Should You Turn Pro?
If you are passionate about it, Yes you should turn Pro.
Well that was easy and probably not at all what you expected.
The bigger question is whether should you quit your day job and expect to earn a full time income from turning wood, or if you should treat your professional turning activities as a really interesting part-time job resulting in part time income.
A really accurate analogy is comparable to professional bass fishermen, football, basketball, baseball, or golf athletes. Only very small percentages (less than .001 percent) of people are able to make a good living from the sports they love. My advice is given from the point of someone who has paid the price and now earns a good living from the hobby I love. There are always exceptions and you can find examples which run contrary to my advice.
The trap here is that it is extremely easy to sell small quantities of various items you make in a relatively short amount of time. This is especially true when sales are made to friends, relatives and co-workers. You will run out of those folks very quickly. If you are still raising a family, have car payments and a mortgage, my advice is to pursue your passion as a professional on a part-time second job basis. If you have a steady income from retirement such as pensions and SSA or cash flow from good investments, then you are in a position to consider woodturning as a full time occupation earning full time income eventually.
Let’s break this down into various activities:
Finished Goods – you sell salad bowls, spinning tops, turned lidded boxes, etc. You become the manufacturer, the purchasing agent for raw materials, the machine maintenance supervisor, the marketing manager and the salesman. Also the comptroller, banker and accountant. You must master each job in order to succeed long term. Will you make high end items for the gallery (art) market, or for the festival weekend events market? Weekend shows require a tremendous amount of work in advance, usually travel plus financial commitments months in advance. Teacher, demonstrator, mentor – In this roll you must learn how to present in front of audiences, to keep them entertained and to effectively communicate the material at hand. There are copious amounts of preparation needed in these venues. You also have to market yourself effectively in order to acquire and book events. Until you become pretty well known, you cannot demand premium fees. There will also be travel expenses to consider as most profitable engagements will not be in your backyard. Tools, Jigs, and Accessories – Are you an inventor? One item does not make a product line. Will you make the items in your line yourself or have someone else make them? Can you fund research and development, up front manufacturing costs and can you acquire sufficient inventory to meet the demand? (can you create the demand?) How? Now you must consider sales, marketing, distribution, inventory management controls, etc.
If you look closely into the very well-known turners who obviously are in the profession full time, you will discover three common traits. 1) They didn’t start yesterday. Success came after many years of dedication and very hard work. 2) Most have significant other income either from another business, or a successful spouse with meaningful income willing to help them along the way financially. 3) Most well-known turning professionals earn additional income from products they have invented or endorse for various sponsors. There has to be an income stream from somewhere.
The last common thread almost all successful turners share are the lean times when there is little income and a nickel is very hard to come by. If you understand what I’ve shared with you here and want to turn pro, by all means do it the smart way with forethought, prayer and spousal agreement. You might decide to become a part-time professional first, then later when your income is sufficient, switch to full-time. Here is wishing you God’s speed and blessings whatever you decide because wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this message:
Luke 14:28 ESV2011 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Matt 6:33 KJV But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Col 3:23 KJV And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
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News regarding the
Amazing Doughnut Chuck™
With the help of my amazing family, this week we began production and shipping of Amazing Doughnut Chucks™ to customers who placed reservations beginning in Dec 2016. It is going to take a while to catch up and fill the backlog. Having said that, we are now accepting new orders for the Amazing Doughnut Chuck™ and the Amazing Off-Center Chuck™. The website has been updated to accept orders. If you placed a reservation, and have not heard from us,you should contact us to finalize your order.
I have included a price schedule and list of accessories for your consideration and review at the end of this newsletter. The package deals do save money over ordering the parts individually. There are also some new accessories listed.
Thanks for your patience, your loyalty and your friendship.
Ron Brown
The Amazing Off-Center Assembly is now ready for immediate delivery
Available as an add-on to your Amazing Off-Center Chuck™
or it can be purchased as a stand-alone unit. It comes with a stud (1"x 8 for 12" size or, 1-1/4" x 8 for the 16" size)
suitable for mounting your 4 jaw scroll chuck for secure work holding.
I have prepared a very short video showing a typical texturing demonstration which I do for audiences at The Woodworking Shows each weekend this time of year. Although I’ve done many thousands of these, they never get old. I hope you enjoy this three and a half minute video.
Short Texturing Video (3-1/2 min)
Here is a quick tour of our Woodworking Show Booth for 2017. Hope you will come see us when we come to a city near you. https://youtu.be/2Owz3p3axzY
I check email when I'm on the road twice a day. The office phone, not so much. The other office staff have been instructed not to answer questions they are not equiped to handle.
Including Bottle Stopper Designs - 50 Plus classic designs. Free PDF.
Amazing Doughnut Chuck™ Instructions
ProGrind Instructions
We have bundled several of the most popular documents into one downloadable zip file for your convenience. Still no charge.
