Bowl from customer supplied wood

[Jim McLain]

A first for me. I have a customer that would like me to turn a functional bowl out of a customer supplied dry redwood burl. Knowing redwood the finishing will take as long as the turning. Not sure to charge for such a process. Have any of you run into this? Usually functional bowl don’t have a lot of time in them but my time is worth something.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

Think of a reasonable price and double it.

 

[hockenbery]

Generally a good problem. I would think of how I price a similar item I make and start with that price and add some for the inconvenience of having to work on that piece or take some off depending on how good of a customer the person was or any personal relationship.

 

[John K Jordan]

A first for me. I have a customer that would like me to turn a functional bowl out of a customer supplied dry redwood burl. Knowing redwood the finishing will take as long as the turning. Not sure to charge for such a process. Have any of you run into this? Usually functional bowl don’t have a lot of time in them but my time is worth something.

I have zero experience with redwood burls, have never seen one. But they are anything like burls from some other species such as cherry, it's not unusual to find unpleasant surprises inside. There may be unexpected voids which might make a nice art piece but could prevent completing a "functional" bowl, whatever that means. (Bowl for soup, for apples and oranges, mail?)

If the wood has already been cut so you can see the inside it might be easier to estimate. For example, this one from maple looks perfect inside after being cut through the middle - I have confidence I could complete a useful bowl from it.



I don't charge to make things but if I did, and the wood inside the burl was unknown, I might estimate the time to do the first part - the time needed to prep, mount, and shape the piece enough to evaluate the wood inside . Then show them what you discovered and if it looks reasonable, estimate the time to complete the bowl. Maybe they would be agreeable to that.

Perhaps someone with experience in redwood burls might have useful advice.

JKJ

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

Just be sure to tell them ahead of time that there might be nothing useable inside the burl. You don't want them to think you ruined it if it turns out to be useless.

 

[robo hippy]

Well, how big is the burl, and how big will the bowl be? I have turned some redwood burl, and that stuff is so soft, if you just look at it wrong, it has a big dent in it. As for finish, how long that takes depends on what you are using. Some sprays and water based finishes are dry very quickly.

robo hippy

 

[Joe Kaufman]

A gloss finish is difficult to accomplish. Redwood absorbs an unbelievable amount of finish unless an Epoxy or bar type of finish is used. I've applied 8-10 coats of spray lacquer, and the finish is still uneven in gloss appearance. An oil finish leaves an inconsistent muddy appearance; additional coats make it worse. Be sure to try your finish process prior to the bowl application. I have seen pictures of nice-looking redwood products but don't know what finish process was used. My experience has been with Sequoia Redwood, not Coastal Redwood.

 

[Steve Tiedman]

$50/hour with a $100 non-refundable deposit to cover the cost of your time when/if you find the inside of the wood to be bad, or it cracks apart, etc.

The deposit can be counted as the first 2 hours of time if the piece is a success. With the turning and finishing process, this could be a $200-400 cost to them. Or more.

Add a flat cost for supplies and overhead, too.

 

[Jim McLain]

Thanks everyone for the input. The is 15-16 inches across but irregular a r 8-9 inches deep. Should easily make a 12 x5 open bowl. I will see it in person next Monday.

 

[John Tisdale]

You're a bold man Charlie Brown.
I took a red oak log when a tornado took down the tree - the people planted the tree the day of their son's bar mitzvah. The finished piece was a 19" dia and 13" deep. Fortunately they loved it and paid the agreed price.

As to the money, think long and hard. Taking money up front creates a level of anxiety I wouldn't go through. While my customer gave a check for $1K to start, it was never cashed and I let them know they were under no obligation. No problem if I just sent to the gallery, although a vessel of red oak would have been lack-luster next to the mesquite

 

[Doug Rasmussen]

Yes, your time is definitely worth something.

Me? I believe I'd pass on the job. Working on somebody else's possibly valuable piece of wood doesn't appeal to me.

Check prices for thinner redwood burl pieces.

Redwood Burl - Burlwood Online

Our redwood burl comes from old-growth redwood that grows along the California coast. High quality figured redwood burl is very difficult to find. We have sources that allow us to get the very best curly redwood burl and redwood burl available.

www.burlwoodonline.com

 

[Curt Fuller]

Jim, I'd first explain to them that there are no guarantees. Make sure they understand that the nature of that particular wood amplifies that first statement. And then I'd say something like "knowing all that, how much are you willing to pay for it?" If their expectations are reasonable along with what they feel it's worth, then do it. If not, politely take a pass.