Oh Robert,

You have probably opened another pricing debate.  All I can say is try to learn your cost to produce the items in question and then add a labor rate per hour.  I know this sounds difficult but it really isn't.  Most costs are pretty fixed such as sandpaper, wood, finish and ect.  Even your power consumption will be fairly fixed per hour once you have it calculated (running DC, lathe, compressor and etc.). 

Just remember your hourly rate should not be the same as say Ellsworth, Jordon, Mahoney and ect. since they are professional turners.  Here is where the debate starts.  Do you charge say $10, $20, $30 per hour or more depends on your experience and skill level.  Some will say that it is not fair to the professional turner for you to sell your bowl at $60 when they sell theirs at $120.  I will say that if you are a hobbyist then don't worry about that argument.  The professional turners have spent a lot of time finding and securing outlets to sell there products and for most that works plus they have tools and demo's as income.  You are probably going to sell to friends, family, work associates and word of mouth from those three sources.  They probably would not buy a Mahoney bowl or Ellsworth form anyway.  Also, I don't like this $10 per inch general rule that you will hear because you won't be able to sell a 10" bowl for $100.  Many of the craft fair guy's can't sell them for that amount.  Nor does that cover all the different types of turnings you may be producing.

Sorry for the longer post but this debate is always fascinating to me to see how others price their stuff.  Let the debate begin.   When the dusts settles I think you will agree that learning your costs like any manufacturing business needs to know is the best route to go.

Dale

I can't tell you where to start.  Pricing will also depend on your reputation.  As you sell more pieces and develop your skill the demand for your work will increase.  According to the rules of supply and demand, as the demand goes up so does the price.

One way to get an idea of what your work is worth is to make a contribution to a charity auction.  (for tax purposes, the value of the contribution is just the cost of materials)

Thanks.

So far, almost all of my wood has been from free sources so cost of goods will be hard to justify other than a little gas to pick it up.

As for my time, I currently make a little over $30 per hour at my day job. Most of the pieces I've made take around 2 hours to complete. Though my speed is increasing with new knowledge, I'm also venturing much larger, quickly reaching the current limit of the lathe and tools. 12" D X 9" H is rather scary for me just yet but I've managed.

I've figured that reputation would have a lot to do with it but would like a starting point. That would not undercut the pro's too much but not over price the piece either.

In the end, people can argue to the end of days but in reality, each piece is worth what you can sell it for.

The attached photo is a chestnut bowl that is about 7" high by 5 1/2" wide.

Right now I'm not looking for a living wage from turning. Sometimes when you start to try to make money doing things you love to do, it starts to become work. I'll be happy to augment my current income to pay off some bills and provide some cash to upgrade the lathe and pay for my new habit. If I can do that, I'll figure I've done exceptionally well.

I'd like to get as good as some of you masters here but being able to fund my fun will be quite enough for now.

Thanks for the information. It at least gives me something more to base things on.

I gave away a good portion of my current pieces today. It will be interesting if that starts to drive a little interest from their friends.

May your tools stay sharp and your turnings true.

I kicked through a little shop while visiting friends this last week-end. They had very few turned pieces, focusing on very large rustic furniture. The pieces I saw were interesting in how they were priced. One was what I thought was a rather average vase. It had a nice shape but I think finished poorly but fairly prices at under $30 for a vase that was about 4" W X about 12 H. Then a little hollow form from a burl but I felt over priced at $59.

What I took away from it is that I do have some hope as I felt that I could have been able to match each piece. I think it would be great to be able to fund my new habit.

Only consignments I know about use a 60/40 split toward the artisan.  I still don't like it, but when there are very few if any to choose from that is what you go with.  I'd rather sell the work myself, but really don't have the time to do it.  I don't even have the time to do much in the way of turning even.
Rev. Doug Miller

Tom, I hear what you're saying and completely agree. The lower priced vase was, I felt rather average and not well finished. I think the vase would have taken longer to turn than the hollow form but the wood looked much better and it was also finished better. I just thought the difference in price was interesting.

I'm not sure how I'll decide to sell my pieces. I have a fried that does craft shows but buys mass produced stuff(expletive omitted). I might ride her coattails at one of her shows just for starters and to get some traffic.

For now, I have to replace all the stuff I gave away for Christmas and I'd like to make some trophies for my sailing buddies.