re: Pricing Requested Work

Many Thanks for the discussion and thoughts – these help solidify, perhaps rationalize, what I’m thinking. While I was not looking for a specific answer, I’ve come to the following ‘guideline’.

Summing it all …:
My immediate family – daughter, grand daughters, obviously my wife – everything is free. My recent DVD Holder – the Hard Maple, Sapele; the design time and execution was all done pro bono – and I believe that’s the way it should be.

My brothers and sister, and extended family – they’ll be offered at materials value, unless it’s a rocker (I’m sooo bad at rockers that I may die by the time I finish the three I have planned). I may have a ‘labor up-charge’ to a max of 100% of material cost (that is, perhaps about $400 max). But only if the rocker is perfect.

For Friends, probably the same as extended family – materials and a up-to-100% ‘labor up-charge’.

I’ve started to consider all of this, as my wood selections, and those of the individuals requesting specific pieces, have become more pricey, and I would like to cover at least a portion of my tooling costs.

I don’t want to end this thread, necessarily; so if the Forum wants to generalize the topic, that’s all the better.

Thanks, again – a big help.
MJCD