Custom Furniture

[ghulst]

I am new to this forum however I beleive that there are alot of woodworkers on here.. I retired a year ago after cutting veneer for 41 years. I have now started making small furniture like coffee tables and other small tables out of hardwoods.My question is where do you sell yous creations. My wife says the basement is getting to full and I agree.

[ghulst]

<a --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com" target="_blank"><img --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/dd140/ghulst/Furniture/PB050023.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--"></a>
  I hope this works. I have added a pic.
   Thanks
      Gary
   

[Burlkraft]

Gary.....People actually sell the stuff they make  ???  ???  ???

I've feel fortunate when I can give some of my collection away   :D    :D    :D

[metalspinner]

Welcome aboard, ghulst!
We would love to see your pics.  Keep trying on the uplaod.  If you need help feel free to ask.

My question is where do you sell yous creations.

Do you have any rich friends? ;D ;D


I have yet to begin selling furniture.  Although I have had some offers. I have explored small galleries.  The downfall using them ,however, is the percentage they want.  I know they have overhead and the customers are walking through their door, but 50%-60% seems a bit excessive to me.  

Friends and family would love to own a piece of your funiture, but not at custom furniture prices.  So for the most part they are out.

At craft fairs the public is typically looking for bargains. :

Some shows are juried.  These usually attact better talant and customers willing to spend more $$$$.  Also, gallery owners frequent these shows.  Which kind of brings us full circle.

Direct through a web page may be your best bet.  Smaller items will be less of a headache as far as shipping, but you will be your only salesperson.

Local charity auctions are a good way to show the public your furniture.  Last year I donated an end table to the elementary school auction.  I had requests from five people after that to build one for them - at auction prices!

A couple of challanges I am facing right now is the Pottery Barn effect and using cunsumer grade machinery.  Everyone will compare the price of what you are selling to the price they see in their Pottery Barn catalogue or on the shelf down at Target.

Finishing lumber is by far the largest hurdle I have to get over.  I can spend a couple of days jointing and planing stock for a large project.  My little 6" jointer and benchtop planer just are not cut out to make money for me. :  Before I go into business, those ponies will have to become work horses.

[ghulst]

Sorry for taking so long.
--Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/dd140/ghulst/Furniture/
   Gary

[SwampDonkey]

Like the old wood worker friend told me. He didn't sell anything, he gave stuff away. He said he'd never get out of it to cover time and materials and most would insult you on the value. What really got his goat was someone wanting to cover up the wood with some latex paint. He could be quite quick tempered.

There was someone in Woodstock that opened a gallery to the public a year ago for the summer months. I think he ran into about the same head ache as I mentioned and what others have said when folks compare custom made furniture to factory made sawdust panels.  :

I'm with metalspinner about the inexpensive hobby shop tools and I'm not one to hurry a piece of work.  ;) But, if your in a position you have to sell a few items try a trade show or farmer's market or other avenues mentioned. Be prepared to swallow some pride because there will be a lot of admiring and rubbing of your work before a sale.  ;)

[SwampDonkey]

Gary the reason your photos are blocked is they are off site. They need to be uploaded to this site. Everyone has a gallery assigned when they register. Go to 'Behind the Forum' board for detailed instructions on the procedure.  ;)

[Fla._Deadheader]

Somebody needs to actually HELP the guy, before we run him off, EHH
: : : : : :

[flip]

A local guy is doing a lot of high end veneer stuff that he is selling through some east coast showrooms.  Apparently there are some people on the east coast that don't mind paying a lot for veneered overed plywood.  Most of his stuff is in the $5-20,000 range. We have done some veneering and have the press and a lot of veneer to make table tops legs or what ever.  Veneer really expands what you can do with wood, I have a love hate relationship with it. We have actually been keeping rather busy with odds and ends orders from local people.  All of my projects have been word of mouth (so much for the custom sawing business  : )  I am using lumber I've cut and dried.  I really need to spend a few weekends pullin' some more "stock" out of the woods and getting it ready for the next round.   

[Ironwood]

FLDH, GHLST,

I have been at this gig for 18 years, (since I got out of the Army at 21), and all I can say is there is NO silver bullet. Certainly word of mouth and catering to the market is where it's at. I have been fortunate enough to be able to build only the stuff I like, that's saying alot.

Sorry, that is about all I will share, it's taken  along time to get here, enjoy the ride, and hey, your retired and don't need to support your family with it, so just have some fun!

                        Ironwood

[SwampDonkey]

All the furniture shops closed up here years ago except the ones on government life support and a company in that position just closed it's two shops in NB and 3 shops in Quebec. It tells me that profits are marginal if the US dollar can make or break the business. Maritime lumber told me their main customers are outside of the province. Mostly just hobbiest and small custom jobs by carpenters around here. My mom had custom birdseye cupboards, Y. birch fireplace mantel and floors and W. pine moldings done locally for her new house. She seems to think that custom work like that doesn't hold their value. I wouldn't know why. She's always looking for a negative side.  :

[Fla._Deadheader]

Reid, someone to help him post his photos ??????

Think you misunderstood my post  ???  OR NOT : : :

Don't get so uptight, OK ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

[flip]

There are a few retired furniture factory workers here in town that had business cards made up that they hang around hardware shops, lumber yards and other places to sang some jobs here and there.  Another good idea is to run an a small add in the paper once or twice a month, see if that generates any calls.  One guy I know builds toy chests, highchairs, adirondak chairs, porch swings, lots depends on what your limits are. Some others get into the desks, chairs, simple entertainment centers.   The wardrobe I'm building now the specs are 7'X 4 1/2'X25" and make it look antique with fruitwood finish and not oak. Pretty easy to use the imagination on this one. The picky ones will really sour the whole idea of building for profit

[Ironwood]

FLDH,

OHHHHHH, welll that is a little different.  What happened to the step by step tutorial that used ot exsist? I think Tom was the author?,


                      Ironwood

[Furby]

It's under the help button and Gary has a message waiting in his inbox.

[low_48]

Welcome to the Forum. I've been through Zeeland a couple of times, just on the way to Grand Rapids. I used to go to a wood supply show at the convention center there. Always stayed at the Amway Grand Plaza. Now that's uptown!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah, what was the name of that sea food restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. They had a Sunday brunch that was outstanding. I digress.

I  made a living making custom furniture for 8 years. My best work was always sold through interior designers. It was always custom, always reinventing the "wheel". It's all about marketing. Sell yourself first, the work second. The designer always sold the customer on me, all I had to do was sell the work. If I showed up for a project on a call from a new customer, I had to sell myself. The customer has to be convinced to send you from the house with a bunch of money for the down payment. That takes salesmanship. A very high quality portfolio is also invaluable. Have a professional photographer set up and shoot the furniture.

I have been woodworking for 35 years and never had any luck selling work I make or speculate on. At the very beginning I asked my wife to set up a woodworking party with the Tupperware format. I didn't sell a single item, but had projects for 6 months after that. Turned out that my family got lots of little wood projects as gifts for quite a while.

If your work is a little on the "artsy" side, maybe join an art guild that has a retail store. How about over in Holland, MI. They have a bunch of galleries over there. I think that woodworking is a pretty hard sell almost everywhere. Tourists sales have to be based on appeal and a low impulse buy price. Collectors are almost nonexistant. People will pay for a plumber a lot easier than a custom woodworker. As mentioned, not much luck with selling work sitting around. Best of luck to you.

[Furby]

I'm guessing you are thinking of Charley's Crab Restaurant a few blocks South of the Amway Grand and right on the river.

[low_48]

That's it Furby. I made the mistake of mentioning a little too much about that part of my woodworking show trip. The misses and infants had to go the next time. Sure was a lot more expensive the second time :D

[Furby]

Not going to Charley's, but I'm heading over to the Great Lakes Trade Exposition for work tomorrow.

[ghulst]

 Go to my profile and then my website and you will see my furniture.  I am slow at learning how to do stuff.
   Gary

[SwampDonkey]

I especially like your walnut and oak round table with the triangles of oak. I'm going to use triangles in my next table as well. 

[Fla._Deadheader]

Ghulst
If you posted photos to --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--, you CAN do it here.

  Try one more time. Your photos are small, but, that's OK to start.

  On this forum, go to your gallery. Find and click on "upload file". That will open a window with "Browse Boxes". Click on the first box.

  Now, you MUST have a file on your computer, with a photo in it. The photo MUST be under 400 pixels either up-down, OR left right.  For now, a small one will work. You need to know the location or name of the photo, and the browse box will let you search your computer for that file. OPEN that photo and the code will appear in that browse box. Then click next or continue. That will upload the photo to your Gallery.

  Click continue and name the photo.

  I use FDHwhatever to name my photos. Makes them easier to find, later.

  NOW, once the photo is in your Gallery, it will appear in "Latest Uploads" . Find the photo and click on it. That will open it and there will be an IMG whatever whatever IMG code. I highlight and copy, then go to the post thread and paste. There you go.

  Since noone has offered to help, I will. Let me know where you get hung up. My memory isn't the greatest, and I may have missed or written wrong. IT IS EASY. Just takes doing it a couple times.