Commissioned work advice
- Thread starter njohnston924
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David
From your post you learned a whole bunch in one project. There are just so many different ways to go with "woodworking" its hard to figure out what to do??
Years ago I made some decisions about what I wanted to do to satisfy my own interests and then later to make some money to sustain my interests and expenses.
For example: you don't make enough money to justify making longrifles by hand for profit. You have too many hours in it to complete the job and make any money. I have built rifles for less than 10/hour labor. You can get a job at Walmart and make more money -- but its no fun. I can't stop makin' them and they don't take up much space so I go on with my obsession.
With a little thinking, I realized more people are wanting to sit down than shoot flintlocks. So I started making chairs back in the late 70s. Still not getting rich but having fun and making a little money for tools. I might mention that after 100 you get faster. My chairs are well made but function is the key. There are others making art forms but I offer sets to folks at a lower price. More on that another time.
I encourage beginners to start with a project they enjoy making that does not take up a lot of space the shop. See if they sell.
Doing repair work on some valuable pieces will eventually lead to a commission. For a big piece the materials alone are big bucks. A 2000.00 deposit before you start is a mouthful for some and nothing to another.
This is just one path. A path that I took with a set of circumstances. Its important to point out-- I have never relied on woodworking to pay all the bills. I knew it would lead to less enjoyment so I've kept it "part-time" and its been good.
David I looked at your profile and if my memory serves me well taking care of animals is a major time investment. Just looking at keeping horses tells me there is little time for long hours in the shop to schedule commissioned work. I'm not getting on you for having some neat interests but at some point you have to address "balance" with your time. My wife is really on my about that as I crossed the 66 yard line.
good luck
No worries! Not planning to do a lot of commission work. Just playing mostly and TRYING to enjoy tinkering in the shop. Blunders are frustrating. If someone comes along and asks for something, I'll certainly consider it with the caveat that "I'm not a professional!" lol
No worries! Not planning to do a lot of commission work. Just playing mostly and TRYING to enjoy tinkering in the shop. Blunders are frustrating. If someone comes along and asks for something, I'll certainly consider it with the caveat that "I'm not a professional!" lol
OK that makes more sense to me. I suspected as much but the question just sat there for me.
I have done work at different times for different reasons. Sometimes it was nice to get paid for work that was not interesting and took a good bit of time. Other times the money just didn't make much difference as my income for bills was another source and woodworking was pure gravy.
I find a similarity between woodworking that I do for others and getting rid of a litter of puppies. Old wisdom says never just give away pups - especially to strangers. People will treat the pups differently if the pay and they have an investment. Well wood projects can be kinda like that.
The subject of being paid for woodworking has come up at some point in every forum I have visited at one time or another. Its a complicated topic and I have concluded it has no simple answer. That's not saying I don't have some points that work for me or that I am not a strident supporter of being paid fairly for work. Being paid for work in most trades is an ongoing learning process.
As the public as a whole continues to move further and further away from a sense of pride in being self reliant, I think folks who have skills and work for others will have a tougher time as we move along the time line.
time will tell I guess
I've only done a few ww commissions and always felt afterward that I didn't charge enough especially when the client was aggravating. There is a line of thinking that you should charge a day rate + materials and overhead, instead of an hourly rate and if I do any more commissions that's what I'll do. But more likely I'll just build something and sell it because commissions are annoying.
Catching up on all the replies in the last day or 2. Thanks all for the great advice! I'm not quite at the point where I want to make this an official business - maybe in the future if this goes well and others are interested in anything. I don't count on it paying the bills, but it would be nice to make a few extra bucks on the side (hopefully more than a few).
I do plan on getting a deposit before buying any materials and checking out where they would want to put it, design, etc.
I do plan on getting a deposit before buying any materials and checking out where they would want to put it, design, etc.
Well you've built one, so you have the advantage of fixing some kind of time estimate.
You need to upcharge materials +20% (this covers pickup, handling, shipping charges for hardware, etc).
You also need to figure your time for visiting the site to measure.
Plus, the design process + meeting with client to approve/alter has to be factored in.
Your time is worth what you think its worth that's an individual decision we can't make for you.
You need to upcharge materials +20% (this covers pickup, handling, shipping charges for hardware, etc).
You also need to figure your time for visiting the site to measure.
Plus, the design process + meeting with client to approve/alter has to be factored in.
Your time is worth what you think its worth that's an individual decision we can't make for you.
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