On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 08:33:13 -0400, "Tom Nie" wrote:
With the sudden enthusiasm of a brainstorm I've been doing a LOT of research
on woodturning in the past two weeks. My thought was that I would do
one-of-a-kind bowls; get to travel in my 29' fifth wheel toybox with our
Harleys to attend crafts shows; and pick up some cash to supplement my
Social Security while doing work with wood (one of God's wonders).
So my wife and I attended a very large and impressive local association
meeting (and joined). Their exhibit gallery had work that was just
heartwarming to a woodloving person and intimidating to a newbie. They had a
renowned husband/wife team doing demonstrations and that was encouraging.
The folks were warm, friendly and the meeting was handled very well.
Here's where I'm politically incorrect without intent to hurt anyone's
feelings. I noticed that that maybe 95% had as much gray hair as I which is
all.
Why would that be?
The cost of equipment?
The labor time?
The work made me feel my idea of making some money might never even recover
the cost of investment (maybe $10,000 for all) much less the costs of
selling at craft fairs.
Is this just retiree hobby territory for 98% of us? Sorta like golf, with
just a rare few making money?
Tom Nie
PS This is my first post - ever! I feel like a virgin.
In my case, (almost 59 and what's left of my "nohawk" is gray), I came back to
wood working, mainly turning when I had the time and money to do it.. and I
found that I had SO much more patience that I did 20 or so years ago..
I think that life experiences and such change your prospective on things like
wood... you don't mind waiting for a finish to dry, you start enjoying the
wonder of the drying process instead of trying to speed it up, you take the
extra time to get something right instead of taking a shortcut or skipping a
step, etc..
The cost of equipment is anywhere from $250 for a lathe and $50 for a set of
chisels, to as much as you'd like to spend... the more you turn, the more lathe
you want, the more and different chisels, sanding and buffing systems, etc... as
in most hobbies, the list is endless...
I'll point out our plans, since we have a few things in common:
My small lathe, a Jet mini, is in our 28' travel trailer and will be used at r v
parks.. If someone is attracted by my working at the park and buys a bowl or
something, then I've stayed at the park free that weekend...
Same thing with my "main" product, wheel chocks/brakes... I make them for about
$8 each and sell them for $25 each or $45 a set... I sell a set maybe one out of
every 3 stays at a park..
It's NOT going to earn me a living, or even pay for my tools.. (I spent about
$3,000 more so far this year, maybe more) but I'm meeting some nice folks and
saving a few bucks on park fees... for me, it's not cash that matters, it's cash
flow.. *g*
We went to the coast last weekend and met a really cool guy that was in his
mid-80's and used his Jet mini INSIDE his motor home.. lol
He makes pens, which I've never tried, and we ended up trading 4 or 5 really
nice pens for a couple of bud vases... and have another rv friend and great
memory now.. YMMV
mac
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