Dave I feel that your views are a good starting point, and I have built that way myself. It is a satisfying process to go through, but to build a career you may need to go out and visit some existing shops and see how they make ends meet.
You are NOT crazy, the world is crazy, and so to survive in the world you may have to have some "crazy" business practices.
something I've taken on as a philosophy lately is that you are going to pay for your building frame whether you see it or not. So why not put out a bit more and have something you can see and enjoy?
Traditional Carpentry and hand tools are a great way to build. Again, I encourage you to find someone who is already doing something similar and learn from them, even if it means doing some travelling.
Also, I think it's good you have the ability to appreciate all the timber framing methods, How else will you gain respect for your own methods?
