ornaments

[Ron Bontz]

I have noticed there are some folks on here who like to turn very small and detailed items such as bird houses /ornaments. I have to admire them since this is something I am not prone to turn. Not to mention the creativity involved. So I am drawn to asking what do some of these ornaments sell for. Say for example someone wanted to buy one for their x mas tree. :rolleyes:

[Peter Gregory]

I have seen them from $10 to $20 each at many craft fairs and the like. Has to be fairly complex to draw more than $20 in my experience.

[Rasmus Petersen]

i seem to be the only one in denmark that make ornaments of this style.. ig charge 40-50 $ for mine and have sold quite a few... not as many as i would like...

i make mine very thin, thin finials and large ball.. shy of a tennisball and with wall thikness of aroud 2-3 mm. finials are down to 2-3 mm

[Paul Atkins]

I used to make lots of ornaments, selling them in a consignment store, but it was a pain to collect - I think I got about 9 bucks or so. Now I just make 20 or so a year and give them away at Christmas. I like doing them now. They are sort of like these. Take about 3 minutes or so. No sanding or finish. They just get old looking. I like maple partly because they show up on the tree and it's great to turn.

[Paul Atkins]

This is just a quick snap.

[Jeff Nicol]

Ron, This year I can't keep up with the demand and my cheapest one is $18.50. That is for just one type of wood and no fancy finial. The nicer ones I am getting $24 -$26 apiece and the shop and gallery owners think I should ask for more money! I guess I want to sell them all and not wait for someone with really deep pockets to come and buy one for $50 or more.

Quality and quantity for me! I am heading out to the shop right now to get some ready for tomorrow as people are waiting for my delivery of as many as I can bring!

Jeff

[Ron Bontz]

Feel free to send me a pic with a price tag attached via e-mail. I am almost finished with my kitchen cabinets. Perhaps if the loml sees some of them she will understand why I have been buying all those "accessories" for my 1642 I bought last year.;) Hmmm, Maybe I could tell her I had one imported all the way from Denmark just for her tree.Yeah, that's the ticket.;) I do have an in-law that collects hand made ornaments for their tree.:) Thanks for the replies.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Ron on my birdhouse ornaments I get $16.50 for what I call plain jane nothing fancy domestic wood. The exotic types start at $19.50 and go to $26.50 for the fancier ones with finials or textured. On the Christmas ball type ornaments I get from $15.50 for simple up to $29.50 for fancy woods or if they fancy icicles or if I burn lines on them to paint the school colors in-between. I have three that I know of collect these ornaments.

[Curt Fuller]

I have to say that it would be pretty hard to make a living turning Christmas ornaments. I've turned some fancy ones that have an hour or more work in them and some plain ones that still have close to an hour's work in them. And it's pretty hard to get what they're worth once you start adding all the costs up. The real reward in ornaments is giving them as gifts. They're unique and original and I think people enjoy receiving something handmade. I've found that if you price them at what you have in them then you have a lot left over to give away as gifts. If you price them at what they'll sell for then you might as well give them away.

[Ron Bontz]

I am pretty sure only woodworkers and perhaps their family members truly understand the time involved building quality items. Hence cost. OK so here is the deal. spend 5 minutes turning, 2 minutes painting. hit it with a hammer for good measure, stamp "made in china" on it and call it an antique dynasty turning. It will surly sell.:D Seriously I would not mind picking up a couple of those ornaments for my and my relative's tree. Perhaps it will sway me to try it when I am not so buried. :)

[Jeff Nicol]

I guess if the only reason we turned was to make money then it would not be any fun! The turning of these ornaments are a way to use every skill and tool you have and to learn some new tricks! I have come up with something new just about every time I turn an ornament. They are challenging to see how thin to get the bulb or house, how fancy the finial is, all the different types of woods and other materials etc! I used some corian today for a icicle on a birdhouse and it is really cool! I love to here the coments and praise that the customers give me also.

If we count the hours we spend on the lathe most of us will never get an hourly wage that will support a family, but the fun, joy and for me, the mental health time sure makes it all worth while!

I guess no matter what you do with the ornaments it sure is a great way to get rid of all those pesky little pieces of wood that are just to good to throw away!

Have a Great Holiday Season!

Jeff