I have a high interest in where the industry is going due to the fact that I have three kids and numerous friends in the industry. I have been watching woodnet classifieds, area and out of state papers. I’m interested in what is(how much) “top pay” as advertised in your area and where are you.
There are four boxes to be used in defence of liberty: soap, ballot, jury and ammo. Please use in that order – Ed Howdershelt
Edited 4/26/2005 9:36 am ET by 8quarter
Edited 4/26/2005 9:40 am ET by 8quarter
Replies
Here in rural Montana a cabinetmaker with 20 years can get around $15 to $18 per hour with marginal benefits.
lee
Lee
LOL. LMAO.
How many hours does it take to make one of those 75000 dollar tables on your website. :)
Hope to meet you in person this summer.
Jeff
Jeff, those rates are not for me, they are for the shops around here.I have a peculiar way of bidding. Most figure out how many hours a piece will take, I figure it in weeks. I figure out how many weeks a piece will take, multiply by my weekly rate, add materials and profit and viola, there's the number.That table took over a year but a lot of that time was scratching my head and working out the guts.I hope you make it to MontanaFest, Jeff, it would be great to meet you.LeeMontanaFest
Lee,
It seems odd that your method is "peculiar". I do it the exact same way. Futher more if it is paint grade built in stuff I figure my time is worth less than if it is full on custom exotic lumber free standing pieces. I've billed as much as 1,000 a week (That is only my labor) and cleared maybe 15% profit off of materials. Unfortunately those jobs dont come around very often........... yet. Contrary to what you hear so often it is possible to make very very good money in this business. I know a guy who is making at least $150000 a year and probably only works 7 or 9 months out of the year! His skills are better than average, his experience is tremendous, and he has entrenched himself as the go to guy for super high end work.
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Lee
By the time I got through carving, trying to make the table look 1/4 as good as your work, then redoing it, then redoing it, then redoing it.......there would only be a large pile of shavings and chips on the shop floor. One of these days very soon I'm going to find someone who can teach me how to carve. Your work is beautiful, and worth every penny. In fact, I think you should raise the price!
By the way, every successful (business wise) person I know looks at pricing their work, service, or whatever, the same way you do. I've been doing it that way for years. I don't look at things by the hour, but by the month and year. Every year, I give myself a raise, and really figure out what I have to do to make it work. 20 years later, so far so good.
I've already told 2 of my concrete customers (my main gig) to piss off for the month of August. If I can keep doing it, you'll see me there, with my nice new shiny Pfeils in hand, ready to absorb like a sponge.
Jeff
8Quarter,
I ussume you're taking about the WW industry. Here in Vermont I think woodworkers hourly wages are about....
$8 to $13 for wood factory jobs. (Limited skills)
$12 to $17 for employees at custom shops. (skilled)
$15 to $22 for employed finish carpenters. (skilled, and providing own tools)
$35 to $65 for custom shop rates.
In the KC area cabinet shops run from 10-15/hr for kitchen shops. 15-20 for higher end custom shops.
In Portland, OR at an established furniture shop 13-18. Union shops paid 23/hr for journeyman cabinetmakers. Journeyman carpenters started at 27/hr.
I'm under the impression that 11-15 is the norm for semi-skilled labor. For someone that can run a shop alone its then the 15-20.
The Portland pay is higher but then so is cost of living.
Not too encouraging, I don't expect it to increase much as offshore will eventually start to creep into custom woodworking.
I think the only future is if you can provide something that customers can only get from you as an individual. Design, service, and the requisite quality. But I tend to think the first two are more important. I always the quality is kind of a given from a woodworker with any pride. (is there such a thing a woodworker without pride?)
I know I don't really expect to ever make a decent middle class income as a woodworker if I'm someone's employee. Don't really think of woodworker as a great "job". Electricians and plumbers, trim carpenters are a better trade.
I would never pay less than $20/hr for a good helper.
I would pay $100/hr for a good worker.
I don't need help at the current time.
Where do you live?
I'm in NYC, and I do custom built-ins outside of my regular job. I bill $55 an hour labor, and I have never had someone balk at the rate. People are glad to pay good money for good work here. I'm still very new to this sort of work, and I imagine that if I were to pursue it seriously I could clear $75k a year.
Peter
In the Twin Cities area, the lowend shop rate at one millwork shop is $40hr for planing, jointing, bandsawing, etc. I recently billed a job for my sister's friend at $40 and she told my sister she though that was cheap. A legitimate massage rate is $65hr - why wouldn't a woodworker get as much, I ask.
supply and demand.please excuse my spelling.
Here on Maui, "top pay" for a qualified person to run a shop is 70-80,000 per year. Shop guys who can assemble and machine get 18.00 to 25.00 per hour plus benefits. This is a burgeoning market and there are not enough workers. We have a 2.5% unemployment rate-basically full employment. I have worked here 27 years and have never seen it like this...Its great although I wish it had started 15 years ago. Aloha, Mike
Is it true that the expression: "Just another s**ty day in paradise" originated in Hawaii? :-)(My wife and I honeymooned there in 1987, Oahu, Maui, Kaui)...Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
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mark,
My wife and I honeymooned in Maui in 1986 and have vowed to get back there sometime. First we were supposed to go for our 10th, then our 15th, so hopefully for our 20th we may go back. It certainly is paradise. Can you imagine living on Maui and woodworking for your livelihood. It sounds great to me but I guess the grass is always greener...Regards,
Buzzsaw
I'd be happy to just do woodworking all the time. The Hawaii part would just be icing on the cake :-)M.
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
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I DO woodworkiong on Maui and as you know the grass is really green here. Business is awesome as well.... Aloha, Mike
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