters. There were so many thin strips on each coaster, annoying holders to build, and the laser engraving took forever. Pretty sure I made less than $10 an hour that weekend...
I follow the K.I.S.S. analogy ("Keep It Simple, Stupid" - not that I'm calling you stupid!) if I am doing a bulk order for coasters, I do them as loose coasters only and charge extra per unit if they want holders for X number of coasters. I had an order of 80 coasters for a wine distribution company and ended up turning around $35 per hour thanks to being able to bulk-etch them 9 coasters per run.
I don't agree with not making things that are made on RU-vid or have plans made. The people who make the plans wanna sell them because it's a lot more passive to make money off of plans rather than selling and shipping products. Even if you'd make more money from the product itself, it's a lot easier to just sell downloadable plans. Also this doesn't lower the barrier to entry. Woodworkers know how to make something even if they see it on the shelf, they don't need a guy telling them how to do it step by step and newbies need thousands of dollars in tools and a lot of learning hours to reproduce the products.
Its good marketing tool sure, but not bread and butter I think that was the point. I have seen some people make some cool ones but they run out of scrap, and the margins are nice for side hustle but they want quit their job money they need a flagship item to sell and sell some coasters here and there for side money, or slap that logo on it for marketing. I mean I can sell 3D-printed dragons pretty well at my booth but online forget it there is so many people with same licensed dragon files its just hell to sell them online cold turkey with no reviews or loyal customers to defer to it lol. I mean my etsy gets views, but my only customers so fare have been my professors who didn't even know about the stuff till I showed them it at school art sale lol.
@@radiationroom I think there is enough competition, I don't believe that it's worth to hide information. knowing this chanal I think there will be video like it.
I can tell you really care about wood working and the art itself. Giving great advice and especially getting so passionate and raw about it while telling us shows that you only mean good. You are doing a wonderful job, keep up the good work!
Cutting boards. You forgot cutting boards. EV-ree-one wants to make cutting boards. On the other hand, these vids are for those who wish to make a living doing woodworking, not the hobbyist. The hobbyist who wants to sell at craft fairs, etc., can successfully make many of the products this guy avoids. Also, for the extreme small timer, customization is often the key.
Thank you for the excellent advice. I am trying to figure out how to make things that are interesting to me design-wise but sell for reasonable profit. So far, I'm not even close to figuring that out but you're probably saving me from some bad approaches. I always wondered how people could charge enough to make up for the material and time costs for some of their projects (such as coasters, bowls, etc).
The way to make money turning bowls is to get really good AND fast at it and to cut from wood that you don’t have to pay for. My primary source of wood is driftwood from the river or DOT roadkill. I also barter my chainsaw skills with various arborists in exchange for tree trunks. There is always large quantities of free wood to be scored if you ask around. Marketing your work is key. Matthew Peach and Wortheffort have good tutorials how to do this. You also need to know your market and how to price things. Church sales and street fairs are your friends.
I really appreciated this video. Getting insider tips is never a bad idea. I was going to make coasters. That is a bad idea. You saved me a lot of time, money and frustration!
Raymond Loewy's theory: "Most Advanced Yet Acceptable" Net effect is: 1. To sell something surprising, make it familiar. 2. To sell something familiar, make it surprising. I think someone could substitute "superior" for "surprising" in some cases/markets. There is a tension between neophilia and neophobia. To conquer the neophobia you need to have familiarity. To appeal to neophilia you needs surprise/boldness.
Great advice, I like 3-d carving, a bit of turning but have never tried to sell them because there’s just no market that will pay what I would need to make a profit.
My ex mother in law never understood why I refused to make small woodworking projects and sell them. Kept trying to tell her I don't like working for 50¢ an hour. Get a customer, ask what they would like, build it. Don't waste your time on small things unless you are doing it for fun.
I really like this guy telling how to make money, and not to make beautiful products that no one needs. In the very first video that I watched, he said that you should not make too large an assortment. Focus on your product, make 5-6 variations and be the best at it.
Or you do one of a kind items and charge accordingly like I do. Ask yourself “do you want to be a factory or do you want to be an artist/craftsman?” Each approach has its advantages and drawbacks and are completely different philosophies. And you can get rich or lose your shirt either way.
That is how you should start... making 50 things sounds neat but also labor intense also this is for online then in person You selling in a booth cool. But on like etsy 20 things listed it will tell you is good but you need flagship you need to make a name for yourself with one type thing with varations. then you branch out after you got like 100 reviews, and some loyal customers. Like I saw great guide on embrodery machines I kind jack of all trade autistic lol. I I am looking at this because I got hobby CNC for a personal project for my booth, I am making acrylic light up sigh with it. And I want see what else I can make. Like my autism I high funcitoning so I can "blend in" with normals but you give mechacal things i play with out for hours on end lol. So I already workin with that little cnc figure out its in ands outs. But some of my other stuff I 3d print mostly I made pins with it to try something diffrent I like them not a ton of demand crazy unique not many doing it. but honestly I better off making patches with some my designs then 3d printing pins. Anyways I looked at embrodery and best advice was don't do 8 things do 1 type of thing till you get customers who trust you. He pointed peopel awnt do iron ons, hats, shirts, etc he said pick one do patches and just patches then when you get a name for yourself introduct hats. And same deal I took a class in my community college and we covered marketing artwork and of all things we saw videos made by woman who made spanks said same thing make one thing do it right, till you get customers. She has multiple lines now, but she did just spanks at first. Granted she got crazy she was doing self-promotion at stores all over country so had money to begin with, and she paid people she knew to show up and act excited at her events lol. Granted I started an etsy and I got 50% code for people I know to buy form me and leave reviews lol So I can't talk to much lol.
Tough talk from a shill from "Big Coaster". This video has inspired me to go make coasters even harder! Also you are not my supervisor and cant tell me what not to make.
Making a living is different than making a killing-I absolutely think you can make a living doing any of those things but to get over the hump and make a killing no not happening
A normal wood lathe is a difficult thing to make real profit on. That's why you don't really see woodworking shops with lots of lathes. CNC's, lasers, large planers, thicknessers, table saws, shapers (large routers), but no lathes. It's just way too time consuming per one item as you often have to remove so much wood. It's also a bit of a problem that you have to remove so much wood since wood costs money. Only the automated a-bowl-a-minute machines are profitable as a large (not one man) business adventure. Buuuut, if you're just a woodworking enthusiast that likes to make stuff and just want to keep making stuff for your own enjoyment, you can undersell what you make so you can keep buying more raw materials to support your hobby. The key word is hobby, not a business. I feel like that's what most lathe enthusiasts do. They go through a fair amount of material and just want to keep turning wood, but their cupboards and their friends cupboards are already full of bowls and they've realized they can sell the stuff that they want to make anyway and people actually give money for it yay! It's not a business-mindset, it's a way to support your hobby/passion.
I find this interesting coming from a channel that was built on CnC'd plywood. Great business, asking story but ultimately doesn't really reflect why people buy handmade wood items. No individuality, not everything needs to be made in the tens of thousands to be successful
I disagree a bit on the coasters. I can throw 12 slate coasters on a bed, nap, wake up, toss on 12 more, do the dishes, and so on. I move them all day long @$6 each. I get more if I customize. I do this part-time but sell out (200+ coasters) every trade show and get tons more custom orders(extra fee). For me, coasters are .30 each, with zero effort and a decent profit. I don't try to ship at all. The weight is not worth it. But I always have a bed full of coasters engraving- every time I hit "go" and walk away I know there's $70-100 waiting for me when I come back in a couple of hours.
LOL I'm watching this video, in my workshop- using all yhe tools my coasters have made me - while simultaneously finishing off a 3D carve that will sell for hundreds of dollars. WeakSauceRU-vidr is what this channel should be named.
i used to turn pens to sell YEARS ago. it was barely profitable then when it was unique. now a days, they are everywhere. i have a friend who i taught how to do it and gave him my suppliers. i will never admit this, but hes probably become better at it than me at this point because i havent done it in years, but he sells about MAYBE a dozen a year. hardly enough to keep anyone afloat on that alone. one kind-of disagree though, is the "plans". i start most projects with plans. i will agree about making flat out generic things from textbook plans is boring, but, while i could have an idea in my head, and be able to completely flesh it out in real life, my problem comes in knowing how the human body works. i can make a great chair that looks awesome, but you cant fit in, or is uncomfortable as hell. i like to use plans so i have a base model, like, ok, my seat needs to be this high, this wide, at this angle, ect, then ill flesh out my design around that so that i know it will actually be a USEFUL piece when done. again, i dont agree with the "rule" of "dont use plans", but i think i completely agree with the spirit of the rule.
I think this video can be misinterpreted pretty easily... He's not saying you shouldn't make these things. He's saying they shouldn't be your ONLY product. "John's Custom Coasters" isn't going to be a viable business... But making a couple sets here and there and having them on the table/in inventory isn't a bad thing. Same with bowls and pens... Make a few, but don't base your whole business of them.
Funny, I find the various cutting/serving boards and trays, coffee/end tables, cabinets and things like garden obelisks, trellising and so on to be great sellers if you're not looking to build a 7+ figure enterprise. A guy just trying to make a living in his garage gets along pretty well with the aforementioned end products.
That is side buisness and if you don't got booth to recruit shoppers you got compete with every one else doing same side business online. That was the point he doesn't hustle at art/trade shows. He has employees under him, and he works out of a warehouse not a garage. I would love to hit that point hustling isn't bad, but its so much work.
@@Zalzany I've managed a multimillion dollar company before and I personally much prefer the smaller business model. The people become numbers in a system, the passion for work turns into mass production and the genuine care and concern for your customers is out the window. Again, speaking to the average YT browser, this advice is applicable for a fraction of the %age of viewers. This entire video to me was "lets shit on smaller businesses and do it like I do it if you want to make money"
Just have fun making things for yourself and maybe someone might want to buy one off of you. The adventure of the craft is the true value. I am just starting out with pallets and already having fun just coming up with my own ideas.
You are absolutely correct. Many youtubers sell plans and dreams of sales. They also give incorrect pricing information as well. I sell on Etsy and have to compete with the morons that sell similar products at a loss. I have contacted a few of them and they quote the prices given by the youtube video. Maybe they don't understand Etsy fees, packaging and shipping costs. Understand that the channel's business model is selling plans, views and not products.
You didn't say "don't make sheds" and that's why I decided to start learning woodworking today. I'm growing my flock of chickens, and I want to see if building coops is cheaper than buying them.
I am so unbelievably happy and vindicated to hear you say it. Epoxy river tables, etc., are not a way to build a business. Their day in the sun came and went. It wasn't even a day in the sun. It was a, labor-intensive, time consuming, capital devouring flash in the pan, at best. I was a little surprised you did not toss in cutting boards with coasters. Can anyone reading this even count the number of cutting board makers they've met or seen on RU-vid? That ship sailed long, long, long ago. Do yourself a favor and leave cutting board making alone, aside from, maybe, one for Gramma. There are too many cutting boards in the world. Any child can make a cutting board, and they frequently do. And guess what... people are going to be more inclined to buy one from a child anyway, no matter what it looks like.
The guy making this video makes "giant letters that function as piggy banks", which a child could do. So... yeah. There are guys feeding their families with epoxy tables right now. I've been around a lot of "cottage industries" and one thing they all have in common is people will tell you that everything you think might be popular isn't actually popular. Then you find guys making a good living off every single product that supposedly doesn't sell.
You are so right about No.1 Project plans. I watched a video where the fellow comes up with plans of things that are already on the market, he showed us how to make a birdhouse, of course, he's got RU-vid, so he had already sold the birdhouse for a couple of hundred dlrs, about a month later, someone listed the same birdhouse style for 50 bucks, while the same style is being sold for over 100 bucks. I bet you 150 bucks, the seller of the 50 bucks item came from the guy who does videos and sells plans of things that are already on the market. The birdhouse, he did built live on RU-vid. Of course, the outcome, as you may see was disastrous. Good thing that the seller stopped selling the birdhouse on Ebay. I am a woodworker. Thank you for sharing. Pam's husband.
Add pool cues to that list too. There are many reasons, buyt the main is one is you won't make money unless you buy the best woods and have a really good cnc that can inlay really tight pockets and parts with NO glue lines. that's the first hurdle, the second one is making cues that HIT good is something many cue makers never figure out. If you can't produce cues that are better than say Mcdermott, then just don't. you will waste your time and a lot of good wood that would be better in the right hands. it also takes years to get really good at making cues. There are no shortcuts.
Thank you, my new friend, you are exactly right about pen turning. I have been turning pens for 7 years and it is hit or miss. I am 81 and retired, so I do it for fun and give away more than I sell. My 3 sons and my wife don't need any more pens, but I have a small shop and continue to amaze myself and have fun doing it. Thanks for the videos.
Thanks for the great tips. I just bought a CNC to produce a specific part I need for an existing business, but am trying to figure out if there is a side hustle available. You made me think long and hard about how much effort I am willing to put into it.
This same I 3d print got CNC to do an acrylic sign for my booth now looking at guessed it coasters, and charging docks to have that table top cnc pay for itself lol.
I think that this was a great video - these are really honest opinions! Doing this stuff for fun is one thing. Trying to sell a few things at one or two weekend events is another. Kijiji and Craig's list and eBay and ETSY is another level. Making a living - you need a different attitude to this. I'm going to go find and watch your "what sells" video. (remember, what sells isn't necessarily the thing that you "like" to do, or the thing that you "like" to give away to family members as Xmas gifts)
This is another great video. I may or may not agree. But I think you have great points. I’m not looking to mass produce and do large scale production. I agree about 3D carvings and bowl turning. And mostly about the other things. I can open marketplace and find at least 3-4 different woodworkers in my area (small town) that are making things that I’ve seen or have the same plans for. But I don’t see their product pictures change much and I’ve been watching a couple of years. So it makes me think they aren’t doing anything new. For things like that… I still love making them for my booth. And I end up with loyal customers that like my work, trust me and refer people to me. But if someone’s wanting to do more of a large scale business… you’re right. As far as plain items that aren’t uniquely shaped…. I am in the middle of the road on that. I started doing things like that to decorate my booth to help sell furniture. Yep. Hobby Lobby sells them way cheaper. So does Walmart. HEck… dollar tree even has things. But… my customers don’t buy decor from there. They want to support local artists. Local makers. So I still do well with that. All in all. Great video. Great advice. thanks for sharing.
Its more about online then in person in person is marketing you got good enough display, are decent looking, nonthreating, and good sales skills you can sell most generic things you can think of to some one. I saw a dude selling bracelets next to my booth for 30-70 dollars... No joke he did them with beeds, I would paid 5 bucks but his display was awsome, they were pokemon color themed. He had a custom cnced 3 tier display for them. And cnced bits with multiple little bumps for more then one size of bracelet to go into them. On that braclet holder there is a slit for his own fake pokemon cards with info on back about the product. He then had his friend in short shorts and a very tight shirt that shoed her belly with his logo on it, helping him sell with her hair in freaking pigtails at one point. yeah the line to see his booth was giant, and he made so much money that night. But if he put those online he would make 1/10 the sales. In fact he has a shop and the CNCed displays were new first night he had them, and normally it was him and his partner in tank tops both dudes selling but they got a friend of theirs to show up. And he got sales bump online as well from all that. But this is more about buisness as in this guy has a warehouse he owns or leases, and employees he doesn't have to go to events, and sell in person he gets orders from online or what ever. And if he did events he could pay employees to go for him. That is diffrent level. I want hit the I can work out my garage, and not need a day job level. This is "I am owner operator with employee" level he is talking about.
Again, loved the video! Like people have mentioned you can do all of these as a business, but they are not scaleable, or you have to scale to the extreme!
I suggest you Do Not Waste Your Time making videos which attempt to tell viewers not to do stuff. That's hugely negative. I will make what I want to make because it's fun, it's useful, it's something I can give as a gift if I can't sell it. I would never attempt to make a career solely out of woodwork. I have several irons in the fire. People like to support local makers instead of driving 4 hours each way to buy stuff that you're telling us not to make. Trends come and go. There's a lot of good home made projects that are selling well. So let it be!
I was sent a program from Anna White. It stated, "You can build this table for $100". I told my client it would be $1500. The discussion ensued that she didn't understand why I would charge so much. You would have to have all the tools and a wholesale, tax exemption with home depot to even buy the materials for $100.
The titles on many of those videos are click bait-ish and many assume you have all the tools. Also, huge change in wood price before and after the pandemic.
You can take that same logic from point 1 and put it towards woodworking. Just ot works for one person, doesn't mean it's guna work for you. And sometimes, they give out free plans, CAUSE THEY KNOW IT SELLS and would like to help others out and they don't need to charge for plans when they make more off one project then from selling 20 different plans
Most guys are not looking to make a living at woodworking. Most of us just like the side gig and make a few extra bucks. I make pens and bowls and even cutting boards and make some nice side change. With Bowls... take the same advice he gives. Make something unique and different. You can tell a hand-crafted bow from one made in a factory. And my customers know the difference as well.
Too bad people are going to ignore your real world info and cling to exceptions. I will give you the magicians perspective. In magic we can buy hundreds of books and routines/tricks. While fun and if you know HOW to present it then fine. Reality, especially with books, you are getting the material that the writer doesn't use as it is too popular or is yesterday's news. If you buy planes, or download, you may make a sale, you are not going to be a successful wood craft company. In magic, music, and wood work marketable originality is where success lies. Nothing wrong with being a cover band, just realize cover bands are not as successful as original artist. I realize few read rambling crap like this but let me give bits of advice and shared experience. 1. If it is good and profitable someone is going to jack your idea. In art success exist in spurts, you just need to look for new successes. 2. Don't believe your own press. People will say "you are the greatest X" don't let it lead you in the wrong direction. Say thank you, then out the compliment in your pocket to pull out later when things are not so rosey. 3. We are not writing the songs that make the whole world sing. We are artist who give a bit of happiness to others and don't think you are more important than that. Be happy you can live on your passion, most can't, and your passion is a hobby if not making a living and treated like a business. One of my favorite wood guys, and magician, is also hated. I like him, hope he is good. I checked and he is. Thomas Wayne makes beautiful pool cues, and other things, go look him up. His cues sell for thousands, many over $12 grand. You will find articles saying how his work is masterful, and he is biggest a$$hole in business. Again, I like Thomas. If you are going to be a unlikable artist, better be one of the best
I agree with all your five points / explanations. I've been through all of them over the years. I closed my woodworking business ten years ago after thirty-five years of trading. Now, it's just a hobby shop, somewhere to sit down and chill out with the occasional commission. Every avenue is flooded these days due to cheap imports and CNC output except for the lucrative high-end bespoke market, but you have to be in the inner circle to obtain obscene prices for what sometimes is very basic work. I enjoyed your video. Well said, it brought back memories. Thanks Tony
This video is terrible advise for any hobbyist woodworker. It’s basically saying don’t be a hobbyist woodworker if you want to sell things. “Don’t sell things that have plans.” Screw you, woodworkers who like working with their hands, but aren’t engineers or naturally inventive. Don’t make things to sell. Definitely don’t investigate and take into consideration shipping, your local economy, supply and demand, or costs versus revenue. “Don’t sell coasters.” Save all your scraps for harder, more time consuming projects that sell for less. Or better yet, never use scraps. Wasting material is much better than making a small profit. 🙄🙄🙄
I made $1000 on pens as a side hustle in one year. Not a business, but money can be made if you know the right people. Some folks just have a pen fetish I guess. Target cops. Especially those that write a bunch of tickets. 😂
If you're a coaster maker then stop. Or remain worthless for the rest of your life. Your choice. (I never fake sarcasm) The truth is you crack me up stating the obvious. (not a woodworker, yet) I have run my own machine shop since the early '90s and if you don't do something EXTREMELY WELL that most people struggle with there is no real profit margin.
The ONLY reason I make coasters is to give something for people to buy to, basically, get in the door. They're certainly not worth the time spent on them. I do cutting boards. But I also make electric guitars. That means I buy a lot of exotic woods and that's what I use for my boards. I don't have a single board of cherry or maple. But I do have wenge, canary wood, bloodwood, birdseye maple and the like. My biggest issue seems to be pricing. Like you allude to in this video: what are you going to do differently than all the other guys doing the same thing? Thanks for your helpful advice! I've been trying to grown my woodworking business (to no avail, so far) and haven't had much luck. I'm recently unemployed, so there's more urgency to start selling more. I'll use some of your tips.
The one thing that makes you different from any other wood worker is putting your own personal twist on your product. I love wood turning for example (dont worry, not insulted) but it is the unique and special products that sell. Anything bland and copied from the internet is just boring and will not sell. I have my own sawmill and make products from the tree to the final product. Living my dream.
How I feel like I got some coaster blanks from when I got laser but honestly never gonna order them again. Good for around the house though. Good for personal gifts, but, its the cnc carvings yeah I got cnc but its a desktop its neat, but yeah I would rather sell the plans then than mass produce those lol. I got my cnc more to engrave acrylic and now figuring out, a co2 laser for 700 bucks will do it much much faster lol. But I sell licenses stuff my 3d printer makes and I got CNC I kind staying away from buying plans or cnc files and trying to deisgn my own unique stuff for now. Becuase its neat but its like yeah I can buy that charging dock file, but like 200 other people also got that file just in last 6 months I got make it my own still to stand out. Like I am combing multiple things I got 3d printed LED acrylic display for my booth I am working on designed from ground up. Its why I got 3018 cnc to engrave becuase my hobby laser I strapped to an old outdated 3d printer i started on well it can't cut/engrave clear acrylic lol. Andagain 3 hours to cut out my QR code, or 8 minutes if I had a co2 laser. But my next project is charging dock designing from scratch and I am gonna use the diode hobby laser to add more unique feel to it. It does really seem like key thing to success is one it needs to feel unique, and you need to be able to mass produce it. Like I love CNC stuff I want 4040 one day with 15x15 work zone, but I also think co2 laser saddly can do 2/3 of what I want the CNC to do way faster. And I need the CO2 becuase yeah I can hobby laser coasters, but a real co2 with autofocus I can cut half inch sheets of wood with it, and engrave acrylic signs with ease. I would love to one day do custom signage for a bit. But my goal isn't have a warehouse one day to work out of would be awesome I am wounded vet mine is to get nicer place with a garage i can turn into a dedicated workshop and not have to do retail work ever again.
Hmmm.... So you've never heard of open source? You need to do a better job of explaining why free plans should be avoided. Oh... You did. Guess I should have watched a little longer before posting. Sorry.
I'm sorry, but I have to debate your comment about coasters - selling them is situational. If you are primarily running an online storefront, sure, you are competing against a ton of other people, but if you are at a local craft/artisan market, you have a captive market there and a lot of markets you have NO competition - some markets will deliberately only permit one seller per type of product. Depending on the market, I can sell a good 50 or so coasters, purchasing them pre-fabricated for maybe 40 cents each and selling them for upwards of $4, which even taking wear and tear/overheads out is a good 70% profit margin per coaster. One of the biggest reasons - they don't HAVE to be used as coasters. I used to do some with cartoon-y doodles on them and people would purchase them then stick a magnet on the back and use it as a fridge magnet, or a 3M command strip on the back and use it as a wall decoration. Just because you are advertising it as something, doesn't mean they HAVE to use it in that fashion :-) That is also not taking into account larger markets for things like restaurants and the like. An order of 80 coasters might cost $32 in prefabricated coasters but will also bring in $240-$300, depending on the agreed rate per unit.
Well, went from a factory job running metal CNC machines and made stupid good money.... now I'm trying out the craft business and had a family friend teach me the ins and outs of building a house. But now that's in the air I'm left with a Xtool laser, and the basic array of wood tools, circuit and a top of the line sewing/embroidery machine. My finances are stable and the hobby business has had bad luck the last 6 months but I'll just cruise along life like i have always done. However after watching this video my dreams of having a wood cnc, 3d printer, lathe and all the other automated machines as a custom craft shop are kind of dyeing off. Guess I got suckered into the dollar signs on youtube saying how profitable doing work yourself is, I glossed over the importance of a competitive market. Which just so happens to be one of my draw backs in luck in life so now I'm sorta lost. Been a heck of a ride for the last few years and not many people probably would care to hear but hey, being lost but stable ain't so bad.
Wonderful video. but isn't there a youtuber who has a new series on "make money with a CNC" and a Website with plans or CNC-Files ;-) i think there is a cic in the name, too.
Just because someone else is making something doesn't mean you can't make the same thing and make an excellent living six figures a year not everybody wants to buy the same product from you or from Walmart or Alibaba or whatever a lot of times people keep going back to buy from people that they like so stop discouraging people dude cuz you have no idea you should have stayed in college but you actually didn't learn anything
Your video depresses me but you are absolutely right. Ever tried to earn something with handmade wooden stuff myself but almost nothing sells. People would rather buy a soulless product at Ikea for half your price or buy from a trendy shop that has their stuff made in China or Thailand by the 1000 at a time for 3 times your price (because they are hip). People generally prefer to buy characterless junk that you find in everyone's living room.
That kind of stuff you need to sell in person or get social media following for. Like out the box no name online sales its you vrs every one else, and its rat race to the bottom for who has lowest prices till you can get like 2k reviews that are great, so people go "oh that 20 bucks more but look at all these reviews!" Or you got have videos and tiktoks of you work sigh. Like I know people who did that they get like 20k followers on social media, then announce a new thing, and like 100 people want to order it in the first week.
Yeah no one else make this stuff cause it won’t sell so I can turn around and sell them in a now not saturated market. Sweet thanks for saying all of that. I think you can make a lot of this stuff and make a living it’s what do you do with your money you make. If it is chasing the next popular tool to buy then no you won’t make any money because you are spending what profits you do make. But if you invest most of the money in the markets then you will make more money on selling new products while making even more money in the market to add at the same time without even working for that new money.
Lol. I made a bunch of pens many years ago. Sold probably 90 of them. It did pay for my small jet lathe, cheap drill press and consumables but no way to make a living out of it.
If you're extremely busy with your business making millions in my opinion I used to stick to that and not spend your time on RU-vid encouraging other people and taking business from you let people figure things out on their own
I sell fully dimensioned and specified plans for making several unique designs of raised bed garden planters. I don't expect that anyone buying the plans will make the items and sell them in large quantities at a profit. I sell the plans because some people would like to have these planters for their own use, and due to the large size and heavy weight of the products, it is not economical for me to manufacture and ship the items.
I... am thinking signs. LED signs with acrylic, baltic birch plywood, logo design, etc. Eventually, after I can expand the shop I can build a large CNC plasma cutter to add steel signs to the product offerings. And maybe a custom folding knife here and there. And personalized puzzles. And a cast bronze sword or two per year. And laser cut LED box lanterns. And charging for time on the large gantry router flattening slabs. I don't need $1million dollars, already have the house with the shop, just need to pay off the mortgage and then I can live cheap. Make $100K a year after that and I can buy a piece of land, build a new shop while living out of a trailer, sell the old place, and build the new house while the new shop is pumping stuff out on a regular basis. Don't need several employees. Don't need a starter-castle in a gated community and a Lambo. A small farmhouse and a used Mustang will do just fine. Also, yeah, the coaster thing is dumb.
I agrre but I make a huge amount of profit turning pens one my customers has alreay bought over 35 pens this year and I have 75 pens I'm in the middle of turning for somone. I only turn 30 cal bolt action pens.
The big thing you are missing is most of us turn woodworking into a career by building furniture and custom orders… most of us are not trying to make millions off of selling coasters. Also funny how you say all this and your video about what to sell you say you’re selling noodle boards… the one thing all over RU-vid and in stores and made by most of us woodworkers…
He said don't use plans or don't buy plans but yet you made something that launched your business to a million dollars that other people were already making eat your own words buddy
Thanks a TON for this video, it probably applies to just about any business. this is business GOLD! for anyone wanting to develop a product and a business.
If your selling them as collectible art then you need to raise the prices and make them more profitable. Maybe that's the angle you sell them as, as wood art rather than a functional item.
