Bedside Table/Cabinet

From the pics it looks like there's a bit of a wave in the top.

The cabinet looks nice, but at that price, I hope you made it in 3.3 hrs or so. You are paying way too much for materials, and not charging enough for your time. You will get your name around that way - but it will be as someone that works for nothing and can be exploited.

There are many people out there that will stroke your ego, then offer you what amounts to $8.00 an hour. If you take it, in a year or two you'll be posting on the Business forum grousing about 70 hour weeks and starvation wages.

Cynic, I realize material costs are a bit high, but it isn't as if I'm buying by the unit and I'm sure any small one man shop has been there at some point. We have to start somewhere. Like I said, was going to post here and get some opinions and then figure out what I will do to charge for it.

Thad, part of the reason I spent a little more time on this was a stupid mistake on my part, working late one night when I glued up the tenons into the legs I had this one off nearly less than an 8th of an inch, one of the most important places to check for square I did NOT. I learn as I go along, and obviously this is a time costing mistake. I feel I did a good job hiding it best I could and getting the drawer to fit as well as the right door to fit and just played and adjusted. Both the doors and the drawer work flawlessly though. Most people do not notice it unless I point it out to them in person, and being so low to the ground I didn't think it would be an issue. Plus, this will likely be a model for a bedroom set I'm putting together (two of these one with doors one without and a wall cabinet to match, possibly a head board.

Thanks for your replies :)

Thad,

Sorry I think I misread your post, still tired from a late night last night working (not on wood work heh.) The picture seems deceiving, the top isn't that wavey, and in person it isn't that bad. Pretty soon I'm going to upgrade to a wide belt sanding machine so I can put down the cabinet scrapers and let some power tools do the labor.

Brian,

I agree with Cynic. I would charge between $900- 1200 on a cabinet like that. Your priceing would cause you trouble down the road because people will expect you to be cheap. Those are not the client base you want any way. They are the Wally World shoppers. Also at that price you will never be able to afford a wide belt. A wide belt is nice but not mandatory. I can flatten a small top like that with just a smoothing plane and a good random orbit sander. If you are careful at the glue up stage you can skip the hand plane. I would love a wide belt my self but I cant justify the exspence. My tops are as visually flat and as tactily flat as they need to be. I do primarily furniture.

From your picture the cabinet looks pretty nicely built. Dont sell yourself short, charge more, be happy. Make a profit and start fresh with the next job and keep improving your skills. It takes time to get business going but It will if you keep at it and don't lose heart.
Good luck,

Scott Sober

Cyma Furniture Design

Scott,

Thanks, I really appreciate the response. I'm growing to find that woodweb is becoming a real asset to this career I'm trying to shift into wood working full time. I was talking with people at $350 and people were like but wait I can get that at Ikea or bob's discount furniture for $99. I'm like okay if you prefer over glorified cardboard stapled together! I realize there is a very large market and an ever growing on of people that do not appreciate the value of handcrafted and well built woodwork. I've been blessed however to be able to grow up and live in a county that is extremely wealthy. We got in years ago before the real estate boom on mortgage and our home has been the absolute best investment with the mansions that have popped up in the last 10-15 years. I believe I have a strong market around here with people that prefer hardwood floors, custom cabinetry for their kitchen and hand crafted pieces for their home. That's who I'm going for, but I wanted to feel you guys out as well. I don't want to go too cheap, but I do want to find a medium where I can sell at a level that both supports my efforts and fits right with the market. I'm thinking now $550-$600 at the very least would be suitable. I built this for the first time for this plan and I feel that I can produce it twice as fast with another. In quantity I could get the production cost down to just under $100 buying in bulk.

I agree, I've had a hard time justifying a wide belt sanding machine and even a planer since I can do it by hand, but for many things I feel it might be nifty to have. Almost all lumber around here is S2S, so my jointer usually takes care of most things. When I glued up the top on this one and many of my pieces I can't just run it through a wide belt sander but I have to be extremely selective and careful and spend a bit of time with cabinet/card scrapers and my orbital/buzz/belt sanders and get it good. I will probably still hit the top up a bit more when I do some more finer finish sanding.

By the way, love your work, checked out your site. Very unique and neat, clean cut.

Thanks again.

I think your cabinet looks nice. I think the reason some of the people say they buy that part down the road for $99.00 is two fold. First, they simply don't know the value of the product and workmanship you've done. Secondly, and more important to you, the design of the cabinet is a bit cookie cutter. Please take this the right way as I'm trying to be constructive. Your custom parts need to look custom, different in such a way that even a novice wouldn't be able to compare it to a look you can get at Bob's Disount Furniture. Maybe the finish will make it stand out. I think you should avoid the simple designs that are shown in the retail arena and show off your talents in such a way that people will say, "where in the world did you get that piece?"
Good luck with your business!

Gregg,

Thanks for the response. I understand my pieces seem simple and too simple. I'm slowely learning that you need to find that mix between too simple and wild; nice enough to go in a lot of places and work in many rooms but unique enough so that it cannot be found anywhere. Most of my projects are based upon plans or formed from them in a construction and design sense and then I just float the numbers and methods around quite a bit. I'm working on two designs right now for tables that are really unique and use a bit more design and should express a wilder nature to them and can't wait to build them and post on here. Thanks for the advice, and don't worry about being honest as I am totally understanding. This is SIMPLE, something you will find in a store. I don't mind if people don't appreciate value, that's their choice and I wouldn't sell or market to them anyways. Take care.

Brian,
Keeping things simple can bring high value. I put my emphasis/value in the construction of the joints. By adding dovetail joints for the drawer and pinned mortise and tenon joinery you can keep the simple lines and increase the value of the piece. It's all that I will build now. I sell to a clientele that appreciates "old school" construction and is willing to pay for it. I recently made a bedside table/drawer that was mission style and had 4 dozen mortise and tenon joints with dovetail joints in the drawer. Choose wood that accents this work and you won't be disappointed. Good luck!

Brian,
I once attended a seminar held by a woodworker who made bed side tables out of ebony. The tables were small with 15 1nch square tops . He worked out of his garage using a band saw, a # 7 plane and a few other hand tools. He got $1500. ea. for them. His client assured him that she wanted to keep him busy working for her to refurnish her home. So there are still people who appreciate quality and will pay for it. Use solid wood......no plywood......Mdf or junk wood.
Do exquisite work and you will get your price for it.
Jim Campbell
.

Don't sell it at all. Unless you just need the money. Because of the fact that it is your first piece or at least thats what I would write on the bottom of it when you sign and date it, first piece that is. It will be worth much more down the road after your name is a house hold one. (We can dream can't we!) It does have the well built yet almost Walmart look. You can ask what ever you want for it but that doesnt mean your going to get it. If the offer is right take it but don't sell it for little just because you can, sell it for a lot, just because you can.

I appreciate the honest comments and accept any even if they are against how I'm thinking; I'm extremely open to suggestions. I do woodworking because I love it, not because I'm off to sell it for a fast buck. It's never about the money, sure a check pays the bills and gets you nicer tools with every job, but there is a certain satisfaction I find in building a piece to its perfection and selling it to someone that appreciates it. True craftsmanship matched with a buyer that appreciates it; the perfect balance. Fortunately there is still an abundance of people that do, so all of our lights remain on and we keep busy don't we! This was the first table I made from this design/plan (what have you) and I would not sell it because I feel I could perfect it the second time around and many more. Right now I keep pretty busy outside of my own shop so I'm putting things on the back burner but fine wood working will always be my first love! I'm sure many of you would agree, the money is always nice, but more so when you can build something correctly with hand picked materials and have a buyer that enjoys the beauty of the grain and craftsmanship as the sweated hours building it. Thanks again guys.