Just a thought i had the other day. If you look at this metric; board foot vs. profit. Who makes the greatest profit from the board feet of wood? I belive using this metric, luthiers maybe the highest paid woodworkers? There are many luthiers who’s base price for a commissioned guitar starts at $30k. A custom guitar built by luthier Ervin Somogyi would start at $80k and thats just the start.
I dont know what cabinet makers make these days but i cant imagine they make thousands of dollars on a couple board feet of wood? In addition it is interesting to think the enormous inverse between space and equipment required to process the large amounts of board feet (cabinets) vs. building a high-end musical instrument.
This thread is by no means a rub on ANY pro woodworker. Just a fun and curious thought i had.
Merry Christmas