Selling drawings / Project crowdfunding - Need your opinion!

Projects
1

Hi all,

It has been quite a while since I last posted here, and I would love to get your thoughts on something I’ve been thinking about. Apologies in advance for the long post.

Thanks to the great machines Bar and the team provided us, and the support of this community, I’ve been able to turn several ideas into real objects that have had some success both here on the forum and around me. People sometimes ask me to build one for them, or ask for the drawings so they can make one themselves. Some examples are here:

Lampshade: Lampshade - 1st M4 project

Desk: What did you cut today? - #668 by gwen

corner shlef: What did you cut today? - #753 by gwen

Table! What did you cut today? - #616 by gwen

One thing I’ve learned about complex wooden projects with many parts is that cutting the pieces with my Maslow is actually the fastest step. The other two parts of the process take much more time and energy for me:

  • designing the project, and

  • finishing the parts afterwards (adjusting, sanding, varnishing).

I enjoy the design stage a lot, but the finishing stage less so. Part of the reason is practical: I’m not very well equipped and don’t have a dedicated workshop space. Another reason is time. I always feel like I’m spending time finishing a project when I could be designing a new idea — and I tend to have several new ideas every day!

As a result, after spending a lot of time on a design, I often build one prototype, usually for family or friends, and then move on to something new. Even when people ask for another one, I rarely have the time. What frustrates me most is that the design essentially dies after only one prototype was built.

Because of that, I rarely take the time to:

  • finalize the design,

  • incorporate improvements discovered during the prototype,

  • produce clean drawings,

  • or write assembly instructions.

Sometimes I even move on to a new design before finishing the current project.

So I’ve been thinking about ways to motivate myself to complete this process properly — documenting designs so they can stay alive and be useful for other people.

Two ideas came to mind, and I would really appreciate your opinion.

1. Selling project drawings
Would you be interested in buying drawings of existing projects to build them with your Maslow?
If so, what price range would feel reasonable depending on complexity (for example: lampshades, a corner shelf, a parametric table)?

2. Crowdfunding new projects
Would you be interested in participating in crowdfunding campaigns for new “complex” projects (like the parametric table or corner shelf)? Supporters could receive things like:

  • drawings,

  • assembly instructions,

  • and online support.

This would help cover the cost of prototype materials (wood, cutting tools, abrasives, etc.), possibly a bit of design time, and motivate me to bring projects all the way to completion.

And guess what… I already have a new idea in progress. :slightly_smiling_face:

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

2 Likes
2

Cool designs. The corner shelf is especially nice I would want to hide something inside it or throw in a light. Or maybe a speaker.

Yeah, half of being a professional artist is the running the business part. Not as much fun. The compound curves make your designs complex enough that people can’t just knock out their own copy..

if it were me I would write up the design and make ready to go cutting files for the shelf, coffee table and lamp, take really clean pictures that look expensive and them pay the 100$ or so per year to male a slick website.tyen you would have something to send people to and gauge interest. I have found that you have to pay some for advertising now to get any traffic. If I were trying to sell finished pieces I would set really high prices to make it feel fancy and enough money to make making the thing worth it. On a separate face of my business I would sell designs for maybe 20$ ?

Is there someone running a successful business already that you can model your own after?

How much work would it take to have something to try it out?

Can you make building the business structure a fun project for yourself?

Fun designs

3

Thanks for your answer !

1 Like
4

No other thoughts about this topic ?

5

Maybe sell them through the Maslow site. Easier than setting up your own site and higher maslow related traffic. Maybe Malsow takes 10% of each purchase.

6

If you started selling items and making money would that motivate you to do more finish and assembly work? Or is there room to hire/outsource an assistant for the builds?

I’m the opposite type in that I don’t have the artist side of design but I do well with production and process improvement.

Love the fluid designs of the coffee table and hanging lights.

Dano

7

Hi Dano,

No, making money do not motivate me to do more finish work. But it will motivate me create more designs! So there is room to outsource, that is exactly the point. My question is how to do it: by selling drawings? Crowdfund design projects ? …

In your case for example, how do you imagine such a collaboration between designer and builder/seller ?