Workers Of Wood

So the show is over, and the items are all put away back in their boxes...

I found out I'm missing a small box of product that we can't find anywhere... no idea where it was stored. I realized it when I was setting up yesterday. Ken argued that I had everything, went home and looked, and came back still insisting I had everything. I finally pulled out my Square app, and showed him pictures of items we both know didn't sell last year and asked "where's this? Where's this? And this one?" lol he finally said "you're right... where are they?" Oh well. I still did around $300, and received a text this morning looking for a couple of the remaining birds, so those will get delivered tomorrow.

My Snoopy and Woodstock were the hit of the show. I have two additional orders to make more, so I'll be working on those this weekend. After the show, we met with friends at a local restaurant for supper, and me and my friend Jen had "coffees." (Basically, a bunch of booze, with coffee added to fill the glass.)

I'm wiped out, but all in all it was a good day.

way to go Barb!!!

I am so glad all the hard work and long hours paid off for you. It looks like you still have more to go before you are completely done. Another feather in your cap, as they say, I had a hunch that Snoopy would be a winner. Good job,barb.
Herb
P.S. Now you will probably find that lost box!

I love the way your table is decked out.

You did a lot better than I did.
The last one I attended I sold three pieces, 2 of them to friends who I see anyway.
I wont be doing any more craft shows, I have realised that my stuff is too high priced. There are a couple of wood workers around here who make similar stuff to you, and they sell a fair amount, but people who go to craft fairs here want to buy home made cards and cakes, and hand made trinket jewellery, for 10 to 15, not to spend 50 dollar and more on bandsaw boxes, no matter the exotic hardwood and shapes and hours involved.

Cherryville Chuck wrote: ↑Thu Dec 07, 2023 12:10 pm I love the way your table is decked out.

Thank you. The tablecloth quite literally was delivered by Amazon less than a half hour before we left for the fair. It turned out to be a good investment. Spandex Tablecloth It stretches over the top like those that have the pockets for the table legs, but it covers better. The one I used last year had an arch and didn't fully hide under the table like the item description said it would. I was much happier with this one.

The shelves were cut on a CNC by a co-worker. I still have to get them painted.

sunnybob wrote: ↑Thu Dec 07, 2023 12:36 pm You did a lot better than I did.
The last one I attended I sold three pieces, 2 of them to friends who I see anyway.
I wont be doing any more craft shows, I have realised that my stuff is too high priced. There are a couple of wood workers around here who make similar stuff to you, and they sell a fair amount, but people who go to craft fairs here want to buy home made cards and cakes, and hand made trinket jewellery, for 10 to 15, not to spend 50 dollar and more on bandsaw boxes, no matter the exotic hardwood and shapes and hours involved.

I found out the first year here that the people here like knick knacks, not my signs. So, I started cutting things that appeal to the clientele. I love your bandsaw boxes, but if I were in fairs, I would make them with regular wood, using stain on pieces (prior to cutting) for the aesthetic look so you can keep the price down. Again: you have to put out what appeals to the people coming to the fair. You can't get hung up on using exotic wood. I would rather use moderate wood to get goods sold than having my work sit around collecting dust; you have to pick your wood for your audience.

Yeah, I know I put too much into the materials, but luckily for me, I am retired and this is just a "keep me busy" hobby so I dont actually need to sell anything even if it nice to socialise.
My area is farmland with many quite small villages fairly close together, which means all the craft markets are not only the same stalls, its the same customers.

Been making wooden things for 10 years now and I think I have just about exhausted the word of mouth customers in my area, I might end up having to give stuff away for presents.

Something for you think about though is flat animal shapes from plywood. I have made several hundred of these in the last two years, actually selling bulk to artists studios. My latest is a 2 ft high flamingo, sorry, dont know how to straighten the picture

I can sell that at a fiver in the bare 9 mm ply. I have about 30 templates now.
A few that my wife has painted and then I've covered with clear epoxy can be seen here
https://pbase.com/sunnybob/pointilism_art

sunnybob wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 7:32 am
IMG_3608.JPG sorry, dont know how to straighten the picture

Click on the edit icon (pencil). Delete the photo. Go to the original photo, open the file, rotate the photo and save that version. Go back to your post and add the file with the corrected image.

sunnybob wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 7:32 am Been making wooden things for 10 years now and I think I have just about exhausted the word of mouth customers in my area, I might end up having to give stuff away for presents.

I disagree. You can sell at craft fairs, but you need to lower your price. If I saw a bandsaw box for $15-$20 I'd pick it up. Especially if it has the contrasting colors, but I know it's just pine. You can have a beautiful piece without the expense. You tell the customers that the colors are stain to look like other wood species, but made out of pine so you could keep your cost down.

I know how long you've been making wood things, I remember when you first came on the forum(s). (Just don't ask me what I did last week: I can't tell you lol). I started in the late 90's with memo boards and nick knacks, and got into it (seriously) 11 years ago when I got my router and started making signs. I also do mine as a "hobby," but I'm not retired; I have a full-time job. The difference is, I think I look at what I want to get from my hobby differently than you; I would rather use pine and give the look of expense so I can keep the price down and not sit on my items. My woodworking is also my way of keeping busy, instead of sitting in front of the idiot box, or at my computer staring at social media, or some other dumb thing. As for the templates, I wouldn't do well in the template area. I hate cutting ply - it chips too easily. I've cut laminated MDF for my own, but I hate production... too boring. (Let me add here, when I cut MDF I take a lot of precaution, knowing the stuff is horrible.)

Grinch: $15
Snoopy & Woodstock: $20 (to cover two pcs and the hat on Snoopy)
Birds: $15 (extra $3 to cover the moss and foliage.)

But with all my items, they're made with pine (except the headphone stand, which I think is 5/4 cedar boards left over from our deck), which is the big profit, since I used left over wood. Most of my items will be less than $20, which helps get them off the shelf, instead of being left to collect dust. To get word-of-mouth, I've donated items as door prizes or gifts for events for departments here at work.

This is what works for me. It may or may not work for others. But you can still work craft fairs. You adapt. Your work is amazing. One day I want to be able to make boxes on my bandsaw; but following YouTube videos has not helped. Adjustments, tuning, etc.. yes. Not cutting. Oh well... one day.

Have an Amazing weekend!

I've made a couple of boxes from softwood, but didnt get any satisfaction from them. I love the colours and feel of the hardwoods. I also am not good at sitting still but attending a craft fair means sitting still for several hours My wife also tells me I am unsociable, so not best suited to smiling at hundreds of strangers

My workshop (separate 1 car garage) is now too cold to be out there much, in another couple of weeks I wont be out there at all so there wont be much going on now till march, but next year I will need to do some deep thinking on which direction to go with my woodworking. Luckily I dont actually need the money I do make, I just try to cover all the cost of wood and blades and electricity, but it would not be a disaster if I sold them cheaply.
I'm also not keen on mass production. I had to make over 200 plywood shapes for my wifes artist friend who ran a teaching workshop. I was actually glad when she closed down. But by the end I could get from full sheet of ply to finished shape in 20 minutes.

Dont get bogged down with the bandsaw woes on the forums, almost all of them are self inflicted by "adjusting" all the things that dont need adjusting, to tens of thousandths of an inch.. I reckon over 90% of complaints arise because newbies watch utube videos that are speeded up to keep the viewers interested, and then the newbie pushes the wood through twice as fast as the machine can cope with. Then they start on "whats wrong with my machine?"
I use a 3/16" x 10 tooth per inch blade, for everything (I can hear all the experts gasping in horror from here). I cut all my hardwoods with it, including my favourite wood Bubinga. Its HARD!. But I can rip an 8" x 2" plank of Bubinga and barely lose anything on the planing afterwards and then cut the bandsaw box curves after that with the same blade. The blade in there now has been used for at least 4 to 6 months, its just now showing signs of going blunt. Time after time I see "experts" telling people to use stupid big blades with teeth that will rip a green tree into matchsticks. I've just recently seen a thread where the guy has tried so hard to tension a 1" blade that he has snapped the aluminium wheel bearing casting!!!

Bandsaw usage and router tables are the only woodworking subjects I feel competent to offer advice about, if you do need any, I'm here.