Garage Shop Income: Big Shop Secrets For The Small Woodworker's Success

by Stoane Loudenslager

Big Profits from a Small Turn Your Woodworking Skills into IncomeYou don’t need a massive shop, expensive tools, or a big budget to build a thriving woodworking business. In fact, staying small can be your biggest advantage—with the right strategy.

In Garage Shop Income, seasoned woodworking professional Stoane Loudenslager shares the insider strategies he learned from working in multimillion-dollar cabinet and furniture shops and now applies these to his own independent shop, aiming to guide other small, independent woodworking businesses. Whether you’re looking to turn your garage shop into a profitable side hustle, retirement income, or full-time home-based business, get the practical, step-by-step strategies to maximize your small space and make real money with woodworking—without unnecessary overhead or risky expansion.

Written with small shop and creative entrepreneurs in mind, Garage Shop Income hands you real-world strategies you can apply to set up a high-efficiency small shop that maximizes profit per square foot.Smart pricing and sales strategies to sell at markets, retail stores, and online.The hidden revenue streams many small woodworkers overlook.Lean production methods used in top manufacturing companies that can transform your shop’s output.The key mindset shifts that separate struggling woodworkers from successful business owners.
You don’t need a massive shop, top-of-the-line tools, or even decades of experience—you just need a plan. Build your sustainable, profitable woodworking business now without getting in over your head. You’re in the right spot to grow your woodworking business with Garage Shop Income as your guide. Get started today.

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Stoane Loudenslager has been a professional woodworker, cabinetmaker, and builder for over 20 years, transforming his passion for woodworking into a thriving career. From crafting exotic wood desks for executives to building custom trade show booths showcased at the Paris Air Show, Stoane’s expertise spans cabinetry, architectural features, and custom furniture for homes, offices, hotels, and restaurants across the United States.

In his book, Garage Shop Income, Stoane reveals how small woodshops can adopt big woodshop techniques to achieve success. Drawing on decades of experience—ranging from shop floor production to shop ownership—Stoane shares invaluable insights, tips, and techniques for woodworkers of all skill levels.

Beyond his work, Stoane is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of skilled tradespeople. Through teaching woodworking and carpentry classes across the U.S., consulting contractors, and running a crew with a hands-on approach, he’s committed to revitalizing the woodworking trade. Stoane finds his greatest joy in seeing others discover their “lightbulb” moment as they develop new skills and confidence in the craft. Learn more at https://woodandstoane.com.

Reviews

[Pamela Jo Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a clearly written, easily understandable book about using your garage shop hobbies to generate income. The ideas that Stoane puts forth are simple enough if you are starting small but give the opportunity to know how to grow bigger. Nice little book for any home based business starters.

[abraham m rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a lot more from this book than I anticipated.

The opening emphasizes the importance of logging as much woodworking time as possible, while always working safely. From there, Loudenslager shifts into the business side, encouraging readers to start small, take on manageable projects, and keep overhead costs low.

What stood out most to me was his honesty. Stoane is vulnerable about his stumbling blocks and just as transparent with his losses as with his wins. This balance makes his advice feel grounded and real.

The book offers plenty of small business strategies, from staying ready for opportunities when they arise to truly listening to what the market is asking for and what customers are willing to pay for.

As a carpenter just starting out, I found this book especially encouraging. It showed me that it’s possible to turn my skills into a small business that supplements my income—and perhaps more. It’s a reminder that we never really know where our dreams may lead us.

[Albert Fiedler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating little book is just what I was looking for. It starts with the assumption that you are interested in woodworking. Then it provides several avenues to proceed depending on your goals and finances. If I were 30 years younger, this book might have been a career changer. But now in reitrement, I found it helpful to expand my woodworking hobby in a logical step-by-step approach. Very encouraging to know that at all levels of woodworking, failures happen. And not to be discouraged by failure but to view it as educational. Helpful anecdotes. Good life lessons and many great quotes. Even if you are well entrenched in another field, this book will open your eyes to the rewarding field of woodworking.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stoane did a great job with this book. He presents his real world experience with his specific take aways. It's not a book that gives you creative inspiration on what to build or how to build it but it gives you both creativity and inspiration on how to take the work to another level and make a shop successful as a business. I really love how, at the end of each chapter, he summarizes the main points of the chapter in his "Straight Cuts".
Stoane did a nice job to make the whole book very readable. I felt as I was reading it that I was having a conversation with Stoane and not in some highly dense academic way but rather in a more natural and understandable fashion.

[Sharon L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garage Shop Income is full of encouragement and insight to help the novice start their own business. It could easily be translated to other hobbies or skill sets, just replace "cutting board" with an appropriate entry level project. I was hoping for more information about setting up a shop with advice and considerations to equipment.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.