How Blacktail Studio Makes $15K/Month Woodworking

Have you ever seen a stunning handmade piece of furniture and wondered: do they make money woodworking? Cameron Anderson is owner of Blacktail Studio, a woodworking business that turns resin and recycled wood into beautiful art pieces and furniture, and today we’re touring his studio to see behind the scenes of his business.

Woodworking started as a hobby for Cameron, whose work as a pilot gave him lots of days off in a row. Today, his luxury tables, epoxy art installations, and custom woodworking projects sell for as much as $30K a piece. His Blacktail Studio YouTube channel is equally successful, with more than 1 million subscribers and millions of views on most of their videos.

In our interview today, we’ll get all the details of what it takes to start a successful woodworking business, from the equipment and space you need to get started to how he learned the skills and where he gets the wood. Unsurprisingly, many of his clients come to him from his popular YouTube channel, so we’ll also find out how he built such a strong following there, and what kind of content he posts that keeps viewers coming back.

Along with making his own woodworking projects, Cameron hosts epoxy and woodworking workshops at Blacktail Studio to help other makers learn the craft and design their own pieces. We’ll find out how this educational side of the business has helped him grow, and hear some of his tips for succeeding in the woodworking business.

Resources:

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:20 Starting a WoodWorking Business
1:19 Breaking Down Revenue
1:42 Scaling A WoodWorking Business
2:18 How YouTube Can Help Your Business
3:28 Advice for Woodworking Beginners
4:31 Tips For Starting Out
5:36 Expenses To Be Aware Of
6:25 Crucial Skills and Techniques
7:38 How To Increase Profit Margins
8:33 Is It Time To Quit Your Day Job?
9:16 The Benefits of Cam’s Woodworking Course
10:13 Must-Have Equipment
10:56 Finding The Best Wood
11:51 FREE Marketing Techniques
13:21 The Importance of a Website
14:10 Tips on Closing Deals
15:44 Sneak-Peek Into Cam’s Process
16:15 How To Make a Full Time Living Woodworking
16:52 How To Avoid Failure
17:24 The Key To Pricing Tables
18:32 Cam’s Personal Projects
19:43 Where To Sell Your First Product
21:06 Systems and Software
21:53 Don’t Get Lured By Money
22:39 The Makerspace Database
24:06 Blitz Time With Cam!
24:57 Tips on Shipping Large Items
26:20 From Hobby To Business
27:15 Custom Furniture Order Process
28:09 The Table Making Process
29:06 The Best Business Book

#blacktailstudio #woodworking #blacktailshop

[gregorykell]

Cam is easily one of the best "How to" channels on Youtube, absolutely no fluff, no pandering, and no nonsense childish "gotcha" thumbnails to drive views. Just a well educated gentleman, showing how it is done.

[BSGSV]

I've been watching Blacktail Studio for a long time now. Glad to see Cam featured here.

[MrTimesetter]

How this interview was conducted, the subject matter, along with Cameron's personable manner, honest explanations and willingness to answer question in such a candid way really kept me engaged in this video. Nice job.

[Adam-uomc]

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from an old timer when I got into high end woodworking. He told me a mistake is only a mistake if you cant fix it, and if it's a major mistake make it a highlight.

[Samlol_drrich]

I'm a dentist and I DID Make my own walnut and epoxy coffee table thanks to Cam. It was a ton of work but I knew what I was getting into since woodworking was a hobby already. Great interview, great interviewee.

Well done guys!

[jump]

I love that dude is so honest, he had to stop being a pilot, because he didn't want to risk other peoples lives, doesn't want to just have 50 employes to rake in more cash, and just shouts out his wife all the time. good guy.

[arcarioandsons]

I've been a fan of Cam's for a while and I still found this video really worth while. It's cool to hear him with another person and you guys asked a lot of great leading questions. Thanks for posting!

[amct]

I've been watching Cam for a while now. I'm not a wood worker but what he does is facinating. The one thing that makes his videos so great is him. He presents very well. He cares about what he is doing and there is no BS, no bombast. He comes across as a genuine guy and people respond to that.

[dfm]

These are really great questions and I love how transparent Cam is about all of this. When you know you're miles ahead of the most of the competition you know you've got nothing to worry about in being transparent.

[bobquinn]

LOVE Cam and his videos. His honesty, his sense of humor and the quality of his work are amazing, been following him for a couple of years now.

[ringeradi]

Congrats to Cam, I've been following him for a while and had a video chat with him when I started. Well deserved recognition and thanks for all the tips!

[abdessalemboukhabla]

Literally the best wood working dude I can watch his videos all day ! Love u Cam !!

[michaelmatteson]

I'm a heavy diesel mechanic, but my passion and desire to start my own wood working business is strong. I love the aside about starting small and testing the market for demand when determining when to make that big leap. Thank you for this!

[Joestacemazjojo]

So glad Upflip found Cam to interview! This guys is great at what he does, very honest and transparent, and overall seems to have a passion for what he is doing. He goes above and beyond on his videos and probably one of the people I watch most on YouTube as I hope to be doing similar to what he does and to be able to make it a business as he has. Upflip I big thanks to you guys as well. I’ve been watching you guys a lot for the last month or so and appreciate the real deal content as I’m always trying to find a new venture of making extra income. Thank you for putting out this content. It’s always encouraging!

[chandrasekharlimit]

I’m such a huge fan of Cam! He inspired me to start making cutting boards / incorporating epoxy art and filling in my tool organizers I build, or furniture that my mom asks me to build etc!! Her friends now even ask if they can pay me to make them stuff! He unlocked such a fun hobby for me and his videos are always something super relaxing to watch and learn from at the end of the day!:)

[cliqboom]

I have followed Cameron's work for quite a while. He seems like a legitimately great guy with an amazing work ethic. Thanks for showcasing his work.

[tomsassurance]

When it comes to what makes a business work...who you are and what you represent will sell itself. This guy is so open and honest, it makes you want to do business. All the internet tricks cannot hide a bad person. Awesome business!

[galecox]

Cam is the most honest guy...and one of the most respectable folks in the business of this...I have watched quite a bit if not all of his vids....along with backwoods, john malecki and many many is ALWAYS the best policy....things take time, especially with perfection....CAM is the man with this.... purchase with confidence...

[mikeygee]

Fan of Cam for a couple years and happy for his success and spotlight here. I greatly appreciate his candid and openness sharing what he knows and his revenue. Very helpful and inspiring! Thanks guys!

[jimmckay]

So, in summary… Cam married the most amazing and supportive wife ever, and has been able to use his new found talent to make great furniture. Damn, my wife was an idiot.
Great interview with one of my favorite woodworkers. Thanks for showcasing Cam and his awesome projects.