# Prices for this worktable



## frankp (Sep 26, 2016)

All,

My mother purchased the plans for this sewing table (first sheet shown in attached image) and I'm trying to figure what rough costs might be to have it built for her. I simply don't have the time available to take on another project and she'd like this done in the near future. 

The design looks pretty straight forward to me. She wants it painted white and she wants beveled/rounded edges on the top so I suggested the best way to do that would be a small edge band. It's open on all sides so I'd estimate maybe 15 hours of labor, tops. Cut list shows 3 sheets of ply as the materials and all the joints are simple glue and screw butt joints or half-laps. Shelves are adjustable but I didn't look to see if it's pins or some other option.

I've given my mom my dollar figure if I were being paid to build something like this but I'd like to see what other people suggest. I recognize that labor costs are going to vary highly depending upon market (and my market will likely be higher than most) but anyone care to share what they'd charge for something like this?


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## JohnF (Sep 29, 2016)

If I were building it for my mother, it wouldn't have a price tag. It would come with a card wishing her all the best.

Reactions: Agree 4


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## frankp (Sep 29, 2016)

As I said, I'm not building this for my mother, someone else is. Hence the "rough costs *to have it built for her*" part. 

I gave her what I would charge to build it for _someone else_. I'm just trying to get numbers from other people that she can use as a comparison for the bids she receives on the work.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Schroedc (Sep 29, 2016)

I can give you an idea, I take materials, add 25% then I'm at 20/hr shop rate so if it's a 15 hour project 300 in labor. Not sure what your market is like but that's what I get around me.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 1


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## Mike1950 (Sep 29, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> I can give you an idea, I take materials, add 25% then I'm at 20/hr shop rate so if it's a 15 hour project 300 in labor. Not sure what your market is like but that's what I get around me.



$20 an hour is no way realistic here let alone DC metro My guess- labour $25 + 7.65% SSi State industrial insurance $3 unemployment ins. $2 + lets say 10% So lets say we are at $32(no benies) now overhead and profit for owner. My GUESS is $45 to 50 and hr. Maybe more- I have not been in the game in nowhere Wash. state for 7Yrs and charged $45 an hour for my help.....

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Schroedc (Sep 29, 2016)

Mike1950 said:


> $20 an hour is no way realistic here let alone DC metro My guess- labour $25 + 7.65% SSi State industrial insurance $3 unemployment ins. $2 + lets say 10% So lets say we are at $32(no benies) now overhead and profit for owner. My GUESS is $45 to 50 and hr. Maybe more- I have not been in the game in nowhere Wash. state for 7Yrs and charged $45 an hour for my help.....



I wish I could get more but here in the sticks I've got to compete with retired handymen that will work for 8.00 an hour. At 20 I can still get some business but it's high enough to weed out the folks that wasn't something for nothing. Of I was in Minneapolis or Rochester I could get 40 or so...


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## Mike1950 (Sep 29, 2016)

Schroedc said:


> I wish I could get more but here in the sticks I've got to compete with retired handymen that will work for 8.00 an hour. At 20 I can still get some business but it's high enough to weed out the folks that wasn't something for nothing. Of I was in Minneapolis or Rochester I could get 40 or so...



he is in DC- probably does not get to be more expensive market. I understand what you are saying....


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## lonewolf (Sep 30, 2016)

frankp said:


> As I said, I'm not building this for my mother, someone else is. Hence the "rough costs *to have it built for her*" part.
> 
> I gave her what I would charge to build it for _someone else_. I'm just trying to get numbers from other people that she can use as a comparison for the bids she receives on the work.



I don't think getting a price from guys in other markets who know they aren't even considered for the job is of any benefit. You mention bids she is getting there's your reference from shops who may actually get the job.and if you aren't building it yourself I would suggest just to give the bidders your specs and don't try to tell them what it should cost or how many hours just let them quote the finished product.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Palaswood (Sep 30, 2016)

15 Hours seems excessive for a plywood glue-and-screw job, since the screws preclude having to wait for glue to set before moving on.

From the looks of that picture, the frame would likely come together before lunch. Then you have sanding and painting. One person should be able to finish that in one 8 hour day, but that's just my opinion.

Seems @frankp is just looking for a ballpark figure to make sure his mom doesn't get ripped off. ~ $350 -400 on the lower end is my guesstimate, but in the city not sure.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## lonewolf (Oct 1, 2016)

Joseph with all due respect you have made my point. With your ( guesstimate ) as another comparison the guy who puts in a legitimate bid to professionally complete this project will now appear to be ripping her off. Although he has taken the time to meet the customer , figure the cost of materials ( 2 sheets of quality grade plywood, solid lumber, edge banding , hardware, primer and paint, mics supplies, , and the expense to procure these ), his labor , overhead, and yes some profit. This is why I beleive only quotes from someone who is actually prepared to compkete the project are fair. Its too easy to toss out an opinion wwhen you won't be held to it.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Mike1950 (Oct 1, 2016)

probably takes more then an hour x 2 men to deliver it...

Reactions: Agree 2


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 1, 2016)

Can anyone say can of worms.


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## SENC (Oct 1, 2016)

woodtickgreg said:


> Can anyone say con of worms.


I can say it, but have no idea what it means.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Kevin (Oct 1, 2016)

SENC said:


> I can say it, but have no idea what it means.



It's when you have a can of worms and someone is trying to get your can of worms for nothing, or even have you pay them to take it from you - most likely without you ever realizing what happened, or at least until they're long gone down the railroad tracks.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## SENC (Oct 1, 2016)

Kevin said:


> It's when you have a can of worms and someone is trying to get your can of worms for nothing, or even have you pay them to take it from you - most likely without you ever realizing what happened, or at least until they're long gone down the railroad tracks.


Great explanation. Maybe that happens a lot in Michigan. In NC, we know better than to mess with another man's worms.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 1, 2016)

Stupid phone, can, fixed it.


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## Kevin (Oct 1, 2016)

woodtickgreg said:


> Stupid phone, can, fixed it.



Okay Tclem what are you saying?

Reactions: Agree 1 | Great Post 1 | Funny 2


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 2, 2016)

Kevin said:


> Okay Tclem what are you saying?


OMG! Is it contagious?!!!!!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Palaswood (Oct 3, 2016)

lonewolf said:


> Joseph with all due respect you have made my point. With your ( guesstimate ) as another comparison the guy who puts in a legitimate bid to professionally complete this project will now appear to be ripping her off. Although he has taken the time to meet the customer , figure the cost of materials ( 2 sheets of quality grade plywood, solid lumber, edge banding , hardware, primer and paint, mics supplies, , and the expense to procure these ), his labor , overhead, and yes some profit. This is why I beleive only quotes from someone who is actually prepared to compkete the project are fair. Its too easy to toss out an opinion wwhen you won't be held to it.


That's a great point. I'm glad I was able to help make your point 

Actually, I guess I was only considering the cost of labor, raw materials and time to build it. Labor and raw materials doesn't include overhead, tools & fasteners or profit for the shop, so the price I mentioned wouldn't be realistic as far as what out of pocket would be to get it built.


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## frankp (Oct 6, 2016)

lonewolf said:


> I don't think getting a price from guys in other markets who know they aren't even considered for the job is of any benefit. You mention bids she is getting there's your reference from shops who may actually get the job.and if you aren't building it yourself I would suggest just to give the bidders your specs and don't try to tell them what it should cost or how many hours just let them quote the finished product.


I'm not trying to tell other bidders what it will cost and have no idea where you got the impression I was. This thread is not a business transaction and not worded in any way similar to how I would handle a business transaction. It's a query amongst "friends" as to what it would take/cost.

I'm not a professional and have no idea how long it will take professionals to do the work. I'm not asking for official bids, that's going to depend on a lot of factors such as material quality, any customization, urgency of need, and several other things. I was asking for a basis of comparison.

I'm not sure where the market is matters. I can easily tell from someone's location what a comparable labor rate would be in my area. Is it an exact science? No. Is it a basis for comparison? Absolutely. Especially if people who comment are names I'm familiar with and understand the quality of their work from what I've seen here.

My labor estimate is coming from someone who considers himself a hobbyist hack at best. The other folks that have offered opinions are folks whose work I've seen and whose opinions I value for the expertise I know they have. If Kevin tells me it takes him 25 hours to build, Kenbo tells me it takes 8, and you tell me it's 14, I have some basis on which to compare the numbers I get from professionals here in my local area besides my own opinion. (I know how fast I work compared to Kenbo and Kevin, and presume I could look at some of your posts and learn more about your rate of production as well.) If any of those local professionals tell me they think it takes 45 hours obviously we have a problem. You see the point now?

Care to tell me why you think the other opinions are "guesstimates" rather than valid numbers? What would your labor time be? Not in dollars, in hours, since you seem disinclined to give a real opinion about dollars for some reason.


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## Kevin (Oct 6, 2016)

It would take me about 3 years. HTH.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## frankp (Oct 6, 2016)

Kevin said:


> It would take me about 3 years. HTH.


That's exactly why I'm not building it, @Kevin. I'd get about 90% complete in a weekend and then it would sit in my garage for 4 years.


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## lonewolf (Oct 6, 2016)

Palaswood said:


> 15 Hours seems excessive for a plywood glue-and-screw job, since the screws preclude having to wait for glue to set before moving on.
> 
> From the looks of that picture, the frame would likely come together before lunch. Then you have sanding and painting. One person should be able to finish that in one 8 hour day, but that's just my opinion.
> 
> Seems @frankp is just looking for a ballpark figure to make sure his mom doesn't get ripped off. ~ $350 -400 on the lower end is my guesstimate, but in the city not sure.



This is the source of my guesstimate comment. First if I have offended I apologize.I knowsometimes my opinion can betoo much. I won't throw out a time myself as this is not the type of work I do. I have seen this scenario many time from different angles where a potential customer says can you make this my cousins daughters boyfreind says it should only cost x amount. And now the maker is accused of ripping her off. Now my mistake was not acknowledging that as a woodworker yourself you would have a better understanding. But also doubt anyone tossing out a figure would actually sit down and figure all the time invokved or just pull a figure out of ....... I think just a( proper) paint job should should take 3-5 hours but most of all remember my opinion is worth what ya paid for it

Reactions: Like 1


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## frankp (Oct 6, 2016)

Thanks for your input, @lonewolf. I find it funny that you say you don't do this type of work and then complain when someone who does gives a labor estimate you disagree with for whatever reason. That said, I understand your point. It's not what's happening here, but that's the way it goes. Thanks for explaining your position.


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## frankp (Nov 22, 2016)

So, we looked around and didn't find anything reasonable to buy pre-made. Finding people willing to do the custom work also didn't pan out and my wife convinced me to do it. With some design modifications my mom and I came up with, here's the beginning. About 10 hours of work so far... Need to get some more shelf pins for the adjustable shelves, edge band and sand the top, then pickle it.

Reactions: Like 2 | Way Cool 2


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## woodtickgreg (Nov 22, 2016)

And she will dig it even more because you made it.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## rocky1 (Nov 23, 2016)

Uhmmmm... is this the point where progress halts and it sits in your garage for 4 years Frank? Or, is mom cracking the whip and gonna make you finish it in less?

 


Looking good so far!! Mom is going to love it!! 

_So are several of her friends, and guess who is now the head DC sewing table builder of the world!! _

_You did measure doors to make sure it would go in the house didn't you? _

Reactions: Funny 3


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## frankp (Nov 23, 2016)

My wife is the one cracking the whip on this one but this is definitely the stalling point if there will be one. Decided to go slightly larger on the top so I'm going to go pick up a new piece of ply today as well as some paint for finishing. Hopefully I'll have some time Sunday to do some more work. The goal is to finish as soon as possible but absolutely no later than Christmas.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Schroedc (Nov 23, 2016)

frankp said:


> .... then pickle it. View attachment 117336View attachment 117337



You're going to need a pretty big jar for that....

Reactions: Funny 2


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## frankp (Nov 23, 2016)

Pickling is what we call a thin white wash. I don't much like the look but my mom really digs it.


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## Schroedc (Nov 23, 2016)

frankp said:


> Pickling is what we call a thin white wash. I don't much like the look but my mom really digs it.



I knew what you meant but couldn't resist. I did the same thing to the kitchen cabinets for my mother 20 years ago.

Reactions: Like 1


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## frankp (Dec 30, 2016)

Forgot to take pictures but delivered this to mom over Christmas weekend. She loved it. I need to make a couple minor adjustments and bring her one of the shelves I forgot but it will be a great storage and workspace for her. Now designing one for our house with some tweaks for more tabletop surface area and different storage options. Will start building that once my oldest moves her stuff into her new apartment in January.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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## frankp (Jan 8, 2017)

A couple of finished pics...

Reactions: Way Cool 2


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## rocky1 (Jan 9, 2017)

Looks great!! I bet momma is proud! 

Very nicely done Frank!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## lonewolf (Jan 9, 2017)

Definitely one to be proud of. There is no project more honorable than one for mom. Great job. Frank

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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