how to not go poor?

[xxShadowxx]

so uh ever since i joined here, i get ideas for shiny pens, i go buy stuff, make shiny pens

......stuff costs $.....$ go bye bye......$ needed to get stuff......

i've seen drug addicts who spend less......how to not go poor?:frown:

 

[Drstrangefart]

What I do is stick to Slimlines unless something's already sold, and I work with mostly found wood or leftovers/scraps from casters I talk to. It helps keep costs down and occadionally something sells to help offset the costs.

 

[Robert Sherlock]

It is definitely an addicting hobby for me. I am lucky enough to ~almost~ break even which I'm okay with since I love working with new materials and see what I can make out of them. The only thing that I tell myself is that I have a lot of money invested in pen kits and blanks that I still haven't sold yet...boy, I sound like an addict all right!

Robert

 

[Lenny]

There are some Secrets that must be kept! It's part of the code.



psst .... over here .... http://woodenpenworks.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/where-is-the-real-money-in-wooden-pen-making/





but the REAL secret to ending up with a Small fortune in penturning IS ......

......

.......






Start out with a LARGE fortune!!!!!! :biggrin:

 

[Drstrangefart]

There are some Secrets that must be kept! It's part of the code.



psst .... over here .... http://woodenpenworks.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/where-is-the-real-money-in-wooden-pen-making/





but the REAL secret to ending up with a Small fortune in penturning IS ......

......

.......






Start out with a LARGE fortune!!!!!! :biggrin:

I've never heard more truth summed up in a couple of sentences regarding this subject. So true.

 

[mredburn]

Stand on the corner in an overcoat going
" PSSST hey buddy Wanna buy a Pen?"
To everybody that walks by.

 

[xxShadowxx]

i dont like you people anymore

 

[NewLondon88]

wow .. I guess that beats trying to marry into money.. :tongue:

 

[Lenny]

Once you get a decent inventory of pens, look for craft shows in your area to try to sell them. Show them off to friends and let them know they make great gifts and that you SELL them. Of course for each pen you sell you are required (again, refer to the code):biggrin: to purchase a more expensive kit to replace it! :biggrin:

Nurses use pens! Get to know some!
Know anyone with kids in college? Suggest that they would probably appreciate getting a pen in the mail from Mom and Dad.

Sell ... Spend .... penturning 101. :wink:

 

[Smitty37]

Sage advice

There are some Secrets that must be kept! It's part of the code.



psst .... over here .... http://woodenpenworks.wordpress.com/2007/03/31/where-is-the-real-money-in-wooden-pen-making/





but the REAL secret to ending up with a Small fortune in penturning IS ......

......

.......






Start out with a LARGE fortune!!!!!! :biggrin:

I've never heard more truth summed up in a couple of sentences regarding this subject. So true.

Well my advice is as follows....

Make fewer pens
Take longer to make each one - I now spend at least a week to get a pen made.

I putch around and decide which style pen I will make
Then I sift through my never emptying box(es) of various blanks. to decide which blank I will bless.

I then carefully decide what part of the blank I will use and cut a correct length piece.

I let that set for a day so to and look at it several times be sure. If it doesn't please me, I cut another piece.

Then I get out my drill bit(s) chuck and baracuda and put them on the drill. I check about 9 times to make sure I have the correct bit, that way I drill the wrong size hole only about 5% of the time. I drill the hole and put the tools away (assuming this is not one of the 5%).

I don't predrill, this is a hobby.

I let the blank sit and stew for a while wondering what its fate will be.

I now get out the tube and go through the messy process of getting it glued into the blank.

Now I get out the centers or the mandrel and set the lathe up - by now 3 or 4 days have gone by and I am anticipating how nice the pen will be when it is finished.

Turning takes very little time sanding and finishing takes quite a bit but I usually spread that over several days. Turn one day, sand to final demensions another finish another. I've taken to letting the finished barrel(s) hang around for awhile before assembling the pen...and may do the finish over.

Assembly once started is usually a 5 minute job.

A week has passed, I have enjoyed time in my shop. I have not gotten frustrated because I mixed parts, or put the barrel on the wrong pen or any of a dozen othe hazards. If I ruin a barrel, I just salvage the tube and start over. I don't use $100 blanks.

I don't spend a small fortune on supplies blanks and kits

 

[TheRealSmith]

still cheaper then therapy:biggrin:

 

[Rob73]

Don't spend more money than you make.

 

[xxShadowxx]

still cheaper then therapy:biggrin:

hah

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmmm

still cheaper then therapy:biggrin:

The Real Smith --- is that as opposed to the millions of "false" Smiths out there?

 

[TheRealSmith]

It a nick name from the 30 yrs I was a Master Locksmith.....one of the best in the USA. But there are alot of smith imposters out there :biggrin::bananen_smilies051:: unlike me and you:biggrin:



Daniel T. Smith aka TheRealSmith

www.therealsmith.com/pens

 

[SCR0LL3R]

I've managed to recoup almost 10% of what I've spent so far... I well on my way to being rich!

 

[sumterdad]

Dude if I took that long to make a pen I believe I would go insane. If i get a chance I am out there making one. I guess that is just because I am new, but I dont think I could stretch it that long.

 

[Smitty37]

Two weeks

I made 40 slimling pens and pencils the first two weeks.

 

[xxShadowxx]

I made 40 slimling pens and pencils the first two weeks.

.....42 :biggrin: most unique woods.....and the reason my wallet is thinner

 

[KnB Polymers]

We sell on Etsy 8 months of the year and the last 4 months are craft shows. We have one scheduled for every weekend starting last weekend until Dec 3. Good thing we love doing them! LOL!

 

[Smitty37]

Ran out of kits

I made 40 slimling pens and pencils the first two weeks.

.....42 :biggrin: most unique woods.....and the reason my wallet is thinner

I ran out of kits and didn't get my 2nd shipment until a little later.

 

[JimB]

I found making a few other things besides pens can cut down on expenses as many things can be made with wood you already have and don't require much in 'kits'. Silicone stopper bottle stoppers, frig magnets, pendants, bowls (if you have a bowl gouge) etc.

or

just give up and admit you are going to go broke...

or

do both. Make other things and admit you are going to go broke becuase that's the truth.

 

[xxShadowxx]

I made 40 slimling pens and pencils the first two weeks.

.....42 :biggrin: most unique woods.....and the reason my wallet is thinner

I ran out of kits and didn't get my 2nd shipment until a little later.

i cheated though, technically my last 7 were just turned barrels (bought 35 kits, just brass tubes for other 7)

 

[moke]

How do you not go broke buying "pen" toys? Sorry...can't be done.
This is as elusive as the "secret of life".

 

[gingerwood]

If you think that penturning is bad for recouping your costs, take a look at knitting some time.

 

[Smitty37]

Even making bird houses

In the last 10 years I've probably made 100 bird houses and feeders - I have maybe 10 in various places around the yard. The rest are hanging from 100 feet to 1000 miles away. I didn't sell any, they were all given away. Some of them took only minutes to make other's took a long time because they are made to look like log cabins, old barns, gazebos and such.

Things like locomotives and train cars, automobiles, dollhouse bookshelves, and the like have also been made and given away. I'm sure I've spent as much on that stuff as I have pens. (And, a whole lot more for the tools.

The mini lathe and associated stuff is all I got exclusively for pen making.

My table saw, miter saw, 6' planer, 12.5" thickness planer, drill press, band saw, router & router table, belt sander, grinder/sharpener, scroll saw (just sold that), various and sundry hand power tools both cordless and corded were all bought for other purposes. Some get used making pens but I had them before I started on pens.

 

[Lenny]

I think one should first have theses hobbies in no particular order ...

1. Sailing
2. Skiing/Snowmobiling
3. Horses

After any one of those, penturning will look like a bargain to your significant other! :wink:
I just went right to pen turning myself!

 

[firewhatfire]

try Sporting Clays, Golf or Fishing first. If you are looking for a more time consuming hobby try joining your local volunteer fire department.

this is cheap compared to those and occasionally make a little pocket money to upgrade.

A hobby that the wife can walk 20 ft and find you...................priceless

 

[PenMan1]

Making pens without going broke is a three step process.
Step one: Buy a Gumby costume.
Step two: Go to a convenience store with a hold up note.
Step three: Make sure your get away driver in the Pokey suit doesn't have a big mouth

 

[Smitty37]

Hmmm

I think one should first have theses hobbies in no particular order ...

1. Sailing
2. Skiing/Snowmobiling
3. Horses

After any one of those, penturning will look like a bargain to your significant other! :wink:
I just went right to pen turning myself!

I think you can substitute power boating for either of those two. The boat is the down payment. A 24' boat like the one I had runs about $45,000 today...$1200 yearly slip fee for starters (and that was because the marina was in the development where I lived) In the range of $400/$450 every time you filled the tank (at today's gas prices) which would be about every third or forth time you took it out. Then there were sundry other things - insurance, cleaning, winter storage, tune-ups, repairs. Not for the feint hearted on those on a tight budget.

Horses it depends, if you have (as we did) your own barns and pasture, keeping a riding horse is cheap. Breeding registered horses can run quite a lot though with stud fees that can range in the thousands. Keeping a horse at a stable will also run you a few shekels.

 

[PenMan1]

You are spot on, Smitty. Before this economy took my job as the General Manager of a boat and yacht center, $45,000 was the price for a "large dhigny". Today, a seawothy 25 foot with head, galley and cabin starts about $100,000 and consume about 15-20 gallons per hour at cruise speeds. At 20 gallons per hour and $5 per gallon for ethanol free gas, just backing out of your $600 a month slip costs about $100.

Wanna talk about polo ponies Polo makes boating look like a pauper's sport!

 

[Rfturner]

If it is a hobby it RARELY ever makes money, if it is a hobby that you turned into a business it rarely will make money, a hobby is meant for a fun activity that you can do. Pen turning is actually probably one of the cheaper hobbies out there. I have several hobbies or things I do outside of work. I like to go shooting fairly often, that is something that other than improved shooting skills I have nothing to show for it. at least with pen making/turning you have a finished product that others can enjoy whether you are there or not

 

[EBorraga]

I've been turning for 3 years. I'm getting close to the Black!! I've given away more pens than i've sold. People around here freak out when I tell them $40.00 for a sierra type pen. I know a few people that actually make money, but i'm not one of them. My only suggestion is to not go crazy buying tons of different types of kits. Stick to a few that you like and make those.

 

[BRobbins629]

Venture into kitless pens and like Smitty says, take longer and make them more complicated. Make some wild segmentations, do some inlays, and experiment. When I did more kit pens, I usually bought 10 sets of tubes for each kit I bought. Some were used for prototypes, others for practice. Only assemble the ones you will use, sell or give as gifts. Its always good to have a few ready just to assemble when you need one in a hurry.

 

[Smitty37]

You are spot on, Smitty. Before this economy took my job as the General Manager of a boat and yacht center, $45,000 was the price for a "large dhigny". Today, a seawothy 25 foot with head, galley and cabin starts about $100,000 and consume about 15-20 gallons per hour at cruise speeds. At 20 gallons per hour and $5 per gallon for ethanol free gas, just backing out of your $600 a month slip costs about $100.

Wanna talk about polo ponies Polo makes boating look like a pauper's sport!

Well mine was a 24' Seaswirl with a 200 hp Evenrude OB fishing boat. It was actually too small for the Atlantic. Three foot waves it was OK, four foot and it was dicey riding had to slow way down to ride them. It had a cuddy cabin, but we never stayed out overnight. According to their Website, todays counterpart lists at $50 odd K and average sale price is $47K. In 2001 I paid about $30K. I had a 105 gallon fuel tank. I went out 40 miles but usually stayed within 20 - we had real good fishing about 8 miles out.

 

[ctubbs]

Pikers, pikers all! Want a real money hole for a hobby? Try farming! Years ago a farmer was asked what he would do if he won a million dollars in the lottery. His response, "Well, I guess I would continue farming until I lost it all." At today's cost, that would not take very long, not very long at all. And that is working hard to not loose it all the first year.
As far as being a volunteer firefighter, been there, done that, bought the turnout outfit and drove my POV to most fires for 8 years. Got more cussings thank yous and never received one red cent for the work. Another dark hole to pack money into. Would I do it again? In a heart beat were I younger and in better shape. 67 and fat. Not a good firefighter candidate.
Charles

 

[jimmyheikes]

All I can say is I LOVE THIS FORUM. I can happily say I turn for relaxation' health and self-satisfaction. Everything I make goes to my wife who is in charge of the distribution (i.e. gifting) department. It's also very enjoyable to challenge her. Last month I made more than 150 pens and this month 50+ candle holders thus far and then to vases then bowls then platters then...........then............then.............then..........but I'm not addicted:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[Smitty37]

Farming

Pikers, pikers all! Want a real money hole for a hobby? Try farming! Years ago a farmer was asked what he would do if he won a million dollars in the lottery. His response, "Well, I guess I would continue farming until I lost it all." At today's cost, that would not take very long, not very long at all. And that is working hard to not loose it all the first year.
As far as being a volunteer firefighter, been there, done that, bought the turnout outfit and drove my POV to most fires for 8 years. Got more cussings thank yous and never received one red cent for the work. Another dark hole to pack money into. Would I do it again? In a heart beat were I younger and in better shape. 67 and fat. Not a good firefighter candidate.
Charles

I've done a little of that, I lived in NYS dairy country and I owned an old farm. Had a ton of friends that were dairy farmers. They had one thing in common. They all preached poverty, They were generally cash poor and asset rich. I leased about 20 acres to a farmer for 22/23 years. He didn't live big - but when he retired he sold his main farm, cattle and equipment for over $800,000 and didn't owe a penny on any of it. He had about another 300 acres that he held back and sold later probably for about $1500/ac which was the going rate in that area.