Getting It Just Right

Black Friday has come and gone, cyber Monday has passed and we’re all making plans to celebrate the holiday season. I am already feeling the pressure and there is not nearly enough time to complete everything which has to be done before the first of the year. I know many of you are in the same situation.

Considering all of the projects you need to complete before Christmas, “How good is good enough?” I would urge you to consider the end use and the end user for the item you’re making when you try to decide how much energy and effort and time to put into a specific project. Did you just pay $150 for a beautiful piece of red mallee burl which is destined to become a beautiful piece of wall or mantle art? Or, did you just get a beautiful piece of Maple for free destined to become a utilitarian salad bowl?

The art piece requires much more time and effort in the finishing stages both applying the finish and finishing the finish i.e. many more coats of the film finish followed by curing time and buffing/polishing. The final monetary value of such an item can be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, whereas the utilitarian salad bowl could go between $50 and $100.

The difference is in two areas; the initial cost of the material and the finishing process. I receive emails all the time from woodturners struggling to sell their beautiful work. They have invested so much time and energy making something absolutely gorgeous that they have priced themselves out of the market when a good sanding job followed by a couple of coats of oil finish would have been all that was required. Understanding the person who will be receiving your item allows you to provide sufficient quality to satisfy those requirements without going so far overboard but it’s not worth the time and trouble it takes.

If you are making gifts for friends and family, my advice is to do a good job but don’t kill yourself. If you’re making gifts to sell at a craft fair, it’s the same advice this time with an emphasis on adequate quality, speed and the lowest possible selling price at the highest possible profit margin. If you are making art objects for a gallery, just the opposite. You’ll still want to produce the highest possible profit margin only now nothing less than the highest quality will do.

Knowing who the target customer is simplifies the decision–making process. Does your sanding need to be good or flawless? Will an oil finish be sufficient or do you need to age and polish 16 coats of lacquer? There really is something to be said for “that’s good enough.”

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and may God bless you and your families.

Ron and Janice Brown

Our wish for you this Christmas is that you receive the blessings promised in Deuteronomy 28: 1–14. This is the covenant purchased for each of us who call Jesus Christ Savior. View Text Here