If I want to donate I'll give money. I don't want to buy something I don't even want. I think the WW items are the wrong sorts of items for the auction. The buyer and merchandise/seller aren't matched. I like the idea of the craft fair (and donate the proceeds) better. There is a much better chance that a buyer will appreciate the nice work. Perhaps even the same buyer.
krw wrote: ...
Then you're not the right target for attending a benefit auction... :)
Nothing wrong w/ that; different strokes etc., ...
Hard to tell, I think. How do you know a priori what _would_ be appropriate articles for the charity auction, then?
There are a few items that always do well; others seem to be totally hit-or-miss from year to year as to whether they do well or not.
If you have ideas, I'm all ears; while OT for the rec the auction is the annual largest fund-raiser event and any ideas at all that might improve it would be most appreciated...
Thanks Morris. We were happy to have made as much as we did. And I got to do a little market research on the chessboard price resistance level.
Regards,
Tom Watson
Likely. I don't like junque. I have far too much stored away now and we've done two interstate moves in the past two years. I do appreciate nice things though. We bought Amish bedroom and dining room sets a couple of years ago. The items we're discussing are the sort of thins I would buy, but not very likely in that venue. An auction is only successful when you get a number of like-minded people together (with like items).
Sure, but my point is that such auctions are likely not the best place to sell such things. It may not attract *enough* people who appreciate fine woodworking and that actually want a certain item. The chess board may be a counter-example, though.
From my experience the things that go well are just what was reported here: A night in a nice hotel. A round of golf. Free lunch ;-).
Thinking about it some more, perhaps the chess board was a good one. A lot of people like such things (as do I) and they're generic enough to go with anyone's decor. I like the granite coasters that, IIRC, were discussed a while back here in the wreck. Perhaps with an oiled Walnut case. I may not buy a set but that's the sort of thing that would go. The boxes shown looked to me to be something of almost heirloom quality, something I'd never throw out, whether I grew tired of them or not. They're not something I'd commit to in such an auction.
That makes perfect sense.
It's a tough one, if limited to wood. Turned candlesticks are nice and could go for decent money. Breadboards. End-grain cutting boards. It may be a bit over the top, but TV trays are nice and fairly generic too. I'd have to think a little more about it.
hen you are Doomed ...
Nice job and a very good cause. Bet it makes you feel good too.
I have donated a couple of hardwood rocking sources for our church's fall bazaar raffle and its pretty neat.
RonB
Our auctions have a wide range of items depending on what merchants are willing to contribute as well as individuals. Our experience has been that most of the the higher-end furniture items do not bring retail but do sell for moderately good absolute $$ values so that they are significant contributors to the overall bottom line. This is a very small community by most standards so we get something from all of them every year.
We have a few local artisans who do donate annually -- the success of those depends on whether their particular whimsy of the year catches somebody's fancy. In a couple of cases one can count on it being of excellent work like Tom's but does it catch somebody to bid it up or not is a toss-up.
All the low-cost items do go to the silent auction tables; many merchants just do the certificates for lube-job's or something similar. In a lot of ways we'd prefer to "just say no", but one has the problem particularly in such a small community of not wanting to do that, either. :(
Perhaps; I was thinking of the single-item sort of thing. I just saw on local news (local to the "big city" of Wichita, anyway, which is as "local" as our TV gets even tho it's 200+ miles :) ) the annual crafts show didn't do particularly well this year yesterday...
Indeed, that seems universal. The highest item last couple of years has been the invitation for a mystery dinner hosted by the college president and his wife (it's the college Foundation, after all).
...
That last is an interesting viewpoint I'd not thought of previously -- thanks. Have to consider how/whether the philosophy/mindset/psychology it represents could possibly be exploited??? :)
Thanks for the thoughts/feedback...now back to our regularly-scheduled broadcast...
--
dpb wrote in news:heshoj$4ol$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:
*snip*
What would happen if you had a video or a few snap shots of a hand made item actually being constructed? It doesn't have to be a how-to video like NYW, but just a "here's what we did" in 2-3 minutes like most of those "transformation" TV shows.
Puckdropper
Right. The reason they don't bring retail is that they're not exactly what the buyer wanted. Most likely the reason they sell at all is because it is a charity. The odds of bringing a real buyer for one piece is small. Two is exceedingly small.
That's not surprising. Again, an auction where art is known to be sold and the proceeds donated would likely bring far more to the charity. Not as fun, perhaps, but reality.
Perfectly understandable. However, money is still money. I've seen such auctions where some never had a bid. Embarrasing.
Also understandable. People are reigning in their purchases. The good news, at least for the long term, is that consumer debt seems to be going down.
That is a good one. Not my cup of tea, but I imagine it is for a large number of people, SWMBO included. ;-)
I hope I haven't been too negative, just reporting what goes through my mind at such things. Even when I'm browsing in stores I think about whether I'd like the item in a year, or ten. Some things are never tiring. Those I'm willing to pay dearly for (like $1600 for a quilt), but not without a lot of thought.
Great idea! It would show that it's not a trivial piece and certainly not made in China. A video may be a bit tacky, though.
Puckdropper wrote: ...
... That is a good suggestion...one thing we did new this year that seemed to help for the live auction was to set up large-screen TVs on either side to display the current bit item...
Even a few still shots might well help quite a lot w/ the presentation to flash thru w/ the overall view. One thing again here is most know most everybody else; seeing them in action might be incentive...
--
Including an "as built" video with the item should provide something unique to a craft project being auctioned.
Should be worth at least $100 extra for the item.
Lew
You're a very generous man, Tom and a good father.. Your children will remember you for that.. Beautiful work.. Now did you leave room for expansion on the chess board panel.. Kidding.. I'm sure you did.. Many probably wouldn't.. -Jim
Then again maybe those are just veneer squares attached to ply or mdf base.. How did you put those squares together, if you don't mind me asking? Glue a row of blocks, cut thin and reverse each row? A bit of a gluing challenge to get them to fit so perfectly together..
Thanks for the kind words in the other post.
The squares are solid stock about 7/8" thick. I glue up the strips one block length (2 1/2") longer plus kerf (1") plus trimming space (1/2") so that I don't have to flip them over. This gives a better look, in my opinion, if the grain and color match has been nicely done.
I used a couple of biscuits in this prototype to help with alignment and to help with the joints but the production run will use a glue line joint profile made on the shaper - riding close to the bottom so that it isn't seen where the squares stand proud of the frame.
The expansion and maintaining planarity are handled via interlocking tongue and groove joints. The field of squares has a groove set 5/16" from the top face and deep enough to allow for wood movement. This groove wraps around the tongue that is formed in the top frame by making a similar groove on the inside edge of the frame as in this simplified drawing:
This is an experiment. Time will tell.
Regards,
Tom Watson
Wow, Tom.. great design..
Have you ever used those "spaceballs". I know several people who do and like them. They claim it makes centering the panel easy and prevents future panel rattle. I'm going to try some on my next frame and panel project.. Seems like they would be useful on your chessboard too.. Don't know.. just a thought.. Maybe it would put too much pressure on the miter joints. - Jim
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.