A true "folding shelf".

John Pollman

Member
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1,332
Location
Rochester Hills, MI
Got a call from a client the other day so I went over and talked about something they needed. They wanted a small shelf that they could fold clothes on or maybe set something, but it needed to be able to fold down out of the way when not in use. So I guess it truly is a "folding shelf".;)

I finished it up and took it over there to see what they thought. It turns out that they decided to go another direction and do something different. So I built up a different kind of shelf. I'll take it over there tomorrow. Oh well, I think I have a spot in the garage or basement to put this one. It's not too bad for something I made up completely out of "scrap" and hardware that I had laying around!

folding shelf1.jpgfolding shelf2.jpg
 
Looks like a straight forward, effective design. Nice clean job! It's a shame when people simply change their mind when others go through the time, effort & expense to help them. I think they should have kept it, paid you, thanked you, and gone their different route afterward.
 
Yeah, but because it's just stuff I had laying around it's not that big of a deal. I've done a LOT of work for this client in the past and I'm sure that there's more to come so I'll suck it up and deal with it. :)
 
I tell ya, I've had about enough of this client!

Went back over there today with a very nice oak top I built to fit on top of a nice antique cabinet that he said they wanted to use for the shelf. They decided that they needed some storage space so the folding shelf wasn't necessary. He said that they'll probably store bags inside and then I built what amounts to a 24" wide "towel bar" to attach to the back side between the cabinet and wall. They will hang their tissue paper over it. So it's basically a wrapping station.

It's a very nice old cabinet that has a slide out tray on the top. I just happened to have a piece of 3/4" oak plywood left from that TV cabinet I just finished. I cut it to size and put some curves on the front edge to make it so you won't bump into it and make the space too narrow. I then put edge banding on it. Sanded it down nicely and stained it with some stain that is very close to what the cabinet color it. Put a couple coats of polycrylic on it and it looks beautiful. I was expecting her to love it.

I walked in and immediately, she starts himming and hawing and saying "I don't know, I'm just not loving it". Then (Oh, what YOU did is fine John, but I don't like using that piece there".

I've had just about all I can take! It started out about three days ago with her wanting a quick, simple, and cheap folding shelf. I've now built TWO things and she's not happy with EITHER! She is to say the least "FUSSY"! I've known this all along, but they're friends and cut me some slack on membership for my son to skate at their park. But when we buy things in their store, we pay full price. We don't get a break. When they've asked for things in the past, they don't even usually want an estimate. They just say build it and give us a bill. They've never given me any flack over what I charge. I know that I've charged less than I should have for most of it. I feel like I don't want to end up charging them a lot more than they thought it was going to cost. Well, I think that has just changed. If they want me to do any more work, it's going to be full bore pricing and changes will be EXTRA. They've gotten a GREAT deal on all of the work I've done for them. That stops now! I'm going to figure in a "pain in the butt factor" and price things ahead of time. If the price is too high, let them try to find someone else to do it for less.

I've lost track of the number of times I've gone over to the park or the store and gotten the heat going for them, worked on timers for the lights, and a bunch of general repair type stuff. I'm done being a doormat! :)
 
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