What would you price would you suggest for this turning

[Robert Lindstadt]

I had a lot of interest in my turnings but I not sure what they are worth, or what price to ask! Wondering how to price this out
I really don’t keep track of the time since I build these a few hours at a time I’ll cut a glue sometimes then leave till the next time nothing on tv.
I am new to selling art work !
Thanks for your help!

 

[Dean Center]

How to price your work has been a periodic source of discussion on the forum. It's also covered at symposia from time to time, but that doesn't help you here. I suggest you use the Search feature to quickly get many useful responses to your question.

 

[Richard Coers]

Since you are done with it, you should know your exact labor. Then add in the material cost, and all you shop overhead (electricity, insurance, sandpaper, finish, etc...) Since you know everything except for what labor rate you want to charge, it should be an easy task.

 

[Michael Lyle]

I had a recent chance to find out the worth of 2 bowls 8" and 10" .
And two platters 10 " and 13".
My girlfriends quilting guild was having their annual Quilt show.
And a silent auction along with the exhibited quilts. So my gal asked me to put
Some of my turning in the silent auction . So ok I said and asked Linda to
Pick . And she selected 4 items.
She picked a map!e platter, a maple bowl, a Russian olive bowl I had gold gilted
On the bottom and blue gilt on top. The last item a 12 in in walnut black p!atter with Incred
Markings.....I was in love with that walnut piece and had the sky is the limit hopes for
That piece , I really did not want that walnut p!after ever to leave my house.
But along she went as the fate full day of the show was upon us.
The show was Thursday, Friday, Saturday was the last day of the silent auction. At 3pm
The winner were to be announced
I had no idea what was to happen.
Now I was donating to the guild all the winning bids.so I was not making any looks
Which I thought was great anyway.

And I knew my favorite piece would break the bank.........wrong!!!!

The Russian Olive went for $79, a bowl went for $50 another bowl for $39
And my fave walnut beauty went for $35. Lowest of all

But I was happy as I really was glad to make some money for the guild
And I was happy they did not know of the AAW forum and these beautiful pieces of art
Or they prob would thrown My stuff out. Haha



Which just goes to show!!!!!
"
C'est la vie say the o!d folks which goes to show you never can tell "


Michael Lyle

True story ! I $#:t you not!

 

[Phil Hamel]

My local area has a craft show every year and people we're balking at prices that hardly paid my wood cost. Everyone picked up my stuff and loved the look and feel but no one wanted to pay.
I did make enough to pay the table price. Different places and type of show effects the price.

 

[Lou Jacobs]

And I knew my favorite piece would break the bank.........wrong!!!!

I’ve had this experience several times as well. Donating to a local fund raiser only to see the piece go for far less than I would have been able to sell it for. But I’ve also had the opposite. All depends on the audience.
I went to a two year technical forestry school in upstate New York, The New York State Ranger School. This summer was my class’ 50th reunion. I’ve donated bowls in the past to the reunion auction, and they’ve gone for decent prices, considering the small group and the employment level of most of the alumni. Anticipating my 50th reunion, and wanting to do something a bit more special, I asked the school if they could send me a piece of wood from the school forest to turn. I suggested a block 12”x12”x5 1/2” which would just fit in a USPS flat rate priority mail box. I received a nice piece of cherry in December and turned this bowl. After turning away some defects, it wound up being 10 1/2” x 4”. I was very gratified when it was one of the final pieces auctioned, and went for the high price of the night at $155. Certainly not a fortune by city gallery standards, but enough to make me feel proud of the contribution.

 

[David Anliker]

location, location, location.
flea markets
vs.
art galleries where you are vetted.
both have a price point, other than turners, few know the effort and cost made in creating it and even fewer will pay good money.
Why do you turn? peace of mind, business, get out of the house, etc. Only you know the answer.
There is no magic answer, I turn for bearhugs and cookies. they make me fat and happy.

 

[Randy Anderson]

Very common question but no common answer. It all depends on where you are selling and why you are selling. The price I can get at a local rural TN craft show is very different than the price I can get online and the price I can get at a gallery. Are you selling to find a home for the pieces, enjoy making them and it would be nice to get some $ for your effort and cover a bit of supplies cost? Or, are you selling because it's a source of income and covering costs plus a bit of profit is a goal. Answering these helps get you started then you just have to find a place to sell and start. Customers will let you know quickly if you're too high or too low. My observation is more often than not turners price lower than the market they are in will support.

 

[robo hippy]

Always a guessing game. Where I am, I would be lucky go get $100 for that piece, which is pennies on the dollar for that type of work. Where you are, in New York, you should be able to get several times that amount. There are always people who want Ikea prices for solid wood furniture, or pieces like that one. One reason I gave up on making "fancy" stuff was that it just didn't sell well for me. I guess also, I am not very good at it either, and never developed the eye for fancy details. I am also a terrible salesman. Plain and simple pieces take way less time to make as well.

robo hippy

 

[Dave Landers]

Are you selling to find a home for the pieces, enjoy making them and it would be nice to get some $ for your effort and cover a bit of supplies cost?

Even if this is your answer, look around (art / craft markets, galleries or craft stores, turning club, etc) and don't undercut other artists selling similar (or less well made) items. Be fair to yourself and to them.
If it's priced right, there's someone out there who wants it and will pay. The challenge is finding that person.

 

[Darryl Fective]

Beautiful work! I did a similar compass rose design in a neighbor's front porch (deck with a tree thru it that had to be removed) and my wife has been pushing for more examples of it ever since. Well done.

I have trouble with pricing stuff as well. Sometimes I will pick a figure and ask myself "If I come home with $XX for it, will I be happy or feel cheated?" Then I adjust the figure and repeat. I have only a few pieces that I thought I'd never consider selling, but after this exercise, if there is someone willing to pay stupid prices for them, I can let them go.

 

[Brian Gustin]

Dave Landers touched on the point I wanted to post - Whatever it is, from artwork to utility pieces, they are worth what someone else will pay for it.

The ideal case is where both the buyer and the seller end the transaction feeling like they made an excellent bargain!

I'll often have pieces I don't think much of and did not take much time to make sell for more money than a well thought out design that took a ton of work to make... As well, over the years (3 years now) that I've regularly been vendoring at various local markets I have found that the audience is variable as well as the price they'll pay.

One week, I might sell a bunch of bowls and turned stuff, the next week I sell nothing, but I manage to sell things like the crates I make (they are not even nicely finished or pretty) to carry my wood items into the market, or other flatwork.

As well, One week I might see several people admiring my work and saying "your prices are too low!" (though they don't really buy anything) and the next week, the crowd that comes by thinks I am overpriced! (without even changing my price tags between markets)

 

[Wally Crawford]

This has been a tough year. My sales, with a similar schedule of shows, is about 50% of last year. Many lookers, not many willing to lay out the $. I think it is being impacted by the unsettled political situation right now as well as folks being impacted by the cost of everything. No one NEEDS a wood turning and many people are faced with really tight budgets.

I turn because I enjoy the hobby, and I enjoy meeting people at the vender events. I try to price my pieces to be fair with other turners in the area and the positive comments I receive are nourishment for my soul.

 

[Michael Anderson]

Tough question to answer. Price for art pieces is so multi-faceted, much more so than strict utilitarian items where a formula might get you most of the way there. Aside from the things mentioned here, name recognition goes a long way. The more well known you are in a given market, the high price your pieces will fetch. I won’t mention numbers, but the least I’ve sold something for was in a silent auction, and the most was someone that reached out directly because I made something that fit his niche.

 

[JeffSmith]

I'm a hobby turner that makes stuff purely to suit myself. I live on a small rural island accessible by ferry only. Two or three times a year I participate in the Artists Studio Tour here on the island. While I don't need to make a living at this, its nice to cover costs and stash some away for the occasional trip. I make an assortment of things - from utility bowls and platters and cooking chop sticks to specialized, unique embellished bowl sets with innovative closures (Travelin' Bowls), salt vaults with inlays/inserts, magnetic closures and Memory Keepers (embellished lidded bowls with custom closures). There are usually a few pepper grinders and wine stoppers to go with the utility stuff, and some extra long chopsticks that serious cooks seem to appreciate. Premium Crush-Grind grinder mechanisms and stainless wine stopper hardware only - to give me a range of items and prices.

I separate my work into three groups for pricing - pure utility, embellished pieces, and those that I'd really prefer not to sell yet (I do like to live with some of my pieces for a while before finding a suitable forever home for them).

The utility bowls are fairly simple to price. I look at a couple of the bowl mills (there's one in Alaska and one in Vermont I believe) and take their prices based on size as a base. I check some other people that sell online whose work I admire and consider to be similar to what I produce, and, if necessary, adjust that base. I then add time/materials involved for embellishments and a premium because there's a big difference between the mills 'last is same as the first' style. Figured wood adds another factor to the total. By now, I'm well over that base on most items.

Then there are those pieces that I think of more like children than products. I'll take the price I get from the above excesize and double or triple it. These get set off on their own section. I include them incase someone wants to commission something similar. They also give me something to talk about all day long as people come and go.

Labor Day weekend was the last Artists Studio Tour weekend - going through the usual exercise as above my pricing was higher than I'd ever been in previous tours. Surprisingly, Saturday was like a swarm of locusts descended on our remote part of the island. They nearly cleaned me out. By the end of Sunday (the tours are typically two days long) I was taking commissions for stuff I was showing on my iPad. All those pieces I priced not to sell found new homes.

The takeaway? Don't undervalue your work. I was surprised at the range of people that came in - a high proportion or buyers were locals. Typically, in the past, these guys were looking for bargains or special pricing since they're locals...this time they didn't seem to mind paying what I felt my work was worth. Do good work, take pride in what you produce and word gets around.

Oh, and there's added value in having a story to go with every piece – where the wood came from, what kind of figure and why, how the original idea came to be, what's the next iteration going to be?

 

[Michael Perez]

I had a lot of interest in my turnings but I not sure what they are worth, or what price to ask! Wondering how to price this out
I really don’t keep track of the time since I build these a few hours at a time I’ll cut a glue sometimes then leave till the next time nothing on tv.
I am new to selling art work !
Thanks for your help!

First, I’d like to congratulate you on your work—it looks neat and very well-made. I also find myself in a similar situation, and it’s challenging to determine the right price. Pricing is subjective and depends largely on whether the product is part of a production line or a unique, one-of-a-kind piece. There’s a different feeling in both situations, as others have mentioned, and it’s crucial where the piece is exhibited and how it’s marketed.

One method that can help is to look for similar pieces in the market to get a balanced idea of pricing.

What I decided to do to make this viable was to create a line of products with uncompromising quality but simple enough that I can calculate the hours invested and compare prices with similar pieces in the market. For my premium pieces, which have taken weeks or even months to create, I treat them as exhibition pieces, allowing customers to appreciate what can be achieved with wood. In these cases, the price is less important—if it sells, great; if not, it serves as an eye-catching piece.

 

[Richard Coers]

Even if this is your answer, look around (art / craft markets, galleries or craft stores, turning club, etc) and don't undercut other artists selling similar (or less well made) items. Be fair to yourself and to them.
If it's priced right, there's someone out there who wants it and will pay. The challenge is finding that person.

Your comment appears from various people every time price is brought up. The challenge of finding the right person and the right price is the basic dilemma for all retail sales. But only charging a price so I don't dilute the art market does really not enter my mind. In Central IL, I have very little competition. There is only 1 gallery selling wood objects. Who would I be undercutting by selling an item at a price that actually sold. If priced right someone out there who wants it and will pay is what I am doing. I don't want to wait to show my work to thousands of people to find one that will pay $200 for a bowl. I showed my work every first Friday of the month for 4 years. I found ONE that would pay a decent price on custom orders. He spent thousands with me, but only on very specific work that he wanted. He ignored every piece I made to please myself. Same thing happened when I made furniture. I'd have an entire booth filled with work, but only sold custom made furniture after the show. Finding that one person that will buy something you already made at least doubles the odds against selling, maybe more.

 

[Curt Fuller]

I've never been anywhere near where you live but I googled it and it looks like a nice, upper middle class community. I'm sure there are at least a few co-op art galleries in your town. Some require that you spend a few days a month there but some will just let you put a few pieces in for a 50% commission. And, those people working there will have a pretty good idea what it would sell for. Give it a try. If nothing else just browse their gallery and see how comparative pieces are priced. But pricing is always relative to where you're selling.

 

[Robert Lindstadt]

Since you are done with it, you should know your exact labor. Then add in the material cost, and all you shop overhead (electricity, insurance, sandpaper, finish, etc...) Since you know everything except for what labor rate you want to charge, it should be an easy task.

Well I do it for the pleasure so I really don’t keep track it’s not a business
But I do have a few people say the would like to buy a piece of my work.
I told her what I wanted but thought it wasn’t enough that’s why I asking what would someone expect to pay for a piece like this!

Even if this is your answer, look around (art / craft markets, galleries or craft stores, turning club, etc) and don't undercut other artists selling similar (or less well made) items. Be fair to yourself and to them.
If it's priced right, there's someone out there who wants it and will pay. The challenge is finding that person.

Well I have sold three of my pieces with out even trying!
I just don’t know what I should ask?
Most of them were friends and or customers of my from my other business that I have know then for forty years or so
I gave them a break because they are friends or family
Another person wants to buy this for gift and she thought my price was to low
That’s why I am asking if one of you seasoned sellers could help me
Ball park numbers

I've never been anywhere near where you live but I googled it and it looks like a nice, upper middle class community. I'm sure there are at least a few co-op art galleries in your town. Some require that you spend a few days a month there but some will just let you put a few pieces in for a 50% commission. And, those people working there will have a pretty good idea what it would sell for. Give it a try. If nothing else just browse their gallery and see how comparative pieces are priced. But pricing is always relative to where you're selling.

Well there I lot of areas where we live are more then middle class I have worked for them so I know first hand! lol

 

[Dave Landers]

Another person wants to buy this for gift and she thought my price was to low

There's one big clue. Another is if people say your prices are "reasonable"

That’s why I am asking if one of you seasoned sellers could help me
Ball park numbers

I don't do segments. And not much of what I do (except maybe my rocket boxes) have detail/work/time like the photo you shared. But the gallery in town has some of my stuff on their site - https://www.earthwoodgalleries.com/dave-landers-dlw/ - so you can look at that FWIW. I still think some of those prices are low (some may be too high, but time will tell on that)

 

[Robert Lindstadt]

Beautiful work! I did a similar compass rose design in a neighbor's front porch (deck with a tree thru it that had to be removed) and my wife has been pushing for more examples of it ever since. Well done.

I have trouble with pricing stuff as well. Sometimes I will pick a figure and ask myself "If I come home with $XX for it, will I be happy or feel cheated?" Then I adjust the figure and repeat. I have only a few pieces that I thought I'd never consider selling, but after this exercise, if there is someone willing to pay stupid prices for them, I can let them go.

Thank you so much!

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

I had a recent chance to find out the worth of 2 bowls 8" and 10" .
And two platters 10 " and 13".
My girlfriends quilting guild was having their annual Quilt show.
And a silent auction along with the exhibited quilts. So my gal asked me to put
Some of my turning in the silent auction . So ok I said and asked Linda to
Pick . And she selected 4 items.
She picked a map!e platter, a maple bowl, a Russian olive bowl I had gold gilted
On the bottom and blue gilt on top. The last item a 12 in in walnut black p!atter with Incred
Markings.....I was in love with that walnut piece and had the sky is the limit hopes for
That piece , I really did not want that walnut p!after ever to leave my house.
But along she went as the fate full day of the show was upon us.
The show was Thursday, Friday, Saturday was the last day of the silent auction. At 3pm
The winner were to be announced
I had no idea what was to happen.
Now I was donating to the guild all the winning bids.so I was not making any looks
Which I thought was great anyway.

And I knew my favorite piece would break the bank.........wrong!!!!

The Russian Olive went for $79, a bowl went for $50 another bowl for $39
And my fave walnut beauty went for $35. Lowest of all

But I was happy as I really was glad to make some money for the guild
And I was happy they did not know of the AAW forum and these beautiful pieces of art
Or they prob would thrown My stuff out. Haha



Which just goes to show!!!!!
"
C'est la vie say the o!d folks which goes to show you never can tell "


Michael Lyle

True story ! I $#:t you not!

I intentionally read that slowly because I didn't want to skip ahead to the outcome. Bummer on the walnut platter.

 

[Kirk Yarina]

I look at a couple of the bowl mills (there's one in Alaska and one in Vermont I believe)

Besides Alaska I found two in Vermont, and one in Michigan. I was expecting to find more but either they're rare or the search fu isn't cooperating again today

 

[Richard Coers]

Well I do it for the pleasure so I really don’t keep track it’s not a business
But I do have a few people say the would like to buy a piece of my work.
I told her what I wanted but thought it wasn’t enough that’s why I asking what would someone expect to pay for a piece like this!

Just sell it for the cost of material then.

 

[John K Jordan]

Wondering how to price this out

I can't help with your question on that piece. I understand the difficulty, but my experience is limited since I usually don't try to sell things - mostly give them away to friends or friends of friends. For me, the joy is in the turning (and the teaching) I've never tried to sell a bowl or platter and over the years have seen many threads on pricing things, but mostly paid no attention. I usually rather give things away than sell them. I do sometimes donate pieces for charity auctions. But I do have a tiny bit of experience in what some people are willing to pay for certain things! It seems to me the more unique something is, the more people will pay.

The last time I auctioned off a platter for charity it went for over $300. But maybe it was that high because it was a good cause. (It did take hours to make.)



I made a bunch of these crops for a woman who wanted unique presents for her equine Hunter-Jumper competition team. No one had every seen crops like this.
I told her to make an offer so she gave me $100 each for maybe 25 or so.
(The wood is small and cheap, they are quick to make, and the fiberglass/leather part cost me about $3 each.)
I sold another one under pressure for a friend of a relative - he told the woman they were $300 each!
(Hey, to make money, maybe target people with money!)



I might sell when someone twists my arm. To price I think of how much I don't want to sell it, the time I have in it, and the material, although I mostly enjoy turning small things so the material cost is generally low.
When someone really wanted some of these wands I had on display at a symposium but didn't want to sell, I just priced them real high. I thought they would just go away but they didn't even blink at the price.



I did take things to special events a few times and sold them.

At a Harry Potter book release I set up at a bookstore and turned wands while people watched. Those had to be turned very quickly with no time to be fancy, so I charged $25 each. I had spent a lot of time making a detailed batch at home and my son set up a table - I priced those at maybe $40-$75 each. At one of these events we brought in $1740 in three hours. I think all we bought were sold.
The trick here was make things and sell them to people who REALLY want them!

COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC: When someone asks me to make something, I always tell them $60, whatever it is. But I tell them if they come to the shop, it's free. Help pick out the wood, work on the design, and watch while I make it (maybe even learn to make some shavings, sand a bit, or put on some finish. This method introduces a lot of people to woodturning and at least lets them understand what's involved. Most may never have any interest in turning, some may in the future, but I know few who took up the hobby right away.

After one such introduction, a girl returned repeatedly for lessons - now she has her own lathe and a "following" where she lives! She does it all for fun and gives everything away.
This is one of the things she turned in my shop (with a bit of instruction, made up on the spot since I'd never made one!) - a round frame for a friend who embroidered something personally significant for every day of the year 2020. (The friend divided the cloth circle into 12 sections, one for each month - clever!) It was a tricky turning project to design and hold. The turning part was easy for her.



JKJ

 

[Alan Weinberg]

But I tell them if they come to the shop, it's free.

Super idea. I’ll copy.

 

[Graham Dolby]

I put some pieces into an online charity auction and after a few days, one of the pieces had reached an absurdly low figure. So I had my daughter-in-law place a higher bid, risky, I know, but it worked, forcing the prime bidder to up their bid to a reasonable level.

 

[John K Jordan]

I put some pieces into an online charity auction and after a few days, one of the pieces had reached an absurdly low figure. So I had my daughter-in-law place a higher bid, risky, I know, but it worked, forcing the prime bidder to up their bid to a reasonable level.

Some auctions will let you put a "reserve" value on an item so a bidder will have to bit at least that. That sometimes gives that piece a kick start.
I love live auctions but just thinking about online auctions makes me tired...

When I'm auctioning with a live audience I sometimes hold up and describe a prime piece of wood and suggest a starting bid - it might be a surprise how much quicker the bidding is kick started with "this wood blank would be great for ...., who will start the bid at $15" rather than "who will give me $1" for this. Sort of getting them to start thinking of a reference value. Live auctions are fun when you can read the energy of the audience and use timing and banter to ramp it up! If something isn't moving well I might grab some other nice piece and add it to the lot to spur some interest. I usually bring a box of turning blanks with that in mind - a piece of cocobolo here, some ebony, nice chunk of cherry. My goal with turning club auctions is 1) get good wood into the hands of people, 2), have a fun time, and 3) last, raise money for the club. For me, the first two are the most important! (but we do raise lot of money every year.)



JKJ

 

[Dave Schneider]

I don't like the idea of calculating a price based on the cost of wood, materials, overhead and labor. With that formula the Mona Lisa wouldn't be worth more than $150, would it? There's no accounting for the creativity and imagination that goes into something. But I guess that's the difference between production of stock functional items and artwork. My wife and I sell our creations (she is a hand carver and potter) at several galleries, art fairs and our own annual sale for charity. Pricing is always a question that takes some thought. I have found that each venue has a price point, so know your market. I have also learned that I almost NEVER price things too low. If the piece catches someone's eye they will spend more than you think.

 

[Robert Lindstadt]

Just sell it for the cost of material then.

I have given a lot of pieces I have made as gifts, but they are small
I am looking to increase my tools I use, I actually sold a few pieces to my friends for basics cost and a small margin of profit but far below what I would sell to the public!
I have had lots of interest from a local show in both turnings that I brought there!

 

[Richard Coers]

I don't like the idea of calculating a price based on the cost of wood, materials, overhead and labor. With that formula the Mona Lisa wouldn't be worth more than $150, would it? There's no accounting for the creativity and imagination that goes into something. But I guess that's the difference between production of stock functional items and artwork. My wife and I sell our creations (she is a hand carver and potter) at several galleries, art fairs and our own annual sale for charity. Pricing is always a question that takes some thought. I have found that each venue has a price point, so know your market. I have also learned that I almost NEVER price things too low. If the piece catches someone's eye they will spend more than you think.

The Mona Lisa is far from a simple wood bowl, not even in the same galaxy. It seems like an insult to compare a piece of work from one of the world's greatest ever, to a wood bowl from a hobbyist shop. If you have the eye and history of never pricing too low, why didn't you tell Robert what to charge?

 

[Robert Lindstadt]

The Mona Lisa is far from a simple wood bowl, not even in the same galaxy. It seems like an insult to compare a piece of work from one of the world's greatest ever, to a wood bowl from a hobbyist shop. If you have the eye and history of never pricing too low, why didn't you tell Robert what to charge?

It’s a moot point now I sold it plus another one to make to one person. I not telling anyone how much I got but it was more then I expected, there’s a lot of work and time to put this together before even turning it.
Thanks all for your insites into pricing!

 

[Dave Schneider]

My point in bringing up the Mona Lisa is that creativity has a value and nothing should be priced base on the cost of materials. Even a simple wooden bowl has value beyond the same piece of wood sold as a fireplace log.

 

[Odie]

My point in bringing up the Mona Lisa is that creativity has a value and nothing should be priced base on the cost of materials. Even a simple wooden bowl has value beyond the same piece of wood sold as a fireplace log.

Your point about the Mona Lisa is understood as it was intended.

I have a difficult time pricing my bowls. I spend a lot of time and effort on each one, but the deciding factor in pricing my bowls is it's "artistic impact". That is subjective, so what I judge to be a 10 as opposed to a 4 or 5 is entirely my opinion. My opinion is sometimes very wrong when deciding what will sell at any given price, but we all have to make these decisions about our pricing.....hopefully we will get better at it with time and experience.

Some of those things that can influence the selling price is, of course, the cost of materials and the time it took to make it......but, still......I have priced some of my bowls solely on the desire to break even.....and at other times when the "artistic appeal" is high, the ability to have some profit in the sale comes into play too. When this is the case, it should always be factored into the final price.

A bowl that has exceptional figure is worth more than the exact same bowl with a lesser desirable figuring......this is entirely up to what Mother Nature provides, and nothing to do with my effort and cost to produce it.

From my experience, darker woods are more desirable to the average buyer than lighter woods......and I usually get a better price from them.

-o-

 

[Pat Wisniewski]

I can't help with your question on that piece. I understand the difficulty, but my experience is limited since I usually don't try to sell things - mostly give them away to friends or friends of friends. For me, the joy is in the turning (and the teaching) I've never tried to sell a bowl or platter and over the years have seen many threads on pricing things, but mostly paid no attention. I usually rather give things away than sell them. I do sometimes donate pieces for charity auctions. But I do have a tiny bit of experience in what some people are willing to pay for certain things! It seems to me the more unique something is, the more people will pay.

The last time I auctioned off a platter for charity it went for over $300. But maybe it was that high because it was a good cause. (It did take hours to make.)

View attachment 67028

I made a bunch of these crops for a woman who wanted unique presents for her equine Hunter-Jumper competition team. No one had every seen crops like this.
I told her to make an offer so she gave me $100 each for maybe 25 or so.
(The wood is small and cheap, they are quick to make, and the fiberglass/leather part cost me about $3 each.)
I sold another one under pressure for a friend of a relative - he told the woman they were $300 each!
(Hey, to make money, maybe target people with money!)

View attachment 67029

I might sell when someone twists my arm. To price I think of how much I don't want to sell it, the time I have in it, and the material, although I mostly enjoy turning small things so the material cost is generally low.
When someone really wanted some of these wands I had on display at a symposium but didn't want to sell, I just priced them real high. I thought they would just go away but they didn't even blink at the price.

View attachment 67030

I did take things to special events a few times and sold them.

At a Harry Potter book release I set up at a bookstore and turned wands while people watched. Those had to be turned very quickly with no time to be fancy, so I charged $25 each. I had spent a lot of time making a detailed batch at home and my son set up a table - I priced those at maybe $40-$75 each. At one of these events we brought in $1740 in three hours. I think all we bought were sold.
The trick here was make things and sell them to people who REALLY want them!

COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC: When someone asks me to make something, I always tell them $60, whatever it is. But I tell them if they come to the shop, it's free. Help pick out the wood, work on the design, and watch while I make it (maybe even learn to make some shavings, sand a bit, or put on some finish. This method introduces a lot of people to woodturning and at least lets them understand what's involved. Most may never have any interest in turning, some may in the future, but I know few who took up the hobby right away.

After one such introduction, a girl returned repeatedly for lessons - now she has her own lathe and a "following" where she lives! She does it all for fun and gives everything away.
This is one of the things she turned in my shop (with a bit of instruction, made up on the spot since I'd never made one!) - a round frame for a friend who embroidered something personally significant for every day of the year 2020. (The friend divided the cloth circle into 12 sections, one for each month - clever!) It was a tricky turning project to design and hold. The turning part was easy for her.

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JKJ

John,
How did you cut the pattern in the foot of that platter? It is intriguing.

 

[John K Jordan]

John,
How did you cut the pattern in the foot of that platter? It is intriguing.

Hello Pat!

I learned that platter base technique many years ago from the amazing Frank Penta (incredibly creative woodturner, educator, and wonderfully energetic and generous person!) at one of his platter courses at John C Campbell. (I hope posting this much detail is not inappropriate for this thread. Now that I've written it, I'm wondering if it might have been better in a separate thread in a different sub-forum.)

It’s a multi-axis turning - basically drill four holes in what will be the top of the platter. Each is sized to fit what is often called a “woodworm” screw. One hole is in the exact center to turn the outside diameter, most of the bottom, and the chuck recess for eventually turning the top. The other three are in a circle a short distance (1/2" for this platter) from the center, spaced 120 degrees apart. These three holes will let you turn the multi-axis base.

It’s incredible how little recess you need to hold such a platter (this one is Sapele, the blank diameter cut as close to 20" as would fit on a PM3520 lathe with allowance for the offsets). The recess is just the three little circle segments you can see on the inner sides of the three small curved triangular pieces outside of the shallow decorative dome in the center. Notice the three little pieces make a perfect circle. I think there is less than 1/8" thickness for the chuck to grab! You have to make sure the circle of the recess is the right diameter to fit the chuck and with such a small amount of wood to grip the wood should be strong. Seemed scary at the time but it worked perfectly. (Ah, I don't think turning the other side of these would be a good time for catches!)

Here's a larger picture of the bottom.



While the screw chuck is in the center hole, I turned the base ring (the "foot"), the center recess for holding with the chuck, a wide flat inside the entire base ring, the entire bottom of the platter outside the base, and the outside rim (I like to design the undersides of many bowl and platter rims to give the fingers good support), then smoothed and sanded the bottom outside the base ring. I turned a fairly wide flat band on this one inside the chuck recess, then formed the little center dome for looks.

Then the platter is removed from the central mounting hole and fastened to one of the offset holes. At this point turn some design, being careful only to not reduce the depth of the center recess for the chuck! I did something a little different in this piece - I made the offset a flat the same depth as the flat inside the recess, all the way out to near the base ring. This was tricky but I liked the way (I imagined at this step) it would look. Turned some other detail, then removed the platter from the first offset screw hole and repeat with the other two mounting holes. Finally, smooth and sand the detail from the three offsets before mounting the base in the chuck recess and turning the top.

BTW, I do almost all of my bowls, platters, and such with the technique of mounting the top in a screw chuck (I use the one designed by Jerry Glaser), form a chuck recess in the bottom, turn and decorate the bottom completely, smooth, sand and apply finish, then remove from the screw chuck and mount in the recess to turn the top. Works for me.

This platter uses a "danish" type finish made from one part BLO, one part polyurethane, and one part mineral spirits. Below is a closer photo of the top with a textured ring, made with a pointed star wheel. I also did a little "scribble" texturing around the rim with an engraving tool. You can't hang out with Frank without texturing something! I still have big planks of 8/4 sapele - maybe it's time to make another one.

I hope all this makes sense.

Frank wrote an excellent document on turning platters including the multi-axis platter base method. I can't find it on Frank's web site at the moment but i see it in numerous other places, including on the Kansas City woodturning club web site:

https://kcwoodturners.org/Library/Frank%20Penta%20Platter%20handout.pdf

Nearly every year I stopped to visit with Frank when I went through Raleigh NC on the way back from the Outer Banks. It was always an incredible and inspiring experience.

JKJ

 

[Tim Mehling]

I had a lot of interest in my turnings but I not sure what they are worth, or what price to ask! Wondering how to price this out
I really don’t keep track of the time since I build these a few hours at a time I’ll cut a glue sometimes then leave till the next time nothing on tv.
I am new to selling art work !
Thanks for your help!

Really depends on where you are selling. (Gallery, art show, home) You have a great piece and hours involved. I totally understand on not keeping track of hours as this is a hobby. If it was a business different story. So in my area the price would be from $140.00 to 275.00. Good luck and happy turning.

 

[David Stranz]

There's one big clue. Another is if people say your prices are "reasonable"

I don't do segments. And not much of what I do (except maybe my rocket boxes) have detail/work/time like the photo you shared. But the gallery in town has some of my stuff on their site - https://www.earthwoodgalleries.com/dave-landers-dlw/ - so you can look at that FWIW. I still think some of those prices are low (some may be too high, but time will tell on that)

At a local annual Art and Wine street fair, I recently bought a hollow form made by a Bay Area turner (Brad Adams, long time AAW member), quite similar to this one: https://www.earthwoodgalleries.com/hollow-form-in-wormy-ash-by-dave-landers/ I think I paid around $250 for it, so the price shown for your item seems appropriate.

On the other hand, I am not sure how many bowls Brad sold at that fair. The things that seemed to be selling well were the much lower cost ring holders, bottle openers, and other small more utilitarian things.

My turner friends who sell at the Waimea farmers' market in Hawai'i, Dave Anton and Tom O'Connor, usually price their bowls made from native Hawai'ian woods like koa and monkeypod similarly, but again their most popular items are the lower priced pieces like coffee scoops, pens, bottle stoppers, and rolling pins. I've bought works by other artists (Ena Dubnoff, Jerry Kermode, Neal DeVore) for similar prices, mostly after meeting them and seeing their work at craft shows. The DeVore piece was from Highlight Gallery in Mendocino which usually has a number of his pieces.

Sometimes you luck out and you get a fellow turner like me who tries to support fellow artists by buying their nicer work. For me, it is the personal contact that is important, being able to talk to the artist about their wood and work and exchange turning methods and tips, being able to hold the piece and feel the quality of the workmanship.

As if I need more bowls. Every flat surface in my house is covered with my own output :-(

 

[John K Jordan]

sometimes you luck out and you get a fellow turner like me who tries to support fellow artists

Hey, I like to do that too. But, rats, they often just give me things and won’t take payment. 😂

 

[David Stranz]

Hey, I like to do that too. But, rats, they often just give me things and won’t take payment. 😂

In which case you return the favor if at all possible (and you aren't too embarrassed by the quality of your own work in comparison...).