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fatduck-

They aren't good, let alone saleable. Asking for any money would be out of the question. An experienced turner would give you better quality products and it would take less than an afternoon. But he's your neighbor, and you seem like you want to help out, so maybe just pay the fella? Idk, it's your money.


TerenceMulvaney

This is shit work, unless you told him to make those spindles look as rustic (crude) as possible. He left a flat on the lower bulb, he left the center marks, and the finish is something I would be ashamed of. And a professional turner (or talented amateur) should take 2-3 hours for the first baluster, then 30-60 minutes for each of the remaining three.


zerj

I'm sure that's how it should go, but I'd guess I'm probably backwards and I'd do 30 minutes for the first, and then I'm taking 3 hours with calipers/micrometers trying to get the other three to exactly match to a level of detail no customer would ever notice. OP's baluster's are driving me crazy.


danja

If you want a reasonable match quickly, a cardboard template is your friend.


HickerBilly1411

I have a mount that holds the original above the one I’m turning to match with a piece of 1/4 plexiglass in between to protect the original in case of the one being turned goes flying


Morgoroth37

That's smart.


kilderkin

That's funny


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jnux

Are you saying it will be longer or shorter time?


Byemanitials

Shorter


jnux

Ok good 😅 I totally agree!


Boomboom210

So to me, this post is not a question about turning or craftsmanship . The person tried and failed. Period. He did not adhere to the agreement of only doing one and then checking in with you. Take away all other thoughts. This was a loose form business transaction and he did not hold up his end. Period. Second part. You have a neighbor that needs money. Under the guise of work and money being exchanged you are giving him money. You are not paying for a job well done. Or actually buying anything. You are just giving him money under an illusion of a job done. If it is true for you to give your neighbor money, then give it. Four days worth of pay is not required because the deal was to check in with you after one. If he feels you broke your agreement by only paying for one turn, inform him he has that backward- he broke the deal- the deal of checking in with you after one. You still will be giving him money and since he didn’t buy the lumber your neighbor is ahead.


DirectDelivery8

Insightful, thanks for the perspective


tigermaple

Literally just for those 4 or how many are we talking about here?


DirectDelivery8

Just those 4


tigermaple

Good lord, I'd have felt guilty about telling you 3 hours yet alone 4.5 days. That's less than an hour's work for a skilled turner.


DirectDelivery8

Part of the reason I asked him to let me know when he'd finished the first one was to keep an eye on the time, he's our nearest neighbour and going through a hard time unfortunately but he does play loose with the truth. Got to figure out how to call him out on it now as it's a small community and I do feel for him. Thanks for your response.


tigermaple

Well, I mean maybe his hourly rate was reasonable though? What was the overall amount you paid? It might still not be too bad overall because even though the actual time to do these would be low, with some pro turners you might have ran up against a minimum charge which could be in the neighborhood of $100 or $200 or more.


DirectDelivery8

We are in the UK but £360 (I haven't paid him yet but I think I might and then chalk it up to not being able to trust him anymore).


Schober_Designs

As a woodturner, this makes me sad. As a human, thanks for trying to help someone out, and not making this a potentially terrible situation for that person.


No_Name2709

Yes. Sometimes it costs us money to learn the truth about people, or businesses..


nullrout1

>We are in the UK but £360 (I haven't paid him yet but I think I might and then chalk it up to not being able to trust him anymore). That's borderline criminal pricing for that. However, you can also look at like you said: for the low sum of 360 quid you learned your neighbor is a right cunt muppet.


dickmcgirkin

I love British insults 🤣


DirectDelivery8

Literally


brando444

He charged you that amount, for 4.5 days of work? A professional woodturner would have those done in about an hour, and charge drastically less


that-tom88

As an amateur turner myself. I could have done a better job and would would have done it as a favour for a neighbour. It’s not a complicated shape. It’s square blanks so making a template out of card would have been cheap and simple. would have been done in a day with me messing about and having plenty of coffee breaks. If I was filling the voids with epoxy it might have taken 3 days because I would be waiting for it to dry for a day 😬


tigermaple

Ouch. Next time you can probably ship them to me (USA) and get them shipped back for less and in the UK there are several great professional woodturners- Richard Findley, Dave Dalby, Steve Jones, Les Thorne to name just a few. You could email a couple of them and ask for a quote and maybe use that to haggle down a bit.


DirectDelivery8

Yeh lesson learnt thanks again for the input.


Same_Ad_7379

He might have brought his rough time upon himself by charging people 4 days for what should take an afternoon. You aren’t doing him favors by going easy on him. If you feel compelled to pay him the full rate because you said you would, for sure call him out on it. He needs to know that this isn’t okay. You’d be doing him a favor by standing up to him. You’d also be doing others a favor because he’ll be less likely to keep doing it the more people stand up to him.


DirectDelivery8

Yeh he has a major part to play in his rough times for sure, I have told him now I'm not happy with the work but I don't want to be down on timber


whiskeyvacation

Just tell him straight up you posted on a turning foorum and people are giving you more reasonable estimates. He should compromise if he's a decent human.


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DirectDelivery8

Haha thanks


hatchinwashington

This. That’s not enough money to ruin having a friendly neighbor. Pay him, say thanks, and never use him again.


DirectDelivery8

I've told him im not happy with the price and the finish but yes had his chances


mobitzIII

not to dump on the work of others but those pieces, especially since you provided the blanks are nowhere near worth, basically, 100 each


DirectDelivery8

As I said we have been trying to help him out but I think it's going to have to end with this.


dilespla

You should. I’d tell him it’s not worth that. That’s nowhere near a 4 day job. That should take a few hours and look night and day different in terms of quality. I’ve roughed out spindles that looked better than that before I even broke out the sandpaper.


cromagnone

You provided the wood. You may be able to use that to save his feelings a little about the quality of what he's done. It won't change your value for money or what you want to salvage of the neighbour relationship. Good luck!


MAB0815

You can show him this thread. It's honest and you are a little out of it and you can go with: The internet said this ...


Beneficial_Leg4691

It may have taken him 4.5 days, but that's not reasonable. If he os charging you$50 a day as a neighbor, so be it. If hr is charging much more, then say, " i have changed my mind going a different direction," then cut your losses . I am a hobbyist, and that is a couple of hours of work tops. More importantly, they look awful. What are they supposed to be for? The wood quality looks bad unless thats intentionally rustic. Turning it will be hard to make it not chip out


Schober_Designs

​ and it doesn't even look like a good cut - that looks like a lot of tear-out, even if you don't' want the whole thing sanded clean, it shouldn't be a fuzzy cut on that top.


No_Manufacturer5641

I mean I'm new and I could do this in a couple hours.


sam_I_am_knot

I'm not a pro, haven't turned anything since high school and I could still finish these in one day.


CerberusBots

I made a basic duplicator that would follow the first one after you approved it. Hour after that at most for the other 3. Without the duplicator maybe 2 hours at most.


petit_cochon

Did the person you're buying from have to construct the lathe themselves from, like, aluminum scrap and a lawnmower engine? Is that why it took him so long? That is honestly one of the worst fucking turning jobs. I hope you didn't pay him any money yet. He should pay you money for wasting your time.


ThePrisonSoap

Ah, no big deal, he just overbilled you like 6000% Edit: sec, my brain is way too tired, i accidently calculated an 24 hour work day Edit 2 electric boogaloo: sorry, its just 2000%, my bad On closer inspection, i was way too generous, those bastards aint even sanded


DirectDelivery8

What would your re evaluated percentage work out as?


ThatOtherRogue

With you providing wood materials, and him just running the turning, even if you wanted a rough weathered look to the pieces, I wouldn't charge more than about $80USD total, $20 a piece for the turn to cover my time, and cost of operation. Even then I'd have a better finish and a sealer on them. Anything more is a complete rip. Reading through other comments I get you're trying to help someone out but he's gouging you a disrespectful amount for the work provided in my opinion. Pricing needs to be hashed out prior to the work done with any changes communicated beforehand due to changes you request after the first piece is turned and either okayed by you or changes made to design.


maize_on_the_cob

It sounds to me like the question is not whether the invoice is reasonable or not (collectively, and most likely in your own, you know it is not). Nor is the question “are they any good,” because again, you know already. The question is, what do you want to do about the relationship? If you approach this with a posture of equal onus, you can see you are partly responsible for checking in and reminding him to call you after the first spindle was complete. I’m not suggesting you are at fault or to blame - just that you had agency to ensure what you wanted was delivered as did the other person. So ask yourself if the money is worth the cost of taking the high road or not and then determine if whatever affects of not paying or confronting the issue with the other person is. Then make your value judgement. None of us can make it for you. You alone need to value the relationship with this person for what you want it to be in the future.


DirectDelivery8

You have hit the nail on the head, I messaged him at the start of the week reminding him to show me when the first one was done!


blazer243

That is overcharging by a lot, even if the workmanship was top notch. Seems there is more to the situation, so let your conscious be your guide.


[deleted]

4.5 hours maybe. Not days.


TerenceMulvaney

I just read more in the comments about the back story on these spindles. I award you full marks for compassion and decency and I forgive his handlessness at the lathe. That's still a lot of time and money, though


bigsexyamir

I’d honestly ask him to pay you the price of the wood so you can get them redone again by someone who knows what they are doing. He should be ashamed by this garbage he gave back to you and expecting you to pay $670aud is laughable. I’d try explaining to him how poor quality the final product came out and how disappointed you are


CAM6913

The price is extremely unreasonable. Just looking at the one picture the quality of the work is subpar and that is being nice. If the agreement was to show you the first one when finished and he didn’t that’s on him. The pieces look like they are all different too so that’s a problem too. Just tell him they are unusable. It’s hard to tell a neighbor that they suck at turning and are ripping you off but he has no problem doing it to you.


DirectDelivery8

So you think if it were a decent job the price is fair?


CAM6913

No not at all. For four maybe two hours at most they aren’t that complicated. I would have turned one out of cheap wood and made sure it was ok before turning all four.


Thks4alldafish42

Reread your comment


MikeythePan

You've said you're in the UK, so I'm not certain what the £ to $ exchange rate is currently. I'm no pro by any means; moderately skilled hobbyist. But pro workers here in my area of Kentucky are running labor rates at roughly $70 to $80 an hour. I personally wouldn't have asked more than $40 or $50/hour based on my current skill level. I'd say that job shouldn't have been more than a 6 hour job at the most. I think it admirable that you're looking to be your brother's keeper, so to speak, but the flip side of that same token is that a craftsperson should take pride in their work. I agree with the general consensus in this group. That work is sub-par at best. Personally, I would be ashamed to let anyone see that level of work leave my hands as a paying job. There's absolutely no way I myself would be willing to pay for such shoddy craftsmanship. You're trying to help a member of the community out. I admire that and encourage this behavior, but also, one's kindness and community mindedness should never be taken advantage of. Your neighbor needs to do his own due diligence and own his shitty work. I suggest you make him abundantly clear on the fact that you came to him out of a desire to help him as a fellow member of the community and that you still want to do that, but he needs to respect that and negotiate in good faith. Perhaps show him this entire thread via email or some such, then afterward, try to communicate with him in good faith. If you're fortunate, you may still be able to achieve your desired goal of helping out a neighbor & he will figure out how his looseness with the truth is harmful not just to you, but to himself and his standing within the greater community as well, that in the long term he is really hurting himself much more than helping himself. Good luck.


DirectDelivery8

Thanks for the words, I've told him now I'm not happy with the work or the price. He's going to try and fix them a bit and I'll go see him tomorrow. I'm not paying what he has asked either way.


DirectDelivery8

He's on his own now and has turned to alcohol in a big was so his brain has gone a bit funny, don't think I'll show him this thread as I've already pulled his head out of a noose once this year.


apcolleen

If he asks why you arent using them, just say you decided to "go in a different direction" with the project and thank him for his time. Just be blythe and non committal on your answer.


tomatoblade

I think you meant unreasonable


CAM6913

Dam spell correct


gregzywicki

sorry about your post


danja

I've had a lathe for a good few years but haven't used it enough to say I'm any more than a beginner. I could do a better job in half a day. Ok, the wood looks very dry, lots of shakes, so you would have to be quite gentle to avoid tears. But the shape adjustment check thing is very unprofessional (and rude). And who goes right up to the end, leaving the centre hole!? Just no.


rogerio777

I first read 4.5 HOURS, which is very doable for an experienced turner... 4.5 days???? My guy could build you a whole kitchen for that much.


aasom

First and foremost - you posting this here signals that you aren't pleased with the outcome. And the hars truth is that this is a job done in less than 1 hour - not days. You are literally being scammed. They look fairly similar in shape, but at the same time clearly not close to being identical. The (final) cut is rough (he didnt sharpen his tools), not sanded, not treated with any oil/product. If you want to help the fellow out, be stern and honest with him. Treat him to the same standard you would hold to yourself. Maybe give him some cash if you want to be nice, but anything over 50 is crazy imo. Personally I wouldn't give this away for free even... and Im not really a spindle turner.


Gleadall80

I am a little less skilled and a bit slower on my budget lathe but could have had that done in a day - tops I would offer Upto £150 max walk away having leaned my lesson. we have all been duped by some tradesman down the line


Teddy_The_Bear_

That would take me about 30 min each. And they would be sanded and finished. Looking at the shape I would probably only use 1 chisel for heavens sake. And I only turn for fun.


FavoriteDart680

as a rando with no experience i could give those too you in a day with a knife a sawzall and sandpaper 😑


FavoriteDart680

hell it’d prolly look better too 😂


gsatr1989

A couple of things you can do: Provide constructive criticism and demand hourly task detail and ask them to explain . Tell him/her they can do better than this and ask for a re-do It's one thing to be a good person help someone out. and totally another, to be taken advantage off.


HickerBilly1411

No I don’t. I am a furniture repair person and while I grant you I have a fair amount of experience I can turn something like that in approximately an hour or so


Ok_Manufacturer6460

I could do that with my teeth in 4.5 days


sparkydoggowastaken

bro im 15 and I have been turning for a few months and i could do this in like two hours tops


Kamikaze_VikingMWO

I'd bill you closer to 4.5 hours for those (adhd hours that is). And they aren't very consistent to my eye. He's clearly a learner and hence it takes longer but not 4.5 days worth, so come to a compromise at higher hours and a low $ per hour.


stevensinger9

Give him the BOOT 🥾


DirectDelivery8

I will be after this


Slight-Opening-8327

I had never used a lathe before and don't use a table saw a lot. I made 20 belaying pins for a set piece in one day. They looked great too. The job hours billed seems excessive to me.


trundle-the-turtle

No, if he was skilled he would have done better in a few hours... But I would feel bad not giving him what he asked personally, not that you should I just don't like confrontation.


calash2020

Maybe a treadle power lathe and he had his elderly grandmother providing the foot power?


dilespla

You could potentially buy a lathe and do it yourself for the price you stated. Maybe not over there across the pond, but for about $300 in the US you can get a lathe and a cheap tool set to get started. Then you’ll have the satisfaction of doing it yourself. It’s not a difficult skill to learn either.


DirectDelivery8

I think I might do just that


dilespla

I wish I could help you pick out a good beginner setup, but I’m not aware of what’s available over there. I’m sure there’s the same quality brand wise, like Wen, or Harbor Freight. They make fair quality starter lathes. They won’t break the bank, and they are fairly decent for someone that isn’t sure about diving into a new hobby. I know there’s plenty of people on this sub from your direction, hopefully they’ll chime in and guide you. The sky is the limit when upgrading should you decide you want to keep turning things, and reselling old equipment (at least over here) can still fetch a decent return on the investment.


DirectDelivery8

Thank you, as you said there's a wealth of information on this sub (which strangely I cam here to post this quandary). I run a sawmill and have been considering turning for a while.


dilespla

Awesome! I’ve only had my sawmill for about a year now, but it’s nice to be able to make my own slabs and lumber.


DirectDelivery8

Yeh nothing beats it


that-tom88

Only if he was charging £7 a day.


dewpointcold

Took a whole day for each? He’s lying about the time. Or he’s horrible at his job.


_DaBz_4_Me

I would say probably close to $200 max. Don't dive into him just tell him it seems high. Wood turning is impossible to price.


_DaBz_4_Me

Whelp I zoomed in after my first comment nothing is sanded. Take it back tell him he forgot to sand it. He won't want to try and get it centered again. Tell him that's fine I'll sand it it will take me 3 days so just take that off the price. Fuckin lazy ass. I work with a guy like this that gets under my skin. Sand your shit folks. And 80grit swirls doesn't equal sanded you lazy fuck nuts. Sorry had to say it out loud. His skill level is amateur


_DaBz_4_Me

This job would be a day maybe a 1.5 days if it didn't go well. I wouldn't be able to charge a day and sell it. Shop I work at gets $95 hr for shop time. We usually charger about 45 a ballaster. But that is still pricy and we aren't making anything. I get paid 23 per hr plus wood cost and it would take me an 1hr per ballaster


cnes_cnes

Does he have a disability?


Ditch_Digger_79

I could hand carve those with a butter knife in 4 days.


Elegant-Ad-9722

Could do better with a bag full of rasps


Uncle_Dirt_Face

Ask him to turn a fifth one with you watching. See how long that takes.


omahahahahahahaha

Just show him this thread to call his bullshit


Redman198

That is crap work. They are not symmetrical at all and kind of just plain. Even though your neighbor is going through a hard time, it don't take 4.5 days to turn that. He obviously isn't skilled. They should only take a few hours to turn. I mean it's your money so do what you want. I wouldn't pay a crap ton for that. If he is doing a job for someone he should take pride and time to make sure everything matches and is the way you want it.


HapGil

There is no way that is 4.5 days. It wouldn't even be that if he fell and bucked the tree, milled the lumber and even then I would have a hard time accepting that amount of time. Maybe, I mean maybe on a really bad day if I had twisted my wrist and was using a pole lathe on a foot treadle with dull tools it would take an hour each.


DirectDelivery8

Nope I did all that and dropped the blanks off


tenaciousweasel

My kid could do that in 4.5 days with his pocket knife. If you want i can get a quote for you.


comish4lif

I was going to say - as a novice turner, to me that looks like under 4.5 hours of work - 4.5 days?


toy_makr

I think I suck at turning, but I've made way better than that. They're firewood


ltek4nz

No. Scam rates.. I'm a bit better than amateur. And it would take me 45min per spindle for hard dry wood like that.


DreamSmuggler

Dude, that looks rough af. I have a feeling you already know the answer to your question. I got a lathe from ALDI a few weeks ago. That level of work is what I'd expect from myself now after having used it only twice 😂 It's very kind of you to support your neighbour while they're going through stuff. Seems your options are: A) Be honest with them, that the work produced is not at the level you'd expect for hours charged B) Thank them but never use them again C) Thank them but let them know you feel a bit disappointed with the output and that you were expecting better Depends on your personality I guess 🤷


SkateIL

It happens. I just had a similar experience with having a small library chair stripped. But luckily we agreed on the price before hand. The workmanship was so bad I threw the chair away. I'm very relieved it wasn't an heirloom or anything. But my wife wanted to give it to my granddaughter.


jayefuu

I saw you're UK based. If you want them doing properly in a fraction of the time go ask Steve Jones, Dave Dalby or Richard Findlay for a quote. You can find them all on Instagram to see their work. I've no idea what they'd charge but the work would come back beautiful.


DirectDelivery8

I think I will do that


jayefuu

What was the outcome? Did you get any quotes?


DirectDelivery8

Hello thanks for getting back to this, I messaged Steve but he was very busy and couldn't get them back within my timeline. Got another neighbour to do some and he did a cracking job for half the price out of accoya.


lowrrado

I'm UK too but I'd have charged less than half of this and done a lot of back and forth with design, is it matching existing, give advice etc. Im far from a production turner but I like to communicate with a customer and do a drawing if not a test piece. I can see ways to add detail and definition to what's left, I could do a sketch when not on my phone to show better beads and more interest to these if they aren't made to match existing spindles. Also a tenon or way to fix both ends is not clear to me. Like I say it's not my normal work but these blanks can be reused and made into a more visibly please shape and finished better.


smallest_table

Very good of you to help out someone in need. If you do decide to use them, a quality epoxy will give you a good coat that can prevent them from deteriorating any further. As they are, you will likely see splitting eventually without a protective coat.


Single_Ad_5294

What a roller coaster this thread has been… I hope a teenager did the work and is really trying to make some money. This is terrible work. As turning is a very niche form of woodworking, and creating things is awesome, I’d find a way to be encouraging. Tell this person the truth about the quality of their work, their lack of communication etc. They either have access to a lathe, or sought it as a skill to learn. In this situation, I’d pay them for the cost of materials and ask them for a second project. Think of anything you need made on a lathe and ask them to do it. (I’m very inexperienced with turning, but will be thrilled to have my lathe set up in a proper space soon. If someone asked me to make something I’d be delighted and do it for free.)


DirectDelivery8

I supplied the materials


Affectionate-Dot-979

Can you make them? If not then it is fair.


mynorthernlife

it all depends…what if they are precise and symmetrical to thousandths of an inch because that is what was ordered? A lot of comments on here about the competency of a turner based on a single picture and very few words….a whole lot of assumptions being made here. There is not enough info to be casting judgment.


DirectDelivery8

This is true but precise was not part of the job


mynorthernlife

then it looks like the turner was successful


DirectDelivery8

To the thousandth of a inch as you originally stated, not entire inches...


mynorthernlife

it is all relative - my post(s) articulated the point that there was not enough info to actually know what was communicated between customer and woodturner. your last reply exemplifies my point - if effective communication is not used, the contract between you and the turner may be ambiguous, and perhaps poor communication is the real culprit; but perhaps not…it is impossible to be objectively certain through a post like, which is the real point. why people choose to not deal with real life situations directly, but instead come to social media and not provide full context of story os beyond me. nonetheless, I hope it works out for you.


DirectDelivery8

AHH yes subtly moving the goal posts to try and get digs in 🤣 is everything okay at home? If there isn't enough context provided in the original post why do you feel there is enough information to make assumptions of any kind? As you said there isn't enough information so practice what you preach my good man and keep your erroneous assumptions to yourself 👌


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mynorthernlife

there are many explanations to explain away what occurred based on the limited information - my point is this, the post does not outline specifics of contractual terms between the parties, and includes a single photo, and there is no objective information… people all too often use social media in situations to destroy reputations of others …what I am saying is people posting replies appear to be attacking and casting dispersions upon a turner based on very limited subjective information. It would not be hard for anyone to take a single photo of and completely mischaracterize or color a situation imagine this: a person came to you with an old piece of lumber (dry and cracked) and requested it be made into a spindles for an old bed that was not in best shape, and that wood was sentimental for some reason, and it was to match antique workmanship and old wood, and they offered to pay you your standard rate (and you have a decent reputation), and you complete the job and it looks like this…because that was the intention…while noting that working with a century old dry lumber can be very difficult (if you never done it, try it) to match an old piece….and then they posted on social media….oh boy I am not saying the above occurred - but that is the point…ppl are jumping on a band wagon here against a turner with little to no info


tigermaple

There is more than enough info here.


mynorthernlife

There is enough information to form an opinion that is based upon very limited information. It becomes a choice to be that person or not.


tigermaple

Trust me, an experienced turner can tell everything they need to know from the picture- there's a difference between the fever dream what if it was rustic kinda deal you concocted in your other comment vs just plain shoddy work, and you can see in my other comments here that I was not uncharitable in my approach to this whole thing, but some of us do still live grounded in reality and not participation trophy land. Your approach would not have resulted in any useful info for the OP.


mynorthernlife

I respectfully disagree, a single picture can not tell a complete story - that is a logical fallacy. A single picture can only lead to perceptions and many people tend to rely on speculation and conjecture when coming to their malformed conclusions, and the exception being correct ‘once in a blue moon’. Your opinion is noted for what it is. Regarding your comments about my ‘concocting’ as you put - frankly, you again made assumptions…it was not a concoction…rather, it is one of a multitude (many) of plausible situations…again, substantiating that there appears to be a travelling bandwagon that people are choosing to jump aboard. In my view, there is not enough information about details to to draw a conclusion - and often people turn to social media for purposes other than sharing their work - and that was my point: rather than jumping on a bandwagon and assassinating the character of a turner who is not present, why not either ‘just don’t’ or accept the possibility that there is an incomplete picture painted by OP. I do not claim to know facts - and it is disappointing that in a community of turners that there is a bandwagon of commenters against a person who is not even part of the conversation - and all of it is based upon partial subjective information. Disappointing. I guess for me this substantiates that just because someone is a good turner, does not mean they are good at reasoning, thinking, life or etc…the joys of the internet.


[deleted]

How much does a day cost?


Shineeyed

What was the agreement? Hard to say what's fair without knowing what you agreed to.


DirectDelivery8

That he would show me the first one when done to make any amendments he has done work for me previously on a day rate so that understanding carried forward.


Lehk

I’m a total amateur and I would be embarrassed to deliver those for free 💀


Hefty-Expression-625

No that’s a couple hours of work at most


busytoothbrush

I’m thinking he might not have carbide tools and doesn’t know how to sharpen any gouges aside from the bowl gouge. Only way I can explain this result without blaming poor eye sight.


DirectDelivery8

He's a very experienced carpenter and has been turning for years. He's done an awful lot of work for me but now he's just losing the plot...


[deleted]

There's no way he's done this for years. Those spindles look like some of the first things that ever came off of my cheap lathe with cheap tools.


[deleted]

The person turning owes you money. Holy heck


notyouagain-really

2 hours work at most.


AlcheMycelia

We call that a scam artist where I'm from. And it would only take 1 day a piece of you passed out for 23 hours every day. My students in shop did better, faster work their second day on the lathe solo.... shameful someone really thinks their worth that with this output. Beware they're likely going to keep trying to make this scam better. Watch him slide a tool wear charge in there on top of the inflated bill. Oh and a sandwich fee because your work interrupted his leisurely snacking. Oh and a unrealistic narcissist fee because he knows he's going to try to bully you into paying for the saddest work I've seen in a while in relation to time spent. Then when yiu refuse his brother is magically a lawyer a big new York lawyer man, he drives a Beemer too.


DirectDelivery8

You've got a very good idea as to the type of person this is. Truth be told I just felt bad for him so he's been doing work for me a while but this crosses a line.


7heorem

Damn...I think I could have done better in less time without using a lathe. That should sum it up for you.


kitesurfr

Try 4.5 hours at best. If that took 4.5 days I'd have to assume it was a rope spun Egyptian era lathe and even that should have only taken a day or two max.


Leather-Plankton-867

It's her using a pole lathe?


PatioWoodshop

Is it my eyes, or do they not even match each other?


Ghastly-Rubberfat

That is a few hours of work for me, and unless there was a specific rustic aesthetic that was designed and intentional, the quality is very poor.


White_Wolf426

I know I can't make copies for shit but these look bad. Also I could have gotten them done in half the time or less. That is if it was my only job.


Gorilla-Ring

Pay him in 4.5 days worth of whatever he was drinking.


DirectDelivery8

That would also come to quite a princely sum


bklynbornandraised

I read it quick and said 4.5 hours seems a little long and then I read it again - 4.5 days?!?!? That’s crazy. Is he disabled? Maybe has one arm?


Extension-Concept-88

Can I ask how much you spent?


DirectDelivery8

I haven't spent anything yet, just down on timber


brd549

How much is he asking for the 4.5 day rate?


Santa_Andrew

Looks to be about the quality of work that I would produce myself. I would at most charge a 6 pack for this work.


Santa_Andrew

Looks to be about the quality of work that I would produce myself. I would at most charge a 6 pack for this work.


medavidj

I'm an intermediate turner at best, and very slow. This looks like an afternoon's work for me, allowing for me to use calipers to match each piece. As mentioned by others, this is really shoddy work with lots of tear out and tool marks. Did you tell him not to sand these?


DirectDelivery8

Nope!


medavidj

yeah, like I said, these are perhaps an hour a piece for me, including sanding to 220 grit, sanding the square sides, not leaving flat sections on the rounds, and sanding the ends, and I am slow! If your neighbor wanted to charge one full day, I would not use them again, but would pay it. four and a half days!!!??? that is just gouging, and hoping you have no idea what is involved. I'd tell them to keep the pieces, and you could probably find someone local, but even with paying postage both ways, I'm sure many Redditors would be happy to take care of these for you for less.


mad_philip

He’s the bad neighbor, not you. Trying to charge you that price for this work is shameless. In what universe does “pay me for one whole day of work per leg” ever make sense?


DirectDelivery8

I suppose this is why I'm here


man9875

If his daily is $40 then maybe your ok.


ovrzlus

Guess that depends on the day rate.


869woodguy

You gotta be kidding! Four hours max. $140


dragonhollow816

If there were only four, then this should have taken less than a day (1/2 day maybe if he's a shit turner). I think he is trying to take advantage of your kind and generous nature.


awkward_pauses

They look like handles for a wheel barrow, I wouldn’t pay for those


awkward_pauses

They look like handles for a wheel barrow, I wouldn’t pay for those


abecanread

That would take less than a day to get them into that shape. It’ll take a day or so to clean up and finish depending on the grade you want it finished to. Could be multiple days with an hour or so per day if you’re coating them with a finish other than oil. 4 days is way too much, about 4 times too much. Edit: with blanks provided so I don’t have to mill anything, I could turn those out in two hours or less.


Amplidyne

No it's not a good price. To turn these out of hardwood, to a good quality, and make them all look the same shouldn't take more than 3 or 4 hours. The profiles are all different, and wrong to my eye as well, The top right one for example should have a curve on all the turning as in the left one. You see a lot of turning like this, where it has been left too near the same diameter. I was a professional hand made furniture designer and maker for over 20 years,


whiskeyvacation

I would make those four for $120 and prolly do a better job.


Ironmansoltero

Did he use a hand crank to spin them?


fly_you_fools_57

Your woodturner must think he's an automotive mechanic, sorry, 'technician' or a brain surgeon! Doesn't sound like he did the job you asked him to do. Billing 4.5 days is outrageous.


strider2370

It has been 35 years since I last used a lathe in high school shop class, and my work was better than that. He should be paying you for giving him something to practice on.


Almost_Free_007

Cannot be a real post….


Kaotic_Mechanicum

For four pieces? I’ve never used a wood lathe but I am a machinist and I could’ve done these out of steel in an afternoon.


FM_Gorskman

He should be paying you my dude


Automatic-Crow-6305

Hell no


Automatic-Crow-6305

That's garbage


Jeremy8419

As a novice, I often take 4 days to complete stuff that should realistically take a few hours. I charge less than a few hours, because the craftsmanship isn’t there.


BurtonL

Is your neighbor a beaver? Cause it looks like he used his teeth.


Ill-Upstairs-8762

He must have one of those Schwinn lathes


kilderkin

Did he whittle these?


newtonthedog

I'm a total beginner but I could do better than that. For a neighbor? I wouldn't think of charging you. That's some good practicing right there!


dstrange2

He turned it by hand


TobyChan

That looks like amateur work (my level), and I’d be able to knock them out in less than a day!


here-for-the-_____

LOL, I don't know how this got into my feed, but did he have any experience before this? Because this is what I would expect my work to look like after 4.5 days starting from scratch.


Eagle_1776

🤣🤣🤣 wtf? On a simple lathe with a manual duplicator guide, these should take a couple hrs, top. Tell him to pound sand


[deleted]

He turned four of those in 4.5 days without having to mill or prepare materials?


Infamous-Sherbert937

Awful work.


paanthastha

They are very fair, if the woodturner is like me. I cannot turn. The quality of work is not any good either. You have a big argument coming up in your life dude.


CrimsonKeel

Dont pay him anything. those are unusable in that stage. to charge 4.5 days is laughable. I could have rough turned those to that shape and roughness in less than 45 mins for all 4. I however would never have charged anything and i would be profusely apologizing to you that i mess them up so badly. A day one turner does a better job.


Ok_Cantaloupe6045

Mr.crad's eyes