Jewelry Box

[don_hart]

This jewelry box was made for a co-worker on commision as a gift for one of her relatives. The design for the box came from a series of images she found on the web. The box is constructed of a combination of tiger maple and 1/4" oak plywood for contrast. The handle on the front and the legs are stained with a minwax dark walnut stain and the entire piece has 8 coats of poly.

[JeffW]

Don, Nice job.

[Woodnut]

D@mn Don, done dandy!

[GeekMom]

Very nice, Don.

[GPA61]

Looks great Don.

[monte]

Very nice work Don!

[Crockett]

Looks great Don. When you do commision work do you give a price up front or after you make the item? Just curious as I have been asked to make a few things recently am never really sure of what the best approach on this is.
Al

[Ken Weaver]

Good work Don, good job on the miters.

[don_hart]

I normally give them a price up front. The thing to remember when you are doing something like this is to not undervalue your work. People will pay more than you expect for a handmade item in most cases. But the biggest thing is we as woodworkers know what whe have in materials in a project and we have a tendancy to undervalue our skill and labor.

Take this jewelry box for example. Since I like this person I gave them what I consider a good price I only charged them $50. Now looking at it from a materials perspective I have about $5 - 7 invested in this project including the hinges. Knowing how cheap the materials are some people would have a tendancy to lowball the price they charge especially since we do this work because we love it and not to make a living. I look at any money I make off of these kinds of projects as additions to my tool/wood stash.

When someone asks about a project the first thing I do is have them provide me with an example of what they want and make sure we are on the same page design wise. Then I take a look on the internet at similar items from good quality vendors so I can get an idea on what prices are like. Then normally quote a fair price that is lower than what the item can be bought for. Be sure to look at good quality vendors don't base your prices on something found at walmart or one of the big chains.

[Tundra_Man]

Very nice! Love the figuring on the maple.

[Crockett]

Thanks for the info Don, that helps a lot. I do exactly as you say, I low ball the project. I have to get around that and your suggestion of looking at what quality vendors sell similar items for is a good idea.
thanks and great work!
Al

[don_hart]

You are not in a minority in this. I see alot of part time craftsman that do the same thing.

[Pappy]

fantastic piece, Don.