working from home shop
#31
Ray hit the nail on the head. A lot of folks want custom, or one of a kind, but don't want to hear the price. One of the females in the department years ago, saw pictures of the curly cherry jewelry box I made for my wife. She wanted one like it. When I quoted a price, she nearly had a stroke.
"I can get a jewelry box that size at kmart for $25," she said shaking her head.

Then a kmart box is what you need. The hinges for this box cost forty, the wood was eighty, and there are about forty hours of labor in that box. It's one of a kind.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#32
I pretty much so no myself. I just don't think a lot of people (at least around here) appreciate or want good furniture. We've told people that there isn't really any furniture in the house that I haven't made, refinished, or is antique. We aren't upscale, and our furniture is nice, but we have never needed a furniture store (except for upholstered items.) Plus I like to work at my own pace. I go in spurts and sometimes it isn't on the same project. I've repaired/refinished a couple pieces with intent to sell, but that is a struggle to find someone who wants to purchase it without my giving it away.

I feel like I cheat myself if I sell to cheap. I kind of marginalizes my talents. I must say, I am not the best woodworker, but I am not the worst and take pride in my work.

I did a stereo cabinet for a neighbor about 20 years ago (his request), I gave him a great price, and he did the finish work and design himself. The top was a butcher block (end grain) that matched some other of his furniture, well I was over to his house a year or so later, and I noticed the top had cracked. I offered to repair it, but he didn't want me to. I would have rather fixed it than to know one of my pieces is defective and I don't have a change to make it good.
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#33
I have sold a fair number of pieces, and am a hobbyist.

There was a period when I had a lot of time to spend in the shop, and the extra money was nice. Now I do ‘t Have as much free time.

I learned how to say no. Wasn’t easy, but I needed to.

As for pricing I estimate the time needed to do it, and base my labor on that. If I am slow, it is on me. My choice. I also do a complete material breakdown. Always add a fudge factor here.

Don’t be bashful. Even when you are retired your time has value.

The next thing is the deadline. I absolutely refuse to work on a deadline that I am not comfortable with. That is a sure way to take the fun out of it. I would much rather @under promise and over dekiver” on delivery time

Most of all, don’t let it take the fun out of the shop

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#34
About 17 years ago I moved back to NJ from NC, and when I was down there, I took a fair number of commissions for furniture, simply because folks would ask.  I told them the deal was this:  tell me what you want, basic style, what wood, size, finish, etc., and I'll make you a piece, to my taste, my design, and when I'm done if you don't like it, don't buy it.  I never had anybody pass on the finished product.  I can't, no, I won't get into design meetings, change orders, etc. when making a piece.  If I'm satisfied that should be enough.  I'll be retiring in a year or two, and I plan to operate on the same basis, and if things don't sell when I'm done, no problem, I'll put them on consignment at a couple of local antique stores that are local.  It's to enjoy, to be creative, not to make a living, I've spent 45+ years making a living already and I've been careful to put some of it away for retirement.  But on the other hand,  I'm not giving my stuff away either.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
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#35
Looks like everyone has some good advice to offer and I don't disagree with those I actually read  
Big Grin
Here's my .02.

As the old adage goes - there's quality, time, and price. Pick two. That goes for what you want as well as what the customer wants.

Rates to consider - hourly rates, daily rates, job rates, and Wally rates.

IMHO, a job rate is the best way to go when it comes to part-time ww for profit.
I try to not under price my work, but I don't worry about the hourly rate - to a point.
The closer (as I anticipate) that a job will earn me a Wally rate, the less likely I am to accept the work.

A Wally rate is the point at which I would be just as well off (or better) being a part time door greeter 
Laugh
I'd rather earn part time money doing woodworking in the comfort of my own shop at home.
Even at the Wally rate, ww at my own pace beats being a door greeter, or working at Toxic Hell 
Cool

Ray
Ray
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#36
thank you all for the detailed replies. I know I got a lot to think about beside this proposition but its good to get a feel for how I should go about it. It sure wont be a job type job but I think starting small in the craft area might be a good place to start, around here there are craft shows almost weekly.
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#37
Idk how well this applies today, but I know someone who used to sell ww wares at craft shows, probably 20 years ago now, and she said that you have to bring four times as much as you want to sell and you will sell 25% of what you bring to the show. It's just a rule based on her experience that worked for her.
Ray
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#38
Attend as many craft shows as possible with both eyes wide open.  Talk to the promoter about fees, booths,  collecting sales tax, average show attendance, requirement to do X or XX number of shows per year,  business license requirement, etc. Also consider travel expenses -- gas, meals, etc.  Also talk to the vendors.

As for your items, can your vehicle accommodate what you want/need to bring/sell or will you need a trailer?

Visit as many as you can and observe: attendance, is money changing hands, just tire kickers, or what. Look at the parking lot and show location -- an out-of-the-way location or one with limited/poor parking effects attendance.

Look at the goods for sale -- can you realistically compete with price and quality? Also consider how long it will take to fabricate an item.

When my wife had her porcelain doll business, one of the reasons she closed it was that she could not compete with the "quality" Asian imports that were for sale or modified just enough to look home made and sold at a much cheaper price.

Same with consignment shops. How much a percentage of the selling price does the owner get?  My wife had her dolls in a consignment shop and she had to work there some many hours per month or pay a higher percentage of the selling cost to the owner. From what I have been told, this is a common practice.
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#39
We run the show circuit for a few years that were fairly close to home. We did ok, but, nothing big. I was still On the road drvin' at the time, so, part of my vacation was gettin' ready for all these shows, the second part of it was makin' the shows.

Pretty soon, we started gettin' the "wallyworld" comments, & my scroll work was over priced & my wifes' bead work just wasn't what they were lookin' for. I told my wife we had to much time , money, & work in our things to just give it away. Our last show was two years ago. I've been off the road five years. We decided there & then it was time to take a different approach.


I been scrollin' 25+ years this year, I'm self taught at all the woodworking I know. Three years ago our neighbors offered us their retired beauty shop for our wood shop, & we moved our meager tools out of our basement, & into that shop. After we got the tools situated, Mary Ann hung a few of her bead works up. I made a sign for our business out front, after talking to the city gods. And we had our own shop. We've added tools & went to all hardwood in our projects. 

My health isn't all that great, so I work & take on what I think I can handle. We do scroll work of all kinds, lathe work, minor furniture repair, memorials, build small furniture. We live in a community of 1300. A small ag town in NW Kansas. We are the only wood shop in town, amognst i don't know how many wanna be carpenters. We do have a cabinet shop in town, but he sends some of his work to me. 

I work for $25/hr in the shop, & $13.50/hr on the scroll saw. I do alot of Native American work, farm machinery, wolves, etc. I have set prices on most things I've made. When it comes to special orders, I Get the customers' ideas, thoughts, discuss other suggestions, their budget, & how soon they expect the finished product. I make it clear to them my health isn't what it used to be, so I don't work as fast as I used to. Especially if i design the set, because I ain't no artist. The number one thing I've found my customers like, is to be kept in touch with, & they want to see pictures of the progress. I think if you were in the right part of the country, you could make a living at wood working. But if you start out with big ideas, don't let those ideas get away from you. Our fb page is sawdust haven. Have a look!
Sawdust703
Smile

head sawdust maker
Raised
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#40
People will sometimes give a rule of thumb that goes something like "three times materials cost."   Problem with that is there is a big difference  between a bed made out of 2x4s and a jewelry box made out of inlaid veneer, edge banding, etc., an intricate item cut by a $6000 CNC then laser engraved, and a duck decoy that takes 400 hours.

You really need to consider materials, labor cost, equipment depreciation, wear and tear, replacement, and shop overhead (utilities, insurance, business fees, accounting system and time, etc.).

Here's a good post that came in today: https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodw...dium=email
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