She cracked!

I managed to talk my wife into letting me build some stock, for my enthusiastic clients, out there. Which us exciting.. Because, I haven't built a damn thing, in weeks.. Selling the house is a pain, huh?

It's for a great cause, though.. I promise good things will come.

Additionally... Buy my house! :D

Our purchase is solely residing on the sale of this condo. Then, it's off to the new shop!

New shop?

There's absolutely no guarantee that this is going down.. I mean, the offer has been accepted. Financing won't be an issue.. But, I am a pessimist. So it may blow up, at any moment! 

Nonetheless..

This could be the new Killer Tables, Killer Workshop.. Maybe.. If things keep going along smoothly.

There's a ton of room, for killing and tabling.. Despite my lousy photography skills. So, I am hoping that this will boost production! As well as offer some storage space.. Maybe some sponsor banners.. Who knows! But, I've sure got a lot empty walls, for advertising. ;)

The downside to all this, of course.. Is there's no production as of lately. Several people have been asking for tables.. And there's just nothing I can do. Which is killing me.. All this damn free time and nothing to table! I need to table! But, I can't even..

Bad Home Depot. Bad..

I've been gradually upgrading my tools, to the new green Ryobi gear, with mostly success.. Although, the orbital sander had begun making some hideously concerning noises, lately.. And after only a month! It's terribly jittery and really rough..  Weird..

Now, I have had nothing buy success with my Ryobi tools.. So, let's chalk it up to a bad build, or something.. I dunno. Either way, it's still new, and I really like it! Because it's still so new, I could easily just exchange it, for an identical model, right?... Right?

No such luck, kid.. Here's a local place, in town, where you can get it fixed, though.

Wait... What? 30 day return policy on power tools.. But, I am late, by a week? Ouch.. Way to leave me stranded with a busted tool, Home Depot. Thank you, very much.. I didn't say anything, or make a fuss. Just got the managers name, and said thank you.. So unhelpful. It's still under warranty!

At least I am not building anything right now.. Or I would be seriously be out of luck!.. Or, I guess I could just buy a new one.. Put the old one in the box, and return it.. 

They'll never know!

Okay.. I'll do things the ligit way.. I have a support ticket in, on the ryobi site. My 37 day old sander, likely qualifies, for the 2 year warranty.. And if it doesn't... I am buying a bloody Dewalt.. ;)

Upgrading workshop

Maybe I am a little early for assumptions.. But, it seems the local market, here in London, is after an expensive price tag.. So much so, that the object of desire is less important than what it costs.. Call it bragging rights.. Call it snobby.. I don't concerns myself with your preferences. It's not my bank account. I am just trying to help out.

The majority of my clientèle is split between students and non-londoners.. Which is strange.. But, I am perfectly okay with that! I love students. There's no confusion, when it comes to them. They're after something that looks great, at a reasonable price! I love it. So, why leave? Well.. It's time for an upgrade!

That's right. I am going to upgrade the shop. Or.. As my wife calls it; "Buy a nicer house." Whatevs. I get a better shop.. Whatever it's attached to, is a bonus. Just give me my power tools and mandatory naughty calendar, an I am set.. Why do shops always have that swimsuit calendar? Ever notice that?

My new head of operations should be much more better, for the clients I am after. Let Londoners spend foolishly. But, I don't want you folks burning hundreds of dollars on something that I can easily reproduce, for less. That would be unethical! And noncompetitive..

Sometimes you get what you pay for.. And sometimes you just find someone who enjoys making people happy. I insist that you take advantage, before the freaks swarm in, and shatter my generous nature.

Now.. Let's have fun and make some Killer Tables!

Er. Scratch that. I am banned from making tables. Wife's orders.. At least until the house is sold.

Temporarily out of order

Just while the house is selling.. I can't have tables and weird smells, lingering around the place. It may effect the market potential..

Moving? Wait, what?

Yeah, that's right! I am packing up, and moving to a better shop! Keep an eye open, for updates on that..

But don't worry! I am not going back to Nova Scotia, just yet. I'll stick around and make you folks some more Killer Tables, for a bit.

Vacation

I am back to being optimistic about my hobby. We went for a quick little vacation, in Port Stanley. Holy crap. It was so nice, and relaxing..

The place was a fun little spot, right on the beach, called The Beach Hotel.. Or, more visibly known as, The Buccaneer. Which was the name of the restaurant. We got this weird package, called the "Romantic couples" or something squishy, like that.. A little pricey.. But, it was one of those "all inclusive" deals.

The inclusive steak was deliciously under-cooked, at dinner. Although, my wife wasn't entirely pleased with the amount of blood.. I certainly was. Luckily, the liquor and pie made up for her disappointment. As it always should.

It felt good, eating a really satisfying meal, and walking off, knowing the bill is covered. The super friendly waitress surely liked our generous appreciation. I don't even mind that she forgot my coffee.. Yes, I was drinking coffee.. I don't consume alcohol. I am a good boy! ;) 

There were only a dozen rooms, at most, in the hotel.. Most of which had minimal luxury.. And that's pretty much exactly what we wanted. That's not to say it was a hole in the ground. By no means. The bed was very comfortable, with no bed bugs! The shower was nice.. I was a little bummed out about the lack of coffee maker, though. At least we had a little fridge! Of, and the TV may have had cable, I dunno.. We brought a few dvds.. And our portable dvd player.. Which is good, because, the dvd player in the room had no remote.. :(

All in all.. Great little spot. Right on the beach! Sand blowing right up against the door to our room. I loved it. I am going to check it out again, for sure! 

Getting Started

Okay.. I know what you're thinking.. How the heck does an author land himself a successful furniture "business." Going from writing, to woodworking? That doesn't make any damn sense at all!

And you're right. I never would have imagined myself as a carpenter.. Although, my father would be presently surprised, I am sure. As well as his father. Both of whom were fully certified carpenters. With their fancy book learned trade papers and all! Not me though. I can't stand the abhorrent taste of tuition, on my tongue. It would ruin the whole experience, for me. Entirely!

So, I skipped school.. Skipped the loans and debt.. And now? I am making a name for myself.. My popularity is growing, due to my low cost, high end looking furniture. I mean.. There's no real difference, aside from how the builder values his time. I am just being more realistic.

So what kind of investment did I make? Roughly? Well, I needed to make straight cuts. So I bought a $20 mitre box, from home Depot.. A couple of nails.. A hammer and about $20 worth of lumber. That takes care of the building process. What about stain? A hunk of steel wool and a few cups of vinegar. That's it. The whole thing started with a few bucks and a little patience.

Now I've got a whole plethora of RYOBI tools, and gadgets.. Saws, stains, fans, and filters..

The best advice I can give, for anyone looking to get started?

-It might not work out. So don't get carried away, with buying tools. Start small.

- Don't over estimate your value. Whatever amount of time you put into a project, is Irrelevant to the consumer. Price realistically.

- If a customer doesn't like a piece, made specifically for them. They're either looking for a freebie, or they have far too much free time. Drop them, immediately.

- Some people are just fucked, and should be avoided at all cost...

Bang on my tables!

My coffee table are so sturdy, that you can bang on them!*


*Please don't bang on furniture, before purchasing.


*Structure strength of furniture may vary, based on your size.

*get your mind out of the gutter..

In with the new

I know the new business model isn't ideal, for you.. But, it makes things easier for me. Giving me the freedom to built what I please. Rather than running down a list of orders, prioritized by deposit and urgency.

My clients are very understanding and sympathetic to my concerns, thankfully. So we've come up with a new way of doing things..

You can request whatever design, model, colour, race, breed.. Whatever you want. Then I'll get back to you, when I feel there may be something in stock, that I feel you'll be interested in.

These precautions are to protect my hobby, as well as my family. There's too damn many weirdos out there, for me. And I can't have those freaks getting under my skin. Let's just build some affordable furniture, and be happy.

The only thing I ask of people buying my furniture.. Don't be a crazy person.. Please. No drama. Just money, tables, and we can be friends.

One bad apple.

ALL customers are responsible for inspecting the furniture before any money changes hands.

Deposits are no longer accepted, for customer orders.

All merchandise is build by the builders own specifications, and no one else's.

All sales final.

Terribly sorry. My friendly East Coast business ethic has recently been disturbed. #ontario