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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Brazil
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    Default Wooden mallet - how much to charge?

    Hi!


    Recently I made a carver´s mallet to a friend. He told me to post some mallet like this to sell in e-bay. I don´t know how much to ask for the mallet.


    The mallet is this:

    Their head is from brazilian rosewood, not the hardest wood that I have, but my friend make his choice for beauty. The head has about 7 cm in diameter and 10 cm in length. The handle is from "pau pereira" Platycyamus regnellii, a dense hardwood (0,81 g/cm³). The overall lenght is 22 cm and the weight is 350g.



    The mallet in my hand.



    The handle is joined to the head with a blind wedged tenon and PU glue.



    After the glue is set, the whole piece go again to the lathe.





    Some time ago I sell some like this picture, that is turned from a single piece of wood, easier and less time consumption. I sold each for about 25-30 USD (depending on time of conversion). But this more elaborated mallet I have no idea how much ask, no idea of the value of something like this in the international market.


    If someone can help me, I will be grateful!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    moonbi nsw Aus
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    Default

    Very nice job, Tomazelli
    The 2 timbered one for your friend is a really nice addition to anyone tool kit.
    If you were able to sell previous ones for around US$25-30 try adding $15-20 and see if they will sell at that price
    Just do it!

    Kind regards Rod

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Range View, Australia
    Posts
    656

    Default

    Great looking mallet. I'm sure many people would want BRW but it is an internationally controlled endangered species. You will need a lot of paperwork.
    Cheers, Bill

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Brazil
    Age
    43
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    Default

    Bill, I do not think about that, BRW is out of question then. Even because I have so little pieces of this lumber. I am not entilery sure if it is Dalbergia nigra, here I know it as Jacaranda Cabiuna, a variety or another specie of Rosewood: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f14/ja...sewood-154636/


    Well, my question is more about the labour than the wood itself. But I am grateful about the advice of the wood.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Newcastle
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    Default

    Nice mallets. The good thing about ebay is that you can put things up for auction so you don't need to put a price on. You can start with say us$20 and watch what people will offer. I am pretty sure that a mallet like that will go up to at least us$70-80. Or you could try this forums new auction market and have a little 'off broadway' tryout.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    Bundaberg
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    Default

    Probably the most accurate way to judge the market would be to manufacture at least a dozen or so identical ones and put them up for auction one at a time. Then work out the average, discounting any stupidly high or low sales, knock about a quarter of that and use that as a reserve price, or add about a quarter as a Buy it now. The trick is to get establish a price that the market will comfortably sustain and that represents a worthwhile profit to keep you intersted in making them.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Townsville, Tropical North Qld.
    Age
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    556

    Default

    Hi Tomazelli, I really like the rosewood mallet, well done.
    No comment from me on the price or timber sales overseas but my recommendation would be more from a user perspective.
    If you look at web sites for carvers mallets you will see a lot of them have tapered heads which is done to give a better strike angle on the chisels.
    It is not a rule but a preference and most of mine are tapered.
    Just a thought to improve your sales chances.
    All the best,
    Ian
    "The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.. it can't be done.
    If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run.
    And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better"

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    San Antonio, Texas, USA
    Posts
    3,070

    Default

    Hi Tomazelli,

    Nice looking mallets. As a maker of hand-made tools I can tell you that, no matter what, you're not going to get rich. If you're lucky you might make a little money but most likely you'll pay for your materials and maybe have a little left over for new tools or beer.

    I did an economic analysis of what a dovetail saw should cost a while back and came up with a base price of $225US. In making tools the primary cost is your labor. That base price figures only that I'm paid the current minimum wage.

    As an aside, it's interesting that the other saw makers have all raised their prices since I posted that analysis with some now selling dovetail saws above $300US. Turns out that the time involved in making each saw is about the same so all of them ought to cost the same because materials only make up 5-10% of that final price and the costs are not much different between a dovetail saw and a large panel saw.

    I'm sure that the major cost of making mallets will also be your time. So, in the end, how much do you reckon your time to be worth?

    Cheers,
    Rob
    Innovations are those useful things that, by dint of chance, manage to survive the stupidity and destructive tendencies inherent in human nature.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dundowran Beach
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    76
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    19,922

    Thumbs up

    Bom dia Tomazelli! Tudo bem pra voce??

    That is a great looking mallet!

    Sorry I can't help you with what to charge and I guess with things the way they are in Brazil
    you may have difficulty selling them. I suggest you make a couple, put them up for sale and
    then say you will take orders. Good luck.

    We are having a BBQ here today and I am cooking picanha!!! Might make a caipirinha to wash it down!!

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