Creating income on the lathe
By far one of our most consistent money making tools is the lathe. For the first couple of years after Foley Woodworking was started we were extremely limited on space. When I say limited it is not just a description of a small shop. At the time my wife and I lived in a condo so I only had approximately 100 square feet of space on the deck to work. I was able to find creative ways to work but the easiest tool to use was the lathe. Since the early years our family as moved out of the condo and into a house. This move has also given Foley Woodworking 5x the amount of workshop space.
Even with the additional workshop space our most consistent money making tool still remains the lathe. There are so many projects you an complete on the lathe, and sell online at sites like Etsy. Pepper grinders, bar tap handles, pens, coffee travel mugs, etc, are all great products beginners can make on the lathe. Although we have made money on a number of items created on the lathe our most successful item by far is our laser engraved turned pens. Take a look at our recent video to get a peek at our process for filling a recent order for 50 laser engraved pens.