First attempt at making a furniture piece

[Ellen Benkin]

A bookcase is an excellent first "furniture" project and there must be a million plans available on the internet. Also EVERY woodworking magazine has plans at least twice a year. It can be made of painted plywood or really nice hardwood with a minimum of power tools and is something that you or the recipient will keep forever. I encourage you to build one even if your daughter says she doesn't want it. A nightstand is much more complicated. And, yes, good hardwood is expensive but it's a project from father to daughter.

[Al Launier]

I went looking for a desk one time. 95% of what I found commercially was made of particle board and/or MDF. The other 5% used plywood. The wood grain is painted on, or they splurged and used a printed paper 'veneer'. I could see the moisture in my breath degrading the joinery, even while I looked at the hot-melt and staples holding the drawer boxes together. ...And this was in the expensive stores.

I still have nightmares about the cheap-stuff-stores.

If you have tools, time, and some skills, you can build the items you find at Thomas Moser. This is one quality, low-volume builder that I'm aware of (perhaps you know of others?), and is of comparable quality to what I see from most of the SMC postings. Moser's production is heirloom quality (IMHO), and is probably what you should compare your build costs against. This from their site:

AMERICAN BUNGALOW NIGHTSTAND
$2,170.00 – $4,340.00

FWIW, I could probably build this in some pretty sharp materials for less...?? Bet you could too. Enjoy!!

I just checked out the Thomas Moser site ( https://www.thosmoser.com/product/am...w-night-stand/) for a night stand with a shelf. $4340 for Walnut, only $3,770 for Maple. What a deal! Without too much thought I think that is beyond my means, legacy or not. Incredible! Nice handle though!

[Ron Citerone]

Thanks to all for your suggestions, they were thoughtful and appreciated.

First it was a narrow book case, then that was changed to a night stand/bedside table up to 18" wide with a drawer & (2) shelves. So I then came up with a concept and compared it with several designs on the Internet. I soon discovered that my cost of raw materials (grained hardwood lumber, stains, hardware, etc.) would exceed the cost of comparable local store bought night stands. The comparable retail cost of raw materials that I would pay is far more that what manufactures pay at wholesale, and that didn't include the many hours of my labor which would tie me up for a really long time (I do take my time in the shop so I can enjoy the ambiance). Plus, the size was starting to reach the limit of my shop space.

So, I decided to forego making the night stand and asked her to pick out what she would like & I would purchase it for her. Sometimes it's easier, better, and more practical to simply buy things.

Now I need to find a project.

Blanket chest or a Jewelry box would be cherished by a daughter. Look into Basic Box Building by Doug Stowe if you get a chance.

[Mike Walsh]

you also have a great lumber supplier (selection, pricing, service) not to far away in Brentwood

[Al Launier]

Thanks for the referral to Highland Hardwoods in Brentwood, NH, but actually I think the New England Forest Products in Peterborough, NH has better prices.http://www.neforestproducts.com/ , http://www.neforestproducts.com/uplo...ice%20book.pdf

I like to get my raw lumber there. They have a good selection of various woods. Check out their brochure.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... I think that is beyond my means, legacy or not. ...

Al, I hope you didn't think I was implying you buy this. It was simply a counter-point to the idea that 'you could buy cheaper than you could build'. If you are working in solid wood, it is not a great stretch to produce similar quality - even if the design is modified/simplified to match your taste, tools, and/or skills. ....I make the leap of faith you'd not go to the shop and strive to build semi-disposable 'Rooms-to-Go-esque' stuff.

Just a SWAG, but for a one-off like the nightstand, I'd figure 20bdft @ $15per (Premium B.Walnut on my last trip to the yard) = $300 in lumber, then add $40 pull, $20 in finishing, and $10 in consumables (sandpaper, etc). So $370 in materials. Figure 40 hrs to build it. Not that it's any of my business, but what's your time worth? You could 'pay' yourself $100/hr and basically come out a wash with the Moser price (not counting tax & shipping).

Then you add the value of the princess' comment, "My Daddy built that for me!" Even at my SWAG prices, home-built starts looking pretty cheap! ...YMMV

[Al Launier]

Malcolm your comments are appreciated, I didn't think you implied that, not at all. It was simply an attempt to show what a presumed "ultimate" small piece of furniture sells for and to hopefully express how I feel that it is so far overpriced. I would never entertain the thought of purchasing it. For something like the piece shown, which I feel I could build for much less as you have pointed out, it is still more of a project that I would want to make.

As I alluded to, I do feel some projects can be purchased at a quality level that is less demanding on my personal time & budget. By quality I'm not referring to plywood, particle board, or other substitutes for good material selection and construction practice.

Given all that, I simply can't see myself spending a whole lot of time on a single piece project. Frankly, my enjoyment with woodworking is taking my time, doing precision work, and making smaller projects for family and friends. I simply get tired of the same project & run out of patience - I need to move on to another, different project if it takes too much time. Obviously I could never engage in a personal business, I can't handle repetitive work.