Custom Woodworking Orders Almost Made Me Quit (Here's Why)

There was a time when I thought getting custom woodworking orders was exactly what I wanted.

Someone would reach out, ask me to build something, and I'd get paid to do what I enjoyed. Sounds like a pretty good arrangement, right?

And for a while, it was.

But eventually, I started realizing something: The more custom orders I took, the less I actually enjoyed woodworking.

What started as a hobby I looked forward to became something that felt like another job. Instead of heading into the shop excited to work on a project, I was thinking about deadlines, customer expectations, and everything I still needed to finish.

At one point, it made me question whether I even wanted to keep woodworking.

In this episode of The Scrap Pile, I talk about the downside of custom woodworking orders and why turning your hobby into a business isn't always as great as it sounds.

Listen to the episode: Custom Orders Almost Made Me Quit Woodworking

The Appeal of Custom Woodworking

It's easy to understand why so many woodworkers start taking custom orders.

You already have the tools and skills. People see your work, ask if you can build something for them, and suddenly you've got an opportunity to make some extra money.

And custom projects can be rewarding.

There's something satisfying about taking an idea, figuring out how to build it, and creating something specifically for someone.

But there's a difference between taking on the occasional project you genuinely want to build and accepting every custom order that comes your way.

That distinction becomes pretty important once woodworking starts feeling more like an obligation than something you enjoy.

Every Custom Order Is a New Problem to Solve

One of the biggest challenges with custom woodworking is that nearly every project is different.

A customer might want a particular size, a specific wood species, a unique finish, or a design you've never built before.

And while figuring those things out can be part of the fun, it also takes time.

Before you ever cut the first board, you may have already spent hours discussing the project, researching materials, calculating costs, and working through design details.

Then you have to actually build it.

And because it's something you may have never made before, you don't always know exactly how long it's going to take.

That makes estimating prices and managing your schedule much more difficult.

It's one thing to spend extra time figuring something out when you're building it for yourself.

It's another when you've quoted a price and promised someone a finished product.

The Problem With Customer Expectations

When you're building something for yourself, you're the customer.

You decide what looks good, what details matter, and when the project is finished.

But when someone is paying you to build something, their expectations become part of the equation.

And sometimes those expectations are difficult to manage.

Maybe the customer changes their mind about a design detail. Maybe they expect something different from what you discussed. Or maybe they're extremely particular about something you didn't anticipate.

Even when customers are perfectly reasonable, communicating with them takes time.

You're answering questions, sending updates, confirming details, and making sure everyone is on the same page.

That might not sound like a big deal, but when you're juggling several projects, it adds up.

And none of that time is spent actually woodworking.

Custom Orders Can Be Difficult to Price

Pricing custom woodworking is another challenge.

With a product you've made dozens of times, you generally have a pretty good idea of the material costs and labor involved.

But when you're building something completely new, you're making an educated guess.

You might estimate that a project will take eight hours, only to discover that it takes fifteen.

Maybe a particular construction method doesn't work the way you expected. Maybe the finish needs additional coats. Or maybe you have to remake a component.

Those things happen in woodworking.

But when you've already agreed to a price, the extra time comes out of your pocket.

A project can look profitable on paper and still end up paying you next to nothing for your time.

And after enough experiences like that, it's easy to start questioning whether the money is worth the effort.

When Woodworking Starts Feeling Like a Chore

This was the part that bothered me the most.

I got into woodworking because I enjoyed making things.

I liked the creative process, learning new techniques, and having the freedom to work on whatever interested me.

But custom orders started changing that.

Instead of thinking about what I wanted to build next, I was thinking about what I had to build next.

There's a big difference.

When you have projects waiting on customers, you can start feeling guilty about spending time on anything else.

Maybe you want to experiment with a new technique or build something just for fun.

But there's an unfinished customer project sitting in the shop, so you feel obligated to work on that instead.

Eventually, the shop can stop feeling like a place you go to relax and start feeling like a place you have to report to work.

And for me, that took away a lot of what made woodworking enjoyable in the first place.

Why I Started Rethinking Custom Orders

I eventually realized that just because I could build something for someone didn't mean I should.

Not every project is worth taking.

And not every opportunity to make money is necessarily a good opportunity.

There's nothing wrong with saying no to a custom order, especially if it's something you don't enjoy building or doesn't make financial sense.

For some woodworkers, custom work is exactly what they love doing.

They enjoy the challenges, the customer interaction, and the variety of projects.

But that doesn't mean it's the right business model for everyone.

For me, I started appreciating projects that gave me more control over what I was building and how I spent my time.

There Are Other Ways to Make Money Woodworking

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that making money woodworking doesn't have to mean taking custom orders.

There are other approaches worth considering.

Repeatable products: Instead of starting from scratch with every project, you can develop a few designs that you make and sell regularly.

Small woodworking projects: Products that don't require weeks of work can be easier to produce, price, and manage.

Woodworking plans: If you enjoy designing and building projects, selling downloadable plans can create another potential source of revenue.

Educational content: YouTube videos, tutorials, articles, and other woodworking resources can help you build an audience and potentially earn income.

None of these options guarantees success, and they all require work.

But they offer different ways to approach woodworking without depending entirely on custom orders.

What I'd Tell Someone Starting a Woodworking Business

If you're thinking about turning woodworking into a side hustle, I'd encourage you to be selective about the work you accept.

Before agreeing to a custom project, consider a few things.

Do you actually want to build it?

Do you have a realistic understanding of the time and materials involved?

Are you charging enough to make the project worthwhile?

And perhaps most importantly, is this the kind of work you want to keep doing?

Because if you're successful at getting custom orders, you're probably going to get more of them.

And if you don't enjoy the work, success can actually make the problem worse.

There's nothing wrong with wanting woodworking to remain a hobby.

And there's nothing wrong with wanting to make money from it.

The challenge is finding a balance that works for you.

Don't Let Making Money Ruin Woodworking

Looking back, I don't regret learning how to handle custom projects.

They taught me quite a bit about woodworking, pricing, customers, and running a business.

But I also learned that I don't want every project I build to come with a deadline and a customer waiting on the other end.

I still enjoy woodworking.

I still enjoy making things.

And I still think there are opportunities to make money doing it.

I just don't believe that taking custom orders is necessarily the best way to accomplish that.

Sometimes the smartest business decision you can make is turning down work that isn't right for you.

And sometimes protecting your enjoyment of woodworking is worth more than another sale.

Listen to The Scrap Pile

This article accompanies an episode of The Scrap Pile, a woodworking podcast from Rocky River Woodworks.

In this episode, I discuss my experiences with custom woodworking orders, the frustrations that came with them, and why they nearly made me lose my enjoyment of woodworking.

Listen to "Custom Orders Almost Made Me Quit Woodworking"

Have you ever taken a custom woodworking order that made you question why you started woodworking in the first place?

I'd love to hear your experience.