Have tools, will work!
Craig Iseke's skill as a cabinetmaker has opened the door to a number
of jobs. He's worked as a commercial kitchen cabinetmaker, an independent
furniture maker, an industrial arts teacher and a TV tool man.
"It's pretty diverse and that's a good thing," Iseke says. "I
never wanted to be a jack of all trades and master of none. Now I'm getting
to be quite masterful at cabinetmaking."
Iseke was introduced to woodworking during high school. After graduation,
he found a job in a kitchen cabinet shop and built furniture on the side at
his family's acreage. "It was mainly me working on my own, slugging away."
Cabinetmaker Linda Paul says girls weren't encouraged to take woodworking
when she was in school. It wasn't until she graduated with a degree in
biology that she realized how much she longed to work with her hands.
"It was a whimsical thing. I thought I'd like to be a cabinetmaker,"
Paul remembers. "I went around to a number of cabinet shops until I found
someone who would hire me."
Paul told one shop that she'd work for nothing for three months. That
did the trick. She was hired. Paul now runs her own cabinetmaking business
from her basement in Chatam, New York.
Iseke's career took a number of twists and turns before he started
his own business. He was laid off from his job at the kitchen cabinet shop,
but he found another job building furniture for restaurants, bars and hospitals.
Again, he was laid off. At that point, Iseke went into business for himself.
He and another two carpenters pooled their money and set up a shop. Each
man worked for himself but shared expertise.
"It was a wonderful opportunity," Iseke remembers. "One guy was a renovator,
the other built beautiful furniture. I did most of the kitchen stuff." When
one person ran into a problem, the others were there to offer advice. "Plus,
it was nice to work with people."
Now Iseke has his own shop and working alone has its own appeal. "I like
the solitude, the smell of the sawdust. You can hear the tools properly and
no one shouts at you -- which you don't want if you're working at
a table saw."
Staying focused also means you don't get hurt. "I have all my fingers
-- knock wood -- but I know lots of guys who don't."
Iseke is now working as an industrial arts teacher and runs his cabinetmaking
business on the side. "I have a bedroom suite going right now. I don't
know how much I'll be able to keep going with it, now that school's
started."
The suite consists of a sleigh bed, two bedside tables and an armoire.
Iseke and his wife have chosen oak and a burgundy and black finish. "It's
like art."
Teaching allows Iseke to do projects he likes, and people are willing to
pay to have them done right. "I like to build what I like to build. I want
people to hire me because I do good designs and good quality."
Paul's projects also tend to be unique. "I made a large, sturdy oak
dining table once that I'm really fond of," she remembers. "By sturdy
table I mean the kind you want to have a feast at. That one, I designed myself."
She finds it satisfying to create her own designs. But it's also wonderful
to give people exactly what they've imagined. "I just built this huge
built-in hutch for this woman," Paul says. "It was her baby, but it was fun.
She was so happy because she got what she wanted!"
Paul says cabinetmaking isn't full-time work. "I basically rely on
well-to-do people."
Most middle-income earners can't afford customized work. To get more
customers, Paul would have to pursue work in New York. For now, she's
content to work out of her home and let customers come to her -- a comfortable
position to be in.
Iseke is also in an enviable position. His skill as a cabinetmaker has
landed him a job hosting a new woodworking television program. "I stumbled
into the right place at the right time," says Iseke modestly. The show's
producers ran an ad in the classifieds.
Iseke applied for the hosting job and was short-listed for an interview.
He signed a five-year contract and shot the show's pilot program. If
it's picked up by a network, the program will take the viewer step by
step through various projects that parents and children can build together.
"A toy box, a bed, bird condo, an easel..." reads Iseke from
some promotional material. But the cabinetmaker takes his budding stardom
in stride. It's just another part of his commitment to the art. "I'm
in it for the craft."