Getting foot in the door.

[jj67886]

I am making a move from Illinois to Charlotte NC in the next week. I have recently found a great passion in woodworking and have been fully engrossed in this hobby for the past year. I am really considering making a career move to woodworking but am wanting to know if anyone has any advice on making this move. I would really like to find/make a connection with someone already in the area who is willing to work with someone fully willing to learn. If you have any suggestions or ideas of how to get a foot in the door or if you have made a similar career change before I would really love to hear what you have to add. I am 29 years old and feel it is a good time to make the move if it is ever going to happen. I feel I have caught on quickly being completely self taught but know I have so much to learn still and am really wanting some help during this journey. If your interested in checking out some of my recent projects http://josiahwoodworking.blogspot.com/ contains a blog of my work. I know it's just a start but I have truly been bitten by the bug and love every minute of it.

[G S Haydon]

Hi JJ,

 

The projects look very nice indeed. It can be hard making the move over to making a living from woodworking. Some are lucky and can dictate what they want to make  and clients buy into that. Others and I would assume most of us have to respond to what clients want and even be prepared to do things that perhaps are not so enjoyable. 

I don't know if you have a similar apprentice system in the US to what we have in the UK but I would be trying to look for an established business (joiner, carpenter or cabinet maker) who is looking for a new employee. Spend some time (3 years min) learning the ins an outs then try to build up a client base by working in weekends and evenings.

That's just my view, I'm sure others will give you other useful and contrasting advice. 

[Chris H]

Hi JJ!

 

Let me start by saying that I haven't made the transition to making woodworking a full time job.  So couch my advise a bit, in that I just do it for money on the side.  

 

The US doesn't have a lot of "apprentice" style opportunities in woodworking.  They are more entry level workshop jobs, that you can grow from.  The problem is, they are brutally hard work, for miserable pay.  As I mentioned, I don't now or ever intend to have my livelihood tied to my shop work, but if I were, I would approach it the same way I am now.  Start doing side jobs, and let your client base grow with you.  You will likely have to do two jobs, for a while (years) before you are in a place to comfortably make the transition.  There are some websites like, ebay, etsy, custommade, etc that will help bring clients to you, but you will pay a hefty premium for those clients, and you will have to be competitively price to secure any of them.  It's not a great way to make a living, but more a short term method to build up your portfolio and client base.

 

Good luck!

[dwacker]

The problem is lack of this sort of work. Im sure there a few shops left that actually make furniture and things like that but I dont know of any personally. Ikea and other imported furniture has taken over the market along with the poor economy. A cabinet shop may be a place to start if you want to go out on your own in the future. I really dont see it helping alot with teaching you to do things like furniture. You will learn how to be productive and I guess that will help. I started off at a very large real cabinet shop and door company. Today that company is still going strong but only does doors if it isnt done on a cnc machine of one sort or another it doesnt get done. They caved to the imports  about 15 years ago and had to dump the whole joinery shop and cabinet side of the business. I still do a few pieces here and there but only commercial for resale or designers wanting something different. There is no way I could sustain a furniture only business. Cabinets are a whole other game. Once you get a bunch of designers and wholesale you can get enough work to stay more busy than you want. But cabinets are not glorious woodworking. Just same stuff day in and day out and your only concern is how to do it faster.

[Eric.]

If you're dead serious about it and have real talent, there's always College of the Redwoods in California, and Inside Passage in Canada.  I guarantee you'll come out of either of those schools able to build seriously high-quality furniture and cabinets...if you have the aptitude.  They're not cheap and you would be making a major commitment.  If I didn't have a wife, two kids, a mortgage and a business to run, that's where I'd be.

 

That's not to say you can't learn to be a good woodworker other ways...but schools will accelerate your skills in a way nothing else can.

[jj67886]

I appreciate all the advice I figured a cabinet shop would be where to start just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas outside the box or norm. Again thanks a bunch.

[wdwerker]

Yea , a cabinet shop is about the only place you might get a job and pick up some experience. Might pick up some bad habits as well, melamine and MDF come to mind. It is not going to pay that much for quite a while either.

A friend of mine said " Have you ever seen a cabinetmakers yacht ? No, because there aren't any! "

I have done woodwork all my life and thoroughly enjoy it. It has kept a roof over my head and I never starved. I suggest reading everything you can get your hands on then trying it in your shop. Some of the finest work I have seen was done by skilled amateurs, they usually can take the time to get it right.