I am deep into reading The Anarchist's Tool Chest.

I am also trying to put together several other ideas at the same time. Some of this philosophical meandering has been furthered by Chris' book, but really, it started much before.

In the book, he suggests that if our craft of traditional woodworking is to be continued, it will be at the hands of craftsmen who work as a hobby. I believe he is right, but I'm looking for loopholes.

At the same time, as I tool up my shop, I have been pondering the wisdom of exactly what I want to focus on building and whether or not there is anything I can build that is commercially viable.

At first glance, being able to earn a decent wage seems pathetically impossible. It seems that way at the second and third look too. And it still seems that way after a good, long, hard, extended, well-funded study of the matter. And yet there is still that little birdie on my shoulder saying there must be a way. There must be some niche somewhere utilizing a tool set and space similar to the one I have to earn a decent return if one is talented, dedicated and hard-working.

Agriculture faces a similar dilemna as the woodworking trade. Today our food is cheap, and yet it isn't worth eating. Lots of people will tell you it isn't possible to make a decent living as a farmer on any scale. There are plenty of American farmers who have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and make less than their hired help.

And along comes Joel Salatin who grows good food and makes a modest, but decent, living wage with little overhead. And he tells other people how to do it in books like You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise.

Some of his favorite ideas include beef cows, meat chickens, and laying hens. He recommends against the exotic stuff and cautions against a number of enterprises he feels aren't viable for most people.

Now, I don't think farming is equivalent to woodworking, but the scale is similar. It isn't David against Goliath. It is more like worm against the planet. And yet, the worm makes a good living within the planet.

One of the advantages of selling food is that repeat business is (relatively) easy. Food is consumable. There aren't many woodcraft items like that, but the price point is higher, and you don't have to sell as many kitchen table sets as you would packages of chicken. Things like pens and outdoor furniture have a fairly short life. Some things like vases and bowls lend themselves as gifts thereby introducing the possibility of repeat business.

Wood as art is one idea. Perhaps there are some avenues there to be explored.

Everyday furniture is another idea. Would people pay 50% more for really good hand made stuff like some will pay more for good food? I think some would, but once you have sold a coffee table, they won't ever need another one. And neither will their children. But they might need a bed or kitchen table. Of course, selling stuff for 50% more than the regular market could be a hard price point to hit.

There is another market for quality food known as CSA or community supported agriculture. Some of these work by charging members a flat fee promising to divide up the food that is produced during the season among members. Apparently, it works well in some markets.

That model isn't practical in woodworking for obvious reasons.

However, a "community" model might be viable in an educational context finding people who value the craft and doing demonstrations or local teaching sessions. Think of setting up in a hardware store on Saturdays. Or performing at a downtown revitalization event. Or teaching shop class to home school high schoolers. Or performing at a local attraction. Or in an antique mall. Or in a shopping center.

Can anyone say, "Have 600lbs of gear, will travel?"

Maybe there are better options. There must be...