Column Progress

I did some more work this week on the column, mostly planing the outside, and making sure the bottom is square, because that's where the feet attach to.  It looks good.

Marking out a square line to plane to (on the left).

Woodworking as a Business

As part of my research component, I am interested in how much I would sell my project for, if I was selling it.  This is a very hard question as I am certainly not a professional trying to support myself with woodworking, so my costs are significantly less than a professional's.  So far what I can conclude from the literature I have read on pricing your work is this: it depends.

When I talked to Chris Lowe, he told me that he figures out how many hours it will take to complete each part of a project, and what the materials cost is, and uses this to calculate the total price.  A while ago I began making a detailed log of how many hours I spent on the stand, and on what.  Up to now I have spent approximately 20 hours on the build of this project, and have spent $55 on materials.  At a conservative $20/hr, that makes the total cost be about $415 not factoring in at least 6-7 more hours before completion.

However there are other ways to determine a price that take into account factors such as sale method, and the target market.  The most direct way to customers is (unsurprisingly) to sell to them directly.  However unless you already have a substantial customer base, you will have to put time and money into marketing your work, which takes away from your profits and production time.  Another way is to sell through something or someone, for example selling products through a gallery or a show.  Depending on the venue however, some of the purchase price will be given to the gallery/show.  Another important factor in pricing is your target customers.  How much are they willing to spend?  Can you justify your cost by the quality?

Because of my situation as a student, it is very difficult to make a hypothetical cost estimate.  I don't have to pay for my room or board, so my direct costs are only the materials cost at the beginning of the project.  Really I am just happy to have something work on that I know someone will value greatly.

http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/pricing-your-work/

http://bridgewooddesign.com/estimator/howto.htm

http://www.woodworkersjourney.com/category/pricing-your-work

Graves, Garth. Earn a Second Income from Your Woodworking. Cincinnati, OH: Betterway, 1997. Print.

Learning Observations

Learning involves memorization.  This has proven to be very true about my project, however my memorization is different than most.  Mine is physical memorization, teaching my body to be able to plane more accurately, to be able to saw exactly to a line.  I have vastly improved my woodworking skills throughout this project.  Being in the shop regularly has really helped with this.

My project is a perfect example of how learning is inconclusive.  Although I already possess the basic skills needed for this project, at every turn there are opportunities to learn new techniques and improve my skills.  For example in the joinery for the base, the joints a modified version of something I have done before, but are slightly different. The person I interviewed, Chris Lowe, told me that it takes at least 10 years to begin to feel comfortable with this work, but even for someone who has worked as a woodworker all their life, there are always new skills and techniques to learn.

Base Milling

 Before I can even start working on joinery for the feet, I have to do some milling.

The chalk indicates which surfaces are "reference surfaces", meaning that when I go to mark out joinery, I always reference my square or other layout tool off these surfaces.  The face and the edge reference surfaces are perfectly square to each other.

Using the reference edge on the bandsaw fence, all of the parts are ripped to the same width.

Happiness Revisited

I feel the most happy and contented when I have just completed something well that is very challenging, whether mentally, physically, or both.  This article on flow reminded me of something that my dad once told me; that nothing worthwhile gets completed in a 9-5 job.  Although this may sound like an insult to anyone who works from 9-5, it is not.  What he meant, and what this article explains, is that success is a "unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication."   That success and happiness are both things that come from stretching our bodies and/or minds to do things that we are passionate about.  In my project I am currently towards the lower part of the "flow channel."  right now the work I am doing is fairly repetitive, but is a necessary part of my project.  Soon however I will move upwards towards the more challenging region as I must begin working on some techniques that are very new to me, such as bridle joints.

Central Column Glue-up

Before gluing up the column, I had to make sure that the sliding action was as smooth as possible.  With the narrow sides clamped in place, I traced the width of the post onto each side.

Using my bandsaw and jointer plane, I cut and planed the sides to exactly the needed width.

While testing the fit of the post, I aimed for a fit that was fairly snug, as I will later plane the post carefully to make a perfect fit.  To begin the glue-up of the column, I begin with gluing one piece on, and wiping away all the glue squeeze-out with a wet rag.

After that was dry, I glued the other side on, using the post as reference, making sure to wipe away any glue squeeze out.

After that was dry I glued on the last piece, making sure to use glue sparingly, as any squeeze out would be essentially impossible to remove.

After all the glue was set, I planed the outside.  Not all the joints turned out perfect, but they are passable, after all I knew that this would be the hardest part of the project.  Now onto the base.

Central Post

The main component of the adjustment mechanism is the the central post that slides within the outer column.  To get to the thickness needed, I glued up two .75" thick pieces to make a 1.5" square piece.

For the mechanism to be smooth, it is essential to make sure all components are square and consistent thickness, without any twist.  Using a square and calipers I made sure the central post is very square and has less than 1/64" change in thickness along its length.  The outer column is made of four pieces glued up, so all of those components must be very square and flat as well.

Here is a mock-up of how the sliding mechanism will work:

Testing the squareness and fit for the outer column: