costing work

[Elaine]

Hi
I have been asked to provide dibbers for a local business, they have asked me to give them a price for making them. I have no idea where to start??? I don't want to undercut my services and I don't want to outprice myself either, is there a formula for this? Does anyone else have a price or ideas of cost? They are about 8 inches long with 1 inch increments in them.
Also, what is a good thing to use to burn the markings in them while on the lathe???
Cheers
Elaine

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

The way to price work (well im not to sure on turning work) is to figure out your day rate (mine £180) dived that by hours worked in a day (I say 8 its more like 12 but mine works to £22.50 an hour) then times that by how long it will take you plus what ever the material costs.

If you don't have a day rate then you need to figure out your monthly overheads, plus your personal monthly bills (food, utilities, mortgage/rent etc) then add some extra for yourself or the luxuries you have (mobile contract, sky etc).

Like I say thats how I price up furniture work. If you have a job and this is more a hobby then say £6.50-10 an hour plus materials is what I would charge if you didn't want to be "cheap"

 

[jumps]

Elaine

If it's your business you will need to price them according to your profit objectives, which is going to include meterials, time, stock holding costs if applicable, margin, etc etc - and you may well find that your price is more than they can pay because they, in turn, will be working back from an estimated retail price and looking at their margin!

Otherwise it's basically what you want out of it - and how you dress up getting to that figure is irrelevant.

Burning the depth rings is simple with a bit of galvanised wire, or some mica, but put the wire between a couple of scrap 'handles' as it will get hot quickly. Setting the rings into coves looks better and lasts longer but cut them after final sanding of the dibber but before finish.

 

[henton49er]

Hi Elaine,

For small turned items such as this I would have thought that the local business is going to try and sell them at under £10 each. It is therefore difficult to see how you could charge much more than £5 for each of them, possibly a bit less. I agree with Jumps and Hudson thoughts for pricing, but think that this method would price you and the local business out of a sensible price range. Jumps has summed up the burning of ther marks, but I would make a V-groove first as a means of positively locating the wire and preventing it from possibly skidding on the surface of the nearly completed dibber.

Mike.

 

[donwatson]

Elaine,
A piece of Formica is ideal for burning rings on wood.

take care
Don W
PS I don't know how to cost.

 

[Doug B]

Hi Elaine,
A quick google showed wooden dibbers can be bought for £3.75 (cheapest) so as most places i`ve delt with want to sell for double want i charge plus vat, I imagine that you`d be lucky to get more than £1.50.
That said, I`d expect to make over 10 an hour of the type google flagged up, so even at that price a decent hourly rate should be obtainable.

Cheers

 

[Elaine]

Cheers all.
They are supplying the wood free, it didn't cost them anything as it was spalted and written off from the supplier,so anything they make is profit above whatever they pay me. So it is my time, other materials, petrol for getting them there etc, ok I think I'm on track now. Thanks for all the advice, brilliant as ever.
Have put grooves in it was just what to use to burn the wood, wire sounds great, had heard of formica but not sure where to get a piece other than snap a bit off the kitchen counter tops and that is not a good idea!! Need to find a kitchen fitter then.
I did a google search and must say they are definitely better than those I saw, the company already have a market for them, so both of us will earn from them, it is then up to the seller to shift them
Thanks again, very excited by this project, turning and being paid is great.

 

[Bodrighy]

Be careful Elaine, if you are selling your work you should be registered as self employed with the taxman and if you are supplying a company you will be on their books as a supplier. Anyone selling their work should in fact be at least registered as a sole trader by law.

Pete

 

[farmerboyce]

Hi Elaine
I use broken guitar strings, donated by a friend, tied into 2 small lengths of dowel.
If you like I can send you a couple foc
ATB
Steve

 

[gnu]

We used to sell hundreds them for £5.00 each made of ash and marked in inches and think I could do them for £7.50 now. We used to engrave names on them which helped to sell them. If they are nice quality items people don't mind paying a bit. It is like light pulls, you can buy them for 25p but people will pay a few pounds for a nice hand turned one in an attractive wood. But selling turned work is an art in itself and you go on instinct rather than working out the material and labour cost etc. A garden dibber can be used for making seed drills and also for tying line to so you have to emhasixe these extra functions. Good luck and may your dibbers be with you.

 

[Elaine]

Cheers again. Pete, I am self employed on two counts, gardening business which can include the woodturning and as a psychotherapist, all registered with the taxman, won't ever make millions but that has never been my driver, at least I am happy in all of my work, but thanks for thinking about it, mentioning it here may help others.
Steve - I have guitar strings, why didn't I think about that, they will be in use tomorrow.
Gnu - these guys have some great ideas and have the contacts, they are also letting me put my ideas in there with my gardening knowledge etc. It's that moment when a window of opportunity presents itself and you either take it or you don't, and I am in the position to take it, I hope the force is with me, either way a shall keep my hand on my dibber :roll: