You remember that last fall, someone contacted me and said they loved my dahlia coffee table, and could I make something similar as a dining table that seats 12? Well, we had some initial conversations, and have a tentative plan to go ahead with it — I’m meeting with her next Thursday to discuss it further.
I’m admittedly nervous about the whole project (how do I build a table that large? how do I make sure that it’s stable and will hold weight? I suspect math is going to be involved, and I’m probably going to draft Kevin to help with that part. Also possibly help with some woodworking to make a frame for the resin pour. I don’t think this is enough of an excuse for me to justify buying a table saw, though…). I kind of want to tack on an extra $100 nervousness charge.
More realistically, I should draw up some kind of contract that specifies what happens in various situations. She’s paying me $2000 for the table (a number I came up with that seems fair for a first-time table), half down, which will let me cover the cost of supplies.
So presumably if I just completely fail to build a table, I should give her some money back. What’s standard? All of it? Part of it? I want to be fair, and my instinct is to say if I don’t deliver anything, then I should just give the entire deposit back, and chalk the cost of supplies and labor up to a learning experience / business loss. Right?
What if I build a table, but she’s not happy with it? Assuming it isn’t something that can be fixed with minor or major adjustments (changing out table legs, sanding, etc.) — the kind of thing where I’d have to build a whole new table. I think what’s standard there is that we part ways, I keep the deposit, because she presumably knows what she’s getting into? Is that fair?
Presumably, I should also put something in about what if the table gets damaged — she’s local, so I imagine I’d be happy to come out and repair surface nicks and scratches for a nominal charge. To refinish the whole tabletop (which maybe you’d want to do after 5 years of small children use) would require a resin pour, probably on site. Do-able, but a bigger project.
I’m going to ask her if it’s important to her to have it all one piece, because it’s definitely going to be more manageable (less heavy, easier to move through doorways, etc.) if I build it as multiple tables. There’ll be a seam where they sit against each other, but I think barely visible, and I can create some kind of attachment mechanism for the underside, so they’re not going to shift apart if jostled. One advantage to that approach is if they ever downsize, they could take the tables into smaller spaces. Maybe even pass them on to multiple kids?
I’d love to hear from experienced furniture makers, commissioning artists, etc. who might have a standard contract that covers this kind of thing. (And if you have a contract you’re wiling to share with me, I’d DEEPLY appreciate it. You might even get a little resin jewelry piece or bookmark in the mail…) This is new territory for me. But I do love the idea of building a dining table that will be used and loved for decades. (Resin is durable, and should last several years with proper care, and in theory, decades.)
I did a test resin pour this morning. She loved the vibrancy and variation and summer / autumn tones in the dahlia table, but doesn’t necessarily want dahlias (or want to wait for late autumn / early winter for her table). I thought about what other flowers come in lots of color variations and were easily accesible in winter, and roses seemed an obvious choice, so we’d tentatively agreed on a rose table instead, and I started drying a batch of test roses before Christmas.
But I kept thinking about it, and the thing is, roses mostly have pretty similar shapes. Dahlias come in a wide variety of forms. And I think she might be happier with a mixed flower table. If I use flowers that bloom from June to September, it could be a pretty cohesive summer garden effect, I think. I’ll see if she’s open to that.
I started two test pieces this morning — I was going to do small tables, but realized that I could test it pretty well with something smaller, which is easier to sell down at Berwyn Sprout (less pricey, and also takes up less room in the booth). So I did two large pieces of shelf art — a heart that’s all roses, and a house that’s a mixed summer garden: roses, mums, zinnias, phlox, delphiniums — and okay, I snuck in a spring hellebore too, because I wanted that dark purple color. Art is all about breaking rules, right?
They’ll cure slowly in winter, but I think by this evening, they’ll have set enough that I can pour the other half of each piece (flowers float in resin, so unless you want to fix them down first, it easier to pour this kind of thing in layers). I’m going out of town early tomorrow through Tuesday (going to the Bay Area to help my sister-in-law finish clearing out my in-laws’ condo), so hopefully they’ll be ready to unmold when I get back. Exciting.
And hey, look how well my new furniture piece is working for storing and using dried roses! I LOVE IT!
Someone asked if I wear a mask when doing resin work. I admit, I’m not always as careful as I should be, but I’m trying to be more consistent about always putting on the full gear. Ventilator mask, gloves, work apron — it helps that the outfit makes me feel like something out of a steampunk graphic novel. I wish I had an excuse to use my steampunk goggles, but they’re not really so functional, alas. Pretty, though! Turn on the fans so it’s as well-ventilated as it can be in winter (once it warms up, I have the windows open too), and I’m good to go.
These two pieces (being built upside down) will probably be down at Sprout next week Friday, unless someone claims them first. The heart will be $40, the house $25.
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