What did you make today?

[footfootfoot]

Here is the finished proto-type. The compare photos are from different angles so that changes the look of the piece somewhat so I added pointing fingers to indicate the places I made changes.

So far it has one very thin coat of Watco (25% Watco 75% turps) I am thinking about what kind of finish I'd like to put on it, if I want to stain it or do something else.

I wanted to make the transitions crisper, that is a hallmark of a hand turned piece made with gouges and chisels; the finish they leave behind is smoother than sandpaper which softens or obliterates fine details. (Full disclosure: I did sand a few spots because I'm out of practice and my tools aren't sharpened as well as they can be and that led to a couple of lumpy spots on the vases.)

Standard candle bases are 7/8" unless they are from China where they use metric sizes making your candlesticks too big. I didn't have any inserts on hand ($0.07 ea) so I cut a 3/4" copper pipe connector (7/8" ID, <1" OD) annealed it, upset one end so it would fit snugly, and flared the other end, re-annealed it and peened it over the top of the candlestick.

When I make the mate I'm going to change the order of some of the steps to make it more efficient. Making the metal insert cost a lot more than seven cents in materials and a crazy amount of time. If I make more of these I'm buying inserts.

I also need to build a proper sharpening jig for my gouges. The shape is very complicates and despite a lot of practice my results are inconsistent and costly in terms of unnecessary wear on the tools. I bought mine over 20 years ago and nearly crapped when I saw how much they cost today.

[glatt]

Yeah. That came out nice.

Even somebody who doesn't know anything about machine manufactured vs handmade can look at that and see all those crisp edges and know it's different and better.

The copper work is impressive.

What species of wood? Looks like maple, but maybe something else?

I think the trick is finding the buyer who will pay enough to make it worth your while.

My cousin is a carpenter in NJ, and he somehow got in with some wealthy regular customers and is able to afford to do high end finish carpentry and unique woodworking projects now instead of framing tract housing.

You need to find a wealthy sponsor. Any Hudson river valley equestrian clubs or anything like that? Someplace where those bored CEO wives from NYC go shopping on weekend outings to the country.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by glatt

Yeah. That came out nice.

Even somebody who doesn't know anything about machine manufactured vs handmade can look at that and see all those crisp edges and know it's different and better.

The copper work is impressive.

What species of wood? Looks like maple, but maybe something else?

I think the trick is finding the buyer who will pay enough to make it worth your while.

My cousin is a carpenter in NJ, and he somehow got in with some wealthy regular customers and is able to afford to do high end finish carpentry and unique woodworking projects now instead of framing tract housing.

You need to find a wealthy sponsor. Any Hudson river valley equestrian clubs or anything like that? Someplace where those bored CEO wives from NYC go shopping on weekend outings to the country.

@ Grav: Thanks

@ Glatt: Thanks. As Sy Syms used to say, "An educated consumer is our best customer." You'd be surprised at how many people can't tell quality and buy based on brand name. An electrician once told me that rich people only like to spend money on things that show people how wealthy they are. That's one of the reasons they try to stiff or haggle with tradespeople who do work for them. There's no real advantage to paying a plumber because people aren't seeing your plumbing. That's Manchester at any rate.

The wood is cherry, but the stick part is glued up from some sap wood scraps that are much lighter, hence my thoughts of staining.

I'm very close to Manchester, VT the multi-millionaire ghetto, and Saratoga Springs, rich but horsey. I'm keeping my eyes out for a sponsor or the right type of craft fair/farmer market.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

You'd be surprised at how many people can't tell quality and buy based on brand name.

They try to pick the best bargain walmart offers.