The True Cost of Overtime When you back out overhead, time-and-a-half wages for overtime hours may work out to a wash. But not always ... October 2, 2007
Charging Enough to Stay in Business Seasoned cabinetmakers give a newcomer some hard-nosed advice on how to price his work realistically. October 15, 2009
Employee Overtime There's an up side and a down side to working (and paying) employees overtime. Here, owners and workers discuss the management of labor hours. October 25, 2006
Calculating a Shop Labor Rate What shop labor rate will enable this cabinet shop turn a profit? Here's an extensive and detailed discussion of setting a realistic value on labor time. March 4, 2006
Six Sigma Strikes Are the Six Sigma system requests that a customer makes appropriate? November 3, 2004
Wholesale, Commercial, and Retail Pricing Cabinetmakers discuss the idea of using a tiered pricing model to reflect volume, complexity, and customization of the job. July 12, 2012
Survival Strategy: Raise Your Prices! Believe it or not, some woodworkers are successfully adapting to the downturn by increasing their prices. June 22, 2010
Customer Deposits and Payment Schedules A heartfelt and sometimes heated discussion about setting payment terms, including initial deposits, for a cabinet job. February 27, 2013
When Will I Be Rich? A young cabinetmaker wonders when (if ever) he will be "well off." Well, young feller ... April 29, 2012
Kitchen Cabinet Pricing Comparison Cabinet shops compare price estimates on a basic kitchen job, and discuss the factors that influence their prices. June 5, 2006
Employee Bonus Incentives Most employers in this thread believe that bonuses for employees don't work. June 4, 2012
Calculating a Shop Rate An extended discussion on the math and reasoning behind setting a rate for shop work billed by the hour. July 30, 2009
Shop Drawing Time per Job How long does it take to prepare shop drawings for a cabinet job? Here's a thorough and detailed discussion of that question. November 15, 2011
Developing Sales Skills Overcoming fear of sales, and implementing a sales strategy for your woodworking business - June 18, 1998
Last-Ditch Business Survival Tactics When your back is to the wall, it's time to take radical measures. Here's some advice for a contractor who's up against it. October 13, 2008
Door Pricing and Outsourcing Here is a long thread about door pricing, kicked off by a cabinetmaker who gets sticker shock from a door vendor's bid. July 25, 2010
Whether to Invest in a CNC Router Here's a long, thoughtful, and detailed thread comparing the advantages of a CNC router to other efficient setups, and considering whether buying a CNC is a good move for a small shop facing cut-rate competition. September 30, 2010
Six Sigma Observations Principles for developing efficiency in the workshop. November 3, 2004
Gross Sales for a Small Shop Business owners discuss reasonable sales projections for a start-up cabinet shop. February 17, 2006
Selling Factory-Made and Custom Cabinet Lines When you offer both your own custom-made cabinetry and a less expensive line of factory cabs, pricing and selling strategies become complicated. Here's a long and thoughtful discussion. January 19, 2011
Cabinet doors: to build or to buy? A roundtable on making raised-panel doors for cabinets, versus "buying them out," opening onto a discussion of the larger issues of tooling and automation. July 18, 2000
Low-Bid Bottom-Feeder Blues but this discussion of commercial bidding, corner-cutting, and cut-throat competition is worth a look anyway. November 11, 2005
Log Scales, Log Size, Kerf Thickness, Lumber Yield, and Profit The estimated yield using one or another log scale may differ from the actual board footage of lumber sawn from a load of logs, for a variety of reasons. Here's a close look at how different scales, different logs, and different saws affect the yield, the price, and the profit. April 20, 2011
Markup and Profit with Expensive Materials Should a cabinetmaker apply the same markup to very expensive lumber as he applies to his usual materials? The question kicks off a long and thoughtful discussion of markup, overhead, and profit. March 21, 2012
Kitchen Pricing for Newbies So this guy's trying to figure out how much to charge for building a kitchen for a relative. Naturally, it's all relative. But beginners could begin to grasp the basics of pricing from this discussion. June 8, 2008
Furniture Manufacturer Direct Sales A furniture manufacturer gets some well-informed and thoughtful advice on how to structure a direct sales operation so as to survive tough market conditions that are destroying his multi-step dealer sales volume. December 27, 2008
Cost of Estimates Getting paid for time spent on a job before you know it's yours. April 18, 2004
Whether to Go Out of Business Facing slow times and scary financials, a cabinetmaker seeks advice on whether to call it quits — and if not, how to turn things around. July 27, 2008
Seeking Success in the Cabinetmaking Business This question from a struggling cabinetmaker provides a good opportunity for some education in the basics of business success. September 7, 2013
Estimating Start-Up Costs A brand new business owner seeks input on projecting first-year expenses. January 6, 2005
Credit Cards, Profit, and Sales Here's a spirited and detailed discussion about whether a cabinet shop should accept credit cards as payment. May 15, 2011
Another Cabinet Pricing Survey Cabinetmakers from around the U.S. quote ballpark prices for a generic cabinet project, and discuss costs and markets. April 9, 2008
Managing a One-Man Shop for Income A solo operator's question about reasonable income expectations kicks off a long discussion of wise management practices. October 3, 2006
Start-Up Advice for Businesses It's the same old story: A skilled craftsman (and new solo businessman) just figured out he's been making three dollars an hour. Guys who have been there and done that chime in with advice and encouragement. December 14, 2005
Learning from an Under-Pricing Mistake When inexperience leads a good cabinetmaker to under-price a nice kitchen, he tries to make up for it on a time-and-materials island — but the ensuing sticker shock strains his relationship with the customer. Older hands point out the lessons he should draw from his mishap. December 2, 2006
Making Money as a One-Man Outfit Experienced woodworkers and business owners share some excellent business advice with a solo operator who's struggling to get organized and make ends meet. May 26, 2011
Economics of Sawing for the Tie and Pallet Market Ties and pallets typically get sawn as byproducts when producing higher-grade lumber. But in a down market, it's tough to sell any part of the log at a profit. September 6, 2010
Competitive pricing Establishing a pricing system that will bring you plenty of jobs and profit. November 22, 2001
When the Customer "Cherry Picks" Your Bid A cabinetmaker bids on a whole house project, but only gets part of the job. What's going on, and how should he respond? February 6, 2010
Financing Big Equipment Purchases Don't look for long-term loans — equipment should pay for itself inside of five years. January 22, 2006
Charging for Finish Samples and Color-Matching Matching a customer's finish sample introduces complications. Here's how some cabinetmakers manage the process and the costs. August 19, 2008
Doing the Front-End Math Jon Elvrum provides a process for making the transition to the 32mm system.
Moving Beyond Drying A small drying operation wants to invest in planing, jointing, and ripping. March 18, 2005
32mm manual vs NBM setups Will any efficiency be gained by adding high-tech equipment to a small shop? July 24, 2002
Construction Factoring and Accounts Receivable Financing A growing cabinet business has run into cash flow problems, and is considering working with a "factoring" outfit. Fellow businessmen advise the owner to think twice. November 19, 2005
Keys to Profitability for a Small Shop A ton of advice from experienced business owners about marketing, money management, planning, and other business fundamentals. December 1, 2010
Cabinet Refacing Can it work as a business? Pros share business and tech tips. June 17, 2005
Talking Budget with a Client Most clients won't come right out and tell you how much they have to spend. But there are ways to find out what ballpark they're in. February 16, 2012
What is value added? Forum participants give technical and personal definitions. April 2, 2002
The Business of Chair-Making A cold look at the hard numbers for furniture building. Between rock-bottom overseas competition at the low end, and popular established competitors at the high end, it's hard for a small shop to find a profitable niche. April 21, 2011
Detailing Costs and Markup in Commercial Work Commercial contracts often require documentation and place a limit on overhead, profit, and markup. This means you have to learn to appropriately modify the way you present job costs and profit in your bids and invoices. November 23, 2012
Markups for Hardware Should you charge for knobs, pulls, et cetera based on a markup formula, based on a fixed price, based on labor factors, or what?September 3, 2011
Charging for Design Work A shop owner spends many hours designing a proposal, then loses the job. Now he asks: how can I make sure I get paid for my time, next time? September 27, 2012
Cost of Carrying Employees Shop owners discuss the costs associated with employing help, the value of good employees, and the advantages of going through a temp agency. September 4, 2005
Job costing help Methods of job costing for an architectural millwork business are discussed.July 24, 2001
Net present value Making the correct calculations when buying machinery. June 24, 2002
Estimating and Pricing Commercial Work Big, complicated jobs are an opportunity to make or lose money through the accuracy of your estimating. Here is some advice on coming to grips with the details that determine your costs. October 23, 2007
Appropriate job deposits What percentage of the price on a job is it okay to ask for up front? September 2, 2002
Components--Not Cabinets A longtime adherent of the system process of cabinet manufacturing makes his case for componentizing. 1998.
What to Do When a Customer Bid-Shops You Pros give advice on handling the situation where a customer asks a cabinetmaker to price-compete with a low-ball bidder. (Note: The good guys won this one.) February 17, 2006
Metering Shared Electrical Service A woodworker who rents space and shares electrical service tries to learn how to separately keep track of his shop's power consumption. July 29, 2012
Calculating Delivery Charges Woodworkers discuss how to set rates for delivering and installing products at a distance from the shop. August 12, 2014
Design fee and competing Should you charge for designs and estimates? It depends on your business focus and your competitive environment. June 12, 2005
Marking Up Materials Woodworkers discuss how and why they mark up materials costs in their estimating and billing. May 6, 2009
Was a Teenage Woodworker Pros encourage a 14-year-old who wants to be in business to go for it. October 3, 2006
Deposits and Design Fees Cabinetmakers describe how (and how much) they bill for design work. June 23, 2006
Systematic Takeoffs for Commercial Cabinet Jobs Here's some detailed advice on conducting a businesslike takeoff for creating a cabinet bid, with some useful, comprehensive lists. July 13, 2010
Time Tracking for Individual Tasks Various time tracking methods - from time clocks and paper forms to electronic devices which input to a computer. May 10, 2005
Ramping Up When You Need Workers When the work starts to roll in, you need help — but employees are expensive. Here's advice on optimizing the cost of help as you increase production. September 3, 2014
Shop Cost, Distributor Markup, Retailer Markup, and List Price A door manufacturer looking to work with distributors and retailers wants help figuring out how his production cost tracks through multiple markups to a realistic retail list price. April 21, 2011
Contracts and Collections Owning a woodworking business is great, provided you remember it is a business. How to contract carefully, and get paid. 1998.
Making decent money Advice on making a living in the business of contemporary craft woodwork. June 6, 2001
Turning to the 'Pros' One in a series, looking at the relationships between woodworking companies and the businesses they deal with. 1998.
Linear Foot Pricing for Beaded Inset Face Frame Cabinetry Pricing by the foot isn't a way to do business, but it's interesting to check out the different numbers tossed around in this thread — and the photos of the kitchen in question. October 11, 2012
Commercial Work, Payment Terms, and Cash Flow A commercial millwork shop owner who usually bills weekly considers whether to take on work with monthly billing and possible payment delays. Here's a good discussion about the risks you take when you change the way you do business. November 23, 2012
Fortune Teller: Making More Money in the Wood Industry Wood Doctor Gene Wengert makes some educated guesses about the near future in the wood products industry, and offers some advice about how wood-based businesses can profit from change. April 15, 2013
Work diversity -- Good or bad? Should a new business take on everything from cabinetmaking to house construction? June 6, 2001
Charging for Edgebanding A cabinetmaker ponders whether and how to modify his piece rates after acquiring a more productive, but costly, piece of edgebanding equipment. July 12, 2012
Markups on Building Materials Lumberyards charge low markups on basics like wood and drywall, but high markups on accessories, tools, paint, et cetera. June 11, 2012
Output Volume Per Employee A rough rule of thumb holds that cabinet shops should put out $100,000 per worker per year. In this thread, owners consider the fine points and exceptions. September 4, 2005
Consulting Fee for a Retired Cabinetmaker Coming back to the game to help another cabinetmaker match your work in an existing kitchen ... how should you arrange your compensation? October 25, 2012
Giving "Ballpark" Estimates Most cabinetmakers agree: They'll buy you some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, but they won't give you a ballpark estimate. August 7, 2006
Stripping and Refinishing Pricing Stripping furniture is laborious and slow — and so a fair price may create some sticker shock. March 26, 2009
Spreadsheets for Cabinet Estimating The time you spend working up a detailed spreadsheet for cabinet cost estimating will quickly repay itself with efficient pricing. April 9, 2008
The Food Chain Do cabinetmakers have trouble staying profitable because they get paid late in the project? Maybe — but smarter pricing can still help you make money. September 15, 2011
Accounting for Down Payment Deposits Cabinetmakers discuss the bookkeeping and timely tax reporting issues around up-front partial payments for work to be done. March 11, 2009
Time Needed to Produce Cabinets with a CNC Router Cabinetmakers compare notes on the machine time and assembly time to make cabinets with a CNC, as opposed to working with a beam saw and line boring machine.May 27, 2014
Life as a Cabinetmaker "Would you do it all over again?" asks a cabinet shop owner after five years of struggling with business realities. Heartfelt responses prove that building cabinets is no easy way to make a buck. February 21, 2006
Investing in Fixer-Uppers Can you make money buying, updating, and selling fixer-upper properties? Yes, but. Here, some who have tried it share what they've learned. February 17, 2006
Acquiring a Business A remodeler's considering buying out a one-man cabinet shop. Is it worth it? Owners consider the pros and cons, and offer advice. August 2, 2005
Cash Flow Troubles Non-timely payment by his main client (a builder) is fouling up a cabinet-maker's cash flow. But otherwise, the relationship's a good one — so what's he to do? Suggestions roll in. November 11, 2005
"Loss Leaders" Should you take jobs you don't want in hopes of landing future work with the same customer? December 28, 2005
Shavings for Sale The always resourceful sawyer crowd discusses the packaging and marketing of wood chips. February 9, 2005
Job-Costing in a Busy Shop How do you keep track of labor hours per job, when workers are always jumping around from project to project? October 25, 2006
Shopping Around for Comp Coverage By shopping for competing quotes, a business owner got his workers compensation premium lowered. January 20, 2011
Income Goals for a Furniture Maker How to approach the calculations involving cost, overhead, and labor time for a one-man craftsman business. November 16, 2011
Cabinet Pricing Versus Built-In Pricing A cabinetmaker who does mostly kitchens gets advice on pricing for a basic built-in entertainment center. February 12, 2009
Cabinet Pricing Methods Averaging several prices, arrived at various ways, may be a workable method. June 3, 2007
Setting up a Chart of Accounts Thoughts on how much detail to capture in your record-keeping about job costs and business expenses. November 23, 2012
Veneered Panels: Buy Or Make? If you're a cabinetmaker, veneering your own panels is a last resort, not a way to save money or simplify your life. June 11, 2014
Design Fee for a Kitchen Job Cabinetmakers discuss how to charge for design work on a new custom kitchen. November 19, 2005
Itemizing Bids Pros discuss how much detail to provide in a bid breakdown. March 14, 2005
New Equipment: Lease or Purchase? A shop owner is looking at a major investment in machinery. Should he consider leasing? Experienced business owners weigh in. July 24, 2005
Materials Cost as a Proportion of Cabinet Costs There's no standard ratio of materials cost to other costs in cabinetmaking — it depends on many factors, and varies widely from job to job. April 10, 2008
Selling small quantity custom profiles Dealing with customers who don't comprehend the work and cost involved in the manufacture of custom knives. June 6, 2001
Is a One-Man Shop Practical? Can a one-man shop succeed as a business? This thread offers half a dozen first-person answers. June 27, 2005
Quantifying the Waste Factor How much of the lumber you buy becomes scrap instead of cabinets? Shop owners report their observations. December 27, 2007
Doing Your Own Bookkeeping and Taxes Accounting's not for everyone. Here, owners discuss the pros and cons of managing your own books. February 17, 2006
Starting a woodworking business Ideas for advertising, books to read and special considerations when starting up your own business. June 24, 2001
What to Say When You're Running Late If your schedule slips, how do you break the news to your customer? Here are some thoughts from people who've been there. October 18, 2005
When to hire help? Considering all the financial aspects and adding up the figures--is it worth it to hire? February 7, 2001
Shop flow Enhancing efficiency in the workplace by carefully planning shop layout. January 16, 2002
Creating a partnership Is a successful partnership possible in the woodworking industry? May 9, 2001
Red Flags There are many ways to qualify customers. In this thread, shop owners discuss the tell-tale signs of a job you'd be wiser not to take. June 12, 2005
Chasing Bad Debt How much effort is justified in pursuing the unpaid obligations of a customer who has gone out of business? October 3, 2011
Saving and Tracking Receipts Paper receipts for expenses are a pesky detail that requires attention. September 30, 2010
Raising Prices During Busy Times Shop owners discuss the strategy of using calibrated price increases to improve profits and cut their work backlog. August 12, 2014
Understanding Costs and Profit Is "the money I have left over" the same as "my profit"? Cabinetmakers analyze and discuss the figures from an example job. July 29, 2012
Accounting for Referral Fees Advice on how to figure "thank you" payments for referrals, and how to enter them into your bookkeeping system. March 25, 2008
Equipment as Collateral for Credit There are some fine points to valuing your equipment as security for a bank loan. But in any case, banks are more interested in your cash flow, your profitability, and your personal creditworthiness. November 11, 2005
Cost of Grid Power Versus Running a Generator Generators are a poor deal when fuel prices rise, but commercial power bills can get complicated. Here's a look at how the numbers crunch. March 3, 2006
What is the AWI Estimating Seminar About? An Architectural Woodworking Institute educational presenter provides a thumbnail description of AWI's two-day estimating seminar. November 11, 2005
Estimating Labor when Wages Vary Do you consider which workers will be doing what parts of the work when projecting the labor costs for a job? April 22, 2014
Five value-added approaches Professor Gene Wengert presents ideas on adding value to your wood products. April 2, 2002
Cabinet Installation Prices A reasonable per-box rate for cabinet installation can really vary, depending on the complexity of the job. September 27, 2008
Cabinet Cost Versus House Cost What percentage of a house's price might the cabinets cost? Feedback from various locations. August 29, 2005
Estimating Long-Schedule Jobs Tips on projecting costs and covering yourself for changing conditions when getting involved in multi-year projects. November 4, 2007
Millwork set-up fees What do small millwork shops charge for set-up on custom runs? March 20, 2001
Profit Percentages Here's a long and thoughtful discussion about profit — how much is typical in cabinetmaking, and how to go about increasing it. November 23, 2012
Production Tips, part three Part three of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Production Tips, part two Part two of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Price sawmilling by the cut? Pricing by the hour, the board foot and the cut. (From WOODWEB's Sawing and Drying Forum) February 12, 2003
Pricing a Custom Piece of Furniture A custom cabinet-maker asks for input on pricing a specially-ordered free-standing chest of drawers. The discussion covers a lot of ground on estimating, pricing, and the difference between cabinets and furniture. October 19, 2005
Pricing a Nice Built-In Cabinet In this detailed thread, a cabinetmaker learns that he is way, way under-pricing his work — and picks up some good business tips. August 22, 2007
Profit Margins Defining profit and determining how much you should expect. November 22, 2004
Buying a Woodworking Business Here's a long thread full of thoughtful advice on how to assessn the value and prospects of a cabinet business that is for sale. June 8, 2008
Pricing and "Profit" A question about how to price several small jobs leads to a discussion about the difference between the wages you pay yourself and the profit your company earns. August 28, 2010
Payroll as a Proportion of Costs Cabinetmakers help a colleague analyze his labor costs and compare the office, shop floor, and installation shares of it. May 12, 2008
Buying Equipment Versus Leasing Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of leasing or purchasing shop equipment. February 6, 2010
Price Negotiations Ways to handle a client who asks for a line-item breakdown of your estimate. June 29, 2005
Pricing a Built-In Bookshelf Another tour through familiar territory: How much is this bookcase worth? And should neighbors catch a break? November 26, 2007
Payment Schedules in Commercial Cabinetry Work When it comes to deposits, progress payments, and final payment, commercial work is a whole nother world. Here's the voice of experience on bidding and contracting those jobs. August 7, 2006
Bidding on Big Commercial Jobs Advice about organization, level of detail, and covering yourself in working up and submitting a bid for a large commercial project.September 17, 2014
Pricing a Small Kitchen A question about how to price an example of kitchen cabinetry leads to thoughts about pricing methods and design rendering. February 26, 2007
Preparing for Bad Times Bad economies are inevitable. Here's how woodworking businesses can prepare. 1998.
Price and Quality — Sawing Oak Boards for Dump Truck Beds Sawing for a utility market like truck bed liners carries its own set of economic calculations. Here's a practical business discussion that delves into the pennies and the board feet. May 23, 2007
Profits, Bonuses, and Debt This interesting discussion considers the significance of a Christmas bonus in the context of company financials and taxes. February 27, 2015
Printing and Viewing Blueprints for Bidding Cabinetmakers discuss the nuts and bolts of working with digital blueprints, including a look at software that helps with takeoffs and estimating. April 19, 2015
Pricing a Furniture Prototype How do you decide what to charge for designing and building a piece of furniture that will then be mass-produced by others? June 22, 2010
Pricing Solid-Surface Countertops To make money fabricating and installing solid-surface counters, be sure to charge for all the incidental costs. September 23, 2006
Pricing For Small Orders When you make your living with volume production, how do you cope with occasional one-off requests? January 26, 2008
Business Plans Do's, don'ts, pros and cons on perhaps the most basic fundraising tools any business can possess. February 25, 2005
Pricing for Kiln Drying Lumber Here are pictures of a drying kiln building under construction, with commentary on how to charge for drying wood with a dehumidifier kiln. December 8, 2012
Price comparisons and why not A magazine article shows the great variances in pricing work across the country, and illustrates the necessity of pricing each job based on local markets and shop expenses. March 23, 2002
Pricing to Create a Prototype You're being promised (maybe) a large order of an unusual product. But what do you charge for developing and producing the first prototype?December 24, 2012
Pricing Out a Bookcase Design A customer's design based on an existing manufactured product probably can't be made for a cost that's competitive with the original. June 4, 2012
Prices for Finishing a Kitchen A craftsman who usually finishes only his own cabinetry gets feedback on setting a price to finish someone else's work. March 4, 2009
Panel Processing Time with and without CNC A CNC shop and a cabinetmaker using conventional equipment compare the labor time used to cut up and bore an entire kitchen. January 1, 2012
Possible yearly earnings What kind of sales volume does it take to support a six-figure salary in a two-man shop? May 9, 2001
Pricing Cabinets Basic ideas on estimating cabinet construction costs. January 9, 2006
Hardwood Lumber Tallies Are you being shorted on a lumber delivery? The answer could depend on the fine points of board-foot calculations. April 19, 2015
Power Cost for CNC Machining Juice to run the machinery is a small percentage of CNC operating cost, but it's not zero. October 14, 2010
Profit sharing plans Developing a plan where employee compensation is linked to productivity. June 24, 2001
Heavy-duty CNC router recommendations Suggestions choosing for a good-quality CNC router, offering adequate tech support and training. February 28, 2001
Hours Worked Versus Hours on the Clock Thoughts on measuring how much of an employee's workday consists of actual work in the real world of the shop floor. November 5, 2013
Billing Schedules A cabinetmaker considers whether to adjust his usual "50% down, 50% on completion" by breaking out installation as a separate charge. February 8, 2008
Charging for Design Drawings Here's a long thread presenting some strongly held and well-articulated views on design drafting, bidding, sales, costs, and how to charge for design work. October 13, 2010
Fine Points of Linear-Foot Pricing Linear-foot estimating can play a role in sales and bidding, but it's only a starting point. Here's an extended discussion. August 31, 2010
Future of Sawmilling Here's a long, conversational thread on the economics of sawmill operations and the big picture of the general economy. August 31, 2009
Bidding Wars Heat Up In a tough economy, price undercutting can get extreme. Here, a cabinetmaker's anecdote sets off a long discussion of price competition and reality. August 11, 2009
Pricing Example: a Simple Cabinet A simple pair of free-standing cabinets, with a long discussion on pricing, bidding, and relating to a competitive market. July 5, 2006
Cost of running a CNC router Choosing the right CNC machine based on projected capabilities and costs. November 29, 2000
Making Money on Custom Installs How can a 2-man operation stay profitable on cabinetry installations? A discussion of costs, pricing, planning, and time management for installing custom work. July 27, 2008
Lumber Tally: Rough Versus Milled When you buy dressed lumber, the quantity is tallied based on the rough board footage, before milling. The "rip-off" percentage can sometimes confuse the buyer. September 27, 2012
Managing a Late-Paying Customer Advice on handling a good customer who has slipped disturbingly far behind on payments on his account. December 1, 2010
Methods for Pricing Cabinet Work After years of estimating cabinet costs box by box in detail, you may have enough data to start taking short-cuts. October 2, 2007
Labor Rates and Profit A lively discussion about how to value various skill levels of labor in pricing woodworking installations. December 2, 2006
Managing Growth as a Start-Up Cabinet Shop In its second year, this small shop owner's cabinet business is starting to take off. Here, he gets advice on his next steps.October 19, 2011
Should I Cut Prices to Boost Sales? Another take on the age-old question of whether a cabinet business should cut prices when sales are slow. August 12, 2007
Installation scheduling When he can't keep up with the jobs the sales staff hands him, what's an installer to do? June 24, 2001
Getting Started Three basic tips for getting a new woodworking business off to a healthy start. 1998.
Learning to Price Kitchen Cabinets Customers are asking a furnituremaker to build custom kitchen cabinets. Now, he needs advice on learning how to charge for the new type of product. February 18, 2007
Cargo Trailer or Box Truck? Cabinetmakers discuss the cost, benefits, and practicality of buying a trailer or box truck for hauling cabinets, materials, and equipment. November 20, 2005
Adding value to old pallets Examples of how woodworkers have recycled pallets and other old wood into new products. June 5, 2002
Insurance Work Estimating You can make a decent buck on insurance work if you estimate in exacting detail. February 11, 2009
Figuring Sawing Prices Sawmill operators share views on how to charge for their product or service. December 12, 2008
Taking a Business to the Next Level A question about equipment investment turns into a thoughtful seminar on marketing, pricing, and finding your niche. November 10, 2005
Pricing Kitchen Cabinets Price by the foot, or by the box? Cabinetmakers discuss the pros and cons of different estimating and pricing methods. May 20, 2006
Estimating Sheet Quantities for Cabinets Advice on "guesstimates" and more precise calculation of the number of sheets needed to build a set of cabinet boxes. September 7, 2006
Deposits and Payment Schedules for Cabinet Jobs Here's an extensive debate on the reasons for requiring payment from customers in advance of starting work or delivering a product. December 7, 2008
Square-Foot Pricing for Volume Work When a potential customer suggests a low-ball price for a volume job, finishers chime in with information about the realistic costs of such a project. May 27, 2014
Cost, Overhead, and Profit: A Pricing Example A conversation about how to price a small cabinet job sheds light on different philosophies regarding costs, markups, and the path to a life of contentment. November 15, 2010
Pricing for Cabinet Finishing A furniture finisher who would like to branch out into cabinet finishing gets feedback on how to charge for the service. February 18, 2007
Can a Beginner Make a Living with a Portable Sawmill? Experienced sawmill operators counsel a newcomer on his odds of success with buying and operating a sawmill in a tough market — and describe what his life will be like if he tries it. November 16, 2010
Economics of Sawmill Operations This thread takes a close look at some hard numbers for logs and various sawn lumber products, and teaches some valuable lessons about how sawmills can make money, or lose money. September 6, 2010
Rates for custom milling An extremely detailed look at different systems of charging for custom milling. May 30, 2001
An overview of sawmill operations Sawmill operators swap experiences, "war" stories, and ideas for production profitability. October 17, 2000
Categorizing Expenses to Track Job Profit A cabinetmaker struggles with the problem of defining "cost of goods sold" and "expenses" — not for tax purposes, but to track the profitability of individual jobs. April 3, 2012
Portable sawing rates Methods for charging, plus more on the business of sawmilling. January 21, 2002
Pricing, Productivity, and Profit An inexperienced cabinetmaker asks for help ball-parking a project, and kicks off an interesting discussion about how long it should take to do stuff. February 27, 2015
Recognizing Income in QuickBooks Advice on how to apply accounting methods that keep your profit and loss statements in step with your cash flow and the value added to your materials inventory. August 28, 2010
Bidding Wars on a Nice Built-In Another lost-bid case study: Custom cabinetmakers discuss pricing and negotiating strategies for a custom Cherry entertainment center job. August 11, 2009
Pricing Custom Cabinets and Trim Even within one local market, prices can be all over the map. Balancing careful itemized estimating against local market conditions can help you turn a decent profit. August 23, 2006
Charging for Trim Work Pricing advice for a cabinetmaker looking into residential trim installation work. August 31, 2009
Discounts for Builders Should a cabinetmaker offer a "contractor's discount" to builder customers? May 4, 2005
Waste Allowance for Running Trim Suggestions for how to handle the "fudge factor" involved in estimating trim material quantities. August 13, 2007
Bid Pricing For Cabinet Jobs How to figure costs and prices? A start-up cabinetmaker gets an earful of good advice. April 14, 2005
Production Tips, part one Part one of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Big Monitors for On-Screen Estimating A discussion of the hardware and software upgrades involved in switching to all-digital (paperless) estimating and takeoffs. April 27, 2011
Pricing Crown Moulding Installs Estimating and pricing crown moulding work: by the foot, by the number of corners, by gut feeling? February 17, 2011
Pricing Lineal Moulding Tips and advice on setting a per-foot price for custom moulding runs. July 23, 2007
Price and Quality for Interior Doors Custom woodworkers have to charge for quality that typical mass-market interior doors can't match. October 17, 2011
Pricing Trim Work Stay away from square foot pricing for finish carpentry. Here are details on how to price by the piece and the joint (and factor in aggravation). June 23, 2006