Funny you should mention this. In woodworking there is a philosophy going around that every design belongs to everybody. It's easy to understand. There is no copyright on Colonial, Chippendale, Queen Ann etc. Since styles and designs are so numerous, it is easy to find plans and even help in building just about anything. The only protection woodworkers get is by three ways. Distance from buyers, level of skills and tooling availability. Even if I gave my plans away, which I will if asked, there are few woodworkers around who could build these boxes, as they are. Woodworkers are also a proud, pernickety bunch, and there is nothing in a design that they can't change for a better result. This makes it a dog eat dog market. There are no serious protection organizations for us like in the building trade, even if it takes more time to learn our trade than most others. Any kid with a tablesaw and a clothes iron can say he's a cabinetmaker, and he might be, but there is no way to properly evaluate a craftsman than to feel his work under your fingers.
Because of all this we are taking a beating by the asian markets. They have even worse wages and tougher work days akin to slavery, but this is what makes them perform in our 'buy cheap' economy. And they make a damn good product.
An other point to underline is that we all have an uncle, father or relative that works wood at retirement. They have a bigger incidence on the market that we think.
For a north american woodworker to make it today, he has to work long hours next to the poverty line, have niche markets or make a signature name for himself. If someone moves in my niche, I offer better products or create an other one. To be a woodworker full time you have to be very creative and agnowlege that you can't capture your market like authors, inventors ... and lawyers
