The need for variety of products to be displayed in booths both in craft stores and crafts shows is one of the most important factors to be successful in the craft business. But intermingled throughout all the different products must be one main simple to build product that will be the base of your business. You need a product that will sell many times over to many people browsing through your booth. It is the many different products that keep your customers in your booth but it is the one item that produces many sales that keep you in business.
One great project that fits this requirement is the cherry wood wall shelf. This shelf usually is a one tier decorative shelf with wood brackets. Some of the reasons this item is a great product are:
*The shelf consists of only four (4) parts- There is a top shelf with a groove cut for plates, a pair of decorative brackets, a back-plate spanning between the brackets and a pair of metal hangers.
*Made with Cherry as a wood choice- The reason for using cherry is for ease of finishing. Cherry wood can be finished with Danish oil and that's it. A coat of furniture wax can be applied if desired but not required.
*This product can be sold very competitively- The need to have a product that people will walk through and buy at the spur of the moment is very important. A family browsing through a craft show on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon usually will not pay a large amount of money for spur of the moment items. A simple shelf can usually sell for $20.00 - $30.00 and can be discounted as the end of the show approaches.
*The cost of materials and production time is favorable for craft show items- The cost of materials should be between $7.00 - $11.00 and production time is about 1-1/2 hours per shelf.
Building this product is rather simple and the steps can be batched together to produce volume. In order to get the most value for the money we are using rough cut lumber for our project. Following are the steps needed to complete this item:
*Cut the top to your desired length, usually 18" to 36" is normal. The width should be 6".
*Cut a 8" x 8" piece for the pair of brackets.
*Cut a back-plate piece approximately 5" wide x about 4" shorter in length than the top.
*Run all pieces through a planer and then a joiner to create a smooth face, back and square edges.
*Sand all pieces down to a smooth finish using an orbital sander.
*Take the top and rout a round over edge on one side and two ends of the top side of the top.
*Cut a plate groove on the top of the top shelf about 3/4" in from the back. This groove can run completely from end to end or start and stop approximately 1" in from either end.
*Cut the brackets from the 8" x 8" piece. Each bracket should be 6" tall and 5" wide. The front end of each bracket should be a "S" shape to form a decorative bracket. This can be cut with a jig or band saw.
*Rout a round over or cove on each side of the front end of each bracket following the "S" shape to add more flair to your project.
*Next take the back-place piece and rout a bead on the top and bottom of the face. You can also cut out a design such as hearts on the face. There are several ways to decorate the back-plate piece and it is best to look through some craft magazines to find a design you like.
*Hand sand all piece to a fine smooth finish.
*On the outside face of each bracket drill a hole and counter bore where the brackets are to be attached to the back-plate. Screw the brackets to the back-place and add plugs to the holes in the brackets. Cut and sand off the plugs with fine sandpaper using an orbital sander.
*Align and mark where the brackets/back-plate piece will attached to the top. Drill and counter bore through the top of the top shelf. Attach the bracket/back-plate piece to the top and plug the holes. Cut plugs and sand smooth with an orbital sander.
*Do one final hand sanding of the assembled shelf and use tack cloth to remove all dust.
*Finish piece by applying a generous coating of Danish Oil and wipe down. Allow to dry and if desired rub down with a coat of furniture wax.
*Attach metal hangers to back of shelf to complete the item.
In order to produce enough quantity you should cut enough material to produce around 20 to 30 shelves. As you follow through the steps make sure all the material is completed before moving to the next step. Don't make one shelf at a time. Also mix up the sizes of the shelves so you have a few 18", 24", 30" and 36" shelves when you have completed all the steps.
My name is Ernie Sharpe and I hope this article has been helpful. If you would like to read more of my woodworking lenses please click here for my bio page on squidoo.com. I also invite you to visit my site: http://www.woodworkinginretirement.info for more project plans to build in your workshop.
No comments:
Post a Comment