# Salt and Peppermills



## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Well got my Salt/Peppermills and peppermills done I think. I did 22 of these. These are all made from Cherry, walnut and cedar. The salt and peppermill sets are cherry for salt and walnut for pepper. All are 8" and finished with laquer. Trying to get ready for a craft fair. I am going to try one this year after not doing any for 3 yrs. If this doesn't pan out it will probably be my last. The first one I did one I barely made enough to cover my table charge and the other three didn't even make enough to cover the fees. I am just not going to try and compete with a couple of guys selling slimlines for $5 to $7, Sierras for $12, toothpick holders for $6, bowls for $10 to $12, and vases for $15. Anyway hope this goes well.


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Ahh the joys of trying to make a dollar or two damn difficult when you put so much love and effort into creating a piece by hand. Hope that you do manage to sell them all, they surely are some very fine mills Bernie.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks Roger. Yes it makes it difficult when you have guys selling their stuff so cheap especially when they are not even made well. Most of their stuff I wouldn't let out of my shop. I do sell at a Art Gallery and a floral/craft store. I do quite well there. If I don't do well at this one it will probably be my last.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

Nice work, Bernie. I really like the little coasters that go with them. I wish the best for you at the craft show!


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

Bernie have you ever tried selling on Etsy?


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## andysden (Aug 9, 2011)

quainity sells cheap Quality sells because of beauty and admiration of the item Andy


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## Maroonram (Jul 10, 2012)

Very nice work Bernie It is disappointing to know the time and money you have invested in your work and then be sitting next to a guy who is basically charging nothing for his labor for the same type of products. I've seen the same thing on e-bay and etsy and I know the time and expertise it takes to make those products.

I recently sold a peppermill for $ 150. What I have tried to do is come up with unique designs such as multi woods or inlays that somewhat remove me from the competition. You may also wish to try to sell direct to commercial establishments where they are not so price sensitive.


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## k9ceno (May 14, 2012)

Bernie,

Excellent job my friend. Very nice. Don't lose hope, one day the economy will hopefully bounce back and people will see the difference between good quality handcrafted work and junk. Keep up the good job, very nice products. Hope you make out well.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks again to all. The coasters have worked out really well. When using these salt/pepper mills we kept getting salt or pepper all over the table. So came up with this idea. You can just take it to the trash and dump.

No I haven't tried Esty but had a friend that did. He said he had the same problem. He said some of the guys/gals over there were selling just to cheap. 

I did find out today that no other woodturners or woodworkers were signed up for the show soooooo maybe it will go well.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

BernieW said:


> Thanks Roger. Yes it makes it difficult when you have guys selling their stuff so cheap especially when they are not even made well. Most of their stuff I wouldn't let out of my shop. I do sell at a Art Gallery and a floral/craft store. I do quite well there. If I don't do well at this one it will probably be my last.


I have found that a lot of retired guys do that, make something, sell it for enough to cover the materials cost, and a few $ to go in their pockets. They don't even consider the time it takes to make. And, unfortunately, a great percentage of that stuff is not really well made either. 

On the other hand, I have seen 'handcrafted' items vastly overpriced, and really poorly made. At a weekly flea market, one of the larger in the state, one seller was asking $75 for a small stool, unfinished, cheap pine, about a 1/4" gap from one end of the board top to the other (that is, one end had a gap, the other end was together), hammer marks, nail holes. Some people seem to feel that listing something as 'handcrafted' or 'handmade' ups the value tremendously. 

Depends in part on where you are also. What will sell for large $ in one section of the country, might not sell for half that 50 miles away. Or, something you might be fortunate to get $100 for in your area, if you sold the same thing in New York City, or Los Angeles, say, you might get $800-$1000 for it. Location, location, location.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

BernieW said:


> I did find out today that no other woodturners or woodworkers were signed up for the show soooooo maybe it will go well.


That's good to hear!!

Large items are often avoided at a large craft fair. Customers don't like hauling a heavy purchase around with them. Offer shipping to their home!!


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks again. 

Theo you are absolutely right. The guy at one craft fair was selling slimline pens for $7 and you could see tool marks and sanding marks on them. His bowls I wouldn't even let out of my shop. I have sent things for my sister in North Carolina to put in her hair dressing shop and she sells it for 3 times what I get here. Heck at that I can do a 50/50 split and still make good bucks. 13" salad bowls I get around $50 for them here she sells them there for $165 or more. So we have been doing a little of that lately. 

Ralph I made out a form to take orders and will mail when finished. See how that works out and of course I will mail if they buy something and want it shipped.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Nice work, Bernie. Super finish. I've never seen mechanisms like you've used in the first photo... very interesting.

Good luck at the fair.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks Paul. I get those and the mini's from Packard Woodworks. The big mills are either the Artisian's or Deluxe from Craft Supply USA.


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## Ironman50 (Jun 5, 2012)

They are all great. Send one to me ...


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## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Wonderful work Bernie! It's ashame that the market doesn't strongly support the quality of the product as you would be doing very well! Good luck.

The Cedar really stands out in the pic.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks again. Jim I wish this economy would take off. I had a lady a few years ago at the last craft fair I did that looked at one of my bowls. She said, "I can buy one of those at Wal-Mart for $9.95." Of course I gave her a smart ... remark of well go by it then. Just frosted me.


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## rwl7532 (Sep 8, 2011)

When is the craft fair?


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

This one is October 27th Ralph. I am hoping it will be close enough that maybe a lot of Christmas gifts will be bought.


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## MaxK (Oct 1, 2012)

Those are some really nice looking mills Bernie. I particularly like the set second from the left in the pictures you posted. I hope they sell well for you. What is the more purplish wood?

I'm a guitar player (and getting into making them) and I worked at a shop for a few years. Trying to explain to people the reasons to pay more for a guitar was tough, even when you consider things like very tangible differences in sound, feel, emotional connection etc. The money is much less, but I still cant imagine having to convince people about something like a spice mill. Glad to see someone still putting in hard work for a good product though.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks Max. It is amazing today as a throw away society that hand made products are not appreciated. I still have two of my grandmothers wooden bowls made by her dad my great grandfather for her wedding day. My grandmother just passed away at 101 so that will give you the bowls age and they are still useable. 

The purple wood is cedar. I turn a lot of cedar as it is plentiful around here and a lot of it gets pretty big in diameter. Not only do I find it great for turning it sure does make the shop smell good.:laugh:


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## MaxK (Oct 1, 2012)

I've never seen cedar that color. That's beautiful. I'm used to seeing cedar in guitars only, where its the typical red cedar. I just bought a load of yellow cedar to build garden boxes out of and was about as confused as I'd ever been when I was looking for cedar next to the sign at the lumber yard lol.


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## BernieW (Sep 12, 2006)

Thanks again. Out here in the midwest we do get some cedar that has a purple color to it. Most of it is a deep red and will turn a little from the deep red to a slight purple.


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