What are you building for Christmas presents?

[BadeMillsap]

I'm having the woodworker's version of "writer's block"... any ideas for repeatable small projects to be made and given as gifts to adults?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[capncarl]

How much money per present? How many build hours per present?

[atgcpaul]

My one coworker saw the picture frame I made as a going away present for another coworker and told me that's what she wanted for Christmas this year so that's what's she's getting.

I plan on making cutting boards for another set of coworkers (married couple, like to cook).

I also want to make cutting boards for family and I'd better kick it into gear. I'm making edge grain boards, not end grain.

[leehljp]

Pinterist has numerous pages of creative ideas. Go to https://www.pinterest.com and do a few searches on woodworking, hand crafted, wood deco, or similar words or phrases. You may not find layout, instructions or plans with most, but there are some creative ideas there.

Here is one link:
https://www.pinterest.com/explore/ea...tm_medium=2024

[BadeMillsap]

How much money per present? How many build hours per present?

Typically I make small items (like the tissue box covers) that are made from scrap lumber left over from other projects ... build hours vary but certainly less than 10 per piece.

I've looked at pinterest and etsy and do see some ideas on those sites ... just fishing this pond for other ideas.

[leehljp]

I have to write something funny (at least to me, I have a weird sense of humor). One fellow on the pen forum who lives one state over from me - well he did what some of us do at times and made a bunch of something - in this case bowls. He had too many around and wanted to get rid of some to get them out of his wife's domain, so he gave one as a present to each person in the office where he worked. (That was good!)

The next day, one lady came into the office and asked him for "as many as you can make!" Then she added: " I sold that bowl for $10.00. If you make me some more I can sell all I can get at $10.00 each."

He was horrified! "But (when I sell them) I get $5 to $7 per inch in size. You just sold a $70 bowl for $10.

Some people are oblivious and some naive on the value of well made wood objects!

Honestly, LOML is like that (oblivious and naive) on things I make; my girls love what I make, and so do relatives and friends. But LOML prefers a "manufacturing" sticker on it.

[tfischer]

Yeah that's the 'problem' of woodworking... few people are willing to pay what it's really worth to build something nice.

I've thought about getting into pen turning (I don't currently even own a lathe) but I sometimes question whether I could sell the pens for what the blanks and inserts cost me, much less try to make a profit on them and pay for my time.

Someone this weekend asked me if I'd make them a Kubb game (we were playing with the set I built 5+ years ago) and how much it would cost. I shrugged and said I'd just do it for the cost of materials, knowing that even that isn't much less than they could purchase one on eBay for.

[LCHIEN]

I have to write something funny (at least to me, I have a weird sense of humor). One fellow on the pen forum who lives one state over from me - well he did what some of us do at times and made a bunch of something - in this case bowls. He had too many around and wanted to get rid of some to get them out of his wife's domain, so he gave one as a present to each person in the office where he worked. (That was good!)

The next day, one lady came into the office and asked him for "as many as you can make!" Then she added: " I sold that bowl for $10.00. If you make me some more I can sell all I can get at $10.00 each."

He was horrified! "But (when I sell them) I get $5 to $7 per inch in size. You just sold a $70 bowl for $10.

Some people are oblivious and some naive on the value of well made wood objects!

Honestly, LOML is like that (oblivious and naive) on things I make; my girls love what I make, and so do relatives and friends. But LOML prefers a "manufacturing" sticker on it.

That story raises more than one point.
One, clearly that woman never deserves a personal gift again
Two was she planning on sharing any of the $10 with him, and was planning on sharing any of the additional $10s with him or did she see his work and labor as basically $0 out of pocket for him and $10
for herself?
Three, is she so naive or ingenuous (apparently so) that she would tell him that she sold his personally made gift to her?

[capncarl]

Since I've made a few Tiny Tables I'd suggest making a small table of this type for gifts. 7 bf of wood and 6-10 man hours for single build tables and somewhat less time for quality builds.
I agree, most people do not understand the cost and labor involved in hand made gifts. A friend that I made 2 custom Tiny Tables for a going away gifts later told me that I should expand my market to her new town, they would probably sell for $39 all day! She wa suprised when I told her that I probably had $30 in materials for each of her tables and 10 hours labor in each table.
capncarl

[leehljp]

Do you have a scroll saw, or access to one? If so, that are MANY things to make with a scroll saw. If you do, I have numerous links to some fairly good gift items.

[BadeMillsap]

Do you have a scroll saw, or access to one? If so, that are MANY things to make with a scroll saw. If you do, I have numerous links to some fairly good gift items.

Hi Lee .. I DO have a scroll saw but it doesn't get much (read virtually zero) use in my shop. I'm certainly open to new ideas ... please do post the links! Others besides myself will likelly be interested.

[poolhound]

I have been making a bunch of stuff intended for holiday gifts, although the idea is to sell them as I test run my semi retirement business. I have been making bottle stoppers, pens, pepper mills, chopping boards and cheese boards. I also intend to make some of the tissue box covers Bade mentioned and a few simple boxes.

[leehljp]

"Hi Lee .. I DO have a scroll saw but it doesn't get much (read virtually zero) use in my shop. I'm certainly open to new ideas ... please do post the links! Others besides myself will likelly be interested."

Here is a link to a forum that I am NOT yet a member of, but they do have lots of pictures and even some patterns on the forum - listed on the front page:
http://www.scrollsawvillage.com/gallery/
Some are VERY complicated, but some are simple.

I am a new member on this forum:
http://www.stevedgood.com/community/...action=gallery

Go about two thirds of the way down and look for the bar that says:
Scrollsaw Workshop Reader Photo Gallery
Some more great photos.
Steve Goode is a master at making designs.
Some more related links of Steve Goode:
http://scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com

A third one:
https://forum.scrollsawer.com
They have forums broken down into puzzles, toys, fretwork, bowls, boxes, 3d objects, Intarsia. The only problem is that these are forums and you have to look at each post individually to get the idea.

One great idea is the bowls:
https://forum.scrollsawer.com/forum/...ts/841820-bowl
there are other versions of this and some are beautiful.

I had a link to a simple but beautiful scroll saw bowl last week but cannot find it now. When I find it, I will post it.

Here is a link to the pen turners forum. One fellow made a beautiful bowl from the scroll saw, along with some other great projects:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f45/...t-i-do-143526/

[LCHIEN]

The problem with most scrollsaw items is the huge amount of time & labor that goes into items. Often with a single slip ruining a piece. Few people appreciate such works.
They are best reserved for close family or friends, not general distribution.

[capncarl]

I dug this thread up from last year.
What kind of shop made presents does anyone have going on?
A friend asked if I would make him a small 3 dimensional wood tree from a rough sketch he made on an envelope. I googled and searched Pinterest and found nothing that vaguely resembled what he wanted. There were several utube sites that made 3 dimension reigndeer and Christmas ornaments, I figured there can’t be much difference in a reigndeer, ornament and a tree, so I started put a narrow blade on the Band saw and started cutting wood. Much scrap later here is one that came out looking like a tree.
Build time is 10 minutes sketching tree on the wood, 10 minutes Band saw time and 45 minutes sanding and finish. Material is 3”x3” x 12” whatever wood that is laying around. Finish is medium Watco