Build Retrospective: The World’s Largest Lazy Susan
The build was fairly straight forward. I had to make a panel big enough to cut a 46 inch diameter circle from. I also needed to make a circle on the underside to accept the hardware. Sounds simple, but there are complexities in this build for a few reasons.
With all retrospectives I’ll answer a big question, did I make any money?
Before I discuss the ins and outs of the project, what I did well and what I would change, and the reasoning behind my decisions, I want to address the hardest part of the entire build. The finish.
I had to match a the finish on a clients painted and distressed table. This was a first for me so I wrote an entire blog on the process, which I won’t cover in this retrospective, but you can read more about it in, How to Make a Distressed Paint Finish.
The Build
The video I made does a good job explaining the build process. But I don’t do a great job at explaining why I did certain things, and that’s by design because those videos have to be snappy and engaging for a large audience with low attention spans.
But you, my dedicated fans who come here to read are patient and prefer to learn, so I’ll expand and explain.
Why I chose Beech
No, it wasn’t so I could make jokes about Susan being a Lazy Beech. I selected this wood because the client’s table was made from mango wood, a common species in Indonesia, but uncommon here in the United States. I opted for beech as a replacement because the structure and color were similar.
Use of Fence Pickets
Math is hard. Yes I did the math to know how long the boards needed to be, and making a square to cut a circle from would have been easy, but it would have resulted in excess waste. I knew I wanted to limit waste, so I cut the outside boards shorter. But the problem was I needed to know where the seams were to know how long the boards needed to be. I could have done some complex math, but it seemed easier to draw a circle on some scrap wood from my fence and measure as the fence boards were roughly the same width as the beech. Bingo bango, no math needed. I just added a couple of inches so I had some wiggle room.
Spring Joint
I wrote an article explaining what a spring joint is and why to use them. Check that out for more information but the short version is, a spring joint puts pressure in the panel, pulling the inside outward meaning the panel will use tension to stay flat. The panel will still expand and contract, but it will resist cupping. This is important for a flat panel with no support as a cup would mean the Lazy Susan will not spin.
Circle Jig
I explain in the video that I wanted this jig to cut ellipses as well as circles. I also bought the jig because I am making a conscious decision to spend money to save me time. I could have spent an hour or two building a custom circle jig, but that’s time lost that I saved by spending money. At this point in my life time is scarcer than money is. I wouldn’t have said the same thing a few years ago, but my business can pay for things like tools to make my life easier and jobs faster.
The Good
If you aren’t familiar with a retrospective, the typical layout is to discuss what went well, and what could be improved next time. Usually those involved in a retrospective were involved in the project and therefore have context and their own lens to share. Since I work alone my retrospectives start with the project, then I dive into the good/bad.
So here’s the good.
The finish, I was very happy with. Read more about it here, but the skinny version is I my test worked exactly the way I wanted it to and the finish matched the client’s table exactly. That’s not easy to do, and if you’ve ever tried to match paint colors you know what a pain it is.
The hardware was expensive, but high quality. It was a great size and shouldn’t have any problems handling the weight the client will put on it. I would use it again in a heartbeat.
I’m also pleased with the way I inlaid the hardware in the panel. It made the Lazy Susan sit nicely on the table, with a low profile and sleek, integrated look. I’m glad I didn’t take the lazy route and simply screw it to the bottom of the panel.
The Bad
What I could do better, the positive spin on things I messed up. Other than the obvious things like my router “taking a dive” and deviating from the circle on the inside channel for the hardware I have a few details I would change if I did it again.
In milling I should have caught one board that was off. It wasn’t a big deal, but it made the glue up more difficult than it needed to be. The board was thinner because of a knot. Now the knot wasn’t in the board anymore as it was cut off of the board at the mill, but the different grain contracted more than the rest of the board as it dried, causing a dip. I should have left that board at the lumber yard and selected a better one.
The hardware was twice as much as I initially thought. My fault, I read the description wrong and had the smaller version in my cart, but opted to save on shipping so I went to Rockler. I’m glad I did because the ring was much too small for my use and I had them order me the larger one, which ended up being free shipping since I ordered in store.
The paint cure time took forever. It shouldn’t have been a problem but this panel was so big it was hard to store. I ended up housing it on my dining table for a couple of weeks until we needed to use it, at which point the Lazy Susan went back into the garage and shut down my use of the table saw for a week. I’m limited on space and can’t store large pieces which slowed progress on a couple other projects. I don’t think I could have done anything different given the circumstances.
Financial Breakdown
With that, we get to the juicy bit. How much did I spend and did I make money.
I quoted this project at $800 with my estimate at broken down as such:
Hardware: $130
Wood: $150
Paint: $40
Poly: $10
Consumables (sand paper, glue, screws): $5
That’s a total of $325 in materials cost and I estimated 15 hours to complete the build which would earn my time just over $30 per hour. But that was an estimate.
Things I missed include mileage and the circle jig. I’m not counting the fence pickets in my cost as those were paid for, and a few of them were garbage anyway. Plus I’ll be able to reuse them.
Here was my actual cost:
Hardware: $265 (big difference on this one)
Wood: $134.33
Paint: $30.24
Poly: $24.93
Consumables: $5 estimated
Circle Jig: $110
Mileage: $79.30
That totals to $648.80 leaving me with $151.20 in profit. Considering I spent an estimated 17.5 hours on this build I made $8.64 an hour. Oregon minimum wage is currently $14.20 per hour.
But that’s only part of the truth. My clients, Jennifer and Dean were very nice and left me a considerable tip to boost my profits to just above minimum wage. On top of that I filmed this project, increasing my build hours, and that doesn’t consider the potential YouTube profit which may not pay off today, but could in the future.
This is a retrospective for a reason. I am learning. I know the true cost of the product, but initially I didn’t. Would I charge more next time? Nope.
I felt the product and price were fair and my clients appreciated my craftsmanship. I should mention this is the second order from them and I have a feeling it won’t be the last. I’m fine investing a bit now to have clients who appreciate my work, come back for more and refer me to their friends and family.
