sheesh- my wife wants to BUY furniture!!

[Lynn Kasdorf]

My wife is getting tired of waiting for my shop to be completed, and for me to get around to building a nice bed frame and chest of drawers.

She wants to buy a bedroom suite!

Now, this is actually not as crazy as it sounds- my sister in law has a small business where she buys furniture direct from some High Point NC manufacturers and sells the stuff at a very good price. The entire mission style oak bedroom suite- bed frame, 2 nightstands w/ 3 drawers, tall dresser, short/wide dresser w/ mirror is $1100 + $400 commission for her + shipping.

I don't want junk. And I want the right kind of finish. I have seen a lot of oak furniture that I feel has a really ugly finish. I'm fond of the fumed treatment, then pore fill with dark filler, then shellac. I don't know what this stuff will have for a finish. If it is sprayed poly, I don't want it.

Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to lay hands on the stuff before we buy it. But it is American made, good quality furniture.

Very frustrating for me- my big barn shop is coming together- oak siding is going on as we speak- but the reality is that it won't be until fall before I get all the constrution done, and then there is the long process of actually building out the inside of the shop and getting tools, benches, and storage all set up.

So it will likely be a year before I can really get down to some actual furniture building. And I guess the reality is that building all these pieces would be a huge project.

So, I don't know why I'm writing this really, other than to vent!

Cheers
Lynn

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I feel for you. I am planning to build a detached workshop myself but I realized that it would take the better part of a year to get it done and we have some projects that can't wait. In short, I'm setting up a temporary shop in my basement until that blessed day arrives where I have a real shop. In fact, that banging you hear is the electricians installing a subpanel and 220v outlets.

If the siding is going on now, shouldn't it be inhabitable pretty soon? Maybe you could start working on the project before you have all of the storage, etc. set up?

Have to say, though, that does sound like a pretty good price for what you're getting. Assuming the quality is close to acceptable. Maybe you can move it to a guest room when you build the good stuff?

[Kevin Herber]

If the quality of the store bought is pretty good I would go ahead and buy it. After the shop is finished, build the good stuff and show her what REALLY good stuff is like. I'm sure she will want what you build. You then can sell the store made items and get some of your money back. Both of you will be happy. That would take some of the pressure off you to finish in a hurry and then build in a hurry too.

Good Luck - Been there.....

[Larry Browning]

Well, having the wife getting tired of waiting for you to build something won't stop even when you get the shop built and fully functioning! Because I am not a full time woodworker combined with being "the slowest woodworker on the planet" (I only put out maybe 3 or 4 projects in a good year).
SWMBO buys things from Ashley's "Fine Furniture" (what a joke:rolleyes: ). I have learned to not criticize this furniture in front of her. It only gets her to point out that if I would get off my duff and build stuff faster she wouldn't feel the need to buy it.... (There is more to her rant, but I haven't managed to actually hear it, because I am now thinking, "Why did I say that this piece is furniture is crap in the first place?" and I can't think and listen at the same time.)

[Joe Chritz]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The humanity of it. I feel for you and recommend counseling ASAP.

I had to buy a dining room table when we were building the house. Made me sick and I refused to go in when she bought it. :o

I am finishing two loft beds for the curtain climbers and my 8 year old is nagging about the desk to go under it. Believe me it starts early, no wonder I am loosing my hair. :D

Joe

[Barry O'Mahony]

My suggestion? Take the truck, drive over to the Ikea in College Park, and load it up. You'll get cheap, servicable furniture that'll easily last you the year before you can build your own "good stuff".

Personally, I'd be leery of the stuff your SIL can get you. The price sounds way too low for good stuff, and you can't see it before buying it. But $1500 is a lot to drop on something you may be disappointed in when you get it.

[Bryan Somers]

Im fortunate that the LOML likes stuff made for her. I do agree with Kevin, you can build later and show what quality looks like. One thing you must take into considerationis

If mama aint happy aint nobody happy!!!!!

[Dennis McDonaugh]

My wife is impatient too, really impatient, so I can empathize with you. I was painting the living room and had a hard time keeping her from putting the artwork back on the wall until it dried.

[Ted Jay]

Go ahead and buy the furniture. All your going to do is get the SIL and wife mad at you and your life might be a living he$$ if you don't buy from the SIL. They already got together and figured this all out without your input, so your already out of the loop, so just give up and give in, you lost. (The SIL has already made the deal, she's making $400...):eek:

Tell the wife that you are going to make some furniture anyway, when the shop is finished of course, and your going to sell it and get more than your money back for the stuff you got from the SIL.:D

What are you sleeping on now that can't wait until you..... OH, never mind, I almost forgot about the SISTER IN-LAW DEAL.;) :confused: :confused:

Now where did I put that other paddle......... here it is still in the pot!!!:)

[Barry O'Mahony]

All your going to do is get the SIL and wife mad at you and your life might be a living he$$ if you don't buy from the SIL. They already got together and figured this all out without your input, so your already out of the loop, so just give up and give in, you lost.Ted,

I think you are a wise man. ;)

I'd probably do better if I had your insight into the Female Mind.

[JayStPeter]

If I was a faster woodworker ... let's just say we've bought a good deal of furniture since I've been making furniture ... including a bedroom set.:rolleyes:

Jay

[Steve Clardy]

Oh. I hear that one.
My wife has threatened to go buy kitchen cabinets.:o :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :o

[Ken Salisbury]

Sounds Like You Are In One Of These:

[Dev Emch]

And what did you say the BTU content of this furniture was........:D



Word of wisdom... get your wife to hold out. Saves you from having to trash or fire sell this stuff later on.

[Larry Browning]

Word of wisdom... get your wife to hold out. Saves you from having to trash or fire sell this stuff later on.
And what fantasy would do you live in? How would you propose to talk her into holding off? My experience has always been when she wants something and we actually have the money in the bank, resistance is futile.

[Dev Emch]

And what fantasy would do you live in? How would you propose to talk her into holding off? My experience has always been when she wants something and we actually have the money in the bank, resistance is futile.

Well how about this fantasy world. My buddy Steve who turned me onto Hofmann machines from Germany has a wife who wanted a $30,000 dollar Stickley Dining room ensemble. Steve, who's knowledge of woodworking machines and woodworking makes me out as peon, talked his wife into letting him get the Hofmann from Germany. In exchange she gets the Stickley furniture. But the Stickley furniture she has is actually better made than the stuff sold by Stickley. Hmmmmmm, what gives. Yup, Steve built it out of white oak salvaged from a road expansion project in WI. Now that is the fantasy world worth living in. She is estatic and Steve has his Hofmann. The second Hofmann shaper in the US. Mine is the fourth or fifth and second to the last imported before Laguna dropped their dealer status.

[Jim Becker]

My suggestion? Take the truck, drive over to the Ikea in College Park, and load it up. You'll get cheap, servicable furniture that'll easily last you the year before you can build your own "good stuff".
Well...I actually own quite a bit of Ikea furniture (mostly from my "previous life") and it will last a whole lot longer than a year. It's actually pretty well made compared to a lot of other stuff on the market. This includes the cases in my bedroom, several shelving units, my Efectiv office desk system and a couple leather couches, most of which is at least 12 years old. I also bought two beds for the girls from Ikea last summer when I didn't have time to even consider making them. None of it is anything nearly as good as even I can make, but...for the money, I'd take if over the Ashley's and "Raymour and Flanagans" of the world any day!! At least I know what I'm paying for. And the Swedish meatballs are dang good, too...

-------

Lynn, I feel for you...but sometimes the reality of things means you need to accept a little bit of compromise to keep the LOYL happy... ;)

[Gail O'Rourke]

Lynn, my two favorite things, furniture and shopping, not necessarily together. Buy the furniture. For $1500 the furniture is what it is. It doesn't mean you have to keep it forever, You can't even touch these pieces for the lumber it will cost to make an entire suite.

Look at it a different way. You have the freedom once the shop is done to do other pieces, believe me, one or two mission pieces and you will be bored and not want to finish the suite without mixing in some pieces for other rooms. I never build for one room and then move onto another...I build one for this room, one for that room and so on...and actually - I have even purchased a coffee table recently (don't tell) the price was cheap and my kids are still hard on furniture, so I look at it as an intermin piece. By the time you get the entire suite done - 5 years or so maybe, your tastes will change and you can change the look and there are always others looking to fill their home with hand me downs - kids, nieces, cousins.

So don't feel bad about it. Get it squared away and finish that shop.

[Jesse Cloud]

I hear you on that. My thinking would be number one priority is to keep her happy. Given that she has conspired with her sister, I suspect buying the furniture is pretty much a done-deal. But on the bright side, there are still lots of things to build. Maybe a few years from now you can cut a deal where you sell the stuff you bought for a new woodworking tool or some cool wood.

When I was talking wifey into a homemade bedroom set, I asked 'What would your ideal dresser be like?' She got real excited talking about thin drawers here for scarves and deep ones there for sweaters. We mocked it up on a piece of cardboard - I called it a fitting, so that the right drawers would be at eye level and the top would be at a convenient height. Given my almost total lack of skill back then, its nothing I would want to show another woodworker, but she absolutely loves it. She brags to her sister that she has a custom fitted dresser.;)

Let us know how it comes out.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I saw a Mission bedroom at a North Carolina Furniture Direct store that I probably would buy instead of building if I didn't hate oak soooooo much. Dovetailed drawers, wonderful color, beautiful finish, and it even looked like someone was paying attention to the grain matching. I studied on it pretty hard. I could prolly make one just as good...but I'm not sure I could make it BETTER, and I certainly couldn't do it for what they wanted (even retail) if I put any value at all on my time.

Right now I'm sitting at an $89 computer desk from WalMart. :eek:

KC

[Reg Mitchell]

Now, this is actually not as crazy as it sounds- my sister in law has a small business where she buys furniture direct from some High Point NC manufacturers and sells the stuff at a very good price. The entire mission style oak bedroom suite- bed frame, 2 nightstands w/ 3 drawers, tall dresser, short/wide dresser w/ mirror is $1100 + $400 commission for her + shipping.
Kirk,
Not sure where your SIL is getting her stuff but I have seen some of the things In some of hte stores in NC since I live not far from there. Too I'm not sure whos makeing it. But I have seen Mission style furniture bed room suits that are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L....but a dresser was $10,000 bucks.... :eek: Better take a good look at what shes going to sell you

[Bruce Page]

And what fantasy would do you live in? How would you propose to talk her into holding off? My experience has always been when she wants something and we actually have the money in the bank, resistance is futile.
That has always been my experience too!

[Tom Araya]

I like building stuff also but it's just better to let the woman buy what she wants if she aint patient
for the custom DIY design/build. Most of the time the woman
doesn't care or isn't passionate about the hobbies of men.

[Jim Becker]

IMost of the time the woman doesn't care or isn't passionate about the hobbies of men.

I must point out that this is not a one-way street... ;)

[Lynn Kasdorf]

The distribution company is "Coaster". I think this is the url: http://www.coastercompany.com).

What I hear about the bedroom suite is this. Apparently is is made from oak (variety I don't know) and rubberwood. I suspect the stuff is made overseas. Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Macy's Home Furnishings, Reed's Furniture and others buy from this company. I have seen some mission pieces at Restoration Hardware that were really wonderful- I doubt this is it.

Still, I think we'll go ahead with it. SIL has a bunch of pieces from this company and loves it, and considers it to be good quality. Of course, she is not a woodworker...

So, there is the update, for those of you playing along at home. Any of you ever work with Rubberwood? I think that is a giveaway of it being imported. I did see a site that indicated rubberwood is a an enviromentally sound material, because they fell the rubber trees when they no longer produce good rubber. Also, it is apparently a very strong hardwood. No idea what it looks like tho.

[Joe Chritz]

for domestic tranquility.

I will be looking forward to a report on the rubberwood. Sounds interesting but I make lots of stuff out of trees that make syrup so who knows.

Joe