How We Priced a Cutting Board (Real Numbers) | Woodworking Business 

Haha read some of our comments - it's a pretty polarizing topic. People are scared. Then they get jealous when they see intermediate woodworkers like us make more money than them.

@@jennieanddavis some people do it to make money. Some people do it to show off. Do what you do and don't listen to the haters.

@@jennieanddavis you look like professionals in every sense of the word. New subscriber. I'm going to watch more

@@MrMaacin05 if he can find people to pay that more power to him. I'd have to work 6 hrs at my job to afford one of his cutting boards. I do think his labor and mark up are pretty high but you charge what the market will bare and apparently its quite a bit in his area. Rich folk wont bat an eye at that price, poor folk like me will.

I'm with you man. If my "buddy" charged me that much for a side grain cutting board, I may pay it, but then he would no longer be my "buddy".

Maybe i'm wrong but I thought this was facegrain made out of 3/4 planks ripped to about 2". If I made boards like this I'd save a ton of money on wood.

Then don't buy one.. I'm sure nobody's gonna loose sleep over it

I did!!! Lol. I would have had to blend that out or something!!! When I run lumber through the planer, I add a sacrificial board to the first and last board to run through the planer, or just cut a couple pieces 4 inches longer on the first board and last board. This way the trash gets the snipe.

snipe is easily sanded out.

yea i saw it, didn't want to say. ive been wrestling snipe on my boards. i took off the factory tables and built a 5 foot MDF insert table. it made a big difference but not perfect. i attack the snipe with 80grit after every planner session. the sacrificial board idea is good *IF* you have a piece the right thickness, so for me it tends to waste more time than just sanding it out.

@@jimnz17 you should always have a piece. If you are making a cutting board, then cut the outside two pieces 3 inches longer than the rest on 2 boards, then always feed the extra length first and last on the planer. If you have 10 long glueups going through the planer, you'll only waste 3 inches on the first and last board, but only the outer two pieces of those glueups. If you are doing something else, then use a piece of construction grade pine and cut a 1/2" strip for each side at any thickness greater than your finished piece and glue it to the outside of your board to be planed. You can also just run a piece on each side of the board you are trying to plane without gluing it, but you'll need to make sure it it wide enough to stand on its own so it doesn't flip over in the planer. Having a piece the right thickness is not important, as you can use anything thicker and just plane it down.

Face grain cutting boards?

not to mention the burn marks from the router that a few extra seconds of sanding would of removed. I'm not hating but don't put a subpar product out for top dollar. Every area is different for pricing, I would never get 90 for a board that basic.

And that is the best board he has made. Can you imagine the burn marks and the snipe on the rest of his cutting boards? His friend could have found something much nicer. You could go to any local farmer’s market and find something nicer than that.

You're absolutely right, success is a happy customer AND a profit margin. We have plenty of both. I guess you just don't value your free time at $30 an hour. Your employer must really like you!

I have to agree with Lynn, I was a little disappointed with the face grain too, won't last as long.

@kieran finney maple, walnut and cherry are standards for cutting boards, Purple Heart is also used very often But you are correct that the board there is about a $50 board

Then search a preventing snipe tutorial. There's heaps and easy

My dewalt planner does that as well. I make sure to add a couple inches to the front and back to account for that and then cut the sniped part off before finishing

There are so many cost involved that no one realizes. All the equipment and lights costs money. The place were the shop is has to be paid for! I see they designed and made their own zig. That came at a cost. Board feet cost on pine certainly isn’t the same as walnut. I’m at a disadvantage apparently because I did not hear true cost numbers in a video. Insurances, travel, taxes, equipment maintenance repair or replacement, their sales time and labor all are part of costs. All of these factors are in every product we buy. Do you really believe a mass produced item is going to cost the same as a handmade item? Common sense should answer that question. Every big box store has different pricing for different areas. And for many reasons. A product made in your back yard isn’t going to necessarily cost the same as an item shipped across the country. However one rule will always apply. Consumers can identify and are to pay for quality!

No they don’t. And they leave a long snipe across the whole thing even tho he talks about how amazing and pristine it is lol.

Thanks, Mitch! That means a lot. Good luck to you!

@@BroncoSteven69 and yet here you are ..... watching his videos..... funny

You obviously never have been around Amish woodworkers. How many have you made and sold for 105.00?

@Effen Truth $25 is way too cheap

You got one part exactly right when u said “keep hustling.”

Hi, accountant here: determine maintenance cost incurred for your machine each year. Divide that out to get an hourly cost associated with maintenance. You could get even more granular and figure your other overhead items and add that to your labor rate - the main idea is that whatever hourly rate you decide, you’re recovering costs your incurring to operate the machine and also the human host of working the machine. You could also figure a payback period for the purchase price, and add that to your hourly rate figure. Quite a few ways to do it

I literally hear this excuse from people all over the world. It's just not true. I really hope you can open your mindset a little on this... There are plenty of people who are willing to pay whatever price you want - you just have to find them. You're not talking to enough people if you only get funny looks. You have to work on your sales skills. Better products do not sell themselves - sales and marketing do. All the best!

B Miller so not the case. I am also from Texas and make full size custom flags and get triple what they got for this board. Like they said, find the right people and word will spread. On a serious note, if your making full size flags and can’t get 100 for them, please send me some photos of your work. That may need some improvement. I’m honestly willing to help.

End grain boards take substantially longer to make. These guys have a business to run, so for under a $100 this is pretty standard.

@@jennieanddavis I appreciate your time and efforts with what your doing. Courageous and bold friend. Lots to achieve when your looking up. Hope the house side goes smoothly. Packing takes long enough😂 let alone work, filming, editing, family, friends and general life. Stay strong, it appears your doing great.👍

I agree. I watch this show called The Repair Shop and they talk about our society as being a throw away mentality. No value to repairing things or having good quality items. I also do leather work and the rule for a good leather purse is that it is one that can be repaired. I love the woodworking. I am working on 7 cutting boards right now. So much fun.

As editing goes, it's very possible they didn't show every step they took. I make these same types of boards and sell them for a very similar price. But while watching I noticed the sanding pieces of the video were short. I didn't take that as them not putting in the work but rather as cutting that out since sanding is very repetitive and boring to watch. I personally sand after planing from 220 -> 320 -> (wipe down to raise grain [sometimes twice]) -> 400 grit. May be overkill, but that glassy finish really makes the board a superior product and I take pride in what I create, as do these two.

End grain takes way longer. Would price appropriately.

Thanks, Pat. That means a ton

Not only that titebond III is approved for indirect food contact

Titebond II says right on the label that cutting boards are an ideal use for it

@@Apollo0351 ok after a bit of research, yes titebondII can be used in indirect contact with food,as long as you are using the plain wood glue version. Apparently there are multiple types of titebond II that are not FDA approved for indirect contact, something that you may want to keep in mind if selling said boards.

Personally, I use totebond 3 for everything because it's stronger, and I have no desire to have yet another adhesive floating around my shop 😂

Search "make something" youtube channel

@@randystyborski5983 TY Randy

Shane Knerr sounds like you got nothing better to do than to troll this guy, at least he’s doing constructive and trying to help.

You inspired me to make a cutting board too now😎

That's a Grizzly G0609 cabinet saw, I have the same, about $1,600

You can eliminate snipe almost completely with a planer sled as well🤙🏻👍🏻

If you're doing passive sales, yes. 105 is ridiculous to the average person. But if you look for clients who aren't the average low-middle class Joe, the whole world opens up to you.

@@jennieanddavis absolutely. I have no issue admitting I'm envious of your success, you make it look easy!

Don't worry about math and semantics right now - just charge enough to turn a true profit and you can learn from experience!

Good video, I always enjoy y’all’s content. I was going to make this comment as well. Davis, you did price this using “markup” at 40%, not “margin.” They are two very different numbers, every single time. Markup at 50% on $100 is a selling price of $150. $100+($100*50%)=$150 Margins at 50% on $100 is a selling price of $200. (100% markup) $100/.5=$200 a 60% margin will look like $100/.4=$250 I believe, from a business perspective, it is important to note the difference. If you want to operate at a GPM of 50% but only markup your products by 50% you’ll never hit your goal. Anyways, I will digress. Overall, great video and I do receive your point. If you want to turn it into a business, you’ve got to start selling. You’re likely not going to come out of the gate making a ton of cash, but as word gets out, you get better at the craft and maybe gain some sales and business acumen, you will be able to start operating at higher margins and really growing the business.

Titebond Ultimate glue will never fall apart. Don't soak any cutting board in water, no matter what glue you use.

@@steveareeno7352 Thank you so much. I appreciate Your Advice and We Love Your Channel...Kind Regards Lucille

I have a cutting board I throw in the dishwasher. Hasn't fallen apart yet. Its from the 60's, as in 1960.

Alan Scott. It is because we were Raised on T.V. Bunch of Snarky one Liners.

@@danskroko3537 aye it's a great pity, everyone a "keyboard warrior" these days

David Piccuito. Just search for the channel 'Make Something'

I’m already subscribed to him. Thanks for getting back to me

Was hoping this was in the comments somewhere.