
The Wood Database - RandomBacon
https://www.wood-database.com
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dangrossman
I've somehow made the transition from lifelong software developer to making
physical objects with wood, perhaps for a living in the near future. I bought
a CNC laser cutting/engraving machine in May and am now earning a decent
income making things from wood and selling them online. Turns out, designing
websites and marketing graphics translates pretty directly to designing home
decor using much the same software. As it's now a "business" instead of a
"hobby", that's allowed me to stockpile all kinds of interesting types of wood
for experimentation and future projects, though I only use a few kinds for
actual products so far. If you care to look, my little Etsy store is here:
[https://www.etsy.com/shop/ligninandlight](https://www.etsy.com/shop/ligninandlight)

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js2
You're here in Raleigh. Do you sell at all our seasonal area art festivals
(Peak Fest, Lazy Daze, Spring Daze, etc)? There's so many talented crafts
people I'm amazed you can make a living at this anywhere near a programmer's
salary.

In any case, congratulations. I know how satisfying it is forging something in
the real world. It's much easier to explain to someone who asks what you do
when you can just show them your work, not to mention the satisfaction of
having a physical piece. I wish you the best.

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dangrossman
No I don't sell anywhere in person, except allowing people to pick up in
person if they're local. People at craft markets aren't impulse buying $150
items in my limited experience, and making $10 trinkets to sell on a table
isn't going to generate meaningful income.

I can sell wooden maps, signs, wall art that people buy as gifts for $100-200
a pop every day online. I had 6 orders from Etsy in the past 24 hours, all
with good margins. People spend a ton on wedding decor and wedding gifts
especially. Nearly every $100-200 wooden map I've sold has been for someone's
wedding gift, or occasionally an anniversary or birthday gift.

Just this morning I sold a map of Raleigh on Nextdoor (the local neighborhoods
app), to someone in north Raleigh, for $100. It was for a gift, and she asked
me about making a map of Pittsburgh to give as a gift to someone else. I hand
delivered the map -- just a couple minutes drive in the electric car so no gas
used -- and the material cost was $0.95 in wood and a $8 frame from AC Moore.
So around 90% profit margin.

I have a seven figure nest egg from my time running software businesses, and I
still run my websites part time. The crafting business just started in May
when I bought my laser machine, but it's currently earning enough to cover our
bills. That's a bit of a cheat since I have no mortgage or rent to pay, just
utilities and food and insurance. It's not a six figure job, but it's enough
extra that I don't feel like I need to hustle too much on the software side. I
might tire of it eventually, but for now I'm enjoying making and selling some
physical goods, and knowing that people are proudly displaying them in their
homes.

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js2
Bravo. I don't know about other festivals but Spring Daze and Lazy Daze
definitely have items on sale in the hundred dollar and up range. I've seen
photography and paintings priced anywhere from several hundred to several
thousand dollars. I don't know how many of these items sell but they are on
display. It also seems like there are a dozen or more folks selling cutting
boards and lots of those are selling. In fact, trinkets seem to be in the
minority of what's on display. Anyway, just an idea for exposure if nothing
else. Thanks for sharing your story.

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conesus
The Wood Book that’s part of this site was a huge help to me when I did my
woodworking tech projects. The best wood book, IMO (and others in this thread)
is Understanding Wood. That book is next level and is my go to for any wood
reference or question.

If anybody is interested in what it takes to CNC a lot of mahogany and
rosewood into a shippable tech product, I wrote up a four part series a couple
years ago: [https://medium.com/@samuelclay/everything-you-need-to-
build-...](https://medium.com/@samuelclay/everything-you-need-to-build-your-
own-turn-touch-smart-remote-1689da664d62)

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dfc
I have a love hate relationship with this site. It's convenient but it also
leaves a lot to be desired. If you are interested in the different properties
of wood check out:

Understanding Wood / Bruce H-something /
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WYO862/](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WYO862/)

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ryanseys
He's also the author of a book featured in a well-known, relevant meme:
[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/816782-identifying-
wood](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/816782-identifying-wood)

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parentheses
this is excellent. always wanted to learn to work with wood.

