What does it take to 'go pro'

[edbanger]

Richard, Pete & Bowler

I have just enjoyed reading your posts, reading between the line's you all seem to share the same passion, and it's great to see.

I don't think anyone in their right mind would want to be a professional woodturner if it was just about the money, but being able to create something beautiful out of wood and get paid for it, you are the richer men.

Ed

[seventhdevil]

i didn't become a woodturner to make money. i became one because joinery was mostly mfc and mdf rather than timber.

i like to work with wood hence why i took up turning.

i enjoy making bowls and other interesting objects, i enjoy making skittles for clubs and leagues, i enjoy making bowls from wood that has come from the crown estate.

once i got made redundant i decided to keep turning to see if it could sustain me.

i kept turning because i enjoy it.

in my opinion if you want to go pro it should be mainly for this reason.


am i a pro?, or just a guy turning away in his work shop?


i enjoy it, that's all i care about...

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Something else to add, my bandsaw has started "screaming" these last 2 days or so, so I guess the bearings need replacing, so I was back in the workshop last night and removed the bearings and sure enough I can feel flat parts on them. Down to the motorbike shop now to get replacements and then refit before I can start work.
 What I am saying is you need to be a bit of an engineer aswell.

[bodrighywood]

My demo lathe is playing up as well with the indexing pin somehow touching the pulley wheels at times. Need to take it apart but as yet can't work out how. In order to be a full time turner you either have to be a jack of all trades or earn enough to get someone else to do the boring bits. Guess which umbrella most of us fall under

Pete

[Screwples]

Hi Pete,

If your lathe is a vicmarc all the problem is is the pulley is a little loose. A 6mm allen key in the locking screw loosens it more to allow you to move it away from the pin. Done mine more than once.

Hope it helps.

Cheers, John.

[TWiG]

I have given serious thought about being a full time turner on occasions in the past , but the idea of spending all day in a dusty shed on my own dissuaded me !!  I love to create wooden objects either turned or other but also love to be destructive as well .... I have felled / dismantled a lot of trees over the years , so it makes a nice contrast  ha  ha !!  Turning makes up a useful portion of my income along with other various activities and I really enjoy the variety and am  always looking forward to starting my next project and enjoy working with my hands and simple tools , and as others have said most turners do demos and teach but this does not appeal to me at all, but it is great to meet other woodworkers and see each others work and form ideas from exchanged knowledge .  Making items as a turner / craftsman is one thing but ,making them in a price ..to...time   ratio and being able to sell what you make is another thing .  My overheads are very low , i work in a shed in my garden ( so no rent or business rates , separate  utility bills  etc )  I manage to obtain a lot of wood for firewood prices , and feel I work in an efficient / productive manner but find it hard to think I could make a living at it even if I wanted too !

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

TWiG I think that is a very realistic reply.
Following on from my last post, I managed to get the bearings from the motorbike shop and they were fitted and the machine was up and running by 10 am. It would have been sooner but they don't open 'til 9!! I can't believe how lazy non self employed people are!!! (only joking)
Another thing to consider, I am doing a craft fair in 3 weeks time in an expensive part of the country, so expensive that I cannot afford a hotel (they don't do travelodges there)so I will have to camp. Now that can be a pleasant experience when on holiday and I have been doing it for years (did it in the forces for a living too) but as I get older and  the joints are starting to creak it takes a bit more effort getting up off the floor first thing in the morning, not to mention the cold. Then food to sort out and putting up and taking down and drying the tent. So to all those thinking of starting up on your own I would say do it by all means but expect serious changes to your life(style). Or just work purely from home without craft fairs or demos, but that could mean working on your own for days on end without seeing anyone else.

[seventhdevil]

going pro won't necessarily mean camping out at craft fairs all the time.

i make a product, i sell my product, i make money off my product and i ship my product to the customer.

i do one craft fair a year, i used to do lots but my dad was my chauffeur and once he died i could not attend them as i don't drive myself. i'm going to a very local one this month as i know i will make money at it.

if you can find something that you can make at home but don't have to flog at fairs or other events then you never need to worry about it.

i feel lucky that i found an item that needed to be made and will keep needing to be made as they only last a few seasons so if you find one like that pounce on it and make it your item to supply.

i doubt there are many turned items left that need to be made by hand as mass production or synthetics have replaced them but there will be some things left and those can be concentrated on by us turners to keep us going.