My Challenge

[heppnerguy]

 As I said yesterday, I was heading for the shop to work on a couple of orders projects. The two I am posting here today are ones that I found rather challenging. My neighbor is a cattle rancher and she decided that she wanted to get her husband something different for Christmas this year. She saw a couple of my intarsia pieces that I entered in the fair this year and decided that she wanted to have me make her gift for her husband, so she came to the house and asked me if I could take their brand and make a piece of intarsia for her husband. Brands are not very interesting or attractive but I told her I would give it a try. she wanted it to hang on their front room wall.  I gave it a lot of thought and really sort of wondered how I could make something attractive out of a brand and in intarsia too. I tried to talk her into a scroll piece but she insisted that she wanted intarsia. I finshed them today. OH, she also wanted one of her brother's brand too. so here are photos of the original brand burned into wood and what I was able to come up with

 

[gunnerb47]

Yes sir you are right not very interesting and would not want it hanging on the wall.

Not sure what the ranch raises that the brand is used on but thinking a large instarsia with the animal with the brand showing dominatly would make it allot more interesting.

Looking forward to see what you come up with.

I am having some of the same problems with gifts for family for Christmas. unfortunetly I do not always sit down and put a brain fart on paper when its fresh. just happened and been trying to find that inspiration once again

Good luck

Gunner

[heppnerguy]

Gunner,,,,, I posted the brand that was burned on the wood and next to it I posted what I posted the intarsia piece I made. the person ordering the piece only wanted the brand and nothing else. That is what made it so difficult to make something to hang on the wall. I guess you need to be into farming to understand why someone would want something like this made for them. If you need Christmas scrolling ideas and don't have much luck thinking of something, try the free patterns on this sight or perhaps the free ones on  scrollsawworkshop.blogspot.com.  try to match items to personal likes and you should not have a problem coming up with Christmas gifts for family and loved ones. At least it works for me.

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[amazingkevin]

Keep the customer happy give them what they want,lol

[wombatie]

Considering what you had to work with Dick I think you did rather well.

 

Marg

[Phantom Scroller]

Dick I think the brand is a bit naff but the way you have added it to the lovely grained wood makes it, great work.

 

Roly

[bobscroll]

Dick, I think also that you did well with what you had to work with, Thanks

for showing, Bob 

[Bishop]

Dick

You did a great job on those, ranchers have a real attachment to there brands, as it represents there livelihood.

The brand is the only way to identify your cattle from someone else's.

They look like money to them.

Thanks

God Bless

Homer & Carol

[heppnerguy]

Homer,

   That is what made it so challenging because I knew that I really couldn't mess with it \, only try my best to make something attractive enough to hang on a wall. I had to rack my pea brain a little to come up with something

[Huntter2022]

Homer,

   That is what made it so challenging because I knew that I really couldn't mess with it \, only try my best to make something attractive enough to hang on a wall. I had to rack my pea brain a little to come up with something

all that racking now you have none. 

Nice job!

[heppnerguy]

Well after all my efforts and going two hundred miles to get the wood she wanted me to use and all the time making these.. She informed me that she doesn't like the end results. I did the best I knew how with the rather nothing I had to work with. A little discouraging.. Now what do I do with something that means nothing to anyone else? I guess I rack it up to experience and take the loss. Luckily this hobby is not real expensive to do and the  monetary loss is small. Just don't like that is took so much of my much needed shop time to do other things I need to do.

[heppnerguy]

The photos I posted were the beginning stages of my project. After I finished them I had taken care of the finish and fixed the spaces that were needed to get it to come together. They look much nicer in the final stages and still she did not like them..

[Bishop]

There is no accounting for taste.

Hang them in your shop as abstract intarsia art.

I still like them

Homer & Carol

[Phantom Scroller]

Dick.

            Oh Man I don't believe the cheek of some people the effort you put in and went out of your way to do the job.

 

They would definitely be removed from my Christmas card list and I certainly wouldn't be making anything for them again. I would get rid of the brand and reuse the backing.

 

God Bless Roly

[bobscroll]

That is awful Dick, They tell you exactly what they want and then turn around and

say that's no good!, They didn't give you a chance to show what you could do!,

That's life I guess! Bob 

[jrpeteo]

Some most people have no concept of how much time and work goes into making a project. Tell them it took anywhere from 5-20 hours to complete something, and they give you the look of a deer in the headlights.

You did a fantastic job of capturing and putting to wood, the two brands. 

Pete

[heppnerguy]

Thanks guys.. I found it to be a little distracting but I guess if I was spending my money for something, I would at least want it to be on something I really wanted. I would not want anyone to buy something they really didn't like. The lesson here might be, "being willing to not force a sale on someone, just might be the best thing. People are entitled to not like something others make. If I was in a store where I can see the finished product, I may

 

1.  like it and buy it  

2. like it and think they want too much money for it and still not buy it  

3. not like it and not buy it  

4. Like it and buy it no matter the cost."

 

I have to understand that people are  more important than any of my woodworking. So perhaps I need to just be gracious and thank them for their interest and perhaps, down the road somewhere, they will see something they would like to buy.

 

Thanks everyone for your supportive words. It gave me time to think it over a little.  Who knows, maybe another cattleman might just see my work and want one of the brand pieces for themselves. It is a rather unique and different thing that I have never seen anyone else do.

[Doug]

You know if I ordered something in the manner she did and did not like the final product, I would accept responsibility for my bad decision and then praise it to the craftsman, pay the craftsman, and then just not give it as a gift.  I think she has spent too much time on the ranch and is full of male bovine fecal matter.

 

If I had been stiffed like you, I would also try to respond as graciously as you and just shake my head after I closed the door.

 

That is why I like my tools, although they will give me trouble from time to time - if I treat them right they are always there and I can count on them; unlike many adults.

 

By the way, I assume the first one is the Circle L Ranch but could not figure out the second one.  Sun Ranch, Broken Wagon Wheel Ranch, Ship's Wheel Ranch?  Help me out!

[heppnerguy]

You know if I ordered something in the manner she did and did not like the final product, I would accept responsibility for my bad decision and then praise it to the craftsman, pay the craftsman, and then just not give it as a gift.  I think she has spent too much time on the ranch and is full of male bovine fecal matter.

 

If I had been stiffed like you, I would also try to respond as graciously as you and just shake my head after I closed the door.

 

That is why I like my tools, although they will give me trouble from time to time - if I treat them right they are always there and I can count on them; unlike many adults.

 

By the way, I assume the first one is the Circle L Ranch but could not figure out the second one.  Sun Ranch, Broken Wagon Wheel Ranch, Ship's Wheel Ranch?  Help me out!

I really don't know the answer to your question.. but when she shows her head at my house I will try to remember to ash her then I will let you know

[Nick@tinkers-cove]

 

 

Well after all my efforts and going two hundred miles to get the wood she wanted me to use and all the time making these.. She informed me that she doesn't like the end results. I did the best I knew how with the rather nothing I had to work with. A little discouraging.. Now what do I do with something that means nothing to anyone else? I guess I rack it up to experience and take the loss. Luckily this hobby is not real expensive to do and the monetary loss is small. Just don't like that is took so much of my much needed shop time to do other things I need to do.

 

I don't really understand what the problem is - it's a simplistic logo / design which is individual to the owner. You did a great job with very little to work with (and no use of your own initiative). They got exactly what was required - what is not to like? Hold you're head up, Dick - then brush yourself down, and move on to the next one (who will no doubt appreciate all your effort and hard work).

Edited October 14, 2013 by Nick@tinkers-cove