The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: TomBarbs on September 12, 2011, 08:08:32 pm
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Hi, :wave:
Back again ;D
Would like a little bit of advice please.
We are trying to make a bit of extra money to go towards some land, as i am a carpenter and able to make different things like hutches, runs, arks etc, i was wondering if anyone had any other ideas or which would be the most popular for people to buy?
Any suggestions would be great,
kind regards
Steven :thumbsup:
And we live in wiltshire. :wave:
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Strange, I replied last time but its gone!!!!! wonder how that got taken off? My son in law wanted to do some thing similar but ended up mostly helping with fencing or sheds, like I said, we need loads of joinery work doing here, maybe more after these winds tonight!!!! Good job I copied the post otherwise me and my hubby would be getting paranoid that some one removed it!!! :o
Oh, whops, see its moved and so my post is still on the other bit""""" see, its is like going into a new shop!!
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:D :D :D :D :D :D
He he.oops sorry i just copied it in this place as this is where it was meant to be. sorry for the confusion. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I wondered if it was my comp or me ;D
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;D
No just me confusing people.
I keep reading new posts and while in there i go to start a new subject which is totally in the wrong place. silly me. :-[
I think your a bit far away for your jobs ;D
If we have a holiday your way i'l bring my tools. :) :thumbsup:
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Our guests range from joiners, electrictions, plumbers and gardeners and none have done anything so far, the survayers that stayed for a few weeks were very helpful, a pwer station worker dug our pond and lifted and shifted stuff, a tractor man still come to do tree work and helped put the shed up, otherwise, thats a good idea!!!!! thanks
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I think hen houses are a really good idea at the moment with so many people starting to have a few chickens. If you could make them not too expensive I'm sure you'd do well the ones I've seen for a few hens have been silly money!
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I'm sure once you get the jigs made up you could easily make and sell wooden hurdles - you can never have enough hurdles :)
Baz
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Stable repairs, anything made of wood always gets eaten by horses , and most people don't repair them as they dont have the skills or tools to do a good enough job of repair.
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I recently advertised two bee hives in a smallholder magazine. I could have sold twenty two!! Bees are becoming popular so that would be another thing to think about.
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I think hen houses are a really good idea at the moment with so many people starting to have a few chickens. If you could make them not too expensive I'm sure you'd do well the ones I've seen for a few hens have been silly money!
I agree with Katie. I ended up getting my dad to make one for me out of bits of wood I had around the place. I do suspect though that the price of timber at the moment means that they cannot be made very cheaply :(
Best of luck with whatever you decide on. :thumbsup:
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:wave:
Thanks for the ideas they are great. :thumbsup:
Do people still buy these products through the winter months?
I think the main problem is when you sell further afield, delivery charges add up then the price is not so competitive! :-\
What are your views on this?
Thanks again
Steven and Zoe
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I think so too, every one is after a good deal and wood doesn't grow on trees ::) so is expensive, if you can source materials at a reasonable cost to yourself then there will only by your labour, travel is sooo expensive now and like you say, any local joiner that can get hold of a bit of wood from some where, may well undercut you!!!
I paid a lot for a poor quality hen house and would have gladly paid some one the same for a sturdy one, also dog kennels and runs. I bought a wonderful whelping box off E Bay, thats another thing thats easy to make but very expensive to buy!!
For pet products and putting up sheds etc, you can put your cards up in feed merchants, pet shops, supermarkets and garden centers!
THere is always hiring out your skills to local garden centers, at chritmas also you could sell some tubs for trees, just square ones!!!
We are both realy struggling, although we are busy with our B&B we need one of us in full time work to pay the bills and keep us afloat!!! FIngers crossed!!
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I was at the Dorset show recently and noticed they had an interesting loom which made shawls.
Its difficult to explain but it was triangle shape and had pins (nails) evenly spaced all round the triangle. The loom was sitting on an easle.
The woman told me that they are very difficult to get hold of as the only place that makes them is in America and there is a long waiting list, not to mention shipping. I would think that a good carpenter would be able to make these fairly easily.
I did take down some of the details but seem to have lost them now. If I come across them I will let you know.
Sally
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dont forget, with stable repairs, most horses are in all winter chomping away at the woodwork because they are bored , thats when the damage gets done,. bird boxes, owl boxes , bat boxes . earlier this year i needed a load of 9x1 board for cladding an old wooden frame building that was nail sick. my local builders merchant let me have it for £1:23p per mtr untreated, and delivered, talk to them for the best price and tell them you can get it cheaper off their rivals down the road.
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Hi all, :wave:
Thanks again for all of the great replies, they are brilliant.
In the process of making lists of different products, then get some prices for materials, work out how much i can make it for and compare that to other companies making similar things. busy busy :)
We will keep you updated on progress.
Also, I had a look online at the triangle loom, quite interesting, had a look at a couple of youtube vids about it.
Will look further into it, i actually live next door to a spinner/weaver who has her own traditional loom.
Thanks again
Steven and Zoe.
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I think tizaala has a point, you could consider making bee hives, but this may not be an easy option, as there are several versions used by beekeepers in the UK and with quite a few manufacturers already.
However, there is a simple hive that can be made that is quite popular and that is the Kenyan Topbar hive, there are no frames required as the bees use a top bar to attach the comb. There might be a market for ready made Topbar hive, as not every one is good at DIY. See Phil Chandler's for more information ...
http://www.biobees.com (http://www.biobees.com)
Some beekeeping suppliers stock flat pack versions, so you can check there prices. But be warned, you may end up keeping bees yourself and have no time to make all those chicken arks :D
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what about riding blocks [step mounts so you can get on your horse] tack boxes i have an old wooden chest i put my tack in and can lock it, jumps horsechitchat fb someone is always looking for them beehives is popul are even outdoor boxes for putting gardening stuff in or staging for your greenhouse plant tubs hope this help i'm hoping to get a friend to make me a mounting block and a box big enough for my saddle which i can lock plus its a seat for when i'm knackered and need a seat in my caravan its been cleared i keep my feed in it.
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How about starting a blog on how you make any of the above products with photos and guidance - along with a few recommended plans.
Stick a bit of adsense on it and some relevant affiliate programs like screwfix etc etc
Could be a littel extra on the side of your little extra on the side ;)
Baz
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There's a book by a chap called Michael Roberts - can't quite remember the title - Pouultry keepers or Smallholders' DIY or something - you'll find it on Amazon. It has plans for all sorts of handy stuff.
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There's a book by a chap called Michael Roberts - can't quite remember the title - Pouultry keepers or Smallholders' DIY or something - you'll find it on Amazon. It has plans for all sorts of handy stuff.
http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/books/smallholders-diy/ (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/books/smallholders-diy/)
Now I have proven that I know this site better than Rosemary I am going to log off! (Anyone opening a book on how long I stay away for...?)
(It was just pure luck, honest - I looked at Rosemary's diary, which I enjoy reading, and the book was one of the four that came up in the little tempter box in the corner!)
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Spooky ;D You're so smart, Sally :thumbsup: