Following up on our recent post about the (questionable) profitability of making pet coffins here’s one about 16 woodworking money makers from the woodworkers at WoodNet.

One very good point from meackerman that you will have to remember before quitting your day job: “I think its going to really depend on what your local market wants.” Or, as they put it over at Family Woodworking Forum: “It is very difficult to build a business trying to sell what you can make. Always much more fruitful to make what you can sell.”

Here’s the original question:

The question or responses I am looking for is what projects or products you are currently making or have in the past, seem to make the most money for you in regards to revenue (profit)coming into your pocket ? (tables and chairs, rockers, kitchen cabinets, bed room furniture, boxes, entertainment centers, and so on)

I went through and tallied up what folks said they were selling these days for good profit. Now, of course, good profit to me might be chicken scratch to you. In other words, your mileage may vary. I didn’t put these in any particular order:

16 Woodworking Money Makers:

milling molding for other shops
writing woodworking articles
custom doors
Fireplace mantels
Shoji screens
radiator covers
Ashtrays for cigar smokers
small jewelry boxes
rockers with a cushion built in the bottom rather than hardwood
plant stands
Footstools
tacky holiday yard “art”
one and two-man boats
Entertainment centers and bars
bean toss game sets
Wine stoppers

I highly advise that you go and read the entire money making post at WoodNet. It helps to read the context of these comments and read some of the realities of making money in woodworking.

To further your woodworking business acumen here are a few resources I pulled from the ever-awesome Woodweb.

Making decent money
Advice on making a living in the business of contemporary craft woodwork.

Bidding a Commercial Cabinet Job
Residential cabinetmaker gets advice on pricing a commercial unit.

How to grow the company structure?

Don’t let your chain saw watch this video… he won’t come out of the shed for shame. This is a video of John Deere’s 1270D Wheeled Harvester that I found over at WoodNet.

Apparently the thing has computer functionality too: “The harvester comes fully equipped with a John Deere processing head combined with a powerful John Deere PC/Windows® based measuring and control system.” I guess that’s so they can track more easily how many trees they cut with it?

Here are some of the WoodNetter comments:

“I’ve always fantasized about showing modern tech to someone from 100 or 200 years ago. Imaging showing that to a 18th century logger.”

“All I could think of was the ways this might show up in the sequel to Fargo…”

Here’s the thread: Demise of the Chain Saw
Here’s John Deere’s page about the 1270D Wheeled Harvester

Is there profit in making and selling wooden pet caskets?

A member at FamilyWoodworking.org asked this very question… for his father. If you’re a woodworking hobbyist looking to supplement your income with your skills with wood then this is a great thread for you!

Of course, this wonderful thread is as much about this guy’s father as anything. Well, here are some excerpts to show you what I mean:

“…With Dad, once he is locked onto an idea, no will convince him it won’t work. He is convinced that there is profit to be made making and selling wooden caskets for pets. So he has bought the stuff, purchased a bunch of special tooling and supplies from a local 100 year old casket factory here in Maine, and has been making pet caskets.

“But nothing is selling. Several stores he approached won’t let him put caskets in their store because its “creepy” and word of mouth just isn’t doing much either.

“Its kind of sad to see him pound out casket after casket to a non-existing market, but as he says “you can’t sell something that isn’t made”. I like his conviction, but I wonder if his niche market is too creepy and special to make any money at it?”

And here is some of the best advice I picked out from the FamilyWoodworking crew:

Make What You Can Sell:
“It is very difficult to build a business trying to sell what you can make. Always much more fruitful to make what you can sell.”

Advertise at Vets and Pet Cemeteries:
“Since I agree that this is more an urban/city/wealthy person’s purchase, these people are also going to need a place to put their pet once they have the casket. So, find the cemetery and try to place some brochures with them. Or, also check with some city/urban vet offices (they’re the ones who would be helping folks who need to put down beloved pets) and see if they would like some brochures as well.”

Make Urns Instead:
“I think urns are the way to go, and he can probably make them without coffin up any more money for tools.”

Make Pet Beds Instead:
“Just recently and I’m not even sure where, I noticed an article about beds for pets. Many different styles, beds with headboards and foot boards, creative contemporary, arts and crafts, even smaller reproductions of the bed their masters sleep in.”

Check out the thread at the Family Woodworking Forum: Woodworking for profit: Diversify?

A great question came up over at the FamilyWoodworking.org woodworking forum (FW is a welcoming and friendly spin off of SawmillCreek.org). Mr. Sean Wright over there wrote recently:

“When in your shop, do you wear a tool belt, a shop apron, or just work clothes?”

“Up until recently I just wore work clothes. Then I picked up a shop apron. I have used it several times, and find it very handy- lots-o-pockets! Plus I don’t get as dust covered as I did before.”

He also posted a poll… and here are the results:

Just Work Clothes: 110
Shop Apron: 56
Other: 16
Tool Belt: 4

There are 6 forum pages of responses and replies - overall a very fun thread to check out. Here are some quotes I pulled because I thought they might give you some thought about what you wear while working with wood:

1) My shop is laid out so that anything i typically need is right at hand…on the wall. Everything has its own spot so there is no losing things in my pockets or apron…they are put back where they are supposed to be.

2) If I think of it, I will wear my Rockler Denim apron that houses pencils and my favorite Starrett 6″ rule. I searched high and low for the perfect apron and the Rockler one was the only one that had shoulder straps, minimal pockets and was flexible enough to bend with me when I was crawling around on the floor working on stuff.

3) I have had several belts over the years, but settled on the Skiller’s system about 10 years ago. I wear it usually when working at a jobsite, almost never in the shop ’cause all my tools are close at hand and pretty organized. Safety eyewear goes on the minute I enter the shop or jobsite.

4) Faragamo steel toed boots, Gucci apron, Calvin Klein Jeans, Tuxedo Jacket, and Michael Jordan underwear. Just what the fashionable woodworker is wearing this fall.

Go check out the thread at FamilyWoodworking.org: Shop Atire?

And here’s a quick little safety reminder regarding clothing (from Andrews University): “Dress appropriately. Remove all ties, scarves, rings, and watches. Roll up long sleeves and tie back long hair. Loose clothing, hair, and jewelry can easily catch in revolving machine parts.”

Here are a couple of other clothing and safety-related articles you might find useful:
Power Tool Decibel Levels Could Be Hurting Your Ears
Using Gloves in the Woodshop
Top Ten Most Dangerous Power Tools

Update:
I just found this post at Woodnet recommending woodworking aprons: shop apron

What is it about kick back that opens up your eyes to the importance of a splitter on your table saw? I think this quote from a ‘Creeker just about sums it up:

“Yesterday, I actually had a pretty serious kick-back incident with a 30″ long piece of 2×4 I was trying to rip in half. Luckily, the only damage that was done was the dent in the drywall behind me….about 18 feet away!!”

And yes, he’s one of the lucky ones… kick back can cause serious bodily harm. And though this post focuses on splitters, you should know that a splitter isn’t the only kick back deterrent out there.

Anyways, it so happens that the guys at SawmillCreek AND over at WoodNet started threads about what splitters they use on their table saws. I diligently counted and present for you the results below, followed by links to the threads AND links to “build your own splitter” articles.

Shark Guard Splitter: 10 Votes

Biesemeyer Snap-In Spreader: 9 Votes

Micro Jig (MJ) splitter: 5 Votes

build your own: 3 Votes
(see below for links)

Merlin splitter: 1 Vote

Delta Splitter: 1 Vote

From The Forums:
What Splitter do you use on your Zipcode TS? (WoodNet)
OK - time for a splitter (SMC)
Of guards and splitters and things… (SMC)

Make Your Own Splitter:
Make Your Own Table Saw Splitter/Blade Guard
Table Saw Insert with Splitter
Safety and the Table Saw - “Splitter, Plate, and Guard”
A Home Made Splitter for the Table Saw

Do you wear hearing protection while running your woodworking tools? If you’re using tools louder than a band saw (roughly rated at 90 decibels) then you should PROTECT YOUR EARS.

A woodworker over at the ‘Creek got his hands on a decibel measuring instrument and got a read on the tools that he uses regularly. You probably use some of these and you might be surprised at how much risk you run for “Noise Induced Hearing Loss.”

This list comes from one woodworker’s measurements (along with OSHA’s maximum daily exposure recommendations):

Hearing Damage Occurs:
Porter Cable Framing Nailer (pneumatic): 125 dB
Craftsman 5 Gallon Shop-Vac: 123 dB

15 Minutes:
Craftsman 7 1/4 Circular Saw: 118 dB

30 Minutes:
Porter Cable 7518 Router: 113 dB
Porter Cable 690 Router: 110 dB

1 hour:
Hitachi M12V (in router table): 105 dB
Dewalt Bisquit Jointer: 105 dB
Excel 10″ miter saw: 105 dB
Ridgid 13″ Planer: 104 dB
Milwaukee Sawzall: 103 dB

1 1/2 hours:
Porter Cable 343 Random Orbit Sander: 102 dB
Milwaukee Jigsaw: 101 dB
Craftsman Hand Held Belt Sander: 101 dB
Porter Cable Finish Nailer (pneumatic): 101 dB

2 hours:
Bosch 4212L Compound Miter Saw: 100 dB

More Resources:
Shop noise - SMC Thread
OSHA Noise Level Recommendations [PDF]
Hearing Protection for Woodworkers
Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart - sets danger zone at 90-95 decibels
Noise Induced Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss: How do I know whether am exposed to dangerous noise levels?
Most Dangerous Power Tools

Wood Magazine recently retested table saw blades after realizing that their testing methods skewed the results. Basically, they used a sled to pull wood through the table saw and the sled pushed far harder than a woodworker would.

ANYWAYS… I thought you’d be interested in some quick snippets from their comparisons. Note I just pulled the top blade from each category, scroll down for a link to ALL the blades they reviewed and be sure to check out the forum thread where I found this because they discuss some of the potential downfalls of believing studies done by the woodworking magazines…

Full Kerf
#1 Blade for $97 or More: Forrest WW10407125

#1 Blade for $62 or Less: Jesada 110-440
Couldn’t find pic… here’s more about the blade.

Thin Kerf
#1 Blade for $90 or More: Forrest WW10407100

#1 Blade for $40-$65: Amana TB10400

#1 Blade for $35 or Less: DEWALT DW7140PT

Resources:
Here’s the article: Blade retesting results are in! (PDF)
Here’s the WoodNet forum post that brought this to my attention:
WOOD Magazine Table Saw Blade Test
And here is a semi-related post from us to add some counter balance to the Forrest love: Problems Cross Cutting with Forrest WoodWorker II 40T?

You know I love a good power tool dust up… this one’s a classic. A Woodnetter and professional woodshop owner asks his fellow woodworkers whether he should put Sawstops or Powermatic PM2000s in his shop.

Here are his criteria for the decision:

Safety (obviously sawstop wins this category)
Dust collection-very important to me
Ease of the moving parts and adjustments
Accuracy (that is a given)
Cost
Service and durabiliy

What one do you think is better built. I guess I am hard on my tools, and I can’t afford to wait for service and for parts from Sawstop if there service is slow or difficult to deal with.

Here are the results as I tabulated them:
Sawstop Votes: 7

Powermatic PM 2000 Votes: 2

Most folks suggested that since he has employees using his table saws they should be using the safer Sawstops. That said, there were some great questions asked about the long term viability of Sawstop as a company. Also there was a cameo appearance by the Wood Whisperer so you know I had to quote him

Good Points from the thread:

“…within 5 years, SS will license their technology to WMH and get out of the tool building business”

“So if $4050 is too rich for your blood, wait 5 years and buy a gold or green sawstop machine for 2/3 that price.”
Tim in MD - see his full comment he makes a great argument relating the viability of the company to the idea of purchasing a SS any time soon.

“Its like asking if you should buy a pickup or an SUV. Performance issues aside, which vehicle has the functionality you want. If you want that feature, you buy that saw. If you don’t want that feature, then you buy the PM2000. Practically speaking, I think you would be hard pressed to “notice” any performance differences between the two.”
from the Wood Whisperer

Resources:
Sawstop or PM 2000 (Woodnet thread that inspired this post)
Before I buy the SawStop???
The Sawstop debate rages on
Inventor’s Attempt at Saw Safety Cuts Against Industry’s Grain
A Table Saw Buying Guide: Benchtop vs Contractor vs Cabinet vs Hybrid
ToolCrib.com’s Ultimate Guide to the Top Ten Most Dangerous Woodworking Power Tools
DIY Table Saw Alternative: EZ Guide + Circular Saw

I wrote a piece awhile back comparing opinions on WWII, Frued and Ridge table saw blades, but this thread gives a little deeper insight into the WWII and asks hard questions.

The thread opens with a woodworker expressing his frustrations with his WWII:

“I got a WW II 40T and just haven’t been happy with the cut. I’ve been cutting alot of red oak and find that the blade leaves 1/8th inch, VERY thin, square, chips on the cross cut, rips are fine. I’ve tried raising and lowering the blade to see if that would help - not.”

28 responses later there are some great suggestions for why he might be getting chip out on his cross cuts with his WWII. There’s also some great discussion about saw blade choices in general.

First off, here are some suggestions from the thread:

1) Try using a zero clearance insert.
2) Try feeding wood more slowly.
3) Raise the blade so that the teeth come down more vertically into the piece.
4) Align blade and miter slot.
5) Put blue painter’s tape along the cut.
6) Give Forrest a call.
7) Remember that red oak is particularly prone to splintering.
8) 40T is too low for cross cutting.

There were a number of folks who suggested that WWII are simply overhyped and too expensive. Here’s a quote or two to give you the gist of it:

“I bought my WWII a few months back when Amazon had them on sale. I don’t know if I was expecting too much but the blade has not lived up to expectations. I felt like I got a lemon.”

“Many folks praise their WWII blades but I have never been satisfied since day one.”

Now, those are more the exception than the rule, and it certainly sounds from the thread like Forrest has excellent customer service. I include these remarks and opinions mostly because I think there is a contingent of folks who believe that the WWII is going to revolutionize their work.

As Creeker Bob Feeser puts it, “I thank the contributors of this post for opening my eyes to the possiblities, instead of thinking the FWWII is the cure all. I have some experimenting to do.”

Read WoodWorker II blade question for more.

A woodnetter asked his fellow woodworkers to recommend to him a framing nailer. Here’s a little bit on his usage: “I will not use this everyday but for weekend outdoor work only. getting ready to build me a mini barn for storing wood and lawn equipment.”

I took all the recommendations from the WoodNet forum and combined them with recommendations for framing nailers that I found in the SawmillCreek forum.

The original poster’s usage seems to indicate that a DIYer-level tool would suffice. The responses point towards a professional-grade selection of tools. Here’s a note from a WoodNetter: “…skip the Sencos and Bostiches unless you are an extreme part time user…”

I dug a bit for reviews of each of the individual nailers and included links when I found them.

Underneath the results of favorite framing nailers you’ll find the results of a SawmillCreek poll that asked for favorite overall nailer. Scroll all the way down for links to the threads I used for this post plus the ToolCrib guide to buying a nail gun and a framing nailer comparison.

Best Framing Nailers for Weekend and Outdoor Work

Porter Cable Framing Nailer: 9 Votes

Porter-Cable FR350A Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer
Porter Cable FR350A Review

Hitachi Framing Nailer: 8 Votes

Hitachi NR83A2 Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/4-Inch Framing Nailer

Paslode Cordless Framing Nailer: 6 Votes

Paslode 900420 Cordless IMCT Framing Nailer
Paslode 900420 Review at Epinions

Senco Framing Nailer: 3 Votes

Senco FramePro
2 Senco FramePro reviews at epinions

Bostitch Framing Nailer: 3 Votes

Bostitch F21PL Round Head 1-1/2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer

Milwaukee Framing Nailer: 1 Vote

Milwaukee 7100-20 Round Head 2-Inch to 3-1/2-Inch Framing Nailer
Milwaukee 7100-20 reviews at PriceGrabber

Favorite Nailer Brands (from poll in SMC)

Porter Cable: 45 Votes
Senco: 30 Votes
Bostich: 13 Votes
Sears/Craftsman: 9 Votes
Pasalode: 8 Votes
DeWalt: 7 Votes
Hitachi: 3 Votes

Obviously these were for favorite overall brand of nailer, but I thought it might be useful to folks who are shopping for a framing nailer as one more source of opinion

Resources:
recommended framing nailers?? (WN)
Framing Nailer (SMC)
What nailers do you own/use? (SMC)
Framing Nailers (comparison from Tools of the Trade)
The Ultimate Nail Gun Buying Guide for Pneumatic Newbies