Could you whack an inch off?

There are entirely too many people out there like that! Next time give him a board with a recess routed in it and call it a picture frame. You could even mount a picture of your table in it :-).

his birthday.

Welcome to the world of discerning craftsmen operating in an increasingly fickle culture. To make a living at it, you must give the customer what they want, and not reason why ... whack away, Bubba!

And now your buddy wants you to modify parts of the design, for someone else. Only for a hefty fee, if at all!

Sonny

measuring from eBay photos and Stickley catlogs. I did a run of very small round tables, in Cherry (not classic). Something you might use as a plant stand. I exercise exacting detail. I did an oil finish (tried and true) that took a few weeks to complete. I give one to a dear friend for his birthday.

understand maybe it won't hold up to the use in a wet environment.

to a friend. Do you have another one? Could you whack an inch off of the legs and add some adjusters to the bottom in-case they have an uneven floor?"

I'm sorry to read your sad story. I like Sonny's idea--it may help him appreciate what he had been given.

Bill in iN

RE: Subject

Due to present workload, the following schedule applies:

Delivery: 1 year, $10K, paid in advance 5 years, $5K, paid in advance 10 years, $1K, paid in advance

Just a thought.

Lew

his birthday.

What the customer wants is a stool from Ikea...

...

You doing art or trying to make a living from woodworking here?

--

measuring from eBay photos and Stickley catlogs. I did a run of very small round tables, in Cherry (not classic). Something you might use as a plant stand. I exercise exacting detail. I did an oil finish (tried and true) that took a few weeks to complete. I give one to a dear friend for his birthday.

understand maybe it won't hold up to the use in a wet environment.

a friend. Do you have another one? Could you whack an inch off of the legs and add some adjusters to the bottom in-case they have an uneven floor?"

Keep in mind that the whole Arts & Crafts (Stickley) thing was supposed to be about simple functionality. A stool is meant to be used, not admired in an art gallery.

Whack off a leg instead of an inch. Three legs will be stable on that uneven floor.

"SonomaProducts.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

When I had a broken lef I bought one of these (sorry if it wraps)

Then don't give up your day job ... a _custom_er getting what he thinks he wants, even if it's "whacked off" legs and stained puce pink, is what keeps him away from Ikea, and paying you instead.

Stickley reproduction designs as exact as > possible, measuring from eBay = photos and Stickley catlogs. I did a run of > very small round tables, in C= herry (not classic). Something you might use > as a plant stand. I exercise= exacting detail. I did an oil finish (tried > and true) that took a few we= eks to complete. I give one to a dear friend for his birthday. > > His wife= says "Hey great, we can use it as a stool in the shower!" I help > them un= derstand maybe it won't hold up to the use in a wet environment. > > Now a = few weeks later I get an email. "Hey I want to give one of your > stools to= a friend. Do you have another one? Could you whack an inch off > of the le= gs and add some adjusters to the bottom in-case they have an uneven floor?"= > > Maybe I can get him something from Ikea. He won't know the difference.= :-( Welcome to the world of discerning craftsmen operating in an increasin= gly fickle culture. To make a living at it, you must give the customer what= they want, and not reason why ... whack away, Bubba! --

I don't build-to-suit. I build what I love and if people want to buy it tha= t is nice.

y Stickley reproduction designs as exact as > possible, measuring from eBay= photos and Stickley catlogs. ... ... > Now a few weeks later I get an emai= l. "Hey I want to give one of your > stools to a friend. Do you have anothe= r one? Could you whack an inch > off of the legs and add some adjusters to = the bottom in-case they > have an uneven floor?" > > Maybe I can get him so= mething from Ikea. He won't know the > difference. :-( You doing art or try= ing to make a living from woodworking here? --

Today I do it for love. I love building this stuff. I do it as a side-job/h= obby. If I can sell what I make it helps buy more wood and tools. I do sell= most of what o build pretty quickly.

Stickley reproduction designs as exact as possible, measuring from eBay pho= tos and Stickley catlogs. I did a run of very small round tables, in Cherry= (not classic). Something you might use as a plant stand. I exercise exacti= ng detail. I did an oil finish (tried and true) that took a few weeks to co= mplete. I give one to a dear friend for his birthday. > >His wife says "Hey= great, we can use it as a stool in the shower!" I help them understand may= be it won't hold up to the use in a wet environment. > >Now a few weeks lat= er I get an email. "Hey I want to give one of your stools to a friend. Do y= ou have another one? Could you whack an inch off of the legs and add some a= djusters to the bottom in-case they have an uneven floor?" > >Maybe I can g= et him something from Ikea. He won't know the difference. :-( Keep in mind = that the whole Arts & Crafts (Stickley) thing was supposed to be about simp= le functionality. A stool is meant to be used, not admired in an art galler= y. Whack off a leg instead of an inch. Three legs will be stable on that un= even floor.

I agree that utility is a key component of the style. The things I make are= beautiful and useful. However, this particular piece would fall apart if t= hey used it in the shower for very long. Oil finish would not stop water pr= oblems that would eventually kill it. I did use pinned tenons so it would h= ang on for a while but would give up the ghost eventually. Also, people pay= for some of my stuff like art when I have something beautiful enough to ch= arge like that.

Along the same lines, I built something with beautiful highly figured wood and gave it as a house warming gift to a friend and his wife.

She said, didn't you have any better wood. I explained that the beautiful figure was highly prized and treasured. She said it would be better if it were just plain brown.

On Tue, 2 Oct 2012 12:30:51 -0700 (PDT), "SonomaProducts.com"

So you build basically for enjoyment, not to earn a living. I'm sure there's many who would envy you.

Stickley reproduction designs as exact as> possible, measuring from eBay photos and Stickley catlogs. I did a run of> very small round tables, in Cherry (not classic). Something you might use> as a plant stand. I exercise exacting detail. I did an oil finish (tried> and true) that took a few weeks to complete. I give one to a dear friend for his birthday.> > His wife says "Hey great, we can use it as a stool in the shower!" I help> them understand maybe it won't hold up to the use in a wet environment.> > Now a few weeks later I get an email. "Hey I want to give one of your> stools to a friend. Do you have another one? Could you whack an inch off> of the legs and add some adjusters to the bottom in-case they have an uneven floor?"> > Maybe I can get him something from Ikea. He won't know the difference. :-( Welcome to the world of discerning craftsmen operating in an increasingly fickle culture. To make a living at it, you must give the customer what they want, and not reason why ... whack away, Bubba! --

BIG plus 1

On Tue, 2 Oct 2012 19:04:32 -0400, "Mike Marlow"

We all aspire to be the valued artist ~ the one that gets paid $$$ for whatever we make and no matter how it turns out.

And since I do it as a hobby, I can be as arrogant as I wish :-).

But yes, when I do something for someone who's paying for it, I either do it their way or not at all.

And since I do it as a hobby, I can be as arrogant as I wish :-).

But yes, when I do something for someone who's paying for it, I either do it their way or not at all.