Starting market stall here in Broome shortly...

[Wild Dingo]

So we (being me and my youngest who moved up here with me) have decided to bite the bullet and start a market stall here at the courthouse markets this year
So far weve decided to make and sell pens that backpackers, tourists along with locals will buy... the only other thing I can think of is small bowls both turned and made from coconut casings.

Im hoping to get some ideas of small easily made wooden things to make and sell so am asking for your imput and suggestions
Cheers
Shane and Josh

[Sturdee]

Can't help you with ideas but welcome back mate.


Peter.

[Big Shed]

Good to see you posting Ding.

You may want to have a look at pendants and wine bottle stoppers (have a look in the pen forum or on IAP). Coconut shells sounds like a novel material, I'm sure you would have other local materials available to you. Tourists in particu;ar like to buy a "story".

Good luck with your new venture, got a lathe yet?

[wheelinround]

Back :? did he ever leave :;

letter openers, if you still have a scrollsaw, bookmarks, a bit of carving

[joe greiner]

Here ya go, Shane: http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/birdhouse-earrings-procedure-57866/

Also, consider small vases & candle holders.

Congratulations on getting your old username back.

Cheers,
Joe

[tea lady]

I second the pendant idea. I make some Porcelain ones that are always about 50 % of my market sales. and are small enough for tourists to have it their luggage.:2tsup: Pens would have the "presents for blokes" covered somewhat. :cool: Always a problem. :doh: Have some big things on the stall too. People see it from far away and it draws them over to you. Then they buy the little stuff. And you will occasionally sell the big thing too. :cool:

[Lignum]

Little tiny brooms would be a hoot for the tourists:)

[Wild Dingo]

Great responses!! Cheers! :2tsup:

The coconut idea came when Josh found a coconut under the... mmm coconut trees out the front :doh: and started getting the husk of then got down to the coconut itself and instead of poking a hole in it to get the milk he WHACKED it with the tomahawk!! got the juice out and then hit it again ending up with a small bowl and we thought EUREKA!!! hippy bowls!!! easy to use simple to carry and take with you wherever you go... plenty of coconuts around here :U

mmm no tools left Im afraid... sister in Albany is meant to be selling the last of them the big lathe sometime soonish (I hope!) all hand tools now back to basics for this fella :roll: Actually truth be known Ive made my best woodart furniture and things when I had just basic tools so no problem

Josh retains his small pen lathe and the drill press which he claimed when I was selling everything... bright lad that one :2tsup: about the only things Im going to buy will be a small bandsaw, another belt and disc sander and a mid sized lathe... nothing else is needed... wanted sure but needed? no thats it... mmm well okay maybe another set of veneer press bags but THATS IT!! Im over having so many tools... and Ive got nowhere to keep them only a small 10ft x 10ft garden shed and the workbench I made is living under a tarp in the garden with the welder undercover on the porch... done and done!! :;

pendants?? like what sheilas wear? mmmm would be interested to see some ideas on that one, the small candle holders is another good one! I will be using offcuts to make incense burners and such

Joe!! Strewth mate theyre unreal!!! mmm but mate Im near blind and keep having to upgrade my specs every 3 months now getting thicker each time :C I have had to buy several types of magnifying glasses just to read anything!!!... seriously I cant do any small work anymore I just cant see it and if I can its a blur or that close to my nose Id shave my nose hairs! :o But I'll get Josh to have a burl and see how he goes :2tsup:

I had given thought to toys but there is already a bloke making them. wooden trucks planes and walking ducks etc... personally Id do something unique if I go that way

Easy quick and simple is what Im after... anything you can think of that if I cant do it I will set Josh onto it and see how he goes

Okay another thing and actually the reason this post is in this section!!! :doh: sorta kinda forgot to write it in there at the begining :B

So Ive had very little success keeping a finish on the pens... no matter what I use it goes dull reasonably quickly... polishes (ubeaut as well) varnishes marveer whatever I use dulls for some reason... Im presently thinking of a small thin paintbrush dipped into varnish and gently run along the pen jumping the centre seperator on the mandrel... sound about right?

Cheers
Shane

PS... Ive no idea how I managed to get the original name back!!! sorta just one of those gifts of the universe things Im finding surrounding me of late

Lig!! mate what a bobby dazzler of an idea!!! mmm make a small camel and have the broom sitting on its back somehow? god thats a ripper mate!! :2tsup:

[tea lady]

pendants?? like what sheilas wear? mmmm would be interested to see some ideas on that one, the small candle holders is another good one! I will be using offcuts to make incense burners and such

:shrug: If you make 'em chunky enough blokes (well, hippy ones at least.:rolleyes: ) would wear them too. I tie them on bits of leather thong with special knots that slide up. Can't remember what the knot is called right now but....:doh: I found it in a book once. :think:

[Lignum]

what a bobby dazzler of an idea!!!

Now theirs a blast from the past - John Farnham has a bit to answer for :wink:

[RufflyRustic]

Hiya Shane :2tsup:

Following on from Lignum's idea, keyrings and magnets, especially if they have 'Broome, Aus' on them. I always try to buy a magnet from whereever I travel and when I get home, it goes on the fridge door as a memory reminder of each trip I take.

cheers & Good luck :)
Wendy

[Bob38S]

Wine bottle stands made out of timber which balance the bottle as a cantilever. Could perhaps add a small metal badge of Broome, desert flowers etc [hat type with a pin on the back] to it as a tourist thing.

Just a quick thought,
Bob

[Ozkaban]

I walked through the Rocks Markets this morning in Sydney. Some very cool woodworking displays in amongst the other stuff. The thing that stood out the most to me were Burl clocks. Range of sizes and styles, with a hole drilled in them middle and clock in it. Some were for walls (all edges rough, or entirely round), some desk clocks with flat bases, etc. Very classy work. Prices seemed to be about $70 for a 6" tall clock (4" wide) up to lots more for the big wall clocks.

Don't know how they sell though. If I was buying something, iot would be that.

Cheers,
Dave

[rsser]

Spatulas, honey dippers, laminated rolling pins, bread boards, bud vases ... go for local timbers as much as poss.

Chk out DJ's tutorial on a CA finish for pens

[Sebastiaan56]

Following the pendants and earrings theme try polymer clays. Easy to work, cheap, etc, etc. As Broome is the lugger capital of the world nautical based things, fish themed things, crabby based things, pearl based things.

[Wild Dingo]

mmm now on that pearl based thing... my sis has a stack of pearl shell we were thinking of using for something but its a bitch to cut and shape so anyone have any ideas the best way to cut and shape pearl shell?
Yep the luggar theme is on the back burners one of the things I made with the veneers back when I had a decent shed was several luggar artworks one hangs here the other I gave to my eldest daughter and resides in her kitchen for all to see!!... Im planning on making a fair few slightly different theme in each but about 1ft x 10in with a jarrah frame
Im also planning on heading south for the second school hols to get some sheoak as its worth an arm leg two testicles and a pair of boobs up here!! Just planks will sell for a small fortune!! imagine a coffee table or a dining table made with it!!! :2tsup: So intent is to get a couple of trees and have them milled along with a couple of other breeds and bring it back... depending on how much I can get hold of will probably sell a few planks and make furniture with the rest
Did a bit of research on timber prices up here... oooh voy!! talk about give a bloke a friggin headache and a serious kicking up the date!!! I walked away from what is here worth a fair few grand of jarrah planks when I sold the place in Brunswick... just walked away from it left it stacked near the shed... frigit!!! :doh: aahhh so anyways to stop myself giving myself a bleeding date from all the kicking Im giving myself Im hoping to sort out a large trailer and picking up as much as I can... sell it all? No problem if I can I will and I have no doubt whatever that it will sell as fast as the blokes and sheilas here see it!!
Ha!! just remembered this transporting timber caper was discussed awhile back eh only then it was from here to points east... but I reckon it would do just as well from Perth to Broome!

Okay so Ive now got a few great ideas to play with THANKS!!! :2tsup: and found a few more as weve gone along! so cheers all :2tsup:

Im going to have to establish contact with pen insert suppliers along with clock parts and knives forks and such... Somehow I dont think a long term thing with Carbetex would work if this takes off I will need a constant supply... ideas?

oh and I cant for the bloody life of me remember the bloke who I bought a box of pen blanks from on here a fair while back but I need more!!!! :doh: :2tsup: Sorry mate for forgetting you but well... lets just say life has been slightly uuummm "interesting" for sometime :B

Cheers!

[Sebastiaan56]

Pearl shell appears easy enough to work Shane but the dust is a real worry. There are you tube vids on working bone which is similar and there is nice work coming out of NZ Pacific pearl shell carvings, Pacific pearl shell pendants, Pacific pearl shell necklaces (http://www.aotearoa.co.nz/pacificpearl/gallery_pendants.htm) Maybe rain drop shapes on a bit of Jarrah as a pendant?

[Wild Dingo]

Great ideas there mate cheers... will be giving another shell another go but they tend to crack and break apart easy... the idea of pearl shell drops on the timber is good could easily work it into a bit of veneer artwork :2tsup:

[jmk89]

To cut pearl shell I use a fine jeweller's saw and hold the shell on a bridsmouth (you know a pice of wood with a slot in it to give support on both sides of the cut). I only use small bits (eg around the keyhole of a drawer lock).

Praps if you were doing a lot a really fine blade in a scroll saw would work....

[Sebastiaan56]

Smash em up and do a mosaic with them....

[TP1]

Friends of mine arrived home from holidays with a unique looking timber bread board. Got it through Customs OK. It got me thinking tourists would like something practical like bread boards yet unique, eg with Aussie timbers and design. Plus Customs in other countries don't go ballistic over timber products like they do in Australia.

[RIMP]

Shane the coconut polishes up beautifully - anything you make out of it polished - from jewellry to the key rings etc will have a great finish - use a buff and a bit of polish.

[les88]

I use a Dremil tool with those cutting cutting disks, cuts steel, plastics and I think shells would be a piece of cake
les
btw
welcome back

[spencer411]

hey dingo, great to see you representing broome! I was there for a year a couple years back, i started my cabinet making apprenticeship with williams homes up there.

I know those markets somewhat like the back of my hand and most of the stalls there are art, jewlery and those people who make the really nice crushed mango icecream. Although there is (or atleast was) a guy who sold really cool antique knives (theres a suggestion for you, make up some nice knives) and also a guy who made some really nice chopping boards, solid timber, natural edge, cast iron handles...

Do you just do turning type products or do you also make furniture? The reason why i ask is i'm pretty sure there isn't a bespoke furniture maker in town there, so theres a bit of a niche. Also, broome has some very wealthy people up there willing to pay good money for good products, so i wouldn't just hone in on the tourists (depeniding on if this is going to be main income).

As you have probably noticed, there are alot (and i mean alot) of galleries in broome so i'd suggest selling some of your products through them, as they tend to draw a crowd.

Nice necklaces, rings or braclets would be a good suggestion for the many hippies up there, something which incorporates some mother of pearl maybe. Also try getting some local timbers from there, i remember seeing a business which does slabs etc up there.

The nautical theme is also a great suggestion. Maybe some solid timber hand reels, hand craft some oysters and when people open them up the inside is mother of pearl, or there is a single pearl sitting inside, that would look great. Also i think its staircase to the moon season so try possibly make something to do with the staircase.

I hope i havent been over the top with my suggestions but i hope it got some creative juices flowing.

Spencer.

[Burnsy]

Pssssstt hey Shane, where art thou? Still in Broome? How about an update young fella?

[wheelinround]

Clean sweep eh :U

[Cliff Rogers]

Ding hangs out at the Wooden Boat Forum these days.
View Profile: Wild Dingo - The WoodenBoat Forum (http://forum.woodenboat.com/member.php?3411-Wild-Dingo)

[wheelinround]

Dingo has gone looking for babies :U

[Wild_Dingo]

rafflesnappleflaminpasswords!!!

Ahem... so there I was with this whang dang doodle of a rip snorter of a response... but do you think I could remember my password? NOT A SHOW IN HECK!!! :doh:

So anyways I finally sorted my brain packet out and there it was!! So Im back!:2tsup:

Thanks for the great suggestions!!! :2tsup:

At present Im in Kal seeing the second eldest then its back to Australind to see some of the others for Chissy then its back home to Broome for the New Year madness... IF the roads are passable apparently they tell me theres been some rain up in the Gascoyne which could slow me down a tad :roll:

Market stall... mmm well it kinda stalled :B when I ran out of motivation :doh: not sure if Im gonna go ahead with it as I still cant seem to find the damned thing!! I think that wretch inspiration kidnapped motivation and they headed of into the wild blue yonder together leaving me with a somewhat empty basket of options! :~

But I am starting to write finally... short stories for kids at present once I have a few up my sleeve I have a publisher ready in the states so we will see what happens with that caper :2tsup: :;

Anyway as I figure out what and where I wish to be I will update somehow... probably forget the damned password again knowing me :B but I think Ive about done my time in Broome and feel the urge to move on to different climes... may sell the park home may not as young Aaron is now living with me I may just let him rent it while I pack up and wander off somewhere... we will see what comes of 2011 :2tsup:

[Cliff Rogers]

...But I am starting to write finally... short stories for kids at present once I have a few up my sleeve I have a publisher ready in the states so we will see what happens with that caper ...
Good on ya Ding, hope it goes well for ya.

[rsser]

From Croc Dundee to Dingo Dawg :D

Nice one mate.

[jmk89]

Glad to hear you are alive and kicking, Shane.

[wheelinround]

Glad to hear you are alive and kicking, Shane.


Just needs to be careful which foot :U