Anyone interested in a job making a chessboard? - Woodworking Talk

alexfranke · 03-02-2007, 09:34 AM

Hi all,

Someone ran across the "How to Build a Chessboard" tutorial on my site and wrote to me asking for the cost and timeframe to build another custom board, about 1-foot square. She wants to purchase the board and then put it up on a fundraising auction for a school.

I don't have the time right now for this project, but if any of you are intersted, please let me know and I can forward your contact info along...

Thanks!
Alex

C&D Woodcraft · 03-02-2007, 01:31 PM

$225 plus shipping.
Walnut/maple.

alexfranke · 03-02-2007, 10:52 PM

Thanks, C&D. PM me your contact information and I'll forward it along to her.

-Alex

kevin · 03-02-2007, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C&D Woodcraft

$225 plus shipping.
Walnut/maple.

That is a steal man.

C&D Woodcraft · 03-04-2007, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin

That is a steal man.

Really, what would you have charged? I figure that will cover my costs, but I usually underestimate my woodworking projects.

I've got a gut feeling that she won't go for the price. Unless you're in the right area, I'd be surprised you get that much at auction. We'll see.

**TexasTimbers** · 03-04-2007, 05:44 PM

You might be suprised. I donate items to a volunteer fireman friend of mine to put in their VFD fundraising barbeques, and am about to make an octagon picnic table for their upcoming auction.
I made a plain Jane standard bench type picnic table for one of their auctions last year and it went for an unbelievable price.
It was made out of ERC and looked super nice because I routed the edges and bookmatched the four top slabs, but I did not even apply any finish to it; start to finish it took me maybe 5 hours. When I say start to finish I am counting sawing the log on my mill and planing and straight- lining the lumber and putting it together and routing the edges. I won't be suprised to see the octagon go for $1000 + a couple hundred.
I am guessing your chess board will take more time than the picnic table.
You can never tell about fundraising auctions. Being for a school you might be right; people pay enough school taxes as it is they may decide to keep their wallets in their pockets.

alexfranke · 03-04-2007, 09:38 PM

In my experience with charity auctions, you either get a lot more than you think it should be worth, or a lot less. We'll see how this goes, though. I've given her a few leads and I'm hoping she'll keep me in the loop through the end of the auction!

-Alex

JCCLARK · 03-05-2007, 01:39 PM

I used to build them, but with all the cheap ones on Ebay,
I can't compete anymore. And some of them are pretty nice.

**Daren** · 03-05-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JCCLARK

I used to build them, but with all the cheap ones on Ebay,
I can't compete anymore. And some of them are pretty nice.

I was going to say the same thing but didn't. I have built a few, but JC is right I have seen them there for less than $30...about 1/10 of what I could afford to build one for.

alexfranke · 03-05-2007, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daren

I have seen them there for less than $30...about 1/10 of what I could afford to build one for.

...probably made by shoeless kids sitting on the floor in a dingy room somewhere on the other side of the globe...

**Daren** · 03-05-2007, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexfranke

...probably made by shoeless kids sitting on the floor in a dingy room somewhere on the other side of the globe...

Undoubtedly, if you beat those 7 year olds enough and don't let them stop to eat they can get quite abit done in an 18 hr day.

**TexasTimbers** · 03-05-2007, 07:17 PM

Either that or some mad woodworker type somewhere has a CNC router and is pumping them out like lincoln logs.

bob4814 · 03-08-2007, 05:26 PM

I made one recently for a customer using pine and red cedar with a pine border. Sold it to her for $150. The other pair I did were on pine end tables with cedar log legs and a drawer to store the pieces. Sold those for $300 each. I used the same pine and red cedar 2" squares.

bob4814 · 03-08-2007, 05:33 PM

Here's a picture of the chess board end table.

**Daren** · 03-08-2007, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob4814

. The other pair I did were on pine end tables with cedar log legs and a drawer to store the pieces. Sold those for $300 each. I used the same pine and red cedar 2" squares.

Try $500 next time...bet you get it.

C&D Woodcraft · 03-09-2007, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daren

Try $500 next time...bet you get it.

Yeah, no doubt. I was wondering how you eat, cost of living must be lower where you're at.

C&D Woodcraft · 03-09-2007, 08:02 AM

Update:
Just heard back from the lady interested in having a chessboard made. As I expected, she got sticker shock from the $225 price.
Thanks for the lead anyway Alex.

alexfranke · 03-09-2007, 02:47 PM

No problem -- sorry it didn't work out.

JP Sinclair · 03-09-2007, 03:36 PM

For a chessboard made out of really nice wood, $225 is a good price.
Sometimes people think they can get something for nothing....

alexfranke · 03-13-2007, 05:52 PM

Someone enthusiatically suggested I could get rich selling the rocking horses I make for "as much as $100 each-- or more!"

Uh... I guess most people don't understand the cost of the wood and the actual amount of labor that goes into these things... Probably because so much that's available today is made cheaply overseas... It's a shame, really.