Anyone saw for a living?

[dentkota1]

Just currious,

Does anyone out there scroll saw for a living? I know money can be made by sawing but can one person with one machine eek out a living in the basement? Starting to think about being my own boss for a change.

Jason

[chippygeoff]

Hi Jason. It would be very difficult to make a living with just you making items on a scroll saw. I am disabled and spend most of my time in my workshop and I am not dependant on the income from scroll saw work. I only started craft fairs last year and I treated that as a learning curve. This year things will be a lot different. The craft fairs I attend don't startup again till April so I have plenty of time to build up my stocks of everything. I will be attending a craft fair every Saturday and then spend the rest of the week making items I have sold the previous week. Having the right items in your booth helps so it will pay to visit a few craft fairs and make a mental note of what is selling. You need to make items that are viable, its no good spending two or three hours on an item and then sell it for $10. I make children's names among other things and these sell well and I make a good profit. Last year I made a lot of money as there is no one else doing what I do in my area but the money went back into the business. It is not just a scroll saw you need. To speed up the process and to make things as cheaply as possible you need a whole range of equipment such as planer, bandsaw, belt sander, air cleaner, shop vac, bench drill and many other items. Then you need a whole pile of wood and another pile of finishing items. I am in the UK and so far have spent £6000 but I will easily get that back this year and a lot more besides. You also have to take into account travelling cost to craft fairs, the cost of the booth and your overheads in producing the items you make. You may need public liability insurance as well. Hope this helps.

 

Geoff.

[Clayton717]

I sell 95% of the things I make, mostly my intarsia. The busiest time of course is the holidays but I still couldn't make a living strictly off my crafts. I don't do craft shows anymore and sell by word of mouth, which works very well for me. I make enough to support my hobby, by buying tools, wood, and other things I made need in my shop. so for me it will remain a hobby and not my Job.

I feel when I "have to get it done" it takes the fun and enjoyment out of woodworking.

[Joey]

Jason,

I had considered it at one time. I did not do well selling at the Christmas craft shows so I decided

against it. I now have a lot of equipment in my shop just gathering dust. A friend of mine made only

spinners (some what like thosed advertised in the Winfield collection catalog). Turned out he was working

all his spare time just trying to keep up with the demand. Working on, Christmas eve, he said, enough is

enough and that was that. I just do it now for fun and relaxation.

Later, Joey

[Travis]

I think there are a few people on Etsy making children's toys are making a living. There might be a few here and there. But I'm guessing that most people who sell a lot are making what a part-time job would normally provide.

 

Not to sound discouraging, but I'd expect it'll only pay for your hobby, a few new tools, or perhaps a vacation.

[WolfmoonCT]

Yeah.. I could never make a living at it. But it usually pays for some tools and wood...

[Rural Patti]

Yes, it would be just great if we could earn a living by doing the scroll saw items! But, with the way the economy is, I haven't been able to sell anything for over 3 years. I used to be able to create custom patterns for people, and then cut the portraits, get them framed, etc. Then, no orders for anything....

 

The costs of the materials has gone up, and the idea of the postal costs to send things; and also to try to find the economical frames as before (all have gone up in price too). This has had me really bummed for the past year, as I hadn't made anything.... for which I really enjoyed it when I did create things...

 

I, too am disabled, and the low income that I have to live on, along with my husband who also is on Social Security... can't do much in the way of making any kind of profit of anything!

 

Pat

[paul44224]

I have heard of a few people making a living scrolling. I think it would depend on your abilities and just how much equipment you have. I can make a couple of hundred a month. I make book safes with my scroll saw and sell them through a couple of independent bookshops. Pics of how I make them are on my flickr site. I do some cut-outs for some local crafters who do craft shows. I do 6 craft shows during the holidays. Local church shows. One at a high school.

Also it depends on where you live. I am in a suburb of Akron, Oh. A large community area, meaning population. Rural area? Choices of outlets are a bit slimmer.

All together? Not really profitable. I couldn't make a living ( mortgage, healthcare, living expenses) scrolling. Retired and scrolling keeps me busy and sane! LOL!

Paul

[Jim Finn]

I make and sell some scroll saw items. I sell at local festivals and street fairs. If I could sell it as fast as I can make some items ( like children's toys) I could make a living at it. I do not sell enough to do that though. It seems to me that many folks that are making almost enough to live on are those selling to us. Books and patterns etc. There are plenty of hobby folks willing to spend money on things to help them with their hobby.