About two years ago I was reading a copy of Wood Mag. They had a nice plan for a shop cabinet that looked sturdy and cheap to build.
Now it’s 2006 and I dig out the mag article, and I begin to go about getting the supplies I need.
List- 1 4×8 sheet of 1/2 mdo. never worked with it before. $ 44.00
1 4×8 sheet of 3/4 mdo. used 1 other time. somewhat familier. $ 22.00
2 drawer slides full extension. $ 27.00
2 hiden hinges SOSS faily expensive. $ 17.00
3 board feet of red oak, had on hand. $ 0.00
4 casters 4″ 2 fixed- 2 swivel $30.00
Constrution begins, and as usual I only get the sheet goods to begin with, because it’s already adding up, remember (a cheap shop cabinet). The carcass is made and now I decide to modify the design and use a door that mimicks a 2 drawer set up and put slide out drawers inside. I know subconsiociously the hardware is gonna cost me, but I decide to put my head in the sand and keep going. Im at Woodcraft, and I buy the slides and hinges, almost $50.00, ouch. Remember those shipping charges for the next post that is gonna suggest mail order. I make box joint drawers, affix the door. 3 coats of poly and presto. The most beautiful shop cab going. Furniture almost! Except I used poly. Oh well! Grand total $$$ 140.00. And now I mount my $300.00 mortiser on top of my $140.00 cabinet. Hold on, because the final blow comes a week later, when I go to sears with my 1 yr daughter, to get a new blade for my mower, (spring time, time to mow the lawn), and I walk of course into the tool section, and I see what I should have bought, a Gladiator roll away base cab with drawers for, yup $139.00. A DOLLAR CHEAPER. and no time invested. But I made mine, but mine is better, but mine is sturdy, these are the things I repeat to myself when I look at my new cabinet. The End!!
Replies
Second rule of woodworking - DONT add up what it costs!
Just finished a footstool and took it to be upholstered. When I went to pick it up, the upholsterer asked if I sold them. Said he had a friend who saw mine and said he would pay 300 for it. Well, I said, I have about 100 in wood (curly maple) and about 40 hours in it. Normal shop rates here in SE Mich are 40 - 45 and hour so - .
Making your own is NOT cost effective! But enjoyable.
After getting out from behind my desk all day, its therapy for me!!
Joe P
I tell potential clients, usually early in the interview, 'if they can find something they like in a store someplace, they should buy it. Because I can never make it for a price to match.' However, if they want something they can't find because it doesn't match, doesn't have the quality they want, or doesn't exist in the retail world and they are willing to pay custom price to have it made just for them, NOW WE'LL TALK.
Yes, there are people willing and able to pay good money for good work. This is the whole basis of custom woodworking. You just have to be able to find them.
You, my friend, just ran head first into the corollary that you can't always build something cheaper for yourself. Better, perhaps, but not necessarily cheaper. But, didn't you have fun building it? ;-)
Paul
Paul, If I get a cold call, from someone I don't know, I give the same advice. Here is another post I wrote on this subject on another forum.I find it to be a little scary when I can walk into a store that may have some fairly good clean designed furniture that is offered in its finished state, and has been shipped half way around the world, yet is cheaper than I could buy the same amount of raw lumber for.Example: I have been off building a family camp / retreat. Since it will be mainly used on weekends, we didn't want to spend a lot on things that could be easily stolen, but my sister shows up with a nice table that will take leaves plus 6 chairs, of solid hardwood, for $500. I could not have gotten the lumber for that.But it gets worse. The seats had to be bolted to the back legs, and the front to the seat. But the hole alignment was off about 15* from the seat to back legs. When we call about it, they sent six more chairs free, which went together fine. They didn't ask us to send the defective chairs back.My finisher would have charged more than that to spray them. I wonder if any of you are seeing much of this, and or feel the crunch from over-seas manufactures?
I remember walking into a HD a few years ago and seeing 4' x 8' 3/4 thick sheets of Maple Plywood for $19.97. A week later it went to $24.97 then $29.97. Just out of curiosity I keep going back once a week (it only took about 3 weeks) until it settled around $40 - $42 a sheet. I have watched the lumber prices climb worse then the gas prices over the last few years and it's no wonder people are going out and buying cheap furniture from overseas. IMHO it is only going to get worse with the marketing of China and all their goods headed this way.
OBTW group, that Coffee Table is still in limbo because it went from a 4' x 4' to a 3' x 3'. Why? I made a mock up of the 4' square one and it was way to big for the living room. I am just waiting to word to get started making it. Thaks for all your help.
Joepez,
You've got to find a source for donnage. Hardwood suppliers get their wood shipped in on 4x4's and 4x6's that are discarded....resaw and forget the plywood and do a frame and panel design. Forget the metal slides and check out Grizzly for some wheels. I just finished 3 15x20 mahogany trays and a maple 15x18 end table with drawer..didn't spend a penny. I will have to replenish my finishing supplies and some sandpaper. Sure the wood is not the greatest but I get to have more fun...
Well I'm really not complaing about the price of supplies, just that I got a kick out of the mag article. When I finished the project, I looked back at the article to see where it said ( cheap and sturdy shop cabinet )! Sturdy-yup, cheap, well I guess its relative.
And I did get the 4" casters form Griz, 2 fixed and 2 swivel, and they are not the same height, I had to shim them. Who would have thought that?
Lastly, 3-4 yrs ago, I had red oak milled and kiln dried from my property. I had so much of it, I put hardwoods in my upstairs, and I still have maybe 350 lin feet left of various widths in 4/4. Thinking of maybe building a new bench!!
Joepez,
Sounds like you'll be having fun for some time to come with all that oak.
For a long time it just seemed everytime I wanted to make something it cost at least $100...it was driving me crazy. Finishing was always a $20-30 affair. Your initial post it sounded very familiar...
For the other hobbyist like myself, I have found the price of sheet goods and hardwoods has really taken off. When I started woodworking, it was nothing to have a nicely stocked shop full of sheet goods and some various hardwoods. I can only imagine what a small pro shop has tied up in materials. I finally have started to use mdf, but boy the small dust if creates. No wonder they call it the New Yankee Workshop. Cause the old yankee would have never spent the $$.
Joe P
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