With a little help from my friends....

[Matt Hutchinson]

Those friends would be all of you. I am having a difficult time feeling confident about going full force into starting a turning business, mainly cuz I don't have very many tools. I feel like I need a planer, a jointer, a tablesaw, and a bunch of clamps in order to be able to start things in the best way. Those of you who have done professional turning, especially architectural turning, do you think it's possible to do this type of work without these other pieces of equipment?

And so this brings me to the needed help issue. If you guys happen to find deals on a tablesaw, 6" or 8" jointer, and a 12" or 15" planer, I would be thrilled if you could notify me. I will be searching online for deals on a regular basis, but if you see a deal and happen to think of me I would be very grateful. God bless.

Hutch

[Greg Ketell]

I don't know how big Michigan is, in Craigslist terms. But if there are multiple CL zones to search one of the best tools you can use is CrazedList.org. It lets you check the boxes of the areas you want to search, type in your search term and your results for all those areas pops up in a single window.

To make it even more useful, get yourself a NetNews/RSS reader and once you have made your first search, download the search terms as an RSS feed and import it into your reader. Then every time someone posts a new item of interest into one of your areas it pops up on the screen.

I currently have on going searches for Powermatic, Chain Saw, Lathe, Vacuum pump running. LOTS of PM table saws coming available. And I've seen sanders, planers, etc. Sadly, I'm in Northern CA, not MI.

Good luck.
GK

[Bernie Weishapl]

Matt I hate to tell you but other than my bandsaw and lathe most others are collecting dust. My tablesaw is a table top. Don't get me wrong but I do use the others when I do the dreaded F...work. I did clean the tablesaw off to do a segmented piece.

[Bruce Pennell]

Matt I have to agree with Bernie, my table saw needs to be cleaned off to use it. Since I started turning 3 months ago its made a great table. About the same with the jointer, used it to glue up some 4/4 hickory for tool handles. Planer makes a great place to mount my fan (right across from my new PM3520), I did use it on my tool handles also. I do flatwork only when the the family needs it. I am making a rocking black and white cow rocker for the first great grandbaby, still have 5-6 months.
It is tough to make the jump, but it can be very rewarding. I was self employed over 1/2 my life, restaurant and self storage business, also a metal building contractor. You might think of keeping your current job for awhile, while you build up a good client base. Things to think about, steady income, health insurance, do you have a better half that is going to keep working? My biggest surprise was after my first year in the restuarant business, thought I was doing great had about $14k saved after the first year, plus had bought a lot of new equipment for the restuarant, then tax time came, left me $1k in the bank (What a shock).
I was never a good employee, my mouth got in my way. I made a lot of money for people I worked for, so it was nice when I made money for me and my family. I loved being self employed. Just remember be ready to last though the lean times. Don't be afraid to expand your horizons. There are a lot of ways to make money, when it falls in your lap hopp on it. I just talked to my tree man, that moved to Vegas to work in the family business. He did only tree doctoring, took all the wood to a dump site. Why he didn't sell firewood, sell wood to turners, send nice wood to be milled (work out a deal w/ the sawer). He just went out of business because he couldn't see those and other ways to make money with his business.
Matt Good Luck with what ever you decide to do. It is a rush everyday when you control your own pocket book. You will work harder, longer (first in and last to leave) and do thing you never thought you had to do. I was chief bottle washer, cook, trash man, mopper, what ever....when you own it you do everything. When I opened my restaurant I worked 15-18 hour days for the first 7 monthes, never had a day off....but I lasted and made great money. Good Luck....Bruce.....Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.:D If you have any questions email me, I'll be glad to help in any way I can.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I tell you, we know what lean times are. I have been working only part time for almost a year and a half. My wife goes to school and works part time as well. We live very well for having such a small income, but we try to be wise with our purchases. Even though investing in a business is investing in our future, it's still hard to see costly equipment sit around while little or no money comes in. However, I have high hopes, and I have already caught a glimpse into the market around here. I believe that I would have enough business to specialize in architectural turning, with still doing bowl turning and doing weekend fairs in the warmer months.

But here's the deal. I have found that, even with only a few professional architectural turning jobs under my belt, I need a planer, jointer, and tablesaw. That is, unless there is something I am missing. You see, I have mainly done bowl turning, so I didn't need that stuff, but with architectural turning there are glue-ups, glue-ups, and more glue-ups. I just can't see myself being able to get by without them...even in the early stages. In fact, I already lost a job because I didn't have the ability to mill stock for the necessary glue jobs.

But I know what you guys mean. Most of my tools become cluttered surfaces. I have a non-working old tablesaw that I am sure mirrors y'alls. I suppose that I just like the idea of being able to bounce ideas off Creekers, and see what opinions and experiences are posted. I have found this to be very helpful in the past.

Thanks all, and I hope more of you will continue to post. I want to hear what everyone has to say.

Hutch

[Bruce Pennell]

Matt if you can't afford it right now work out a deal with a local mill or wood shop to use their planer and jointer. Just make sure to add the additional cost on to your bid. "There is more than one way to skin a cat." Keep checking Craigs List, check the boards at the local hardwares, lumber yards, woodworking stores, newspaper, someone will give you a great deal. Be picky you don't want to upgrade 4-5 times. I bought a whole shop off a guy, that was 3 years old and had about 10 hours of use. His wife wanted the garage back, 5hp shopfox cabinet saw,w/ 3 WWII blades, Bies. fence, and overhead gaurd, and roll off table, 2hp grizzly 17" bandsaw, Dewalt miter saw, vac. pump, 13" planer,3hp shopfox DC, freud dail a datto, a bunch of 4/4 and 8/4 walnut, a pile of veeners, many extra's for $1700. So keep looking. The lumber and veeners where worth what I paid. Good Luck...Bruce
PS the more people you tell (like you did here) the easier it will be to find a deal, if you don't have the money trade your time, skill, items you don't use anymore, teach turning to someone, what ever it takes.
PSS I almost lost the above deal because he was selling it to a buddy at work, I called the wife back 3 times. She finally told me if Id take the veener and lumber for a $100 more I could have it. (deal started at $1600) She felt so bad she throw in 10 pipe clamps and some HF clamps.

[Terry Quiram]

Matt

At times I sell figured blanks on the net and I use table saw, jointer, thickness planner and or course the bandsaw. The presentation is much better if I can present a clean face to show the grain.

[Gordon Seto]

Matt,

With population getting older, moving to smaller condos, you may have this kind of workshop around you.
http://www.awoodworkersplace.com/id20.html

They are fully equipped with large wood working machines. You can rent to use the workshop by the day, or block time of ¼ hour. You don't have to commit to any contract.

You don't have to tie up your capital, space on the equipment that you only need to use once in awhile. The equipment they have may be better, more efficient than those you want to spend your money on.

[Brian Weick]

Just an idea, you do such nice work with your bowls ~ are you selling them, this may be your ticket to getting some of that equipment. I have been working for myself for the past 22 years, I have gone through some great times and some really ruff times~ All of my work is referral and I do absolutely no advertising. In the beginning I did place my company in the phone book 1/2 page add , I did that for 4 years and after that - no more, and to be honest ~ it was not a smart move, I don't really have that many clients currently from that phone book listing, but then again I had referrals from those as well ~ all of my work has been referral work after that listing stopped. One piece of advice I will give you is to stay small, the bigger you get, the more headaches you will have along with a lot of stress, and stress can kill you ~ literally , and shortens your life span. I have always worked for myself , no employees, less headaches and less stress. I do worry about the economy and the like. Right now?, A good friend of mine that is a roofing/siding contractor is going through a real rough time~ 2 employees and loads of liabilities attached with that,he's been in business for over 20 years, he said he has never gone through as rough a time as he is now.Currently, he has his 2 guys right now painting a house~painting a house " I do roofing/siding and windows, not painting" He told me yesterday ~ "look what I am doing" , but I said to him~ look consider the economy now, I said your lucky you have jobs and you should be grateful that you do ~ seams that everyone is sitting on there money, with the exception of the wealthy, and those are my clients, not all are, but most are ~ they aren't feeling the pain like most of us are, and that's OK~ my hat goes off to them.
All I can say is take it one step at a time ~ you'll get there , just don't put the cart before the horse. And if I come across one of the tools you mentioned for $0 I'll let you know~ :)
Brian

[Curt Fuller]

Matt, a very good friend of mine owns his own turning business. He's been at it for over 30 years. To give you a little perspective on what he does to make money, the artistic type work we all post here on SMC accounts for a very small portion of it. This is a long story but....His money makers are in custom wood railings, furniture work, and furniture repair. In his shop he has a gallery with some of the most beautiful turnings you'll ever see. But they don't pay the rent. When I visit his shop he's usually gluing up wood for custom corner posts, table legs, things like that. He repairs a lot of antique furniture which requires matching woods and finishes. He builds the big table bases for round dining tables in restarants, etc etc dtc. And all of this requires that he have a huge tablesaw, he has the biggest Delta thickness planer I've ever seen, a bandsaw that will cut 18" thick stock, and a host of other woodworking equipment AND 8 lathes ranging from a couple smaller Olivers to a huge old Oliver pattern lathe that has an 18 foot bed. He has them set up with router jigs for fluting and spirals. I don't think there's anything he hasn't turned over the years. A while back I helped him lift a laminated Lyptus post that was 16" diameter by 12 feet long onto the big Oliver that was going to be a center post for a spiral staircase. He has done work for people all over the country and not much of what he does is local work. He knows a jillion custom cabinet makers, furniture makers, architects, and interior designers that he does custom work for, usually shipped to him from somewhere out of state. But the bottom line is that with all the wonderful work he's done and how he's loved doing it for all these years he says that if his wife didn't have a good government job they would never have been able to make it. Turning is a great hobby but an incredibly tough way to make a living.

[Frank Drew]

Turning is a great hobby but an incredibly tough way to make a living.

That's my impression. Best of luck, Matt. Get some samples or photos of your work around to as many shops, designers, architects, as possible.

[Dennis Peacock]

Matt,

I'm a woodturner that also does a LOT of "flatwork". Sometimes, furniture work requires some level of turning. A wide set of skills in your woodshop will help diversify you enough to make a better level of income for you and the family. I could never make a "living" via turning alone (even if I was turning full time) and to be totally honest? I've made more money doing a mix of round/flat work than I ever have at just turning or flat alone. I'm just a hobbiest, but I do take commission work for a few pieces each year to help me build better skills and keep what I do have.

If you're going to do woodwork for a living? You need to owe zero on any tools you have to give you a better stand when it really gets "lean".

[Brian Weick]

I would have to concur with the guys on "making a living" turning~speaking for myself, I don't get that many calls for that , but I don't want to sound negative~ who knows~?
the guys here are absolutely correct, you have to have something more stable ,types of work ,that will produce a more steady line of income. Most of mine is from remodeling bathrooms/kitchens/custom ceramic tile/wood flooring work/ and cabinet work, renovations and treatments, Very little in the way of turnings~ I have done columns for individuals but i really don't advertise that about my company ~ it's more of a personal thing that i enjoy working on for myself, but you never know, last week I have an interest from a client that wants 12" x 7.5' fluted columns , but I would NOT rely on that to make a living. :rolleyes:
Brian

[Matt Hutchinson]

Thanks for all the useful insight. I have to say that I think that I agree with you. I don't know that I could rely solely on turning. I say 'think' only because I could get lucky. Actually, first I am shooting for a business that will average 20 hrs of labor a week. After that I will see where it goes, what the market wants/needs, etc. I also really enjoy flatwork, though I haven't done this work in some time, and I could see myself splitting my time between the two. But at some level I believe I will be able to have a full time woodworking business that specializes in architectural turning.

Word of mouth is the only way something like this can happen. Who you know, and who knows you, is extremely important in high end custom anything. I might have gotten one of these contacts today. I was at a garage sale, and the older gentlemen who were selling masses of tools asked me what I was needing and why. Well, that opened the door to a very long winded interaction, but they were very helpful, and I got info on a local woodworker who does high end custom work who is a personal friend of one of those men. He gets work from all over, even as far as NY, and hopefully this will prove to be a much needed 'in'. (They threw in some free purpleheart and padauk, too)

As far as the shop equipment goes, I know someone who may give me free unlimited access to his tools. I still need to delve a little deeper into this possibility, but it sounds promising. This would be perfect. That way I would not have so much money going to equipment, yet I would feel comfortable taking on most jobs. BUT, if you do find dealson tools, I am certainly still interested.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences. I feel greatly encouraged, even though I know it's not the easiest row to hoe.

Hutch