|
There are three basic reasons why one would work wood for a friend or a family member. There is nothing I enjoy more than making a gift of my projects. Handmade gifts are well received and usually demonstrate to the recipient that you put a great deal of time and thought into the gift, which is usually the case. One of the best Christmases I ever had was when I spent the evenings for weeks before Christmas, out in the shop, making Adirondack chairs for every member of my family. For years everyone was envious of my own set until I presented them with their very own. The look on their faces was even more priceless than the enjoyment I got out of making them. Spending that much time preparing for Christmas also puts you more in the Christmas spirit.
A second reason to work wood for a friend or relative is as a favor. I have performed many favors for friends and family. The nice thing about it is that you can keep it on a friendly level and if you have to leave early to go somewhere, or can't quite donate all the time required, you can come back later, or not, and no-one is the worse off. You can decide how much of a favor you are willing to do.
Here I would caution you about lending tools. The old adage, not a lender nor a borrower be, is usually sage advice. I have lent tools out in the past but only to very select individuals that I knew I could trust to return them in good shape. Most people do not realize the money and love you have invested in your tools and thus will not treat them with the respect you demand. It also pays to be wary of that neighbor who always seem to need something, but never seems to remember borrowing it.
Not wanting to finish on a negative note, I must conclude with the third reason to work wood for friends and family; for money. It is important that if you haven't already, you make the decision right now as to whether you are going to be a professional or an amateur woodworker.
I would like to point out that, regardless of what some thick-skulled, usually untalented, and uninformed professionals may say, there is nothing wrong with being an amateur. That is right. I have tried the professional route and you can read about it here. Being a professional sounds good but entails a number of complications that generally are too much trouble to bear. I am proud to admit I am an amateur. However, I do not always use the word amateur. Unfortunately, the term has negative connotations, specifically involving lack of skill or proficiency in one's work. For this reason I call myself a recreational woodwright. I use the term recreational because I no longer consider myself to be in any way linked to woodworking for money. The term woodwright is a combination of words. Wood is used for obvious reasons. Wright is used because it comes from the Old English for someone who makes or repairs something. It is also associated with positive connotations; that the user of the title has some skill in his work.
I advise that if you are going to try being a professional, find someone else to market your product to. If you are going the recreational route, don't sell you product. In short, I don't recommend that anyone try to market their woodworking to their relations or friends.
Now there can be exceptions. I myself have a couple of friends that I know would pay what my work is worth in the commercial world, and would do so gladly and without any hint of animosity towards my capitalist intentions. However, this is usually not the case.
Most friends and family think that they should get some kind of deal or discount on the work that you do. For example, a friend I used to work with once asked me for a quote on a wall unit, 7 feet high and running the entire length of a 16 foot wall. Having already made up my mind on this issue, I replied that it would be quite expensive and that he should try one of the discount furniture stores in town. He pressed the issue, insisting that I provide some kind of off-the-cuff quotation. Now, anyone that knows anything knows that there is no such thing as an off-the-cuff quotation that is worth a darn. Using my estimation skills however, we did a quick sketch and I priced out a basic setup for around $3000. He was shocked! He told me he expected me to do it for around $200, that's right, $200. I told him I couldn't buy the wood for that, and that was an answer he couldn't accept. End of sale.
Now I didn't try to work out any kind of discount, even though I figure my estimate was low. I priced out the work using rough calculations and the shop rate I had used when working professionally. The first thing I did for pay didn't work out any better. I made an oak case to fit around a main electrical panel and charged $60 for it. Well, not only did it not turn out as the customer, another friend, expected it, but I paid for half of it out of my own pocket; and, he didn't hardly talk to me after that. The $60 was certainly not worth the loss of a friend.
In the long run, if you work out how much time and money you put into making those projects, you will soon find out that you lost money on all of them. My advice is to stop before you ever get started. The damage that can happen to a relationship isn't worth the money that you are saving them. Besides, if you want to earn a little extra money, then go out and market your stuff for real. Try the craft show circuit for a while, or put up flyers on the bulletin boards at the library or supermarket. Or work a little overtime if you can. Money is too expensive to be earned off of a relationship that is important to you.
I guess the best way to sum this up is that friends and family usually believe that they are entitled to some kind of deal. On the other hand, you know how much work it takes to build things in your shop and want people to at least appreciate the time you put in to your projects. To complicate things further, the person you make the item for may not like it when you are finished. Now if you are related to this person, or he is a friend, you will not want them to think ill of you. So, either you stick to your guns and say, this is what you wanted and this is what it is really worth, and risk bad feelings on his side in the process, or you give in and risk bad feelings on your side. A compromise will only lead to bad feeling on both sides. Why? Because the relationship was personal, not professional.
What do you do if the relationship was professional? Easy! First, sign a contract. Second, stick to your guns; your product is worth every penny. What was it that Don Corleone said? "It's not personal, strictly business." However, remember that a truly professional relationship is only possible between strangers. When they can't figure out why you would turn down a chance at earning some money, just smile and say, "money isn't everything."
|
