Commissioned! Uh Oh, now I've done it!

Rennie Heuer

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
11,607
Location
Constantine, MI
Well, like many of us hobbyists, I've dreamed of actually selling something I've built rather than give it away to friends or relatives. For me that day has finally come... and I'm scared to death!:eek:

A visiting pastor to our church more than a year ago loved the furniture I built for our chancel and contacted me asking for a quote to build new chancel furniture for his church. A couple of estimates later, and a lot of waiting, I received word that they want me to send them a contract and begin work - with a delivery date 3 months from now. Ooops. For some reason I never thought they would go through with it! Now what'll I do!:eek::rofl:

May I assume that I can depend on all of you for guidance when I run into problems that have me stumped?:dunno: Good! Here's the first problem.:rofl:

Here are the designs that they have provided.
View attachment Scan001.PDF View attachment Scan002.PDF View attachment Scan003.PDF
In looking at these, and knowing I have to deliver them several hundred miles away, I'm thinking I can make good use of torsion boxes and build it to be easily disassembled. This will allow me to fit the entire set in one pick-up truck load and keep the weight down. Sound like a good idea?:huh:

BTW, flat sawn white oak and white oak ply are the materials of choice and I'm not applying a finish - they want to do that themselves.

Now, can I do this and the new floor?:dunno:
 
Rennie
My advice it to make these as completed pieces and ready to install then rent a small trailer if needed to deliver, everything will go much smoother and the job will look more custom than you can do as a Knock down. I once made a display counter for a beauty salon that was 12' long 6 1/2' tall and 30" wide and had to install it 350 miles away the only part of the job that did not go well we the pieces that had to be assembled. The counter was all one piece and everything went well with it after that I made everything in the shop as a finished piece and never had another problem.

By the way nice score looks like a fun project.:thumb:

Jay
 
Fantastic Rennie! I have a sane envy of you:thumb:.

Count with me for whatever I can help within my short experience.

I've seen the drawings and you should be able to make everything without any problem at all.

My first advice: follow the KISS rule.

Second: Beware with the recessed light! some of them, specially halogen ones get very hot and they could put your piece on fire. Provide easy access and very good ventilation otherwise they can make the wood smell to burning even if it doesn't catch fire.
As wether they are going to put a microphone or not, if yes think about where the wire is going to pass through.

The dove may be tricky, depending on how much detail they want on it. Think about making a stylized one,look for pics of real ones, and of figures of them, if not get a plastic one that may fit and just copy it in wood.

Sorry Rennie I just got carried away, It's been as if it was me the one got the comission, I'm sure you've also thought about those things already.

And last but not least, make sure you make a right quotation do not underestimate you and your capabilities.
 
Last edited:
Rennie,
First off Congrats on the commission. Let the Big guy handle the stress on this one ok? You can do this, and you wouldn't have been tapped to do it if you couldn't.


First Congrats Rennie!! That is great!

I can't help with the "how to's" on the build, but I think your new floor might become a thread similar to Ned's shop build! :eek::rofl::D

Good Luck!

I both admire and take mild offense at that... (very mild, I'm laughing my head off here)



Now that's just plain cruel. :rofl::rofl:


It wasnt cruel... it might have bordered on it if I had said it however.
 
I don't think any of that's beyond your capabilities Rennie! Congrats on the commission! I would also recommend delivering them complete. What is the expectation for the dove? Are they supplying it or are you carving it???
 
Congratulations, Rennie, this should be a lot of fun!

I agree about the light. Are they planning to bolt these things down? I think they'd look a bit ugly with a cord trailing out of them. I hope the outlet is right below them.

If they are doing the finish, then what about those brushed nickel bits? Will they be just screwed into place later?

What they've given you is a pretty wide open design. Do you have a 3-d rendering of it? They don't specify anything of the details, so you're free to do what you want. Those 4x8 legs on the pulpit, for instance. Would you make them solid, hollow, from mitered plywood or what? Lots of options.

Have fun, and keep us posted.

Oh, and my condolences to the LOYL who just lost her husband for the next 3 months of evenings and weekends... :doh:

now, take the commission and buy that impact driver you wanted!!!
 
Last edited:
Thanks Art!

If they are doing the finish, then what about those brushed nickel bits? Will they be just screwed into place later?

Still to be worked out - but they will be aluminum. Had a heck of a time finding nickel, and it was VERY pricey. :eek:

What they've given you is a pretty wide open design. Do you have a 3-d rendering of it? They don't specify anything of the details, so you're free to do what you want. Those 4x8 legs on the pulpit, for instance. Would you make them solid, hollow, from mitered plywood or what? Lots of options.

I was considering building the altar out of 4 torsion boxes - top, base, 2 legs. Sound reasonable?:dunno:

Have fun, and keep us posted.

Oh, and my condolences to the LOYL who just lost her husband for the next 3 months of evenings and weekends... :doh:

Well, most of it anyway :D

now, take the commission and buy that impact driver you wanted!!!

Well, my "business" owes me about $2,000 on a personal loan. This will make a dent in it - and maybe a start on that new kitchen :rofl:
 
I was considering building the altar out of 4 torsion boxes - top, base, 2 legs. Sound reasonable?

Reasonable on the legs.

The base... Well I'd want to know if they are going to (a) bolt it down or want to move it around and (b) if there needs to be a gap below the base for access to an electric outlet and/or microphone outlet.

If they want to be able to move it around, then I was wondering about how stable it will be... is it a carpeted area? It looks like it could be top heavy. What about bolting in a piece of plate steel into the base to give weight to it? If they're going to bolt it down, none of this matters.

The top... If it was me, I'd want there to be an opening in the back for a little shelf - a place to slip a bible, notebook, hymn book, glass of water, etc. That would mean a torsion box is out, but then I don't see that it really needs one. Am I missing something?

Oops, I was talking about the pulpit, not the altar. So take my comments about the base and top, and apply them to the pulpit.

So, the altar .... reasonable on the legs + base. Does the top need to be a torsion box? What I mean, is does it need to be solid across the underside of the top, or could the edge just be a skirt? Otherwise, a torsion box would work.
 
Well, like many of us hobbyists, I've dreamed of actually selling something I've built ......

BTW, flat sawn white oak and white oak ply are the materials of choice and I'm not applying a finish - they want to do that themselves.

Now, can I do this and the new floor?:dunno:

I would insist on doing the finish or not doing it at all. If you were to do the finish would you finish it with the brushed nickel off the piece and then attach it after the finish. (I don't know if the nickel inlay is flush or maybe you decide to make it extend it out a bit to creat more shadow lines in the piece. I would imagine the brushed area would fill or clog with stain and ruin the look.) I imagine you would also add the recessed lights after the finish was done. Maybe the Dove and The Cross should be stained lighter than the background to create more definition or character, maybe the opposite? I don't know....

You could have two thousand dollars worth of work ruined with a two dollar can of stain and a twenty five cent brush. (I don't know how much you bid so I estimated).

You said, I've dreamed of actually selling something I've built, now's your chance to do the complete project. If the guy that does the finish screws it up, what happens then? The crying won't be over because "that Rennie guy used faulty materials that's why the finish is messed up."

Go to Mark DeCou's website, he has commissioned similar work, see the photo on his home page, http://www.decoustudio.com/ , Ask him his opinion

I won't be your work the congregation see's. It will look good only because "Bob" did a fabulous job of finishing it. I think in the end you'll regret not completing it.

This may be a little harsh...I say all, or nothing. IMO

Ted

PS: You might want to ask about the microphone, most have wireless mics to get away from the cords nowadays, so you may not need wiring for a mic.
 
Last edited:
I would insist on doing the finish or not doing it at all.

You could have two thousand dollars worth of work ruined with a two dollar can of stain and a twenty five cent brush. (I don't know how much you bid so I estimated).

If the guy that does the finish screws it up, what happens then? The crying won't be over because "that Rennie guy used faulty materials that's why the finish is messed up."

This may be a little harsh...I say all, or nothing. IMO

Well, unfinished is what they want and what I bid. Too late to change, though I understand your comments completely.
 
Maybe the way to protect yourself from finishing problems is to provide some scraps for them to practice on, and have a big "sign off" ceremony to review that the quality of the materials and workmanship was all up to expectations, and matched the sample material, before they start to mess it up.

I would probably loosely attach the metal and other pieces, so they can't say "they didn't fit" or "you didn't include...."
 
Maybe the way to protect yourself from finishing problems is to provide some scraps for them to practice on, and have a big "sign off" ceremony to review that the quality of the materials and workmanship was all up to expectations, and matched the sample material, before they start to mess it up.

I would probably loosely attach the metal and other pieces, so they can't say "they didn't fit" or "you didn't include...."

Charlie has a point. Provide finished scraps that they can oooh and aaah over, maybe they will decide to pay you to finish'em. Just don't tell'em how you did the finish.

Also, I would make the pieces complete, rent or borrow a trailer and deliver. After a 300 mile drive do you want to have to put stuff together, or drop it off, collect your money, smile and leave?:D

Ted
 
Rennie,
Big thumbs up on the commission!:thumb: Be open for a lot of new experiences - I'm thinking more on the business end versus the WW end.

First thing though - do your own drawings! They will allow you to work out the details and find any issues before committing to wood. The Architect's drawings are schematic - your drawings will be construction drawings - big difference. In my former life, we always "redid" the architectural drawings. 9 times out of 10 we found issues (note I didn't say mistakes) and were able to resolve them/get approvals before things got expensive.

Even though this is for a Church and your former Minister, keep everything business -like. Any changes to the original drawings (like aluminum versus nickel) need to be approved in writing - by someone (one person only!) who has the authority to do so. The drawings mentioned above are a good way to communicate exactly what you are going to do, with the details such as the exact light fixture, wood species, wiring details etc. called out. Have the drawings signed and approved.

Document everything especially conversations and phone calls. This is usually where misunderstanding occur. I know it sounds callous, or overkill, but it protects you and the client. It's just good craftsman/client communication.

Good luck and have fun!

Wes
 
Top