re: Becoming a professional woodworking or not

Great post Jim, and many insightful comments from others. I think that it is everyone’s dream to make their hobby into a job; after all, we start hobbies because we enjoy them, unlike many jobs which we do simply to pay the bills.

I think it would take a very unique and special set of circumstances to be a self-employed woodworker. Either you could live in a city with a large population of wealthy clients and you are able to produce unique/fashionable/sought after furniture, or the right combination of luck/skill and social exposure results in widespread acclaim and business. For every Nakashima, Boggs, Maloof and Krenov I’m sure there were equally talented woodworkers toiling away in obscurity.