Fast & Easy & Profitable.
For the past three months all I’ve done is build outdoor furniture – redwood from the home store, screw joinery, straight cuts, and Spar varnish. About 8 years ago I wanted to get back into woodworking. I was in my last Air Force assignment, and I thought I would be staying there when I retired (things change). So I figured I could finally start buying the tools I needed for a workshop. I also bought pattern books and woodworking magazines to brush up on rusty skills and to learn new ones. I ran across this really nice outdoor bench in one of those books, and we had a patio that needed furniture. So I drove to the home store and picked up the materials. I also bought a miter saw and a router; I had most of the other hand tools I needed.
I’ve since replaced the miter saw and acquired three more routers — but at the time that was all I needed to build the bench. Two days later I had a beautiful bench. My friends praised my skills, and it worked out great. I later adapted the pattern into chairs and created a small matching tea table. I still sit on that bench today. What’s more, I’ve built about a million more of them (more like 25 or so) – chairs, tables, and benches. I have to admit I don’t love building them, but people pay good money for the simple and easy to build outdoor furniture. All that redwood furniture has allowed me to put up a shed in my back yard for storage. It paid for electrical upgrades and a new table saw. I sure could use a new band saw and a bigger jointer so bring on the outdoor furniture! Even a bad day in the woodshop is better than a 100 great day in an office!