Can we talk about making money as woodturners?

[Jerry Bennett]

i make mostly little ornaments, 70% get painted. spending 2 hours on a perfect finish on 5 sq inches of surface isnt in the near or long term future. however, doing the best I can, the most efficiently that I can, is at least something. That some little token I made is, while not perfect, helping to just slightly brighten their day or season, is the warm and fuzzy that makes it satisfying. the $5 bucks is also nice.

Perry, I give you permission to go up on your price.

 

[Kevin Jenness]

I wonder how many of the "semipro" turners, those who don't rely on selling their work to support themselves, carry business insurance and file a schedule C every April. Definitely worth considering, especially if your home shop burns down and your homeowners carrier finds out you were operating a business. Accounting for necessary expenses including overhead, and taxes, treating your paying work as a business, sharpens one's focus.

 

[John Grace]

The phrase 'starving artist' is just as applicable to woodturning as it is painting. Can you make money wood turning? Sure but you have to really know your audience and what you yourself are trying to accomplish.

 

[Donna Banfield]

I wonder how many of the "semipro" turners, those who don't rely on selling their work to support themselves, carry business insurance and file a schedule C every April. Definitely worth considering, especially if your home shop burns down and your homeowners carrier finds out you were operating a business. Accounting for necessary expenses including overhead, and taxes, treating your paying work as a business, sharpens one's focus.

I carry commercial liability insurance and file a schedule C every year. I also have a yearly audit by my insurance carrier so that new equipment/machinery/acquisitions are covered under the policy.

 

[Richard Shelby]

After 10 or so years of retirement and turning I have settled on a plan that works for me. Selling is mainly a system of getting rid of the "art" which I can't stop creating. It keeps me off the streets. I have a big white tent at 2 shows per year and several other shows indoors which enable me to leave the tent home. The juried art shows seem to attract a higher end clientele, and after several years I attract a following and "repeat customers". I don't travel more than a hundred miles, and select shows which will at least cover travel expenses. Two local shows per year means no travel expenses (I live in rural Alabama). I keep an inventory of fewer than 100 pieces which will fit in 4 big plastic tote boxes which all fits in the bed of my truck with tables, tent etc. At age 77 it's getting harder and harder to haul this setup around, so I may scale back to indoor or local shows only. I have a separate business account and file taxes as a business. Its a hobby which pays for itself. You can't say that about any other hobby I have had, and that includes hunting, horses, and sailing. Just keep moving and turning but with age restrictions.

 

[Steve Doerr]

This has been an interesting thread to read and to hear what some people have to say about making money as a woodturner. I have been fortunate to have had several different experiences trying to sell my turnings. Like several people have said, don't expect to sell your turnings at craft fairs and expect to gross much in sales. I found out that most people that attend craft fairs don't expect to spend more than about $25 for an item. I have also been part of a coop art gallery. This required me to pay a monthly fee as well as work so many hours a week. When I wanted to do an art fair, I found that I would have to take thing out of the gallery on a Thursday or Friday and then return items Monday morning--quite a hassle. Just before COVID, my wife and I decided to drop out of the gallery and increase the number of art fairs/festivals that we would do. We currently do about 14 or 15 art fairs a year (end of March thru the weekend before Thanksgiving). We have been doing several of these shows for many years and have developed many return customers. I sell a lot of artistic hollow forms, bowls that can be used as utilitarian, but most customers say they use them mainly as decorations. My wife sells mostly decorative natural edge bowls. As Donna has said repeat customers/collectors are an important part of being successful at selling your woodturnings. One of our patrons has collected about 40 of my turnings and about 25 of my wife's. So far this year we have done two shows--one in Houston, TX and one in St. Louis, MO. Our gross sales for these two shows is just over $12K. Our turnings sell from $50 to $900. We use a lot of wood that is not native to the US. This helps make us different than a lot of turners that stick with just domestic woods.

Doing shows is not cut out for everyone. You have to haul your tent, your display, and your turnings. It usually takes us about 4 hours to set everything up and about 2 hours to tear everything down and pack it in our vehicle. The majority of the shows that we do are usually within a 5 hour drive from our home. In addition, to save money we usually stay with friends or family members--lodging can get to be quite expensive. This year the only time we will not be staying with friends or family is when we go to CO. For the past three years we have made this a combination business trip and vacation. We do three consecutive weekend shows. In between the shows we spend time hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

[John Ames]

This has been an interesting thread to read and to hear what some people have to say about making money as a woodturner. I have been fortunate to have had several different experiences trying to sell my turnings. Like several people have said, don't expect to sell your turnings at craft fairs and expect to gross much in sales. I found out that most people that attend craft fairs don't expect to spend more than about $25 for an item. I have also been part of a coop art gallery. This required me to pay a monthly fee as well as work so many hours a week. When I wanted to do an art fair, I found that I would have to take thing out of the gallery on a Thursday or Friday and then return items Monday morning--quite a hassle. Just before COVID, my wife and I decided to drop out of the gallery and increase the number of art fairs/festivals that we would do. We currently do about 14 or 15 art fairs a year (end of March thru the weekend before Thanksgiving). We have been doing several of these shows for many years and have developed many return customers. I sell a lot of artistic hollow forms, bowls that can be used as utilitarian, but most customers say they use them mainly as decorations. My wife sells mostly decorative natural edge bowls. As Donna has said repeat customers/collectors are an important part of being successful at selling your woodturnings. One of our patrons has collected about 40 of my turnings and about 25 of my wife's. So far this year we have done two shows--one in Houston, TX and one in St. Louis, MO. Our gross sales for these two shows is just over $12K. Our turnings sell from $50 to $900. We use a lot of wood that is not native to the US. This helps make us different than a lot of turners that stick with just domestic woods.

Doing shows is not cut out for everyone. You have to haul your tent, your display, and your turnings. It usually takes us about 4 hours to set everything up and about 2 hours to tear everything down and pack it in our vehicle. The majority of the shows that we do are usually within a 5 hour drive from our home. In addition, to save money we usually stay with friends or family members--lodging can get to be quite expensive. This year the only time we will not be staying with friends or family is when we go to CO. For the past three years we have made this a combination business trip and vacation. We do three consecutive weekend shows. In between the shows we spend time hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Really well said…

A good chunk of what success I’ve had can also be contributed to repeat customers. I do the same 5 shows every year, in the same booth location. The show promoters seem to like having my stuff there and I make enough money to make it worthwhile (in my mind). My prices range fro $50-$1500 typically with most things in the $200-400 range.

I would like to add 2-3 more high end shows to my calendar, but travel is an issue. I need to be relatively local until my kids graduate HS. I’ve often wondered how my stuff would be received outside of Southern California and whether it would be worth a big investment in travel to go to a different big city show.

Between this thread and the recent “questions about your booth” thread, I’ve read (and re-read) a LOT of great stuff that I think will help me grow even more.

I truly appreciate everyone’s input on this topic!