Thread: jobs in the industry

The cabinet makers don't pay much so you would possibly be looking at a noticeable income reduction, so keep it as a hobby.

Though theres no reason you shouldn't have a profitable hobby.

From tree surgeon to specialty timber supplier might be a better move though milling timber is hard heavy yakka but it might mix very well with your hobby (as a boutique furniture maker.)

Even just supplying turning and pen blanks might be worthwhile.
You should at least, make enough money to get some new toys.

Furniture makers make no money but like what they do, but they don't hire help cause they make no money. Cabinet makers make no money and hate what they do. These are generalities so there'll be a few exceptions, but they will be few and far between. Those are your choices.

I'll give you an example of how lousy this trade is (great hobby though). There's a guy that worked at the shop where I now work. He's just left to go and work for a very high end shop in Toowoomba. It's the shop I was asking about earlier but the name escapes me right now. The guy (I don't want to mention any names) says it a job you waite all your life for (sounds pretty good eh). This shop has been looking Australia wide for the very best furniture makers to work on projects that are worth more than you can imagine. This shop has offices worldwide selling to only the richest clients... (Sounds even better) Guess how much he's willing to pay a master woodworker (the guy who just left our shop). You'd think 45 maybe 50 thousand (after all he wants the very best right). Nope he'll pay a whopping 35 thousand a year, great salary if you live with your parents. I dunno, maybe you think that's not bad pay for 20 plus years experience. He'll be able to brag to all his mates down at the local tavern that he has a job you only dream about, but he'll have to borrow the money to buy the beer that he wants to drink with his mates at the tavern.

Originally Posted by MathewA

Furniture makers make no money but like what they do, but they don't hire help cause they make no money. Cabinet makers make no money and hate what they do. These are generalities so there'll be a few exceptions, but they will be few and far between. Those are your choices.

I'll give you an example of how lousy this trade is (great hobby though). There's a guy that worked at the shop where I now work. He's just left to go and work for a very high end shop in Toowoomba. It's the shop I was asking about earlier but the name escapes me right now. The guy (I don't want to mention any names) says it a job you waite all your life for (sounds pretty good eh). This shop has been looking Australia wide for the very best furniture makers to work on projects that are worth more than you can imagine. This shop has offices worldwide selling to only the richest clients... (Sounds even better) Guess how much he's willing to pay a master woodworker (the guy who just left our shop). You'd think 45 maybe 50 thousand (after all he wants the very best right). Nope he'll pay a whopping 35 thousand a year, great salary if you live with your parents. I dunno, maybe you think that's not bad pay for 20 plus years experience. He'll be able to brag to all his mates down at the local tavern that he has a job you only dream about, but he'll have to borrow the money to buy the beer that he wants to drink with his mates at the tavern.

you are spot on Matt, it baffles me why it is this way..
It's got to be the lowest paid trade these days

I know the workshop in question and it stagers me they pay only 35k. I would hope thats take home with a rise after a qualifying period and insentives along the way. Bouchers work is the ducks nuts sold for exorbadent prices. No wonder it took him so long to find someone to fill the vacancy as their are heaps of good woodies around capable of doing that work but all have brains that they can earn better elswhere with their talents

G/day Garell,There doesn't seem to be much money in the furniture making game on wages at least.I know a couple of fellows who work in a place called Billy Tea Furniture and they send it (furniture )all over the place and seem to be always busy but dont make any money.I make alot of stuff and people ask why don't you sell it,but I wouldn't make anything like I can make laying bricks and doing a couple of "spec"homes each year so it will remain a hobby until my back gives up some day I suppose.I wouldn't work at a quick enough pace to make a quid anyway.If I tried to do that it wouldn't seem like a hobby I don't think.

Jamie,
I loved woodworking at school, but wasn't exceptionally good at it. Did other things with my life and found myself, by chance, labouring for friends who were owner building. I worked with a very good carpenter and it rekindled my interest in wood working. Kept working with him, then a few others as a carpenter then went out on my own, got my trade papers and contracting license etc etc.

I'm now at the stage where I made enough money from building work to buy our own place, build a shed and buy some cabinetmaking gear (panel saw, edgebander and hinge borer/inserter) plus some more gear for solid timber work. I'm still not doing the stuff I really want to do (solid timber furniture commissions) although I've had a few small jobs. I figure it's going to take another 10 years or so before I'm at a stage where I can afford to chase after that market and it's taken almost 20 years to get to where I am now.

I may have been able to do it quicker but I don't like taking risks and I hate paying interest. It's been a very round-about journey but it beats working in an office or for someone else and I've been able to stock up on a lot of tools and even managed to make some furniture for our own place (still lots to do though ).

There's a lot of different ways to get to places, but first you need to identify where you really want to get. Do you want the stress of self employment? If so, you may be better off hanging out your shingle as a tree lopper, and making $$ that way, building up a business which you can sell (meanwhile stockpiling a lot of timber) and then set yourself up with the proceeds of this sale. Then maybe working partime as a tree surgeon and doing the furniture making part time, until hopefuly it can support you and the family.

Alternatively you may not enjoy turning your hobby into your work. In this case you may be better off keeping it as a hobby but trying to make some money from it.

Mick

Keep it as a hobby and enjoy it.

I just got back from the Blue Mountains. Every time we are up there we go to this fine woodwork shop in Leura. I saw a few beautiful hall tables nicely done by someone very talented.

Let do a case study. This one is made of silky oak and tas blackwood. 3 beautiful drawers with handcut dovetails. Nicely polished and the guy must be a professional. Is $1495 too expensive?

Lets say it takes the guy 1 week to make the table. They shop sells the table for him and charges 50% commission. The guy gets $750 for it, minus say $200 cost and he has $550 in his pocket.

Now that’s one week down and 51 to go.

I am sorry I made up a lot of numbers here but I think you should get the idea.

Originally Posted by martrix

you are spot on Matt, it baffles me why it is this way..
It's got to be the lowest paid trade these days

If yer baffled about that you'll love this story then. I worked at another shop with a fellow. He was telling me that when he was taking his appreticeship the tafe school had a poster up on the wall for all to see that ranked all the trades for many different catagories. Cabinet making was the lowest paid trade. I did my trade in Canada where (I guess) with the lower cost of living and higher wages it's a trade you can live off. But here it's the other way round low wages and a high cost of living. I'm absolutely dumb founded as to why he didn't walk out right then after reading that and look at doing something else. To compound my dumb foundedness as to why he continued he also told me his father works up in the mines as a high tension line electrician and takes home 120,000/year and is constantly after him to go up north and get an appreticeship with his company. When he told me that I nearly slpped him up side the head with his rubber mallet. Oh ya he also can't afford to live on his own so he lives with his mother - he's 29 years old.

I was very tempted to ask him if I could have his fathers phone number but my wife has said that if I go up to the mines she's going back to Canada. No worries though, I'll think of something else.

Mathew, spend a few of years do some uni study and become a secondary teacher. They start at $45k in QLD. Thats what I'm doing. oh and 9 weeks of holidays is pretty good too!!!

Originally Posted by MathewA

If yer baffled about that you'll love this story then. I worked at another shop with a fellow. He was telling me that when he was taking his appreticeship the tafe school had a poster up on the wall for all to see that ranked all the trades for many different catagories. Cabinet making was the lowest paid trade. I did my trade in Canada where (I guess) with the lower cost of living and higher wages it's a trade you can live off. But here it's the other way round low wages and a high cost of living. I'm absolutely dumb founded as to why he didn't walk out right then after reading that and look at doing something else. To compound my dumb foundedness as to why he continued he also told me his father works up in the mines as a high tension line electrician and takes home 120,000/year and is constantly after him to go up north and get an appreticeship with his company. When he told me that I nearly slpped him up side the head with his rubber mallet. Oh ya he also can't afford to live on his own so he lives with his mother - he's 29 years old.

I was very tempted to ask him if I could have his fathers phone number but my wife has said that if I go up to the mines she's going back to Canada. No worries though, I'll think of something else.

it's depressing ...........but...i just cracked a Lager...so GO PIES!
ignorant bliss for the rest of the afternoon

Thank you to every one who replyed to my post. I appreciate it.

The indusrty is as I thought, well under paid for todays standards of living. However the tree industry can be just as bad.

I had thought of being a teacher as Wood butcher mentioned. However I just spent 8 weeks at a secondary school doing woodwork (very basic, just did it to use some of there machines for a project because i did not have them that big) and you should have seen what the kids do to tools, benches and there own work. It would break your heart. It did to me and the teaching idear went out the window.

Mick started labouring the turned to carpentry. Well that was my other thought. Do the building thing, I love the outdoors and building, best of both worlds. Its probably the next best thing.

I was going to buy a lucus mill and colaborate with the the tree industry and salvage timber that would normaly be turned into fire wood. But when you buy the mill which is $8000 to $12000 (of the top of my head) then you have to have some where to store the timber, thats buying a block of land, then a truck to cart it all, the cost is just to great, i have looked deep into it, if you had a boss that was willing to do it as apart of the buisness then yea but not on ya own, not with a family. If you won tats then go for it.

So a summery of all that is I think I might try a few builders and see how I go. There is a shortage of them I think.

Thanks again to every one for replying and your knowledge on the subject.

Regards Jamie

Matthew,

I hope that you're joking! I would have thought that a salary like that would be for a Saturday morning job...

Originally Posted by Garell

Thank you to every one who replyed to my post. I appreciate it.

The indusrty is as I thought, well under paid for todays standards of living. However the tree industry can be just as bad.

I had thought of being a teacher as Wood butcher mentioned. However I just spent 8 weeks at a secondary school doing woodwork (very basic, just did it to use some of there machines for a project because i did not have them that big) and you should have seen what the kids do to tools, benches and there own work. It would break your heart. It did to me and the teaching idear went out the window.

Mick started labouring the turned to carpentry. Well that was my other thought. Do the building thing, I love the outdoors and building, best of both worlds. Its probably the next best thing.

I was going to buy a lucus mill and colaborate with the the tree industry and salvage timber that would normaly be turned into fire wood. But when you buy the mill which is $8000 to $12000 (of the top of my head) then you have to have some where to store the timber, thats buying a block of land, then a truck to cart it all, the cost is just to great, i have looked deep into it, if you had a boss that was willing to do it as apart of the buisness then yea but not on ya own, not with a family. If you won tats then go for it.

So a summery of all that is I think I might try a few builders and see how I go. There is a shortage of them I think.

Thanks again to every one for replying and your knowledge on the subject.

Regards Jamie

I'm in the same position as you - I want something different. Difference is I've done what you want to do and I know its crap. The other thing you have to be thinking of is, take a look around most builiding sites. You don't see a lot of people over 45, and most over that age look fairly beat up. There's a reason for that. One thing I've found since moving here is that the building trades are far harder on the body than in Canada. Letting a machine of some sort take over the majority of the physical labour isn't an option here and it shows. Once you hit the 40's it's down hill rapidly for the body if you're in construction.

Originally Posted by Auld Bassoon

Matthew,

I hope that you're joking! I would have thought that a salary like that would be for a Saturday morning job...

Joking - what's an even bigger joke is I make less.