What are you working on currently?

Bungusbeefcake

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Just finished a wee project today I've been meaning to do for a while. Had a few friends who play guitars in local bands that were looking for a nice stand to hang a good guitar on the floor in their room. Saw a plan on youtube and adapted it a little and then using mainly Ash (some oak barrel staves for the neck grasp) I created this one.

Not fully finished yet, needs an oil or varnish still and a few dowels to be popped into screw holes. Unsure what to put on the completed piece besides lacquer tbh. Anybody got an opinion? Ash grain doesn't really get enhanced much with pure oil I feel, so perhaps something with a bit of color to it might be better than just danish oil that I normally use.

Open to suggestions . . . Thanks

Nice, that looks great!! Can you send on a link to the plans? Definitely something I would put on my list to make myself. I've 2 guitars and a bass and no stands for them at all. Would love to display them like that.

Also, for decoration you could go with stickers of your musical inspirations? Or flames.....nothing like a guitar being held up by flames, especially an SG.

Or if you're a big ACDC fan, something novelty like paint it like their ties, if you have the skills.

chillyspoon

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Just finished a wee project today I've been meaning to do for a while. Had a few friends who play guitars in local bands that were looking for a nice stand to hang a good guitar on the floor in their room. Saw a plan on youtube and adapted it a little and then using mainly Ash (some oak barrel staves for the neck grasp) I created this one.

Not fully finished yet, needs an oil or varnish still and a few dowels to be popped into screw holes. Unsure what to put on the completed piece besides lacquer tbh. Anybody got an opinion? Ash grain doesn't really get enhanced much with pure oil I feel, so perhaps something with a bit of color to it might be better than just danish oil that I normally use.

Open to suggestions . . . Thanks

Very cool - also on my TODO list. I want to hang a couple on the wall and one heavy duty floor stand to replace the flimsy metal one I have because the cats keep knocking it over :eek:

I often use Rustin's teak oil to add a light tint which I think looks nice btw. I quite like the natural ash look.

Guru Maith Agut

Bungusbeefcake wrote: »

Nice, that looks great!! Can you send on a link to the plans? Definitely something I would put on my list to make myself. I've 2 guitars and a bass and no stands for them at all. Would love to display them like that.

Thanks. Unfortunately I haven't made any plans. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda guy :pac:

I'll take full measurements when I'm back in shed (probably Monday) and post them here or msg you. The back spine I just made a template using 6½mm ply and after cutting the ash to near my drawn line I used the router to flush trim to the template. The height of that spine piece was 38" if that's any help anyway.

I only had all dry fitted in these pics so today I have decided to tinker with it slightly anyway. I will post finished pics next week when I've it all put together.

I eventually settled on danish oil. Looks good if I'm honest. But phone pics just won't do it justice.



I am going to make these as I have had some interest. I see quite a few on US websites and a few on Etsy. I'm pitching my price at €80.00 for one made with the Ash.

Do you guys think that's a fair price to pay?

Be interested to hear your thoughts on a suggested price.. Thanks

Guru Maith Agut

chillyspoon wrote: »

Very cool - also on my TODO list. I want to hang a couple on the wall and one heavy duty floor stand to replace the flimsy metal one I have because the cats keep knocking it over :eek:

I often use Rustin's teak oil to add a light tint which I think looks nice btw. I quite like the natural ash look.

Cheers dude. Yeah I had used teak oil before and wasn't mad on the yellow tinge that it gives. You're right though, the Ash does look nice au naturel. :cool:

I'm going to make a few for wall hanging also. I will post pics when I've made a plan at some stage next week.

Double Barrel

Guru

Aniline dyes are a good choice for applying a transparent tint for maple, ash, birch etc.
Pigmented stains may mask the wood's figure and can lend wood a muddy look. But transparent dye colours, even dark ones, can bring out the grain and add depth. Aniline dye comes as a powder that you dissolve in water, alcohol, or petroleum solvents, depending on the formulation.
Start with the water-soluble dyes because they offer maximum clarity and colorfastness and are the easiest to use. Bolgers water based. https://bolgers.co.uk/collections/wood-dyes

Keda dye from USA, in powder form so can be mixed with spirits or water and you only need make as much as you may require.
https://www.kedadyeinc.com

Google Chestnut aniline dye and Liberon aniline dye

Lacquer will work as a finish

Good luck

Sparks

Getting a bit better at these I think. Ten year wedding anniversary gift is tin, right?

Graham

Sparks wrote: »

Getting a bit better at these I think. Ten year wedding anniversary gift is tin, right?

If that's your plan for the 10th anniversary gift, you might want to sand the corners some more and oil the wood. Should make it easier to remove

Sparks

Graham wrote: »

If that's your plan for the 10th anniversary gift, you might want to sand the corners some more and oil the wood. Should make it easier to remove

Oh, way ahead of you

Double Barrel

Ah yes!!! :cool::) That will add substantially to the plus column.;)
Good man
Congratulations on the tin year anniversary. :cool:;)

Nika Bolokov

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Thanks. Unfortunately I haven't made any plans. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kinda guy :pac:

I'll take full measurements when I'm back in shed (probably Monday) and post them here or msg you. The back spine I just made a template using 6½mm ply and after cutting the ash to near my drawn line I used the router to flush trim to the template. The height of that spine piece was 38" if that's any help anyway.

I only had all dry fitted in these pics so today I have decided to tinker with it slightly anyway. I will post finished pics next week when I've it all put together.

I eventually settled on danish oil. Looks good if I'm honest. But phone pics just won't do it justice.



I am going to make these as I have had some interest. I see quite a few on US websites and a few on Etsy. I'm pitching my price at €80.00 for one made with the Ash.

Do you guys think that's a fair price to pay?

Be interested to hear your thoughts on a suggested price.. Thanks

80 for one made of ash seems really cheap.

Your underselling your efforts!

Guru Maith Agut

Nika Bolokov wrote: »

80 for one made of ash seems really cheap.

Your underselling your efforts!

Fair point and thanks for your input. It's a thin line between looking at the amount of time you put into a project, adding costs, how it looks when completed and then the reality of what you would like to charge versus what you reckon you won't get for it (especially if you don't hit your target crowd).




Which brings me onto a serious question..


Where does everybody sell their stuff? I live in Cavan and am finding it really hard to attract customers despite doing a lot of social media post boosting/advertisement within an 80km range too, so not like I'm only working off a small population base.
It's just so incredibly hard and frustrating trying to understand how to get to your target audience and current pandemic times make it even harder, given the non events like fairs and arts and craft show.

I've tried the likes of Etsy (no longer have an Irish operation :rolleyes: ) and did sell 2 items (maple & walnut drinks coasters) in a 6 month period which was hardly worth jumping up and down about. And they were items that I purposely priced cheaper than comparable items in the UK just to try and get a sale. After all there's no point in it sitting on a shelf unsold than a few quid in the pocket to buy more wood with :pac:

I also considered setting up a Facebook/Instagram page myself for Ireland only exposure. A place for multiple "Makers of wooden projects" to advertise and sell their works.
It works well in the US and even though we are but a fraction of their size surely there would be a good take up on the use of a similar platform over here?

Like there must be a cazillion small operators like me and the many of you in here making fine woodworking projects around the country that could benefit from a one stop shop to advertise their wares directly to consumers in Ireland.




Anybody confident enough with an idea like this to give me a hand setting something up?

Nika Bolokov

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Fair point and thanks for your input. It's a thin line between looking at the amount of time you put into a project, adding costs, how it looks when completed and then the reality of what you would like to charge versus what you reckon you won't get for it (especially if you don't hit your target crowd).




Which brings me onto a serious question..


Where does everybody sell their stuff? I live in Cavan and am finding it really hard to attract customers despite doing a lot of social media post boosting/advertisement within an 80km range too, so not like I'm only working off a small population base.
It's just so incredibly hard and frustrating trying to understand how to get to your target audience and current pandemic times make it even harder, given the non events like fairs and arts and craft show.

I've tried the likes of Etsy (no longer have an Irish operation :rolleyes: ) and did sell 2 items (maple & walnut drinks coasters) in a 6 month period which was hardly worth jumping up and down about. And they were items that I purposely priced cheaper than comparable items in the UK just to try and get a sale. After all there's no point in it sitting on a shelf unsold than a few quid in the pocket to buy more wood with :pac:

I also considered setting up a Facebook/Instagram page myself for Ireland only exposure. A place for multiple "Makers of wooden projects" to advertise and sell their works.
It works well in the US and even though we are but a fraction of their size surely there would be a good take up on the use of a similar platform over here?

Like there must be a cazillion small operators like me and the many of you in here making fine woodworking projects around the country that could benefit from a one stop shop to advertise their wares directly to consumers in Ireland.




Anybody confident enough with an idea like this to give me a hand setting something up?

Id say an idea like that, in the climate were in would be a serious contender for some sort of enterprise grant or state funding.

magicbastarder

I have heard some possibly alarmist stories about the revenue following people selling stuff on social media so be sure to declare any income earned from anything you sell.

Calahonda52

magicbastarder wrote: »

I have heard some possibly alarmist stories about the revenue following people selling stuff on social media so be sure to declare any income earned from anything you sell.

Unless the numbers are big i don't see it as an issue
eg anyone can gift someone 3 grand per annum so I will take 2,999 as a gift fo that vice, free shipping worldwide

CelticRambler

Guru Maith Agut wrote: »

Like there must be a cazillion small operators like me and the many of you in here making fine woodworking projects around the country that could benefit from a one stop shop to advertise their wares directly to consumers in Ireland.

I can't comment specifically on the situation in Ireland, but here in middle-of-nowhere rural France loosely organised artists' cooperatives have become very popular, usually using "inner city" village shops that have been left empty for years. In my local town, population 700, there are now six or seven such shops and galleries.

Depending on the space available, there can be work from anything up to about two dozen artists and craftsmen of all kinds, some places being so successful that they can afford to pay someone to mind the shop, otherwise everyone does a few hours at some point during the week. These can be great outlets for someone who has only a few pieces, and they benefit from the synergy of (for example) putting a jewellery box in with a display of jewellery.

Nika Bolokov

Nika Bolokov wrote: »

Id say an idea like that, in the climate were in would be a serious contender for some sort of enterprise grant or state funding.

I'd have to disagree. An idea is not a business plan and without one of those, you'll never get going with anything.

The greatest problem with folks making stuff as a hobby is that they don't adopt a mindset from the outset that what they're making to sell should be to a minimum standard of quality to meet the customers expectations and that the price you can actually sell them at needs to cover materials, overheads and wages/salary. Even before that, you need to know you have a market you can reach and who will be able to buy at a price that makes sense for you, not just for them.

I don't want to derail this thread by getting into the whole thing in more detail, especially as it's not a good vibe to be critical of what someone else is doing when uninvited to do so, but I'd have a lot more to say if Guru Maith Agat wanted to start a separate thread himself.

Guru Maith Agut

JayZeus wrote: »

.. I don't want to derail this thread by getting into the whole thing in more detail, especially as it's not a good vibe to be critical of what someone else is doing when uninvited to do so, but I'd have a lot more to say if Guru Maith Agat wanted to start a separate thread himself.

Agreed. Good point.


Discussion thread started here



If MODS want to clip some of this off topic stuff to the new thread, feel free. Apologies if I strayed off the mark a little in this thread.

Thanks

Guru Maith Agut

Few of my latest projects..

magicbastarder

are they facebook links? not loading for me...

Guru Maith Agut

magicbastarder wrote: »

are they facebook links? not loading for me...

Yeah they are

I've just linked them from my FB page.. Is there a way to link them better or is it a case of having to download and save to my photo hosting site?

bamayang

Built a pergola over last two weekends. Enjoyable project, space was a bit open/exposed before, feel its a bit cosier now. Must work on some patio furniture next.

Not sure what way to finish the tops of the posts, might put a triangular cap on each.

chillyspoon

bamayang wrote: »

Built a pergola over last two weekends. Enjoyable project, space was a bit open/exposed before, feel its a bit cosier now. Must work on some patio furniture next.

Not sure what way to finish the tops of the posts, might put a triangular cap on each.

That's epic!

Double Barrel

Google copper finials for timber posts. You might find one to your liking.

karlitob

mossym wrote: »

and done. bit clearer what it is now

Looks great. Is the rack on the left for utensils? Do the shelves fold down?

Fair play.

iamtony

A friend asked me to make a wrestling arena for his boys. Still needs a bit of work and painting. Its just bits of scrap wood mostly it was a bit of fun to make something likr that.

Images arent showing up. Ill get it right one day Scrapwood project . Wrestling ring and arena. https://imgur.com/gallery/BCg4wXk

tabby aspreme

A dice tower and tray for my daughter, for Dungeons and Dragons. Made with native Elm, Oak, Beech, and Douglas Fir

Gloomtastic!

tabby aspreme wrote: »

A dice tower and tray for my daughter, for Dungeons and Dragons. Made with native Elm, Oak, Beech, and Douglas Fir

Could be the coolest thing ever, if I was a D&D fan. Well done Dad, major brownie points earned!

Bungusbeefcake

tabby aspreme wrote: »

A dice tower and tray for my daughter, for Dungeons and Dragons. Made with native Elm, Oak, Beech, and Douglas Fir

Well done on that! Looks amazing, totally might do something like that myself in future. Love the jointing.

bamayang

bamayang wrote: »

Built a pergola over last two weekends. Enjoyable project,[/IMG]

That is absolutely class.
Another one added to the list :rolleyes:
What was bill for the timer if you dont mind me asking ?

I built this BBQ bench after seeing Mossyms one!

Guru Maith Agut

BrownFinger wrote: »

I built this BBQ bench after seeing Mossyms one!

Is that a concrete top or just painted wood?