Expert: Jamie Yocono - 8/9/2004

Question
Hi Jamie,

I've recently decided to make a big change in my life and start a new career (I'm 34). I made pretty good money as a computer programmer/web designer but was rather unhappy... long hours, constant high levels of stress, little personal reward.

So, I've decided that I want to spend my life as a woodworker.

Since I was a child I've always loved wood. I grew up in a turn of the century house with beautiful woodwork. And when I was young I would always spent an inordinate amount of time at the regional fair in the pavilion where they had the furniture competitions.

My ultimate goal in woodworking would be making fine furniture. I would also love to become an expert in certain types of woods.

My first question is "how do you recommend I get started in a woodworking career?" I have no previous experience but I'm ready to learn and dedicate myself to the craft.

My second question is "What path should I take to move my carreer toward making fine furniture and becoming an expert in certain types of woods?"

Thanks,
Mark

Answer
Hi Mark,

Grab a cup of coffee, this turned into a long answer!

Your question is a pretty broad one. Since you don't have a lot of experience, I'll try to give you some things to consider when going into the business of woodworking. In terms of your needs, it seems to me that you have 3 distinct areas that need attention.

First and most important is learning the art/craft (or the technical part) of woodworking. You're going to need to learn how to work with wood, and probably the best place would be an intensive school program, like the College of the Redwoods in California, or something similar to that. My best suggestion is to check out the Furniture Society's webpage at www.furnituresociety.org.

The Furniture Society is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization founded in 1996, whose mission is to advance the art of furniture making, by inspiring creativity, promoting excellence, and fostering an understanding of this art and its place in society. On their site, you will find a great deal of information about woodworking schools. There are sections in their forums that you definitely should read.

Education also includes staying of top of current trends, reading all that you can about woodworking (Fine Woodworking magazine is the best place to start) and start keeping a sketchbook to capture ideas or save phone numbers, prices and so on. I'm never without my sketchbook, it's like a mini filing cabinet for me.

The second thing you need is equipment. You're going to need a good selection of power tools, hand tools, as well as all the woodshop necessities, like clamps, work tables, supplies (sandpaper, screws/glue/hardware) just to name a few. Add on top of that some "luxury" items like a small shop fridge, maybe a stereo, and you're going to spend literally thousands of dollars.

They say boats are money pits, but I've always thought it's this business of woodworking.

As far as tools- ask a dozen woodworkers what 3 tools they couldn't do without and they'll all answer differently. My absolute tool I can't do without is a great tablesaw -not just a good one, but a great one. This means one with a great fence, 3-5 HP motor, with large ripping capacity and the ability to use on of the side tables as a router table, sharing the fence. Add in a Forrest Blade and you're talking close to $2000 for just this saw. But this tool is what you'll build your shop around.

I think the hardest thing for me was affording the proper tools to allow me to work efficiently. I tried to buy one large machine every time I finished a big commission. Because good tools = time savings = more profit. It's fairly simple.  In the beginning of my woodworking career, if I needed to crosscut a wide board (say...a large table top), it might take me an hour with a router and a straightedge. Later, when I bought a huge radial arm saw, I could accomplish that same cut in about 10 seconds.

The last thing is fairly broad, but I feel to be a successful woodworker, you must have an area of specialization and a business plan for getting the word out. I would limit yourself to what you really want to build. If it's building kitchen cabinetry, then become an expert in that, and only that. Don't try to spread yourself too thin by making kitchen cabinets one month, and then bedroom furniture the next, and then building a deck the next month. Find your niche, and stick with it. You'll acquire the specific tools for that niche, and you won't need to buy every tool out there.

Refine your methods of building so that you can build a variety of work with a minimum of joinery. What the heck does that mean? Well, I cut nearly all of my joinery with a router table, making dados and rabbet joints with ease. Those two joints are adaptable to a variety of pieces, and I am an expert at cutting and machining them. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be strong and able to be duplicated.

Next- consider outsourcing. There are some things that I simply cannot do in my shop and make money at it.....like cutting dovetailed drawers. Yes, I have a dovetail machine, but it's complicated and a pain in the neck to set up. So if I have a client who insists on dovetailed drawers, I buy those from a drawer manufacturer. I can buy them cheaper than I can build them.

You also need to keep excellent records. I keep a file on ever piece I've ever made. It doesn't have to be fancy, just information about each piece, like a material list with prices, and a small sketch.  I have a time sheet for every piece, so if I want to see how long a 6 drawer dresser took me to build, it's easy to find out. If I lost money on the job, because it took me longer than I anticipated, I make a note of it. The next time I price a dresser for a client, I won't make the same mistake.

After a while, you should be able to look at a job and know how long it will take you to complete it. Yes, you will make some mistakes, and yes, it will take some thinking about the job. You need to know your capabilities, and obviously, if something looks complicated (and you've never attempted it before) you need to add some extra hours onto your price to cover for your time.

That brings up another thing: I've learned to not get in over my head. People have brought me ideas that they want me to build, but if the work involves something that I cannot do expediently, I have learned to turn those jobs down. For example, if someone wants me to build something that involves carving or veneer, I am not equipped to do those tasks in my shop, so I turn the job down.  Unless I am going to make a buttload of money for the job, I simply cannot make any profit in a job that I have to buy a lot of extra tools for, or learn a new technique.  I stay with the stuff I know.

Another thing...over the years, this has been a formula that has worked for me. If I am trying to figure out how much to charge for a piece of my furniture, I first price out all the materials that I will use. I mean, everything....from the lumber to the plywoods, the hardware, the screws, the glues, the sandpaper and the finishes. Don't forget a thing.  That doesn't mean I know exactly what each screw costs, but I will simply include a supplies charge that might include normal shop supplies like screws, sandpaper, and glue.

OK, once I have a total cost of materials, I use a multiplier of 5 or 6, depending on if it's a piece that requires a lot of work, or a little. What does that mean? If a piece has a lot of detail work, like drawers or hanging doors, it's harder to build than say, a table with no drawers. So you have to examine the piece and discern if it's a complicated piece or a relatively simple one to build.

For example-say you have a client that wants you to build a dresser. After figuring all the parts, you come up with a $400 price for materials. Building a dresser is pretty complicated, with drawers and drawer faces...so it's priced using the higher multiplier.  So a piece with $400 in materials (multiplied by 6) would cost $2400 to my client.

Now, I am in Nevada, so my overhead might be higher than yours. But you should be able to look at your past jobs and figure out what your multiplier is for your company. If you're renting a shop space, you need to include an overhead charge for that.

You'll need an accountant to help you sort out all your money and pay your taxes. There are a lot of tax write-offs in starting a new business, and you can even declare a loss for the first few years, until you get on your feet. It shouldn't take too long to figure out if you're making money or losing it. And that's the bottom line.

OK, so the quick run down.... buy the right tools, become an expert in whatever area you choose, know your limitations, keep good records, and hopefully, make money.

Oh yeah....and have fun.

I hope this helps. It's a complicated subject, but certainly one that you need to think about. After all - it's your livelihood! Feel free to write again if you come up with any other questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV