We're in the last week of our multiples project here at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and I've been alternating working on my multiples (carved wooden spoons) and finishing the demilune table.
On the spoons... for me, I've pretty much determined that unless I can automate/mechanize much of the carving or get much better/faster at carving, the spoons are not going to be a profitable item for me to make. As it stands it takes me about 40 minutes to make one spoon with a materials cost of about $1.50. Now I don't know about you, but I don't often spend $30-40 on wooden spoons so I'm thinking that the most I could charge for them is around $20-25.
With the lesson of shop rates still fresh in my ears, the spoons just aren't going to cut it as a multiple for me. Oh well, I still like making them--I guess they'll just be gifts.
On the demilune front:
Here is a nice shot of the banding that wraps around each of the table legs about 5 inches above the ground. The table itself is finaly coming together... both tops are now veneered top and bottom and now just need the ultra-suede playing surface applied.
That will involve routing a slot around the short grain edging and I'm a bit worried about break out. I may apply a bit of hide glue to the surface of short grained edging to help prevent that. I recently read that hide glue doesn't inhibit the absorption of finishes and if that's true, it could be a huge benefit--I'll try it and let you know.
I keep saying "I hope to have it finished by x-date" so I'll just say it's still coming along and leave it at that.
Oh, BTW I used the vacuum press I made to press the veneer on the 2nd top and I'm happy to say it worked perfectly. I'll post some pictures of it soon. I just added up the cost of the system at $370 (without the price of the bag) which is quite a savings over commercial systems. I'm happy I built it and look forward to working with it for years to come.
