Guys,
I think any of us who timber frame on a solo or small shop basis need to think of ourselves as builders, not just timber framers, and do what we can in these tough times. I would certainly not want to have only timber framing in my repertoire right now or at any time.
Timber frame when you can, even if it's only here on the Forums. Go to a Guild project.
Keep learning.
Build something, anything, to expand your portfolio so when the customers do come back you have something new to show them.
Agree with Will B. One trick ponies are just that. When the trick is up, so is the pony.
As a TFr you've got skills that can apply to plenty of other tasks - carpentry, woodworking, furniture, possibly design, etc. It certainly is tough, even for larger shops with plenty of people to dig for and fight for work. Word of mouth is how many businesses get started and survive - especially when the going gets tough. Revisit old clients, sniff around with builders and architects that you have worked with. Remind people on a regular basis that you are out there, still working away. Do not show signs of weakness - but be willing to admit that the work is not flowing as it used to.
And remember - part of the housing bubble was customers overextending with 'free' money to build bigger and better and more and faster. That has changed. Might be a long term thing - and I would hope that when the money flows again that we do not follow the same path. How many boom / bust cycles can we sustain? Oil boom, tech boom, housing boom, wall street boom,dot com boom, etc. etc.
Perhaps timber framing latched on to the booms and rode in on its coattails... we certainly have enjoyed unprecedented growth through the 90s and the 00s. The reality check is that some folks (myself included) argued early on that it wouldn't and couldn't last - especially seeing the high end of the market driving pressure on the middle of the market. How big and how much money can people really spend on housing?
Diversification of skills and a business model is what will pull folks through. We might all return to smaller more well crafted structures. Things that may stick around longer than 20-30 years and hold value through turmoil...
And I feel lucky - for now, my father still clings to his job of 36 years with GM. He wants another 3 and he'll retire. He's hoping everything he's worked for doesn't disappear in a flash tomorrow, next week, or next month.
