I TRIPLED MY INCOME as a Full-time Woodworker
A blue pine farm table and bench I made for our friends at church. He’s saved the pine for many years after his lodging days. Mortise and tenon construction.
Bob Busch and his Woodmaster 725. He bought it in the ’90s and it’s still going strong.
“I’ve bought many machines in my 30 years of woodworking and I consider my Woodmaster 725 Planer/Molder one of my best investments. I have made miles of molding and countertops with it.
I’m retired now but I was a full-time woodworker for many years. At first, I did woodworking part-time, on the side. I was just making Christmas presents in my garage. Over the years, I got into several full-time woodworking businesses that really took off!
One of my early side jobs was making mission style furniture
I was working my six-figure job as a Consulting Systems Engineer and my father-in law and I started an Arts and Crafts (Mission) furniture business on the side. It was quite successful and lasted for 5 years. It stalled out when I started building my adobe home and shop in the early 90’s.
When the house and shop were complete, my neighbor, who was a Mennonite cabinetmaker, approached me with the opportunity to take over his business since he wanted to retire. I jumped in with both feet, leaving my high paying job for the unknown. I became a full-time woodworker!
I jumped into the unknown and TRIPLED my 6-figure income!
The business he gave me was to build and install all the cabinets in large, custom, million-dollar homes — one new home every month. After I got a table saw and lots of smaller tools, I bought my Woodmaster 725 Planer/Molder.
I was making face frame cabinets, so all the stock and moldings were produced on my 725. I was buying full, four-quarter lumber and milling it down to a finished 3/4”. Mostly alder, oak, and walnut.
Bob’s hand-turned posts. Beautiful work, Bob!
For awhile, I worked for a group of firemen. Their side job was renovating and flipping houses. I made cabinets for all the houses they fixed up.
Along they way, I got into a partnership for a few years with my sons. We worked in a barn wood shop. But my sons are older now and have moved off.
I have Woodmaster’s Pro-Pack that makes my Woodmaster a 4-in-1 machine — planer, molder, drum sander, gang rip saw. I’ve made a lot of molding, face frames, solid wood counter tops, furniture, doors, and more.
Plenty of power – 7.5HP and 25” wide
Bob ran these deep profiles in figured wood on his Woodmaster
I liked the Woodmaster because it has a 7.5 HP motor and it’ll plane as wide as a kitchen counter. I’ve made many countertops. Too, I’ve made and installed a lot of molding including multi-piece, built up molding. Built-up molding can be very helpful in older homes where walls or ceilings aren’t quite square any longer. I’ve had Woodmaster make me custom molding knives when i’ve had to match existing molding. It matches perfectly.
I owned a 20” Chinese planer but when I went into production, it broke down immediately. I know other woodworkers who’ve owned Chinese-made machines. Off-shore equipment like that is fussy. It goes out of alignment and it’s not robust. I prefer American made equipment like Woodmaster. And Woodmaster’s rugged. My machine’s been to hell and back thanks to employees who overfed it. But it’s still running just fine.
By this point, I had TRIPLED my 6-figure income
Bob told us, “I made this kitchen a little over five years ago. It’s the first red kitchen I built out of the hundreds I’ve made. The wood is over 100 years old.”
My shop grew and without advertising, I was busy enough to expand the shop, buy lots of large three-phase equipment, and hire a few employees. At this point, I had tripled my 6 figure income!
My woodworking was a low overhead, high profit business. I worked at home to be with the kids when they were young. I paid cash for all my equipment. Most months I made $30,000 to $35,000.
There’s good money in making molding with a Woodmaster
In fact, for anybody thinking of getting a Woodmaster, it can be a business all by itself, just making moldings. There’s really good profit in molding and you can run it all day long. Depending on the wood you’re running, it comes out very clean and smooth. I had a flap sander and that worked well when woods were ‘picky.’
I’m technically retired but people still want my work
My wife and I have had a mountain retreat home in the Arizona highlands. In 2012, we decided to move there. I’m technically retired but I still stay busy. I still have a small shop and my 725. I still get people who want my work — some who’ve actually paid to find me to work on their projects! I am not as fast as I used to be but still love the craft and love giving people more than they pay for.
Great tech support, low maintenance
Bob puts the finishing touches on his stunning cabinetry installation.
I always had great support from Woodmaster, I just call them up when I need something and they take care of me. On the maintenance side, the Woodmaster is very straightforward and requires very little servicing. It’s a great machine! I love that it’s Made In America!
I no longer have my business web site but, I have a Facebook page created with my sons to show a small sample of work I’ve done.
I bought my Woodmaster in the ‘90s, did a lot of work with it, and it’s still going strong. Keep it up, Woodmaster!
Best regards, Bob Busch (Builder Bob😁), Woodmaster Molder/Planer owner, Dewey AZ
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