As robohippy mentions, I have insurance from the Hartford. It was not easy to find, and I found it as a result of polling other woodturners privately. Russ Fairfield was a big help with that. My previous insurance company was going to drop me because they discovered (through my own big fat mouth) that I was making and selling DVDs. You would have thought I was storing nuclear waste on site or something the way they carried on. But in the end they did me a favor. I was under insured and overcharged. This company is Selective, just in case anyone runs foul of them. They were whacking me for $1200/yr for inadequate coverage. It had been $800/year for a number of years, but several years ago I got a letter from them telling me that because businesses similar to mine were experiencing loss, they were upping my policy. It did not matter to them that I had not had a claim in the 10 years I had been with them. My current policy is a little over $800/yr and I am adequately covered for all that I am doing.
The Hartford has me set up as a teaching business that also produces products. I am covered for my DVDs, for students, and for traveling to do demos and classes. I am also covered in the even that I actually make something and sell it, whether it be a turning or a piece of furniture. I have liability insurance, fire, theft, all the usual stuff that is needed.
The AAW policy is fine for someone who is a hobbyist and who just wants to cover his or her rear end. It is not really designed to cover someone who is actually in business. I know that because I tried to get into the program - twice. DO NOT listen to ANYONE who will tell you to give the minimum answers in order to get a policy. It is a false security. You need to be as honest and compete as possible with the insurance company. Otherwise, you will find that you are not really insured for something you thought you were. I was given this advice (be quiet and tell the minimum) from someone well connected with the AAW program. But if I had done that, I would have been paying money for no real coverage. An insurance company will not pay on claims generated by something that is not in your policy. And, it does no good to pay for $10,000 of coverage on tools if you have $50,000 of tools in your shop. If it burns down, you will be out $40,000.
But on to coverage. You need liability for products, you need liability for injury if someone is visiting your shop, you need coverage for theft, fire, and possibly flood, depending on where you live. You may need coverage if you teach or make videos (a small group, but there nonetheless) and you may need coverage for off site (out of your shop) work. This may cover you against damage in a customer's home, or just if you manage to throw a piece of work off the lathe at a demo, although that may be part of your general liability. You may need or want coverage for tools when traveling. It does not take long to fill up a tool box with several thousand dollars worth of tools. It only takes a few seconds for some loser to lift them out of your vehicle.
Consider some of your products. I called to inquire about a policy with a company, and before I even got a call back, an underwriter was checking out my website. He or she discovered a picture of a child's bed, which I made over 20 years ago for my own daughters. He (or she) freaked out and told the agent no way would they insure me. Furniture for children is like sunlight to vampires as far as they are concerned. It did not matter that that was the only children's bed I had ever made. I was on the forbidden list. That picture is gone now. 😉
Be complete and honest with the agent, and then make sure you read the policy when it comes. I failed to do that completely, and it was much later that I discovered that I was not insured in any way for my building! 😱 I would have been covered for my tools, papers, etc, but the building would have been a complete loss. My agent forgot that I had mentioned my shop was in a building that needed coverage. And I forgot to check up on him. None of that would have been taken into account if the place burned. Remember, insurance companies are out to make money. They do not make money paying out on claims, and they are not there to make sure you are completely insured. That is your job.
Good luck with it, and if I can answer any other questions, I will be glad to try and do so.
