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I work for myself making bespoke furniture from my workshop.
I've been doing that since mid 2018 and before that I was teaching furniture making in the local college.
I'm not earning much. Not earning much at all unfortunately. After a recent chat with my accountants, I'm talking earning less than minimum wage type of not much. 😐 😭😭😭
This isn't sustainable at nearly fifty and I've been thinking of jacking it in and getting a regular job where I'll be paid much better, have holidays, switch off at home time, get pension contributions and all that stuff that the employed often take for granted.
I get the odd enquiry here usually from parents asking about work placements for their kids and I've always said no as I think it'll get in the way and cost me more in insurance etc.
Someone mentioned an American guy that has started this worldwide register of workshops where if one is local to you, you can pop along and maybe machine up some timber or whatever for a fee.
I thought this might be a good little source of extra income but also why not go further and actually teach people too, like I did at the college? Maybe doing half days with a couple of students once a week or something.
Some bespoke furniture pictured recently
Thing is, insurance etc. Anyone done anything similar and found it to be OK?
Or maybe the costs and what you need in place to invite the public in are prohibitive?
What's the crack?
I think it was you that put up a link to the lovely people at The Jewellery Bench a while ago? Worth a chat to them?
(Side note: My wife is doing a course with them at the moment and loves it, so thank you!)
I’m not earning much. Not earning much at all unfortunately.
Is that because there's not the work coming in, or you have enough work but not charging it's proper rate?
You may be better to dump the low profit stuff, work 3 days a week on the good stuff and then take on another job the other 2 days.
I'd be sure you could turn your skills to general joinery. You could get in touch with a few builders and get put on their radar for overspill work. Being self employed already you could pick and choose your jobs.
And I'd not want the general public messing with sharp tools! Someone is bound to have their finger off or worse.
I think it was you that put up a link to the lovely people at The Jewellery Bench a while ago? Worth a chat to them?
Yes! Weirdly I didn't think of asking them despite working with the two ladies running it! 😂
They're completely educational though whereas I'm doing private work too.
Might make a difference, but worth asking them for sure.
I’m not earning much. Not earning much at all unfortunately.
Is that because there’s not the work coming in, or you have enough work but not charging it’s proper rate?
I get constant work but it's rarely the sort of work I'd like.
Bread and butter is built in furniture. Alcove cabinets, wardrobes etc.
Basically mdf boxes.
I've never advertised beyond social media and I suppose that's what I should do. Find the work I want. If I knew how.
I've made some amazing pieces but the reality of that is, is that I just cannot charge enough for the amount of my time that goes into these things.
It's incredibly difficult when there is so much cheap furniture choices out there.
Of course I can offer one-off, but it's a limited market.
It's horrible but it's kind of robbed me of my creative drive because I know that if someone wants something different, I'll be losing loads of evenings researching and designing and drawing, that I'll not get a return for.
I already do quotes and try to calculate it by what I should charge for my time, but it seems crazy expensive and I often knock it down. Stupid, but seemingly necessary as I find a lot of people ghost me when I've spent lots of time on giving them a quote.
And I’d not want the general public messing with sharp tools! Someone is bound to have their finger off or worse.
Well, there is that risk but its the nature of the work, they would have to understand that, I would have to assess the likelihood and be covered. It would be far less likely though with a couple of people than when I was trying to watch 12 or more(and we never had any serious mishaps whilst I was there luckily)
What about Etse? A friend of mine does similar to you and gets quite a lot of work but also sells lots of one off stuff he designs and builds.
1. I’d be amazed if you can make enough margin on letting public into your workshop to cover the hassle. Not so much the insurance as just them wanting to come at times when you want to be somewhere else, them making a mess, you needing to supervise them, probably you giving them scrap because you seem too nice!
2. Yes you could make money running classes. Personally I’d set up a Ltd Co and protect yourself a little. Talk to your insurer or the FSB. I doubt it will be that expensive.
3. are you brave enough to say you won’t quote for custom work without being paid for the design effort? You can give people example prices but if someone won’t pay say £80 for designs sketches and a quote they won’t pay £800 for the product.
4. I think you need to find a way to market to the right customer - the interior designers, or the people who use them who don’t really care about price but really want a bespoke piece.
I’ve made some amazing pieces but the reality of that is, is that I just cannot charge enough for the amount of my time that goes into these things.
Perhaps it's time to ditch the high end work as hard as it may be.
It is really hard to detach yourself though - I've been in the print-trade for 35 years and back when I started you had rooms full of designers taking their time and producing quality work. Now people send me all sorts of crap they've created in Word. At first - when DTP became mainstream - I used to try and correct their rubbish, now I just print it and move on to the next customer.
If the bespoke work is what you really want perhaps talk to some interior design people - they'll be the ones dealing with the wealthy clients.
I’ve made some amazing pieces but the reality of that is, is that I just cannot charge enough for the amount of my time that goes into these things.
There are some markets for this sort of stuff, luxury yachts is one. Oligarchs mansions in London is another.
Outside that, not many people will pay £5k for a bespoke wardrobe.
I think the problem is that people are only prepared to pay top dollar if you have it "milk and two". Or, god forbid, "as long as it's warm and wet".
I did a woodworking course with this Ciarán Ó Braonáin - https://www.cheshirewoodworking.co.uk/ , sounds like he's doing what you are talking about, maybe speak to him? His custom stuff is really expensive (like over 10 grand a piece) but I don't think he's making a massive profit, it's just a reflection of how long it takes. He can charge what he does because of the market he's in. Super luxury gunboxes, that rich people can show others from the back of their car (all right Range Rovers 🙂 )
a friend of my wife is a furniture maker (Pete Lanyon), successful-ish I think but he seems to run a lot of 1/2 day courses on the side. I guess for regular income.
What about making / fitting campervan furniture or fitting out motor homes? There is a massive market for this at the moment.
I’d be amazed if you can make enough margin on letting public into your workshop to cover the hassle. Not so much the insurance as just them wanting to come at times when you want to be somewhere else, them making a mess, you needing to supervise them, probably you giving them scrap because you seem too nice!
Yes, all very true though it could work if it's specific days and I stick to that only. Get the retired folk in maybe.
Don't know. Just toying with ideas really, but am getting really sick of putting so much into things but still seemingly earning less than a yoot in Mcdonalds 😐
I am sorry to read that Kayak, I have a link to your work saved for when I win some money and have a nice big house that needs filling with interesting, custom furniture.
Good luck with finding a solution, the camper stuff listed above may not be a terrible idea.
Good luck with finding a solution, the camper stuff listed above may not be a terrible idea.
Thanks. Yeah I actually have some friends/colleagues just round the corner (Carpenter/Ingram) who do really nice campers and I've done a couple of aspects of them myself.
I don't think they earn mega bucks either though, plus it would mean much bigger premises as I'd need to fit vans inside etc.
Nice idea, but not sure.
I also make bespoke furniture. Mostly out of pre-finished board but I use traditional materials too.
You'd be surprised to find how much I spent to be with a skilled luthier in a freezing cow shed to make my own guitar.
So, yes I think there is quite a lucrative market in teaching/showing/helping people with lots of spare time how to make nice pieces for their own home.
Put yourself on checkatrade and do more on Facebook. You can charge a lot more, people pay crazy money now for built in furniture.
What about going back towards teaching, but at somewhere like a school or college.
I always thought that would be the best job. You can make your own things and use their tools and machinery, and get paid for it too.
Could you not just charge a lot more as the work you have posted on here looks great? There is shortage of really nice bits of furniture available. I am looking for a new kitchen and am very depressed by the bland grey offerings available. You have a talent just charge an economic rate for it.