Any woodworkers?

Yeah, rates are really high around here and competent builders are hard to find. And, I offered to sneak the job in next week. They were expecting months out on it. I feel like I am giving them a pretty good deal. My shop is a detached garage, I do finish work in my wifes garage which is pretty oversized, but there's no dust in there so I can apply stain/finish and walk away from it.

The first red flag is the gentleman bringing me in is just "trying to help out a friend" who is elderly and needs the railing. He sounds like a general contractor, in that the need stems from a staircase redesign he just did. So he sounded like he was trying to get me to drop the rate with pity points. While I feel bad for the guy, he sounds like he needs a temporary railing installed immediately which can be made from a broom handle. Another red flag I realized, he asked me to go just pick up some pine 2x4s from homely depot... I politely reminded him 2x4s are douglas fir. Maybe different in other places. He needs clear pine and I have some, local supply places do not. $350 for a 3' section of railing seems steep to me, but considering the time and effort it doesn't seem like a super profitable job either. Oh well maybe I won't hear back! I have another client I need to build... a half dozen small items and 2 very large projects for, so losing this job changes nothing really. I appreciate the second opinion! Thanks.

 

After hearing stories like this I'm glad my wood working is just a hobby, my escape from the world and something that I enjoy doing. I have a job, I'm a truck driver, my wood shop helps me forget all about the daily rat race. My shop is my happy place, I grab a cup off coffee or an iced tea, turn on the radio and tune out the world! I chainsaw mill my own lumber which is another part of it I like doing and it provides me with a lot of wood I otherwise couldn't afford to buy. Salvaging wood has also provided me with a lot of hardwood lumber, and I have learned how and where took for the good stuff. If I had to buy my lumber I wouldn't be able to do very much wood working, especially in today's times. But I have a good stash now that is easy to maintain and replenish. I have always made it a point to not do my woodworking for money, then it becomes a job and I have a job, I don't want another. Retirement is coming up in a few years and then maybe I'll do some craft shows, art shows, or galleries. But for now I just do it for the joy of creating and working with my hands. My favorite thing to do is take a project from the tree to the finished item.

 

Good point but maybe I made this sound like it was stressing me out - it's not. I absolutely love doing this stuff, my main customer is amazingly nice and not at all cheap or stingy. So I'm not worried in the least. There is too much demand right now to stress about little stuff. And honestly, to the end that this guy kind of tried to sell me on a pity party because his customer is an older gentleman - he doesnt need a stain matched/pattern matched railing. He just needs a railing. Screw in a 2x4 and call it done. Aint no big deal!

 

Eric, I wasny ragging on you, not at all. Just glad I don't do it for a living. Most guys wouldn't like what I do to pay the bills, driving a semi in and around the streets of Detroit. Wanna talk about stress, lol.

 

That absolutely sounds hard! And I didn't think you were ragging on me at all, I just thought I was coming off as stressed or whining. Ive been building for a bit, but the business end of all of this is new to me. I do get the danger of making a fun hobby into a "gotta do it now" thing and have it not be fun anymore. But so far, nah. I'm having a great time with it. So far I'm fortunate to have good customers that let me design stuff and trust me to do so. That's a great freedom.

 

Spent some time in the shop today after work. Finished prepping the maple cross stretchers, cut them to length, and did the layout for the tennons.

Then I did the layout on the legs and bored out the mortices.

Man I just love the smell of walnut when you work it.

 

Nice!

 

Very nice!

 

I know a third client for you with a VERY important job...
...besides, everyone here wants to see the nightstands you dreamt up to match that bed.

 

Hahaha YOU'RE ON THE LIST I tell ya.

 

Happy Birthday @wilcam47

 

As long as you can still count to ten, it was a good shop day.

 

About to finish this thing. The base is from a 120 year old sewing machine. The top is reclaimed chestnut from an old house that finally collapsed.

 

Wow thats nice! What you gonna seal it with?

 

For now, I just flooded it with Watco Danish Natural. I may put a coat of wipe on poly or just leave it as is.

 

$350 is nothing right now (unfortunately) with lumber prices they way they are. The price is the price. Charity and loyalty discounts are an entire other conversation. Go with your gut and don't look back. You've got this!

 

My thickness planer has been a real pain lately. I run say a 2' long board thats more than 6" wide, and the machine almost immediately gets tired and starts raising itself up! It's a rockwell 22-650, made in the 80s. I have a bunch of older machines, 80s era that I really like. But this one just needs a lot of love, and I just found a full hour video on youtube with a full tear down and rebuild. Looks like I have a new project! If anyone is struggling with their RC33, 22650 etc planer hit me up I will throw you the info.

My other older machines are a DJ20 delta 8" jointer, almost 80" long deck. Thing is a damn aircraft carrier. I also have an 80's era dewalt radial arm saw, really great tool for specific jobs as long as you're careful with it! I only crosscut with that, usually dados.

Anyone else in here running old school machines?

I combine that with some new school festool stuff, and a bunch of old hand planes and chisels. So many different ways to do things in the shop!

 

Much appreciated. I quoted him via text, per his request - never even heard back. Plus, he got my number from the local hardwood supply (they like me) when he was there to buy clear pine. They were out. I found some I could basically pick up for free, and I told him labor cost only no cost on material. The fact that he didn't even respond even to that tells me it's not a good situation.

Currently working on 6 small display pieces for a barber sundry shop, a built in diner style corner bench with 2 storage benches, and then a rolling drum stage. I got plenty to do not to worry about that guy! And honestly with how much of a labor shortage there is with finish carpentry, I could be charging a lot more. I don't want to push my luck though, and because of things like machine maintenance I'm not working as fast as I could be.