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Strange followup to my ironwood post

VERY strange week! I don't know how to make this short, so try to bear with me..

I posted a group of pictures a few weeks ago, that I'd sent to a client that was interested in some ironwood pieces...

SHE emailed back that they were interested in a few and would be visiting here (Mexico) in a few weeks..

I was supposed to bring my higher-end pieces to a local gallery this weekend for the big tourist rush, but was waiting until they got here, as I'd rather give my clients/collectors the 20% that the gallery charges, so I told the gallery I'd bring the stuff in on Friday..

HE calls the day before they get here (Wednesday) and says that his wife's birthday is coming up and if I have any ironwood pieces that I've done since the pictures were taken, please hide them from HER when they're here... Pretty simple, so far.. then it got sort of crazy..

I've got 2 hidden and she's in love with 3 or 4 of the one's on the shelf.. REALLY like's a tall vase but doesn't want to spend $275 this trip, and can't make up her mind between a bowl for $175 or 2 smaller pieces that total about $150.. All this time, HE is quietly observing..

She decides on the 2 smaller pieces, after spending about an hour fondling anything I had in ironwood.. He whips out his wallet, buys them for her, and sends her out to the car to get something, so we're alone..

He looks at the "hidden" pieces and likes a small bowl but doesn't think it's enough for her present, and decides to also get her the one for $175 that SHE likes.. Asks me to hold those 2 for him until he can arrange things without her knowing..

Very cool so far, right? I'm thinking that I'll have less to display at the gallery, but I've got 4 sales and the clients are happy...

Then, SHE calls about 15 minutes after they left and says the HE really likes the $175 one, and wants me to hold it until she can buy it for HIS birthday.. I'm sort of stuck, because I can't tell her that I sold it to HIM, and she knows that no other clients have been there since she left, so I can't tell her that someone else bought it.. Oh, shit..

After a few discussions with my wife, we figure that the only thing we can do is tell HIM... But if we do, it spoils HER surprise.. Fortunately, he has a great sense of humor, and thinks this is all funny as hell..

Then, he comes up and buys the other piece that he'd reserved, for $90, AND the $275 vase that she liked, both for HER birthday...

I ended up telling the gallery that I had to pass on the Memorial day display because most of the pieces that were going to be displayed were sold, so I have a free weekend AND a bunch of sales.. Much more than I could possibly expect from the gallery display..

If I wasn't in the middle of all this, I wouldn't of believed it... Sometimes life just works out, ya know?

mac

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Reply to
mac davis
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SNIP of great story

All I can say is on selling out. I don't know if I would have saved anything for the gallery or not.... probably not.

But I do think you protest a bit much....

How nice is it to turn out a product that is so well received and liked that people will buy every piece you made?

Enjoy the moment! Good work.

Robert

Reply to
nailshooter41

Thanks, Robert...

No protest involved, I just thought that the way it played out was interesting, to say the least. ;-]

I do have mixed feelings about the gallery, though.. It's a new one that a local sculptor just built and I do need the exposure... OTOH, I only have a few collectors/supporters so far and I try to make them my first priority... Sort of on the fence there..

Since my stuff is being displayed with his sculptures, a successful local painter and a guy that does high-end pottery, he only "invited" me to display my more expensive stuff.. Which my clients bought or reserved most of..

mac

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mac davis

Reply to
robo hippy

Very nice. Sounds to me that you need to make one for the lady to buy! Maybe a match or one to compare - like on a mantle or sideboard...

Might get a his and hers!

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Endowed; NRA LOH & Patron Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot's Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Nice drive-by, Mac!

Reply to
Gerald Ross

Yeah, right, Reed....

It was a great week and I grossed about $600... 3 or 4 more like that and I'll have the Nova paid off.. lol

articulates systems are great for smaller hollow forms up to about 8 inches deep.

the Olympic track and field trials here in town. Maybe I can have my Robust paid off by the end of that.

I'm hoping that the Nova will be the last lathe that I buy, but never say never, right? Sounds like you're having fun with the Robust, what are the specs on it?

I'm trying to avoid the hollow forms thing... It and segmented work seem like stuff that costs a lot of money and would really sidetrack me from the market that I already have..

Besides, I'd have to get the one that looks like a metal lathe 'cause I'm way too old to have a boring bar strapped to my arm when I get a catch!

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Thanks, Martin...

Hopefully, there will never be a matching one... I was just something that happened because of the shape of the chunk of ironwood and the bark pattern... After a few "commissions from hell" I don't ever want to try to make 2 or more of anything the same..;-[

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Mac, The Robust is a step up from the PM. It has 3 hp, sliding headstock,

25 inch throw, bed estention so between centers is close to 5 feet, tilt away tailstock gizmo, 750 pounds, adjustable legs, and is made in the USA. Bigger, heavier, more power. Insert Tim the 'Tool Man' Taylor proto simian grunts. This will be the last lathe that I own, but I may want a smaller one for the little things. Seems kind of rediculous to turn small tops on it.

The articulated hollowing tools are great, no big bar to lift, finger light pressure to cut. It works great for boxes also, a carbide disc cutter leaves a 220 grit surface with little or no effort. I have been doing a lot of small cup and other end grain shapes, not just hollow forms. More Toys!!!!!

robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy

Wow.. sounds like a LOT of lathe...

Are you turning stuff that big now? Mega coring!

I didn't really need the Nova, just wanted a toy, kind of.. The 16" swing is overkill with the wood supply here.. The jet 1442 was doing the job and I probably could have just used the mini..

mac

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Reply to
mac davis

Portland made the Robust my dream lathe..... It is simply impressive

Reply to
Ralph E Lindberg

Mac, I just picked up a good sized Big Leaf Maple with a lot of figure in it today. I will do a few bowls that size, just because I can, but in the past, those are a pretty limited market.

Ralph, I went to Portland (all the way from Eugene)last summer just to check out the lathes because I wanted to up grade. I didn't even consider the Oneway, no sliding headstock, and my lathe sits in a corner. I have seen the Serious in the past, and the same thing. The Stubby didn't impress me, and the coring systems won't fit on it. I did take a long look at the VB 36, but even with the bar extentions, it still said 'Bowl Lathe' to me, and I do some spindles. Thus far, I have only turned about 40 or so bowls on the Robust, but it is worth the money.

Kids and their toys!!!

Robust robo hippy

Reply to
robo hippy

Ralph, I went to Portland (all the way from Eugene)last summer just to check out the lathes because I wanted to up grade. I didn't even consider the Oneway, no sliding headstock, and my lathe sits in a corner. I have seen the Serious in the past, and the same thing. The Stubby didn't impress me, and the coring systems won't fit on it. I did take a long look at the VB 36, but even with the bar extentions, it still said 'Bowl Lathe' to me, and I do some spindles. Thus far, I have only turned about 40 or so bowls on the Robust, but it is worth the money.

Kids and their toys!!!

Robust robo hippy

Sounds like the Robust is about the same throw as the Stubby, but with longer ways - I haven't seen it in person - A key consideration for some of us is space - some folks have a lot of it, some have very little - so the sliding ways are helpful to minimize the space needed for a lathe that can turn large objects - but it's a compromise, and if you have the space, you are probably better off with a physically larger lathe - and then the sliding headstock eliminates the need to lean over the ways when working on a bowl - But then, if you had all that much space, you could get a bowl lathe and a spindle lathe, right?

I actually turned a small spindle today - first time in a long time - I wanted to make a handle for a winch that had none - so I got to use a bunch of expensive tools (large milling machine, metal lathe, wood lathe) and some cheap ones (grinder, oxyacetylene torch, files, hack saw) to make a $2 part, but now it's done. The spindle part was to make a handle that would turn on the pin I affixed to the crank for that purpose)

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Reply to
William Noble

I feel your pain.. lol The few big (over 14") bowls that I've sold went for less than the smaller ones.. Either a salad bowl or no sale, and definitely not art..

There is NO big wood down here, so a "large" piece might be a 6" or 7" ironwood bowl.. A friend just brought me 4 green oak rounds from Lake Tahoe.. About 18" diameter logs and cracked to hell by the time he got them here.. I'm turning then anyway, just for the almost forgotten pleasure of sending those long, wet shavings flying.. gotta love it..

mac

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mac davis

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