Sobering video, and thank you for doing it. I've learned that my passions and tastes are not that of the majority. Anyone who is a "maker" with any kind of desire to craft something is working within a relatively small market of buyers that is saturated with lot of very talented people. I made a coffee table last year that I put a lot of hours into. Could not sell it. I ended up dismantling it and giving part of it away and trashing the balance. When I told an artistic relative what I'd done, she almost cried. Sometimes, it's the journey that's the reward and not the destination, but you have to come to your own peace with that.
Fortunately, when I was offered money to build something, I declined. It´s too important for me to keep woodworking as a hobby. Many will agree that this passion is priceless. Thanks for this video.
Great video, alot of truth here. I've been a woodworker for 20 years. The guys that say they want to do this when they retire, have no idea how physically demanding it is. That's just the milling/build part. Wait till you get into finishing. That's a whole trade all in itself with all kinds of different issues you won't expect. I love woodworking, but I do tend to question my choice of taking this path. Ultimately, it is a fulfilling job if you don't compare your finances to others
I’ve been woodworking for over 45 years. I would agree with everything said here. You need to find very rich customers - a lot of them - to buy pieces. When you could buy antique pieces for a fraction of the cost of your handmade piece. In the US, with its large population, you have more people who can afford to buy your work; here in the UK, smaller population means less people who can afford to buy your work. I agree about the physical demands of the work. My body is quite quickly succumbing to osteoarthritis. Really hard to stand up for any length of time; really hard to use my shoulders hand-planing or using the morticer. But I have machines that help - I just do less hours. If you want to do woodworking when you retire, I say that you should go ahead; but proceed knowing your physical abilities will lessen. Understand you will an increasing need to rely upon machines. Use machines for the dimensioning; use dominos for jointing and save your energies for the final finessing and the finishing. Finishing? When you think you have done 90% of the work and it’s ready for finishing, the reality is that you have only done 50% of the work and good finishing will need another 50%.
Every time I get into something new, whether blacksmithing, archery, writing, RUclips, general contracting, or woodworking, I rack my brain as to how make a living at it. I think that's normal and the feeling eventually passes.
I definitely appreciate the perspective you've offered. Personally, as long as I can support a family and have a modest home, that's more than enough. We get lost when we compare ourselves and our lives with others. Roosevelt said it best, "comparison is the thief of joy."
It’s definitely passion over the money. Most of the professional solo woodworkers I know don’t just do furniture making but do carpentry and installation work as well since some of skills overlap.
Being a carpenter for about 50 years now, What this Gentleman says is true . Its a tough business , if Your in for the money . Ive built birdhouses, ladder back chairs for Children , footstools of several different styles. Show them to people and they always say how nice , beautiful or artistic , but very rare a sell . But i truly love the uniqueness of the hobbie .
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking your very enjoyable to watch. I am a hobby level woodworker and love watching you work but your personality and constant wisdom keep me coming back!
One of the keys to profitably making furniture professionally is to keep your overhead as low as possible. But often times you can be more efficient with more space. It’s tricky.
Thanks so much Keith for the honest review. Your comments about not being very socially connected really hit the mark for me - I have noticed lately that I’m spending so much time in the shop that I feel like I’m loosing connection with my family and friends - that I’m missing out on life itself.😢
My friend I've just watched vid I've had a workshop since 1988 😮........I listen to your absolute honesty and you brought a tear to my eye 😢 If I can try and share with you my honest opinion ,try and make your projects a little more modular ........perhaps this may sound a little boring, however less shit hassle and you can pay the bills and not feel so mugged off !.........you can not be the master of all wood work but if you narrow down your favourite bits you may find enlightenment ❤ Man I feel your pain ........you are very honest beautiful human being........respect to you brother Waynee
I think there’s a fine line between having woodworking as a passion and having it as a business. I love woodworking and having no schedule or timeline😮 and it keeps it fun for me. If I had to do it to make a living I don’t think it would be fun anymore. If I could set any price and it would sell then that would be exciting and fun, on my schedule of coarse! I’m sorry if you’re loosing your passion for this and I hope you can find it again, if that’s true. Good luck!
Interesting stuff.Without being negative I think its important to always keep your expectations totally minimal.I'm quite happy to learn something new on each piece- just treating each one as a learning experience, and try never to just generate 'stuff'.What helps me too is to keep the size & scale of each project down so it doesnt drag on forever.
Just starting out as a retirement goal to build classical guitars. The inevitable question from others … when are you going to start selling them? My answer … and seemingly shocking to most … is probably never (and then I ask them “if you took up oil painting today, when would you expect your art pieces to be in the Louvre in Paris?”) Keeping a reasonable perspective shouldn’t be discouraging; the discouraging part happens when unrealistic expectations aren’t met. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to take the perspective you describe by enjoying the process of learning how to sharpen chisels and planes, changing to a new band saw blade, getting nice curled shavings from a sharp hand plane and making a lot of woodworking mistakes. That will make the endeavour all worthwhile!
I am seeing myself coming back to this video repeatedly. Great info. I am a professional violinist that started woodworking when COVID hit (no large gatherings put performers out of work) and I’ve questioned if woodworking could replace my artistry financially. Maybe? But not likely?
If you can sell the violins to a group of peers you will be advantaged. Otherwise no so easy. You can teach violin and sell to your students also. So go for it
Spot on in addressing the YT myth v. the REALITY of leveraging woodworking for profit. "5 Projects That Sell," "Sold This for 10s of Thousands of $$$," or "Low Cost 900% Profit" are all so misleading for viewers. Can you achieve financial success, sure, but it's sporadic, and requires significant investment before turning any real profit. If someone wanted to get into "woodworking" for profit, they must be mobile and service based. Arborists, sawyers, floor refinishing, trim carpentry, etc etc. Pay the bills with those services which are always in demand.
I did the whole homeshow thingy for 24 shows in ca with sometimes good but the bad was too plentiful. You start to feel like a carney with all the setup and take down.
My fervor for woodworking is burning now and for about 25 years. My list of projects is long and well organized. I may look back and think about it like yourself. Time is funny and a person changes. Even after a few years of working on watches daily, I destroyed clips and lost springs. Even when ultra careful it can be a disaster. The things are designed to work without intervention for a healthy amount of time. Some watches are just ready to go and people bring them in after it is too far gone. Parts become more expensive than a whole new watch. Repair shops end up with a box or bucket filled with watches. Go in there digging for the right gears and crown pins.
I have a MFA in painting. My life has been one of ups and downs, my brother sells pharmaceuticals and my mother constantly tells me I should do that. I recently began selling my work in high end galleries in NYC. I think that is a sign of success ( as well as your pieces), not working for a huge corporation.
Gonna send this to my family so they know where my retirement is going when I quit my day job 😂. Hope to see your numbers grow. Sure do enjoy the content. 👍
I’m sorry sir, but I don’t much care for this rendition of woodworking. All of you watching this…..it’s one man’s perspective of the craft. I’m a 72 year old professional woodworker. I’ve worked this craft most of my life. I have been all over the map with this craft. I’ve made money, I’ve lost money, I’ve employed many people over the years, I’ve had multiple businesses in woodworking, and I know what it is like to go broke. So what! I love making things. I attribute my success and failures to nothing more than life’s journey and my personal journey of exploration and hopefully growth and self realization. Did any of you read life’s instruction manual before you incarcerated? If you did, did you remember any of it. Hell no you didn’t. Who does. Not sure I should enter this in the comment section because I like this guys musing and I don’t like critics of creative people’s philosophy. But you can make a living doing woodworking and it might be hard. So what!
as a fellow woodworker you tube is the worst thing that we have ever had, People that have no Clue how do work properly, teaching everyone how to do things wrong all the while telling them they will get rich being a woodworker. Sad part of it is that this video telling the truth will get 5% of the views of someone lying and telling you that you'll get rich doing woodworking
I wanted to be a pirate ☠️ when I was 10, a pilot when I was 16. A dr when I was 21, and a beekeeper when I was 25. We want what is shinny and new until we don't. Goals are time sensitive, fame only registers in other's minds, bone for tuna.
These people say they're selling cutting boards for $500 and I can't hardly give one away. 😂 I've got cnc, laser engraving abilities and have never sold one more than $100 customized.
Being successful in any make/artistry is not a function of the quality of your work or how much time you put in. Financial success is determined by relationships and compromise. Are you putting in the time developing relationships and are you willing to compromise everything else (quality, build technique, methodology, etc.) This is classic business vs artisan. It's all a choice and none of it is wrong but don't say it can't be done it just can't be done the way you are doing it.
In a prototype or original work, time gets added to the project in many ways, confusing moments, pressure of time, while watching TV you can slip into what I call a wood looping faze. Where you can't turn it off until you do the build to verify your conclusions. All of this thinking doesn't translate to remuneration as much as micturition about time spent.
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking I am not criticizing you or your work. We all find our our own way. I am glad you are sharing your experience and knowledge here. Thank you for your videos.
I quickly learned that it was a money spending endeavor rather than money making. If you want to make money related to woodworking then sell jigs and fixtures to woodworkers.
That's the obsession of all artists, thinking about their craft at all times. It's wired in you and can't be shut down without killing part of yourself.
![Chris Langan - The Interview THEY Didn't Want You To See - CTMU [Full Version; Timestamps]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9miVG2xT5jY/mqdefault.jpg)
Sobering video, and thank you for doing it. I've learned that my passions and tastes are not that of the majority. Anyone who is a "maker" with any kind of desire to craft something is working within a relatively small market of buyers that is saturated with lot of very talented people. I made a coffee table last year that I put a lot of hours into. Could not sell it. I ended up dismantling it and giving part of it away and trashing the balance. When I told an artistic relative what I'd done, she almost cried. Sometimes, it's the journey that's the reward and not the destination, but you have to come to your own peace with that.
I love this bc it is pure unadulterated honesty. This needs to be heard by more people!!!!
Thank you for watching
Fortunately, when I was offered money to build something, I declined. It´s too important for me to keep woodworking as a hobby. Many will agree that this passion is priceless. Thanks for this video.
That's a great way to go about it. Thanks for watching.
Great video, alot of truth here. I've been a woodworker for 20 years. The guys that say they want to do this when they retire, have no idea how physically demanding it is. That's just the milling/build part. Wait till you get into finishing. That's a whole trade all in itself with all kinds of different issues you won't expect. I love woodworking, but I do tend to question my choice of taking this path. Ultimately, it is a fulfilling job if you don't compare your finances to others
If I could just find a reliable finisher I would be set. I just want to build!
I’ve been woodworking for over 45 years. I would agree with everything said here. You need to find very rich customers - a lot of them - to buy pieces. When you could buy antique pieces for a fraction of the cost of your handmade piece. In the US, with its large population, you have more people who can afford to buy your work; here in the UK, smaller population means less people who can afford to buy your work.
I agree about the physical demands of the work. My body is quite quickly succumbing to osteoarthritis. Really hard to stand up for any length of time; really hard to use my shoulders hand-planing or using the morticer. But I have machines that help - I just do less hours.
If you want to do woodworking when you retire, I say that you should go ahead; but proceed knowing your physical abilities will lessen. Understand you will an increasing need to rely upon machines. Use machines for the dimensioning; use dominos for jointing and save your energies for the final finessing and the finishing.
Finishing? When you think you have done 90% of the work and it’s ready for finishing, the reality is that you have only done 50% of the work and good finishing will need another 50%.
I want a new mud hut.
Every time I get into something new, whether blacksmithing, archery, writing, RUclips, general contracting, or woodworking, I rack my brain as to how make a living at it.
I think that's normal and the feeling eventually passes.
Never passes. Always there blend with it like a good weave.
Finally, an honest RUclips woodworker! Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Thank you for watching
I definitely appreciate the perspective you've offered. Personally, as long as I can support a family and have a modest home, that's more than enough. We get lost when we compare ourselves and our lives with others. Roosevelt said it best, "comparison is the thief of joy."
Well said and I agree
Greatly appreciate the honest feedback, sir.
Thank you for listening.
I started woodworking in high-school and quickly realized it's not a money making job but a passion.
Just like acting
Been a professional woodworker over 35 years and I made a good living at it
Hello, what kind of woodworking activities are you doing living off from, or at lease provide most of your revenues ?
That's amazing!
It’s definitely passion over the money. Most of the professional solo woodworkers I know don’t just do furniture making but do carpentry and installation work as well since some of skills overlap.
I have been known to hire everything done for me just to keep woodworking.
Being a carpenter for about 50 years now, What this Gentleman says is true . Its a tough business , if Your in for the money . Ive built birdhouses, ladder back chairs for Children , footstools of several different styles. Show them to people and they always say how nice , beautiful or artistic , but very rare a sell . But i truly love the uniqueness of the hobbie .
So much wisdom in this James Woods/Cosmo Kramer mashup of a man.
Don't forget the dude.
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking your very enjoyable to watch. I am a hobby level woodworker and love watching you work but your personality and constant wisdom keep me coming back!
I work with wood because I love it, always have. There are no goals, just love.
I really like woodworking but I really love my vibrating sander.
One of the keys to profitably making furniture professionally is to keep your overhead as low as possible. But often times you can be more efficient with more space. It’s tricky.
Very true and yes it is. And deciding between new equipment or not.
Thanks so much Keith for the honest review. Your comments about not being very socially connected really hit the mark for me - I have noticed lately that I’m spending so much time in the shop that I feel like I’m loosing connection with my family and friends - that I’m missing out on life itself.😢
Priorities
Appreciate the honesty!
Thank you for watching!
Truth is, the process is more important to me than the product. And if you enjoy the process, good stuff will come out of it.
I am an Indian riding a horse in a tornado with a chainsaw in one hand a bong in the other.
My friend I've just watched vid
I've had a workshop since 1988 😮........I listen to your absolute honesty and you brought a tear to my eye 😢
If I can try and share with you my honest opinion ,try and make your projects a little more modular ........perhaps this may sound a little boring, however less shit hassle and you can pay the bills and not feel so mugged off !.........you can not be the master of all wood work but if you narrow down your favourite bits you may find enlightenment ❤
Man I feel your pain ........you are very honest beautiful human being........respect to you brother
Waynee
Yes and thank you.
I think there’s a fine line between having woodworking as a passion and having it as a business. I love woodworking and having no schedule or timeline😮 and it keeps it fun for me. If I had to do it to make a living I don’t think it would be fun anymore. If I could set any price and it would sell then that would be exciting and fun, on my schedule of coarse! I’m sorry if you’re loosing your passion for this and I hope you can find it again, if that’s true. Good luck!
I am not loosing my passion for wood as I get older. I am loosing my wood for passion though. A thank you.
Interesting stuff.Without being negative I think its important to always keep your expectations totally minimal.I'm quite happy to learn something new on each piece- just treating each one as a learning experience, and try never to just generate 'stuff'.What helps me too is to keep the size & scale of each project down so it doesnt drag on forever.
That's a great way to go about it. Very sustainable mentally which is key I think.
Just starting out as a retirement goal to build classical guitars. The inevitable question from others … when are you going to start selling them? My answer … and seemingly shocking to most … is probably never (and then I ask them “if you took up oil painting today, when would you expect your art pieces to be in the Louvre in Paris?”) Keeping a reasonable perspective shouldn’t be discouraging; the discouraging part happens when unrealistic expectations aren’t met. In the meantime, I’m going to continue to take the perspective you describe by enjoying the process of learning how to sharpen chisels and planes, changing to a new band saw blade, getting nice curled shavings from a sharp hand plane and making a lot of woodworking mistakes. That will make the endeavour all worthwhile!
And guitars.
I am seeing myself coming back to this video repeatedly. Great info.
I am a professional violinist that started woodworking when COVID hit (no large gatherings put performers out of work) and I’ve questioned if woodworking could replace my artistry financially. Maybe? But not likely?
If you can sell the violins to a group of peers you will be advantaged. Otherwise no so easy. You can teach violin and sell to your students also. So go for it
Spot on in addressing the YT myth v. the REALITY of leveraging woodworking for profit. "5 Projects That Sell," "Sold This for 10s of Thousands of $$$," or "Low Cost 900% Profit" are all so misleading for viewers. Can you achieve financial success, sure, but it's sporadic, and requires significant investment before turning any real profit.
If someone wanted to get into "woodworking" for profit, they must be mobile and service based. Arborists, sawyers, floor refinishing, trim carpentry, etc etc. Pay the bills with those services which are always in demand.
And more
I did the whole homeshow thingy for 24 shows in ca with sometimes good but the bad was too plentiful. You start to feel like a carney with all the setup and take down.
I don’t even know how many times I've woken up, and while lying in bed rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I’ve solved woodworking problems.
Let me sleep on it.
My fervor for woodworking is burning now and for about 25 years. My list of projects is long and well organized. I may look back and think about it like yourself. Time is funny and a person changes.
Even after a few years of working on watches daily, I destroyed clips and lost springs. Even when ultra careful it can be a disaster. The things are designed to work without intervention for a healthy amount of time. Some watches are just ready to go and people bring them in after it is too far gone. Parts become more expensive than a whole new watch. Repair shops end up with a box or bucket filled with watches. Go in there digging for the right gears and crown pins.
Sounds like time to make an epoxy table with all those watches.
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking There is a box under the watch bench overflowing with old watches. About a foot cubed. 1x1x1 feet.
Thank you for your honesty
Shut up Donny.
I have a MFA in painting. My life has been one of ups and downs, my brother sells pharmaceuticals and my mother constantly tells me I should do that. I recently began selling my work in high end galleries in NYC. I think that is a sign of success ( as well as your pieces), not working for a huge corporation.
Success is hard to define. Each piece is a Success. Even if it doesn't sell. Money on the list of measurements is fatal to growth.
How right you are.
Watching from Vancouver Island 🏝️🇨🇦
I am laying on the couch looking at a bug on the ceiling. How are you?
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking Having a mental health day, working on quotes.
Just lit the fire place and pouring some wine, hope the bug is well.🏝️
Gonna send this to my family so they know where my retirement is going when I quit my day job 😂. Hope to see your numbers grow. Sure do enjoy the content. 👍
Good luck!
I’m sorry sir, but I don’t much care for this rendition of woodworking. All of you watching this…..it’s one man’s perspective of the craft. I’m a 72 year old professional woodworker. I’ve worked this craft most of my life. I have been all over the map with this craft. I’ve made money, I’ve lost money, I’ve employed many people over the years, I’ve had multiple businesses in woodworking, and I know what it is like to go broke. So what! I love making things. I attribute my success and failures to nothing more than life’s journey and my personal journey of exploration and hopefully growth and self realization.
Did any of you read life’s instruction manual before you incarcerated? If you did, did you remember any of it. Hell no you didn’t. Who does.
Not sure I should enter this in the comment section because I like this guys musing and I don’t like critics of creative people’s philosophy. But you can make a living doing woodworking and it might be hard. So what!
Keeping it real.
funny old thing cos I've got a mate who's an oak framer and he's well on the way to becoming extremely wealthy
That's great! Definitely possible, just super hard and not the norm which is what I was going for in this video.
Thank you!
You're welcome.
I work so that I can afford to do woodworking.
I do woodworking so can afford beer
Build what makes you happy, life is short, your builds will out last you...
very true
as a fellow woodworker you tube is the worst thing that we have ever had, People that have no Clue how do work properly, teaching everyone how to do things wrong all the while telling them they will get rich being a woodworker. Sad part of it is that this video telling the truth will get 5% of the views of someone lying and telling you that you'll get rich doing woodworking
I wanted to be a pirate ☠️ when I was 10, a pilot when I was 16. A dr when I was 21, and a beekeeper when I was 25. We want what is shinny and new until we don't. Goals are time sensitive, fame only registers in other's minds, bone for tuna.
These people say they're selling cutting boards for $500 and I can't hardly give one away. 😂
I've got cnc, laser engraving abilities and have never sold one more than $100 customized.
Marketing is harder than oak and more confusing than my router password
I also learned theres not really money in beekeeping. I became certified but then decided the juice isnt worth the squeeze.@KeithNewtonWoodworking
Being successful in any make/artistry is not a function of the quality of your work or how much time you put in. Financial success is determined by relationships and compromise. Are you putting in the time developing relationships and are you willing to compromise everything else (quality, build technique, methodology, etc.) This is classic business vs artisan. It's all a choice and none of it is wrong but don't say it can't be done it just can't be done the way you are doing it.
What can't be done the way I am doing it?
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking You said, "There is no way you could get paid for the amount of time that you put into them".
In a prototype or original work, time gets added to the project in many ways, confusing moments, pressure of time, while watching TV you can slip into what I call a wood looping faze. Where you can't turn it off until you do the build to verify your conclusions. All of this thinking doesn't translate to remuneration as much as micturition about time spent.
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking I am not criticizing you or your work. We all find our our own way. I am glad you are sharing your experience and knowledge here. Thank you for your videos.
I quickly learned that it was a money spending endeavor rather than money making. If you want to make money related to woodworking then sell jigs and fixtures to woodworkers.
And sandpaper, and weed. There is so much money in weed.
@@KeithNewtonWoodworking Gotta have something to make the sanding go by quicker, yup.
If you plan on going into woodworking as a full time job, you better have a wife that make a lot of money with benefits.
Can you side hustle it for like $100 a week? Just for play money
Yeah you could but how much time do you have available to give to side hustle cause you have a life as well
I think you can carve your own path any which way. I didn't;t choose that but I am sure someone somewhere has. As long as you are enjoying it.
Mr Negator.
The tornado.
That's the obsession of all artists, thinking about their craft at all times. It's wired in you and can't be shut down without killing part of yourself.