Opinions Please

[jhaag]

so, i built this table for a friend and was looking for some feedback on it and what one might be willing to pay for such a piece. she sent me some pics of what she liked and this is what i created.

the table is 60"L x 18"D x 30"H. the top, lower shelf and drawer fronts are solid 3/4" poplar; the sides, back and wine stores are 1/2" birch veneer plywood; the legs are solid birch; and the pulls are brushed stainless steel. the finish is black distressed "driftwood".

edit: prices are per feedback i have received from others, including folks in the furniture industry.

thanks

Edited December 18, 2010 by jhaag

[Steve Butters]

im sure you put a lot of work in it, and the workmanship is good, but i dont think ide put that in my house if it was free...it looks like something you would put in a hallway or something, i dont see a real application for it...and as a hallway table or entrance room table, the little compartment type things dont make sense to me...to each their own i suppose

[jblosser]

Different finish and I'd pay a grand for it.

I chose 'you'd have to pay me to take it' only because that choice amused me...

[jporter12]

Very nice work!

I don't like it, as it wouldn't go with anything we have, but in the right setting, that thing would look nice!

I would price according to materials and time, plus some profit.

[|SnOmAn|]

Beautiful peice of work, but I would agree with the one statement. Change the finish and I would pay some good money for it. Of course I'm sure you did that finish for your friend, per her taste maybe. It is very nice, I love wood work.

[max power]

That thing is SWEET!! I know what kind of work goes into something like that. Its like the douchebag and his hair that he works forever on to make it look like he just woke up that way. Whatever you get out of it probably wont equal the work that went into it.

[jhaag]

i really appreciate the feedback, guys.

this table is considered a console table. like tbutera said, it would be a hall table or maybe behind a couch if you had an open floor plan. she wanted extra serving space in her kitchen, so this is built specifically for her tastes, including the finish. the compartments are meant to be wine racks.

thanks again for the feedback, much appreciated.

table in place:

[Ron505]

Nice peice. In my experience, it's hard to make money off of something like this unless you've already built it several times, and can cut your time way down. Looks great though.

By the way, in my opinion, the drawer pulls need to be changed for that kind of finish of the cabinet. Just my opinion.

[Steve Butters]

looks a lot better in the other pic of it in place....in the first photos it just looked dirty and old, but i actually like it seeing it where its at in her house

[drew95gt]

I agree with the others, it is very nice just the finish wouldn't work for my house. If it was say a light oak finish then I would go for it to put in my kitchen on the long empty wall I have.

[hollywood3586]

Love it!! I'm gonna have to recruit you when I need my drawer fronts redone. Good job.

[cmoosego]

between 1500 and 2000 would be what I would ask for that piece, based upon your material selections of birch and poplar which are probably the most prolific in use for furniture, due to the rapid growth and ease of milling. I see the labor at about 25-35 hours due to the design and finish... so I think that is a good ball park... now if you were to do most of the solid pieces in oak or cherry that price could go up to 25-3000 bucks... those woods are fairly easy to get so you wouldn't be outlaying much more cash up front for the materials and you could have more traditional finishes to appeal to more people. all in all from what I see it's very good work.

[2Wheeler]

I'm a half assed woodworker and I can see the amount of planning and labor that goes into a piece like this.

[jhaag]

By the way, in my opinion, the drawer pulls need to be changed for that kind of finish of the cabinet. Just my opinion.

the pulls were tough because the drawers were so wide. but she liked these, otherwise i might have gone with two knobs, maybe.

Love it!! I'm gonna have to recruit you when I need my drawer fronts redone. Good job.

thanks. i'm about to do a vanity with more complex drawer fronts. i'll post up so you can see how they turn out. might be a few weeks, though.

Nice work. I can imagine that labor that went into that table' date=' and that puts a premium on price. Hand built, sturdy, actual wood... all of this is worth monies. That's something that will be in her family for generations. I'd like this in the kitchen moar than that fucking Ikea garbage that Lyndse is in love with.[/quote']

thanks. funny thing is that the only furniture in my place that i had to assemble is Ikea. lol

between 1500 and 2000 would be what I would ask for that piece, based upon your material selections of birch and poplar which are probably the most prolific in use for furniture, due to the rapid growth and ease of milling. I see the labor at about 25-35 hours due to the design and finish... so I think that is a good ball park... now if you were to do most of the solid pieces in oak or cherry that price could go up to 25-3000 bucks... those woods are fairly easy to get so you wouldn't be outlaying much more cash up front for the materials and you could have more traditional finishes to appeal to more people. all in all from what I see it's very good work.

right on with the hours. i'm planning on using maple and curly maple on this vanity i'm doing. i def like more exotic species and grains, but it increases the level of difficulty. faux finishes help me look better! lol

thanks for everyone elses replies, also.

[Jst2fst]

Looks good... keep it up

[AOW]

I love the table hate the finish

[Beegreenstrings]

It is a nice piece! (AND I AM JUST SAYING MY OPINION) But can you justify even 800 when you used veneers on it?

I bitch at my fiance constantly about some of the furniture she likes. I will go look at it and it is veneers. I freak and tell her for half the money it can be built out of solid wood. She gets mad and walks away.

[flounder]

Very nice piece and allot of hard work in it. I too have a problem with veneers. I know allot of new furniture has them but if im paying that kind of money, I dont to hear the word veneer or plywood.

[Earache]

Furniture making is a nice skill to have. But like art and many other things; it's very subjecticve when it comes to price. Hard to price style.

That said, I could see a piece like this going for $1,500+ in a furniture store. Although you used some veneers, that's about what you'd get at most stores in that price range.

I'll assume the customer got to pick out the exact size and style - that's worth some extra cash to most people.

[jhaag]

I'll assume the customer got to pick out the exact size and style - that's worth some extra cash to most people.

correct. she approached me to build this table as it is. i'd love to be able to make a living just doing one-off pieces of my choosing. but, the hardest part is consistently making something people would be willing to pay for.

also, i didnt have a problem using plywood in this application because of the finish and i feel as though manufactured panels would offer better stability over time without having to worry about sealing and if the lumber was properly dried...but, mostly i'm not that good or patient, yet! i'm def not to the point of trying to make really high end pieces. i just wanted to offer something that was well built and durable.