Is there any woodworking you can make money at?

[packerguy®]

My best friend Matt is in one of Steve's Urns. He was also a die hard Green Bay fan

That was pretty cool 

[Nordic]

… is there anything that actually pays? 

It depends on how deep you want to go into it.

In a word….  “No”.

In two words…. “It depends”.

In four words…. “It depends… but no”.

[Dave Diaman]

You can make money if you have a some talent and are efficient. I made a total career switch in 2008 and have been a full time woodworker ever since. When people ask I usually just say I make fancy boxes and tables. Are you going to get rich? Not likely, but since you are retired and already have a dependable income you can make some extra money doing what you love. Just be selective about the pieces you build or it will turn into work. You do need to get into the right clientele if you want to make a decent hourly wage which can be tough. Again, learning to work efficiently is a big factor. I know plenty of gifted woodworkers but it takes them so long to finish a piece that they only make a few dollars an hour for their time.

[EightFingers]

When I moved to Hawaii, I built a 1200 sqft shop. I sold woodturning and other woodworking through galleries in the state. I was retired so I could devote quite a bit of time to it. Made good money, even more than the job I retired from, but it was work. Had to move in 2021 for family so I sold all the big tools and about half the rest.

[FireWood]

I think it is really hard to make money in woodworking of furniture type pieces.

If however, you were willing to consider handyman type jobs, fixing decks and stairs and siding, you could probably make a nice retirement side-income  and have more work then you wanted to do.  That lets you quote high and only do work that you want to do, and make good money at.