Question Cherry Frame Price Check

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cherryframer

Grumbler in Training
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Nov 12, 2011
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Hi,

I have been doing woodworking for a few years now as a hobby, and a friend of mine wants to pay me to build four 14x17 cherry frames for a client of hers. She is a photographer. She wanted me to tell her how much I would charge for such a frame, but I really have no idea. I usually make frames to give away as presents!

So, my question is how much would you all pay for a high quality 14x17 cherry frame with a nice looking profile, mitred corners, walnut tenons to reinforce corners, and a hand rubbed oil finish?

Thanks!
 
Frame, plus conservation glass, matting, fitting, I would be willing to pay $200-$300. More if there's sapwood, but that's just me.
 
I'm not sure why you would need the walnut tenons and the hand rubbed finish.
This adds quite a bit to the price and the customer must be aware of this.
There are nice cherry mouldings available that are pre-finished and can be v-nailed and joined without the walnut tenons for less than the highest prices presented with a good profit and quality product.
In any case,Welcome to the Grumble. :thumbsup:
 
because it is his hobby and he is a woodworker

Build one start to finish time yourself.
Multiply that time, times how much you feel your time is worth + materials + price. You can also throw some overhead for electric & heat in there. Add your electric and heat bill up for an entire year. Then divide by how many hours there are in a year. Then multiple that by how many hours it took you to build the frames.

There is your fishing pole....
 
well I was not born yesterday ya know.
 
A frame like that provided the quality is top notch would retail for around $25 -$35 a foot. Because your photographer wants you she knows she is probably going to get a great price. But don't be taken advantage of and don't leave too much money on the table.
 
So true neil
Mr. Parrish has as good as any estimate. That puts you about 150-210 per frame.

Cherryframer,
It would help also to tell everyone how wide the moulding is because that will dictate how much moulding you will use.
Start to finish how many hours do you think it will take you to actually build (4) 14 x17 frames as you described?
If it is just a hobby wouldn't you only charge for the materials ?
 
The walnut tenons provide a nice contrast to the cherry. Hand-rubbed finish, that's what it's all about. Bring out the natural beauty of the wood. God never made an ugly tree.
 
PaulSF said:
The walnut tenons provide a nice contrast to the cherry. Hand-rubbed finish, that's what it's all about. Bring out the natural beauty of the wood. God never made an ugly tree.
Click to expand...

Agreed. As they say in drag racing, "how fast do you want to go, how much money do you have?".
 
Don't do it for too little, because you may find yourself in the frame-making business because "I know this guy who makes these gorgeous frames, and they are so cheap!" By that time, you will want to raise prices, because it is one thing to make a half dozen frames a month and a half dozen frames a day.

I, too, would build one and time it, figure materials and labor and THEN quote the price.

PS: If you are going to make them really cheap, I'd like to order a dozen....
 
Me too!
 
ellen you are soooo smart....

"I think you should charge $5.00 @ includes shipping and I will take a gross. Can I have them before Thanksgiving?"
 
You guys are so funny! And helpful!

I think four frames would take about eight hours total over a few days. It takes time for glue and finish to set. Each frame added from start to finish adds a fraction of the time to making only one. One frame would probably a few hours, but I am going to time it. The frames will be two inches wide. And it may be a hobby and she may be a friend, but she is selling them so it wouldn't be right to just give them away for free. The materials are pretty cheap. A frame is not much wood, and it costs around $20 for nice cherry, electricity and other supplies.

I was looking at some old threads and saw that some of you guys go through Vermont Hardwoods. They were charging about $350 for the same kind of completed frame. I am really just looking for a fair price and that sounds high. I'll get out the stop watch and time how long they take.
 
Nope, Vermont Hardwoods while not cheap by any manner of means, is worth what they charge.
 
Call Wesley Allen at 908-735-0922 for quotes on solid cherry in varying profiles and widths. They are specialists in fine wood frames. I can attest to the quality of finishes.
 
cherryframer said:
I think four frames would take about eight hours total over a few days.
Click to expand...

OK, how much per hour do you pay a trained craftsman with specialized tools and skills? Plumber, electrician, HVAC?
Knowing that the frames will be remarketed, how will that affect your pricing? Should it?
What you are producing is a "Closed Corner" frame and retail pricing as mentioned is not uncommon. From a business point of view, you have to be willing to discount that to a wholesale price and still remain profitable. You have to establish your own fair market price based on the variables particular to your situation.
 
Those prices are also based on one off and custom sizes. When they are setting their prices they can't just assume they will be making a bunch of standard sized frames and take advantage of any time savings that multiple frames would allow for.
 
cherryframer said:
They were charging about $350 for the same kind of completed frame. I am really just looking for a fair price and that sounds high.
Click to expand...

You're entirely right..... but winter is coming and he needs new tires for that
HumVee of his..... or was it the Porche...

OK, but all kidding aside, (and I know I'm going to hear about this at WCAF)
as said before... you saw a price that is possibly "retail".

My whole sale for the four would clock in at about $1000 for the same reasons
you quoted. . . multiples of a single... etc.

2" with 3/4" under the lip, made from 6/4 stock..... etc = $40w /$75ft retail.
for a hand planed cap moulding. I don't use walnut splines... I have 300lbs of
Ebony to get through in my lifetime.
 
Baer Charlton said:
You're entirely right..... but winter is coming and he needs new tires for that
HumVee of his..... or was it the Porche...
Click to expand...
It was the Ferrari. Get your facts straight.

Baer Charlton said:
OK, but all kidding aside, (and I know I'm going to hear about this at WCAF)
as said before... you saw a price that is possibly "retail".
Click to expand...

Correct.
 
cherryframer said:
I was looking at some old threads and saw that some of you guys go through Vermont Hardwoods. They were charging about $350 for the same kind of completed frame. I am really just looking for a fair price and that sounds high. I'll get out the stop watch and time how long they take.
Click to expand...

The gold and diamond content in a Rolex watch is only a couple thousand dollars. The ability to convert them to a piece of fine jewelry with a precision timepiece is why they retail for $40,000.
 
I am sorry Dave.... I didn't mean to insult....

we did have this discussion before about your Enzo...

but these days... to me, they are starting to all look a lot alike.

But I should have remembered that Porche doesn't come in red....

ferrari_599_gtb_tuning.jpg


Jeff, one of the biggest stinks that Rolex had in the 1980s was about the knock-offs.
Turned out that the guts in the knock-offs, were made by the same company that
Rolex was secretly using in China to mass produce their guts to fill the high demand
that they had created.....

I think my $25 Presidential and $30 Automatic still keep good time.....
 
Baer Charlton said:
Jeff, one of the biggest stinks that Rolex had in the 1980s was about the knock-offs.
Turned out that the guts in the knock-offs, were made by the same company that
Rolex was secretly using in China to mass produce their guts to fill the high demand
that they had created.....

I think my $25 Presidential and $30 Automatic still keep good time.....
Click to expand...

One good thing coming from all of that is the Swiss gov't now requires very specific parts to be made in Switzerland. It also requires a high percentage of total parts to be made in Switzerland. Swatch makes the movements for something like 90% of all Swiss watches now. Made in Switzerland means high standards once again and knock offs will be around in any market.
 
Jeff Rodier said:
The gold and diamond content in a Rolex watch is only a couple thousand dollars. The ability to convert them to a piece of fine jewelry with a precision timepiece is why they retail for $40,000.
Click to expand...

But you can do them for under $10,000, right? :shutup:
 
Sure thing Ralph, for you I will only charge $5,000 to convert the items if you send me the gold and diamonds. I'll be keeping an eye on the mailbox.:p
 
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