I made over $800 during the holidays last year selling this SIMPLE woodturning project 🎄 🎄 🎄

Turning wooden Christmas trees is one of the EASIEST ways to make money with your wood lathe. Last year alone I made over $800 selling these wood trees and they only take about 5 minutes each to make.
I save up all of my thicker scraps during the year to turn into trees each holiday season. So far I only sell them on Etsy but they would be great sellers in local marketplaces as well. Best of all is you don't need to use fancy hardwoods. These can easily be made with wood from branches, big-box lumber, or even firewood as it only adds to the rustic charm.
I keep a fairly minimalist style with my trees but there are dozens of ways to customize the trees from changing the shape to adding paint or even epoxy.
Start making money with your wood lathe this holiday season by turning your own batch of wooden trees.
🔨 Tools Used in this Video:
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General 26020 Lathe - Out of Production
Crown Bowl Gouge - amzn.to/3yipIUV
Robert Sorby Skew Chisel - amzn.to/37ON9tG
Robert Sorby Roughing Gouge - amzn.to/3CRyzQw
🔗 Crafted Dollar Links
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Website: tinyurl.com/rhx458tc
Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/DIYBuildDes...

[@anthonydigiulio8010]

Very nice...ty

[@shedmanx3640]

Clever way of using up scrap wood this time of year. I just know if I had my dust collection port underneath my work, I’d be digging through the dust bag for my work after parting off. 😂😂😂

[@crafteddollar4817]

😂 😂I’ve only lost one piece so far to the hose. And luckily it got stuck before making it all the way to the bag.

[@STMwoodturning]

I made about 20 trees last year and easily sold all but one which I kept for my wife. Mine were a little taller but you're correct that they are easy to make and a good use of scraps, branches and cut-offs. Merry Christmas!

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thanks! It’s a super easy way to pick up some extra money for shop tools or presents.

[@fouroakscrafts7240]

Those are so fun to make! I've even made them with deer antler. Thanks for sharing this video!

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thanks! I’d love to see the deer antler trees. That’s a great idea!

[@fouroakscrafts7240]

@@crafteddollar4817 Feel free to check out the video I made for the antler trees. A fun project.

[@jackthompson5092]

Great idea.

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thanks!

[@BAILEYWOODWORKS]

great idea!

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thanks!

[@RumahBubutRB]

Good job👍👍

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@AllenOxendine]

Thanks for sharing, nice work. Full View and Like 👍. Merry Christmas to you and your family

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too!

[@mikedickinson7138]

SImple but effective ell thought out use saving waste wood and making something others want.

[@sergioamaralbelotrabalho8831]

Olá, amigo muito bom parabéns

[@serbakayuchannel5586]

good job....i really admire you

[@crafteddollar4817]

Thank you so much 😀

[@naturalmystics-kd9vt]

Good day who make your lathe and where did you buy it thank you

[@crafteddollar4817]

It’s an old General lathe I bought from a retiring woodworker.

[@sethwarner2540]

And they sell with no paint? Wow, Im gonna haft try dat!

[@crafteddollar4817]

Simple for me and folks like the natural wood colors

[@exotictones1054]

How much do they sell for?

[@crafteddollar4817]

I sell them in sets of 3 or 5 for around $9 per tree

[@kingartsbrasil]

Ganhou mais 1 inscrito Bora lá irmão

[@danielgibson7587]

Where are the people paying that kinda $$$ Ive got a few things they may want to see

[@crafteddollar4817]

I sell exclusively on Etsy. There’s no shortage of people willing to pay for quality made work. Market your work as a premium product with good photos and the buyers will be there.

[@DennisDolan-fl3mw]

How much do you sell them for?

[@crafteddollar4817]

$13/tree

[@DennisDolan-fl3mw]

Terrific.@@crafteddollar4817

[@DennisDolan-fl3mw]

@@crafteddollar4817 Wow. That's great.

[@bluestarindustrialarts7712]

So, what can you sell those 'trees' for? Your lucky if you can get $2 for one. I have made beautiful segmented wood turnings taking many hours. Everyone comments how beautiful they are, but hardly anyone buys them. No one is interested in wood anymore it seems. I sold my wood shop equipment and now do metal sculptures and artwork, steam punk stuff, welding and brazing and the like. Guess what? People buy them. It may be a public preference of the times but I can spend 4 hours and $35 of material and sell it for $350. But a wood turning I have 30 hours and $150 in materials invested I have to give as a gift cuz I cant get $30 for it.

[@crafteddollar4817]

I sell them for ~$9/tree in sets of 3 to 5. I agree that artistic turnings are very rarely financially worth the time you have to put into them. Simple turnings like this though have always done well for me.

[@bluestarindustrialarts7712]

@@crafteddollar4817 Ya maybe. I worked with a woman who was in a Christmas craft club. They basically bought plain turned and sanded wooden ornaments and painted/decorated them. She asked if I could make her a bunch that she would sell at the craft fair for that purpose. I used scrap pieces of 2x4's taken from construction site dumpsters and turned out aboot 200 ornaments of varying sizes, shapes, and profiles. She kept 10 or so for herself and sold the rest for $2.50 each. (I thought she'd get more) but I was competing with bins full of basswood CNC turned stuff from China that were selling for .50 to $1.00 each. So in all, it was just my time about 16 hrs total to make roughly $170. IDK where you are but here in the NE U.S. wood is not desired anymore. I go to makers markets to sell my metal stuff, and walking around I see wonderful wood projects that no one seems to buy. $9/tree is a very good price. Could never get that here or even on line.

[@kaceycarter2972]

Ok but what is this you made?

[@crafteddollar4817]

Decorative wood trees

[@OregonOldTimer]

How many did you sell for that $800? I checked your Etsy shop and saw only plans for projects.

[@crafteddollar4817]

Probably around 90 trees. To date I’ve probably turned 150 of them. A bit repetitive but they sell well. I have a 2nd shop for all my woodworking. Look up Red Cedar Creative on Etsy and you’ll find my stuff.

[@OregonOldTimer]

@@crafteddollar4817 Thank you. Link was to the plans shop.

[@yoshisaidit7250]

It amazes me all the crap people will buy. More junk in the house, more junk to keep clean, More junk others have to burn when you die, just crap. buy eh, someone has to put your food on the table. let'em buy it, BUY IT ALL!!!

[@crafteddollar4817]

At least they’re buying from an independent maker rather than some mass produced junk from a big box store 🤷‍♂️

[@robertkattner1997]

And you used $800 worth of electricity.

[@crafteddollar4817]

Actually closer to $1.50. Close though!