Salad Bowls.

Re: Salad Bowls.

Mike Schwing from Md.

>Carl, these answers might seem trite but they are not written with that intention.

How big should they be?

Ask your customers! They'll be able to tell you perfectly, much better than we could. GENERALLY speaking, 10-12" is great for a salad bowl, with 12" starting to get bigger than most salads require. My wife and I use a salad bowl that is 8" in diameter for the two of us. It is still a bit large for the amount of salad the two of us eat.

What finish?

Many of us use Watco Danish Natural Oil on our salad bowls. Many of us use Mahoney's Utility Finish (Walnut oil). Quite a few of us use nothing, with the realization that any finish will wear off with regular use, and the natural oils in our hands and salad dressings will over time add a nice finish to bare wood. (wouldn't apply for a cereal bowl with milk that might spoil though). Mineral oil is used by many, and beeswax finishes are common, too. So is Waterlox - which is probably more durable than the rest but very yellow.

How much to charge?

Again, depends on your customers. Also depends on your talents at turning, finishing, and marketing.

Charge what makes you feel comfortable and what makes your customers feel comfortable, and want to buy more, too. For me, prices change based on customer. The same salad bowl that will sell for $150 to customer I don't know, will sell for half to a relative (or a fishing buddy for his wife), or slightly more than half if they're giving it as a gift, and it will probably be given away to immediate family. That is about making ME feel comfortable. I figure that if they agree to buy, they feel comfortable.

It has taken some time to work my prices up to the point where I can ask for $150 with no hesitation. My first salad bowls went for about $30.

Many folks refer to a formula for pricing based on size. Some do it based on time and materials. I do it based on what I feel the market will bring for my work.

Hope this helps some.

depends on your skill level

tdaniel

>If these are your first bowls they should be free. This may not be what you want to hear but while you are learning you will make things that look good to you now but a year from now you would pay good bucks to get them back. You are charging for your skills; if you are a beginner you have no skills; sorry but that is fact. As your skills improve your price should go up. Individual salad bowls should be about 7-8" diam x 2.5 inches deep and as Mike said, the larger bowl should be 10-14" diam x 4 or 5" deep. In short, price according to your skills, not according to what someone else charges.

TD

OUCH ! but true . . .

Fred in NC

>Along with TDaniel's comments, I am glad I kept some of my early turnings. I am keeping one or two pieces that did NOT sell every year. Maybe later on I can figure out why they did not sell. I am also keeping at least one piece that I really like from that year; keeping that one is much harder !!

All these will go into my HYSTERICAL collection . . .