Request for help/advice – what do you do when you have too much furniture?

[Mike Allen1010]

This thread is probably not 100% consistent with the typical topics here in the Neanderthal cave. Nonetheless, if my fellow Creekers are willing to bear with me, I would very much appreciate advice and suggestions about how to best address what has become for me and existential woodworking question: What should I do now that our family has more furniture/woodworking projects than we need?

I hope that doesn’t sound like a “humble brag”, my question is certainly not intended as such. I’m legitimately looking for advice and suggestions from people with shared interests that I respect. As a brief explanation, I’ve been a hand tool woodworker for 30 years. In the early days with a young family, project priorities were clear: build the simple, functional stuff our family needed but couldn’t afford to buy. These were things mostly for the Boys, beds, desks, dressers, etc. In the early days, the furniture I built intended for the downstairs “public spaces” of our house, rarely made the cut to get admitted into the house with the LOML. Typical response was: “that’s lovely, I know some folks (young families with kids, from our church, etc.), that would love to have that furniture”. My wife is an interior designer with high standards and I clearly recognized her message; my feeble attempts at furniture weren’t going to pass muster.

Eventually over the years, I was able to build fairly nice furniture that occasionally made the cut, allowing it into the house. That brings us to my current challenge: I’ve built all the furniture our 2 boys need, and my wife and I are soon to be empty-nesters - looking to downsize into a smaller house. To facilitate the move, we need to get rid of lots of stuff (God forbid that includes any of my tools!).

The fundamental challenge is Sherrie, me and our Boys literally can’t accommodate any more furniture that I might build – bummer! I’ve given away lots of furniture to friends and family, which is always rewarding, however that’s a finite audience; the last thing I want is to try and "twist someone’s arm” to accept a piece I built for them. In my experience always a losing proposition!

Fundamental problem is; I really enjoy building furniture with hand tools. As my non- woodworking professional responsibilities wind down, I anticipate I will have more time for woodworking in future. I very much appreciate advice from my fellow Creekers about what I should do?

Options from my perspective seem to be limited to:



Stop woodworking – no one wants the end result of my efforts.





Build furniture I can give away to worthy causes.





Build furniture that could potentially be sold to “interested customers”. This includes the much larger question about how to “market, sell” handmade furniture. I have zero interest in “marketing/selling” anything. I spent my professional career in sales/marketing. My primary interest in woodworking is the build process and final result. IMHO, life is a lot simpler when you build stuff you can put in your house. When that’s not an option, things seem to me to be a little more complicated.



I really appreciate any advice/suggestions.

All the best, Mike

[Pete Taran]

Mike,

A couple thoughts. Are there pieces that you have made that have bothered you? Perhaps you could make another copy, fixing the things that you didn't like the second time around. That of course leaves the obvious question of what to do with the first copy.

I get that you don't like sales, so let someone else do it for you. Surely there must be galleries around your neck of the woods you could consign your pieces to and let them do the work. You tell them the bottom line price, exclusive of their fee, and let them do the work.

Food for thought.

[Mel Fulks]

Your work is original and prolific,and good. People find the artists who make stuff because they can't stop much more interesting
than a superb single piece made by a guy who moved on to a new challenge after he proved to himself he could make something. I suggest hiring someone to promote and manage a show to sell or auction all. I predict some free promotion from local media.

[Stew Denton]

Mike,

I would bet that there are still "young couples from your church" who could use furniture. Let your wife do the sleuthing. You know women are infinitely better at that than we men are. As the old saying goes, the three main types of communication are telephone, telegraph, and tell a woman.

If she has a small group of 3 or 4 close friends, they can find out who needs something, what they need, and what the wife likes.

The young folks need to understand that you love to build things, and now have no place to give them with family and friends, and was hoping they would let you build something for them.

Stew

[James Pallas]

Tough questions Mike. The work you have posted is very nice. I faced the same questions a few years back. I have built at least 3 houses of furniture over the years. The children, relatives, and friends have most of it now. Unless you really want to be in business with all of the headaches that go with it, don't do it. I did not want to keep doing it after retirement from it. Health wise now I really can't do the big heavy stuff. I still build smaller things for our house when needed. I build treasure chests (I call them) for the great grand kids as they come along. At times I'm asked to build something by the kids after they have been shopping for something and have sticker shock. They get the same surprised look when they ask for a secretary, or a highboy or such and I tell them what the materials will cost. I have done and still would on occasion build something for someone in need and that is usually appreciated and satisfying. Most of the time now I build smaller things that I want to build because of some challenge I want to satisfy. If we don't use it for the house it is easy to give away. Most of the younger people I know are more about style than longevity and change things regularly. IKEA and good to go until next year. I would say build what you want for the challenge and be prepared to give it away at your pleasure.
Jim

[Dave Parkis]

Perhaps you could donate some pieces to the church and let them either auction or raffle them off. If it's auctioned, the winners get pieces they wanted at a price they can afford , the church gets some funds to support other programs and you get a bit of a tax write off and the knowledge that you've helped some folks.

[Nathan Johnson]

Build whatever you like and auction them off with proceeds going to charity.

[ken hatch]

Mike,

If you are not a church person find a non-profit "art space". Full disclosure, I was on the Board of Directors and ran the Houston Center for Photography's annual auction for many years. They always need money and their auctions are a major source of funding. With you being on the West coast there should be plenty to choose from.

Besides, art folks can be very interesting and "Openings" are a lot of fun. After a few you will get to know the "cheese eaters", most haven't a clue about the art but show up for the cheese and wine. Give it a go, new friends and a different culture. It can be enjoyable.

ken

[John C Cox]

You are not alone my friend. Many woodworkers run into a similar conundrum.

One option is to donate it to local "worthy" charities of your choice. Often those places have a pretty severe need for decent office furniture, chairs, tables, desks, and the like. Often they can't "justify" buying office furniture because they want the money to go to the homeless or destitute... And so they end up with a ratty collection of half-broken rickety old furniture.... And that makes it hard for them to do their jobs effectively.... You will have to accept the likelihood that they may sell it (at a giant discount) to fund their work..

Another option is to get involved with an active wood working club. Most woodworking clubs have posted charity builds. For example - one club I was in built funiture for local orphanages and to furnish local Habitat for Humanity project houses. The local Foster parent association has a constant need for stuff like kid beds and dressers....etc.

A last option is to build stuff that's easier to give away... For example - I have no trouble finding takers when I am ready to give away an acoustic guitar.

[Mike Wilkins]

With retirement just around the corner (July 31) for me, I am planning to re-make some of the items that I built early in my woodworking journey. There are some things that just don't sit right with my more advanced eye, and I want to correct them. Friends, neighbors, family will be the beneficiary of the old items, or I may just cut them up and re-use the lumber.
I still have a long list of new items that I want to build, and with 2 daughters away from home, they will benefit as well.
Or just donate to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store.

[Simon MacGowen]

I have not seen any of your work, but I can assume you are highly skilled.

If you don't want to rebuild a previous piece, if you don't like to give away a build or donate anymore, if you don't want to build to sell, or if you don't want to do any of the suggestions others have offered so far, you still can make good use of your time and skills:

Teach or write or do both, whether or not they are financially rewarded.

To engage in that direction, you may need to develop new sets of skills as a good woodworker is not necessarily a good author or teacher. Start local and start small to see if you like it (or are capable of doing it). Can you travel? Can you afford to help a woodworking school as a teaching assistant -- without pay? Are you willing to challenge yourself? Can you build and team up with someone who can write?

I was a successful executive and went to teach as a part-time college instructor when my full-time career came to an end. My corporate experience was hardly matched by any PhD holders in the faculty, something my students openly acknowledged. I wasn't a better teacher than the rest but I offered an edge that business students did not get from the academics.

You, too, can keep your woodworking passion by teaching, demonstrating and whatnots.

Simon

[Andrew Hughes]

I have the same problem.
I’ve already started recycling my own work.
It’s also helped to see what’s working and what’s not. For instance lots of my screws in figure 8 fasteners are too loose to do anything but eventually fall out.

[Lee Schierer]

I would be 99% sure there is a Habitat for Humanity group near your location. I'm sure they would love donations of fine quality furniture.

[steven c newman]

Around here, it is called a Yard Sale/Garage Sale.....

[Brandon Speaks]

Seems the charity route would be a good option.

[Thomas L Carpenter]

Charity route is the best option. I rarely make anything for family anymore but I enjoy working in the shop and i don't do it to make money. I either donate it or sell it for ridiculously low prices at craft shows and donate the money. I donate to Special Olympics, Fragile X, Autism, or the Arc. Take your pick. There are many groups that need the bucks.

[Doug Dawson]

This thread is probably not 100% consistent with the typical topics here in the Neanderthal cave. Nonetheless, if my fellow Creekers are willing to bear with me, I would very much appreciate advice and suggestions about how to best address what has become for me and existential woodworking question: What should I do now that our family has more furniture/woodworking projects than we need?

Move to a bigger house.

Or partner with a retail outfit that can sell your stuff. Giving it away to charity is the same as burning it, if it's free it won't be appreciated. Put some value on your own work. You may as well get something out of it.

[Joe Bradshaw]

Mike, my lady friend and I Have almost the same problem. We are both turners and spoon carvers and the occasional stool makers. Luckily, she has a large(15) family in the area. Every Christmas, we have a family Christmas dinner and then have games to determine who gets to get first pick of our stuff. So far, it has worked out well.
Joe

[Pat Barry]

Maybe time tomove into metalworking. Thats a nice complimentary skill to develop. Forging, welding, brazing, etc.

[John K Jordan]

Mike, one idea: make smaller things. Most people have limited space for furniture and other large things but might appreciate finely crafted and exquisite small things like jewelry boxes, trays - beautiful wood, well-crafted dovetails, perfect finish. If you want to make things to sell I think there is still a significant market for miniatures - I met someone recently who made and sold small things to collectors for their "doll" houses. Perhaps take up woodturning, wide open for creative exploration. You can easily make smaller things that can be given away. If sticking to hand tools, how about carving? Carved chess sets in in well-crafted tables/boxes with integral chess boards might be sold in galleries. I embellish small wood-turned things with chip carving and other carving.

[Stan Calow]

Mike, I approaching that point too. I've made just about everything I can for family and friends, and am not good enough or interested in making things for retail. My first step to phasing out is the hardest - not to buy any more wood. I want to use up what I have and move into turning more.

[Doug Dawson]

Mike, I approaching that point too. I've made just about everything I can for family and friends, and am not good enough or interested in making things for retail. My first step to phasing out is the hardest - not to buy any more wood. I want to use up what I have and move into turning more.

Here's another idea: have your wife hire an interior decorator. She'll make you get rid of everything you have and start over. That's useful for learning a different furniture style.

[Doug Dawson]

Maybe time tomove into metalworking. Thats a nice complimentary skill to develop. Forging, welding, brazing, etc.

That is so true. Metal is really hot in retail fine furniture right now.

That's something I'm going to have to get into. Currently I'm just embedding springs and rubber hoses into odd locations in the work, but it tends to weird people out and I'm going to have to start taking it more seriously.

[Jeff Wittrock]

Mike,

I have come into pretty much the same condition, and the approach I have decided to take ( or that has been forced upon me ):
1. If I want to make something I know we don't need, and the cost of material won't be to high for me to justify, I build and donate to our local Saint Vincent de Paul Society. They are very good at giving it a good home to someone that needs it or they sell it and use the money for real needs.
2. If someone comes to me, and want's something made, and I think it is something I will enjoy, I take on the job. This has the advantage that someone else pays for the material and I have a chance to earn just a little less than minimum wage for time I spend doing something I enjoy. I don't actively try and drum up any business. I just sometimes take it if it comes my way.
3. I have moved to making smaller things like tools (you can never have enough of those).
4. Last resort if things don't turn out on a project is that it can always go on the end of my driveway with a free to good home sign. So far, nothing I have done this with has remained more than a few hours.

[James Waldron]

When SWMBO and I down-sized, we found a consignment shop that took on and sold a lot of our surplus furniture, some my work, some purchased antiques, a few modern reproductions. We made a bit of money, not a lot, and solved the space problem in short order.

Since then, I've found a charitable outlet for a bit of my work.

In the next couple of months, son and wife are buying a new house and will have a few needs; I may be permitted to park a piece or two with them. That won't happen until he and I finish the urgent repairs and upgrades they are planning, of course. We manage to work together on projects without (much) violence.

[Matthew Cashman]

The obvious answer to me: make something that is very, very technically challenging. Make a period reproduction, or a bombe chest--or get in to marquetry, or do something that involves a lot of very ornate carving. Louis XIV. Once you've plowed four years into it, use it to replace one of your extant pieces. Give the older one away or sell it.

[Matt Lau]

An alternative option- How about post photos of your existing furniture as a "online gallery" for prospective clients?

Sell off stuff you're tired of, or make new stuff.
If you have a good reputation, you can be like Nick Offerman.

[Tom Bender]

How about using Face Book? I'm not a user but it seems like a way to find friends who could use the stuff.