Merry Christmas!

Well, it's pretty much too late to ship anything by Christmas. You're welcome to continue to shop my web page as if it weren't the holiday season. I'm going to spend the next two weeks working with my boys, making their presents for each other - my favorite time in the garage is with my boys!

Thanks to all for the orders that have kept me so busy the last few weeks. You've done wonders to help our family's Christmas, what with me underemployed in my day job and all.

So I wish you all a Merry Christmas, that you'll have a safe, peaceful, happy holiday season with those you love.

Christmas Gifts Can Still Be Shipped

So...time's pretty much up for custom orders to be filled before Christmas, but I do still have some inventory of things I've already made that can be ordered and shipped at will:

Shown in photo above:

Cocobolo Salt and Pepper Shaker Set:$40.00

Mahogany Platters: Regular $55, Farmers Market $40

Maple Square Bowl: Regular $30, Farmers Market $20

Purpleheart Square Bowl: Regular $35, Farmers Market $25

Walnut Bowl: Regular $12.50, Farmers Market $10

Ambrosia Maple Bowl: Regular $12, Farmers Market $10

Purpleheart Bowl: Regular $30, Farmers Market $20

Myrtle Bowl: Regular $35, Farmers Market $25

Faux Drawer Shelves
1-Drawer, White: Regular $35, Farmers Market Price $25
1-Drawer, Black: Regular $35, Farmers Market Price: $25
2-Drawer, White: Regular $50, Farmers Market Price: $35






Rubber Band Guns
Single-Barrel Pistol: $5
Double-Barrel Pistol: $7.50,
Rifle: $12.50

Penny Hockey

8"x12" Board: $15

Keyring Consecrated Oil, Perfume, or Essential Oil Vials

Purpleheart and Gold - $20.00 (Bottom photo)
Eucalyptus Burland Gold - $20.00
Kingwood and Gold - $20.00 (top photo)
Laminated and Gold - $25.00 (bottom photo)
African Mahogany and Gold - $20.00 (top photo)

Walnut and Gold - $20.00 (top photo)

Harry-Potter Style Magic Wands

Cochen Rosewood Wand - 11"- $23.00


Pink Ivory and Purpleheart Wand - 12" - $32.00


Purpleheart Wand - 11" - $18.00

Pens and Pencils

From left to right:

Padauk and Chrome Slimline Pen: $35
Cocobolo and Black Titanium European Pen: $50

Tulipwood and Gold Titanium European Pen: $50

Purpleheart and Chrome Slimline Pen: $35

Olive and Gold Titanium Slimline Pen: $45

Blackwood and 24K Gold Rollerball Pen:$45

Blackwood and 24K Gold Slimline Pen: $35

Carob and 24k Gold Slimline: $35
Black and White Ebony and Chrome Slimline Pen and Pencil Set: Regular $75

Zebrawood and 10k Gold Jr. Gentlemen's Twist Pen: Regular $60

Custom Made Christmas Gifts

Well, it's been a busy fall season for me in the wood shop. It's getting close, but is not too late yet, for you to order unique, custom, hand-made gifts. Some of my favorites are family photo jig saw puzzles, consecrated oil vials, pen and pencil sets, and of course, Harry Potter-style "magic" wands.



I should be OK on orders placed through December 10th, though you'll probably need to pay extra for priority shipping if you order after December 5th. After the 11th, it will be too late for hristmas, so don't put it off much longer.



Thanks!

Early Black Friday Christmas Sale

Each year I have a Christmas Sale to encourage people to place their orders early enough that I can spend December celebrating the holidays and not filling orders until 6:00 pm on the 24th. To show appreciation for early orders, my sale is a blanket 5% off of everything on my site, for both Mike's Woodwork By Design, and Muggle Wandmaker., so long as you place your order before Thanksgiving - as of Black Friday, everything's back to regular price (which is still a great deal on quality, totally unique gifts).

Also, I'm continuing the Virtual Farmers Market sale till I sell because of its success. Click here to see what inventory I have left.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

Virtual Farmers Market - Facebook Group Only

Well, the Farmers Market was a success this year - originally the plan had been to use whatever money we made to increase inventory and buy some new tools, but it ended up becoming an important part of our family's income as things got tight - darned recession, you know...

Anyway, pictured above is most of the inventory I have left, and I'm offering it to members of my facebook group at Farmers Market prices - great Christmas gifts, if you're an early shopper, and prices much less than what I normally offer things for. See the list below. If you want to buy, don't use the "buy now" button on the respective pages unless you want to pay regular price, but rather, email me at mike@mikeswoodwork.net and I'll send you an invoice for the item at the correct price. Happy shopping, and thanks.

Shown in photo above:

Ambrosia Maple Goblet Set: Regular $100, Farmers Market $60

Cocobolo Salt and Pepper Shaker Set Regular $40.00, Farmers Market $25

Cocobolo 10" Pepper Grinder and matching 6" Salt Shaker: Regular Price $150, Farmers Market $100

Mahogany Platters: Regular $55, Farmers Market $40

Maple Square Bowl: Regular $30, Farmers Market $20

Purpleheart Square Bowl: Regular $35, Farmers Market $25

Walnut Bowl: Regular $12.50, Farmers Market $10

Ambrosia Maple Bowl: Regular $12, Farmers Market $10

Purpleheart Bowl: Regular $30, Farmers Market $20

Myrtle Bowl: Regular $35, Farmers Market $25

Faux Drawer Shelves
1-Drawer, White: Regular $35, Farmers Market Price $25
1-Drawer, Black: Regular $35, Farmers Market Price: $25
2-Drawer, White: Regular $50, Farmers Market Price: $35
2-Drawer, Black: Regular $50, sold




Rubber Band Guns
Single-Barrel Pistol: Regular $5, Farmers Market Price: $4
Double-Barrel Pistol: Regular $7.50, Farmers Market Price: $6
Rifle: Regular $12.50, Farmers Market Price: $10

Penny Hockey

12"x16" Board: Regular $20, Farmers Market Price: $15

8"x12" Board: Regular $15, Farmers Market Price: $10

Keyring Consecrated Oil, Perfume, or Essential Oil Vials

Regular: $20, Farmers Market Price: $12 - sorry, all have sold.
Pictured from left to right: Ambrosia Maple(sold), Walnut(sold), Purpleheart (sold), Blackwood (sold), Olivewood(sold), Elm (sold), Padauk (sold), Zebrawood (sold)

Harry-Potter Style Magic Wands

From left to right:

Ebony and Holly: Regular $28, SOLD
Yew: Regular $18, SOLD

Myrtle: Regular $18,SOLD

Walnut and Alder: Regular $23, SOLD
Yellowheart: Regular $23, SOLD

Purpleheart: Regular $23, SOLD

Alder: Regular $18, Farmers Market $13

Holly: Regular $23, SOLD

Pens and Pencils

From left to right:

Padauk and Chrome Slimline Pen: Regular $35, Farmers Market $20
Cocobolo and Black Titanium European Pen: Regular $50, Farmers Market $30

Tulipwood and Gold Titanium European Pen: Regular $50, Farmers Market $30

Purpleheart and Chrome Slimline Pen: Regular $35, Farmers Market $20

Olive and Gold Titanium Slimline Pen: Regular $45, Farmers Market $25

Blackwood and 24K Gold Rollerball Pen: Regular $45, Farmers Market $25

Kiatt and Tactile Rubber European Pen: Regular $40, Farmers Market $20

Blackwood and 24K Gold Slimline Pen: Regular $35, Farmers Market $20

Carob and 24k Gold Slimline Pen and Pencil Set: Regular $65, Farmers Market $40
Black and White Ebony and Chrome Slimline Pen and Pencil Set: Regular $75, Farmers Market $50

Zebrawood and 10k Gold Jr. Gentlemen's Twist Pen: Regular $60, Farmers Market $40

Farmer's Market - Live Woodturning Demonstrations

Well, things are off to a great start for the season at the Ogden Farmers Market. I've brought my lathe out for live turning demonstrations, and the crowds have been great. It's a lot of fun - the fair or carnival-like atmosphere, the people, the sun, and the food.

Liz has put some dresses and tutus together that are adorable - too bad we don't have any girls huh?

My boys think it's a lot of fun. They like to duel with the magic wands, or gunfight with the rubber band guns, which lasts until my 3-yr old starts aiming for faces.... My 5-year old is quite the salesman and will tell whoever will listen about each wand, the prices for the rubber band guns, and the specials on the tutus. Way to go Isaac!

My best sellers so far have definitely been the rubber band guns, followed closely by the wands. What people don't seem to realize is that my bowls, shelves, etc. are priced so much lower than my made-to-order prices on my web page, which are significantly lower than most woodturners out there to begin with.

It's been fun to have my lathe there so I can turn while people watch - makes the wands that much more magical, and I've met a lot of fellow crafters who are interested in woodturning. So be sure to come by and see!

The Death Eaters are Coming - Don't Go Unarmed!!

Just in time for the movie release, more Harry-Potter-style magic wands are available through my Muggle Wandmaker shop. Get your wizard robes ready, draw your lightening shaped scars on your foreheads, get your round glasses, and most importantly, your wand - mother's love can only save you from the death eaters so many times, don't push your luck! And seeing as my prices run about half of most other hardwood hand-turned wandmakers out there, like Alivans, or the Gilded Quill, parents can afford to equip their children as well! OK so you don't get a cardboard box to throw away, but you're after what's inside anyway.

And if you like Harry Potter, you should love this: I just shipped 26 wands to the Bamberg Summer School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Bamberg, Germany. Each summer, young muggles aspiring to become talented witches and wizards like Ron, Hermione, Harry and other Hogwarts friends board at a real castle and attend classes for several weeks in subjects like Charms, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against The Dark Arts. Last year they even had guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs for the Triwizard Tournament. A specail thanks to Headmistress Daniela Schreyer, for the order. Makes me wish I was a kid in Germany!





Students are welcomed in to the main entrance from the castle grounds for two weeks of intenstive magical education.









The guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived for the Triwizard Tournament






Dinner in the Great Hall, anticipating the selection of the school champions







The second task - eating gillyweed apparently wasn't the kids' favorite part.

Elm Bowls, Sycamore Bowls - Free Materials

I have an acquaintance who had to get rid of a great big Chinese elm tree in his yard. The tree was starting to mess with a retaining wall so it had to go. My dad and I went up to cut it down and could see that it was going to take an expert to bring the tree down without killing the nearby trees and/or smashing a nearby home, so we left it to a tree surgeon. BUT when he was done, i got first dibs on the wood. I brought up a chain saw and cut it up, took the pieces home, cut them into bowl-sized chunks, and sealed the ends so that, as it dries, it won't split.

Elm is a hard wood with caramel-colored heartwood and lighter sapwood. The bark is thick with contrasting layers, and quite strong, making for beautiful natural-edged bowls like this first one I turned. Because it was turned while green, and dried afterwards, the shape is somewhat elongated. The effect is exaggerated by the uneven rim.

This particular bowl was from a crotch piece, meaning where the trunk split in two. The resulting wood usually gets more interesting grain patterns than the straight stuff.

And of course, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun without a chance for my son to model the bowl as a hat.

I have lots of this wood. I want to make lots of beautiful bowls. There's a tool I can get that will allow me to get multiple bowls from one piece of wood, but it's kind of pricey so i need to sell a few of these larger bowls to pay for it. Until I save for that tool, you have an opportunity: I'll give you the bowl for labor only, ignoring the cost of materials, AND I'll give you the natural edge bowl for the price of a regular bowl on the labor ($1.50 times height times width, or $78.00 for a bowl like that shown.

I also have a bunch of sycamore that I can do the same with. Order today, and be sure to mention this sale.

www.mugglewandmaker.com Now Up and Running

My favorite quick projects are pens and magic wands - they're nice, little packaged projects that I can start and finish in one session in the shop, so if I market them more than other things, that's because they're easier to fit into the busy life of a father of 5 boys. SO I'm quite excited that www.mugglewandmaker.com is finally up and running. I've posted all of my old wand postings from my toys page there, and added the wands I made at Christmas time. I hope to soon add sections like I have on my Design Your Pen page, letting you choose your wood, your shape, etc, as well as to add some information about wand care and a little bio about Muggle Wandmaker. In any case, I'm happy with how the page turned out, and wanted to say thanks to Endless Images Photography for the nice job photographing my sign and my sawdust pile so I could make the graphics for the page.

So, Harry Potter fans, visit the page, check it out, and if you don't want to be unarmed when the death eaters attack during the upcoming movie release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, order now before it's too late ;).

A Good Year of Great Projects

A little over a year ago I got my start with my lathe. I had been burned out on woodwork for a while from taking some risks - spending money on materials and then not selling projects, or taking too much time on jobs. Once I got into woodturning, though, it was fun again. I made my first bowl, and thought it was way cool. Then I came up with a new business plan: NO drawing from family money, period. Make stuff from wood I have on hand with tools I already have, and then sell it, or take custom orders. Use half the profit to buy more wood and tools, the other half goes into the family finances. And set up a web page for custom orders. My wife was a little skeptical at first, but I was confident that it would work out, so I set up my page.

I still remember the first email I got asking about stuff. I felt like the scene from Tommy Boy about "JoJo the Idiot Circus Boy" who gets so excited about his sale that he loses the business, tearing up his dinner roll - youtube it if you want. Great clip! Then, about a year ago - start of April last year anyway, I closed my first sale from my web page - $500 of custom frames for a school fundraiser. My business was off to a great start. Of course, that's the biggest order I've had, but it was great.

Since then I've had fun. I've "met" interesting people across the country, and expanded my product offerings to over 120 items.

I've learned that woodturning is my favorite and that I will sell woodturning things for less than what I should because I enjoy it so much. Any excuse to work in woodturning is a good one - see the spindles in the jewelry display...


I've learned that wood pens don't sound that exciting till you hold one and use one, and then you can't help but become emotionally attached to it - see the comments on a purpleheart pen I made, for example.

I've learned that kids still love wood toys every bit as much, if not more, than action figures and things that beep and flash. And to sell magic wands, it works well to give a kid with siblings a wand for his or her birthday and then wait till Christmas for their parents to order wands for the rest of the kids.

I've learned that, for whatever reason, Penny Hockey boards sell, but Penny Soccer boards don't. Go figure.

I've made some people very happy with their orders - the segmented bowl set here got me the comment "You have no idea how happy these bowls have made me. "


And sadly enough, I've learned that what I think is beautiful and striking isn't always beautiful and striking to everyone - this bowl got me the comment "I have put the box in a spare bedroom for now and will deal with it all later. I don't even really want to look at any of it just now; I need to clear my mind first. " You see, she didn't like the white spot in the wood. I was very sorry, and offered to pay shipping to have her send the bowl back and replace it with one without the sapwood, but she wouldn't do it. I think that if she was really that upset, she would have taken me up on my offer. Anyway, one unhappy customer out of over 36 in the last year, though more than I would like, is still not too shabby.

So it's been fun. I've made some cool stuff, and made most of my customers very happy with their custom-made stuff-Woodwork, By Design. My wife and kids now get excited about it and have even started making their own projects

This next year should be good. Coming soon: Salt and Pepper shakers, Salt and Pepper Grinders, ceiling fan chain bobs, a page dedicated just to magic wands, a chess set, cutting boards, a smaller rocking horse, an American Girl sized canopy bed by my wife, and more. Thanks to all who have helped support my habbit this last year. And to say thanks for reading my blog, mention this post and get $5 off your order. See you in the woodshop!

Facebook Group Sale - Keyring Oil Vials

These keyring oil vials have a myriad of uses. The kits are sold as perfume vial kits, but they just as easily hold essential oils, consecrated oil, prescription meds, or your ancestors ashes. OK so I haven't sold any for the last use. Most of the time my customers order them for consecrated oil vials for LDS missionaries or newly ordained elders. I tried marketing them to Deseret Book, but they think nobody wants to spend more than $10 on a keychain oil vial. What they're just not getting is that these aren't just utilitarian metal tubes that you hide on your keyring - they're actually one of my best-selling products because they are really quite cool.

Normally found on my gifts page for $20.00, I'm offering facebook group members $5.00 off while supplies last, for vials made from walnut, maple, ambrosia maple, padauk, purpleheart, yellowheart, zebrawood, mahogany, cocobolo, or carob. Be sure to specify chrome or gold finish when you order, and place your order by sending me a message on facebook after joining my facebook group.