Updated my (woodworking related) website
SonomaProducts.com
I am very proud of how it came out. Lots of my woodworking projects
shown.
It is a bit of a false front or faux site at the moment. Not much of
an actual company behind it. I am going to venture out to try and get
my Adirondack furniture into the retail market. So I built this site
to help me pass the "sniff test" once I start approaching buyers.
I will only stay in my local region with the garden furniture. The
product line/business probably can't scale to become full time for me,
but I hope to make some cash to fund my dream of a woodworking kit
business.
Let me know what you think if you have a spare moment.
SonomaProducts.com
GarageWoodworks
Nice job. If I were you I would let people know that your images
enlarge when clicked. You'd be surprised at the number of internet
illiterate people I've met that wouldn't know to click on the small
thumbnail images.
I am contemplating some kind of woodworking business as well. Due to
my laid-off status it seems very attractive.
Swingman
I think it is EXCELLENT! Well done, and, as usual, your woodworking is
superb!
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)
Larry C
From: "Swingman" <k...@nospam.com>
Subject: Re: Updated my (woodworking related) website
Date: Monday, January 04, 2010 5:05 PM
I like it a lot.
Did you use a template for the site layout? The site is very professional
looking.
I am impressed with the use of PHP, you can really build off the code and do
a bunch of things if you desire.
I would make your entire logo a link back to your homepage and I would look
into Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free service that will keep
track of your page hits, bounce rate, etc. It is just a matter of adding a
few lines of code to each page and registering your domain name with Google.
I too, may be trying to make a little money from woodworking since
consulting stinks these days.
Larry C
SonomaProducts.com
note but for now left it out. Also, the three little images on the
front page aren't (yet) clickable because of how they are implemented
inthe template I used for the site. I am working on that.
On Jan 4, 1:59 pm, GarageWoodworks <bgre...@garagewoodworks.com>
wrote:
> my laid-off status it seems very attractive.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
SonomaProducts.com
bought a template for $49 Then swapped in my own graphics, configured,
etc.. It took some learning and I abandoned Go Daddy in the process
and went over to an ISP that specializes in Joomla!. Joomla! has an
awesome forum witha at least a dozen specifc categories and lots of
traffic. Every question I have asked gets great answers.
Joomla is really setup to be a blog site or magazine type content but
I was able to bend it inro a product format.
On Jan 4, 2:21 pm, "Larry C" <lawrencenails.cro...@verizonnails.net>
wrote:
> Larry C- Hide quoted text -
nailsh...@aol.com
on 'ya!), easy to navigate, and everything worked. It was really
professional in appearance since it was so clean.
I liked the detailing on the kits, too. It was a nice stroke to
include the skill level needed, as well as most of the tools.
The only MINOR suggestion would be to put a human in some of the
pictures for reference. When I do my inspection reports, I have found
that measurements mean little to most people, even folks in the
trades. So if you had a lovely volunteer stand by the work (you don't
even have to put them all the way in the pic... just an arm and hand
on the cabinet for example) to give some reference might help folks
out.
I thought your nightstand was a small spice cabinet until I read your
measurements. I had been looking at the clock kit and the brain
didn't click over when I changed kits.
Very nicely done!
Robert
SonomaProducts.com
Yes, I lack any human face and I will add that just to give it a more
personal touch. I was thinking of adding some recognizable items into
some pics just to help with scale but most of the images came from my
archive of existing stuff.
On Jan 4, 3:49 pm, "nailshoote...@aol.com" <nailshoote...@aol.com>
wrote:
Lew Hodgett
"SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
>I spent my holiday vacation time rebuilding my website
>www.sonomaproducts.com.
Time well spent.
> I am very proud of how it came out. Lots of my woodworking projects
> shown.
As well you should be.
Good luck with your venture.
Lew
Sonny
site's "contact us" link.
Sonny
Ed Pawlowski
Overall, nicely done. To pick a nit, the gray type is a little more
difficult to read. I like the rough sawn board for your company name, but
if you were to lighten it a shade, the name would stand out a bit better.
Of course, if you go to light you lose some of the character. That said,
both were fine when I increased the size to 125%. I wonder if people know
you can do that, at least with my browser you can.
Are the prices for real? They seem very reasonable.
Kevin
Looks good, noticed one grammar issue:
"In the case of these end tables when using pocket screw joinery the
structural integrity is maintained once the item is completed unit
with top and shelf attached."
Should be "is a completed unit" or actually "is completed with" would
work too :)
I think the font size of the menu titles could be one larger, they
look a little small compared to the size of the box they are in. And
do you really need the login part? I didn't see anything where an
account would be needed.
-Kevin
krw
<bwx...@yahoo.com> wrote:
*Very* nice job. I really like the tables, too. You state a variety
of materials but list only one price. Is there something I'm missing?
What about shipping?
Maybe...
SonomaProducts.com
now but I may try to darken it later. Also will play with the main top
image eventually also.
I am going to try and keep these prices. I have jigs and fixtures that
simply kill the labor. I did 50 chairs as a one man op and had less
than an hour per chair. I am only offering 30% discount for smal
customers, 40% for 50 or more pieces and only give them the full
traditional 50% wholesale discount if they pay COD. I honestly don't
know if I can make profit at the 50% point but at least I'll get my
money back on day one.
I don't think over $100 bucks will fly when competing with rubber wood
chairs coming from Brazil, etc. So I'll see if it works.
I actually make all my money on the footstools and tables.
> Are the prices for real? They seem very reasonable.- Hide quoted text -
SonomaProducts.com
known this was wrong if I actually read it vs just writing it too
fast. However, it was always a badge of honor as an engineering
student to nearly fail any English courses, so I am sure there are
lots o' problems. I do have an editor that will comb the whole site
before I do my sales push.
No login needed right now but clients will be given accounts where
they can login and see their orders, wholesale prices, etc.
> -Kevin- Hide quoted text -
SonomaProducts.com
actually future products. I am really only in the outdoor furniture
business right now. I will actually try to have one price per kit
regardless of material unless it is very exotic and expensive. On
larger pieces that won't be possible but on small items the wood cost
is a small part of the total cost. Mostly labor. Once I have online
ordering then shipping will be extra. Right now I am positioning it as
a wholesale business so hobby shops, etc. would be selling them.
> Maybe...- Hide quoted text -
ups...@teksavvy.com
Actually, I was surprised at how low the prices were. The garden table
and two benches I built the past two summers, cost me in excess of
$800 just for the cedar alone. I wasn't looking for any profit, since
they were a gift for a friend, but if I had been, I'd have gone broke
before I'd have even started.
Larry Jaques
"SonomaProducts.com" <bwx...@yahoo.com> scrawled the following:
It looks very nice, professional. Some small usability suggestions
follow:
The "fine bandcrafted products" text is hard to read. (Yes, I know
it's an H but it looks like a B online.) I suggest a bolder logo text
for your company name and subtitle.
Also, the gray text is awfully light. I highly recommend a darker text
for more readability. You want to make it easy for people to stay
interested.
Third, there is no way to buy furniture from you. Suggest eBay
buttons with standardized shipping prices. You'll have to figure
those out.
Fourth, the pics of custom furniture are wider than my screen,
preventing me from seeing the arrow buttons on the bottom. I run 1024
wide, the 'standard' screen rez right now. Old folks with bad eyes
(people who would be buying your furniture) run lower resolutions, so
your pics might be two screens wide for them. I never design a site
which is more than 800 pixels wide, usually limiting them to 760.
Also, oging through the pictures required me to constantly shift the
screen up and down to find the button. Smaller pics would allow a
slide show without as much trouble. Allowing them to click on the pics
for larger versions would be good, too.
I really like your 2-drawer A&C lamp tables, BTW. All of your
quartersawn stuff was nice. (Jack London)
Assembly instructions for the Adirondack chair, step 2 lost its left
margin and the S is up against the border bar. Add a <br> under the
"Now tighten all bolts." Ditto the margin problem with the T in Table
Assembly below it.
How do you like working with Joomla? I'm considering it for my
ancient and outdated site. ;)
--
Society is produced by our wants and government by our wickedness.
--Thomas Paine
SonomaProducts.com
the resawing for almost nothing. I leave it rough one side. I am also
using STK (small tight knots) which is far cheaper than clear or other
better grades. I also get 10,000bf pricing even though I am buying a
few thou at a time right now. Amazing how much favor a free chair can
garner at the mill.
SonomaProducts.com
Regading buying my furniture. Currently I am only offering the outdoor
furniture at wholesale, so I am visiting retail buyers trying to get
them to stock my chairs. The kit business will activate later and I'll
have full online ecommerce.
Joomla is great. It does take some setup and a little html type
knowledge but you can also easily get help from the forum. I was
having trouble getting my purchased template properly configured and
found a guy from the forum to do it on contract for $85 in a day.
On Jan 5, 11:20 am, Larry Jaques <novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com>
wrote:
dpb
...
> Let me know what you think if you have a spare moment.
Nit (altho I agree w/ most if not all of LJ's comments on fonts/colors/etc.)
Being limited in bandwidth I appreciated that the front page loaded
relatively quickly. The resolution of the project pictures might
possibly be cut down a little--I was about to give up when one did
finally display. Granted, most folks nowadays that you'll probably have
any chance to sell anything to will have highspeed connection so it may
not be worth too much effort.
In the discussion on furniture...
"...this unique service by leveraging our talented craftsman..."
was jarring to read. Leveraging our _a_ craftsman???
--
SonomaProducts.com
dpb
> Not sure I get the jist. Are you saying I am just one guy vs "our"?
Yes, and "leveraging" reeks of marketing bs to me, particularly when
applied to a single person... :)
It just sounded excessively pretentious as worded, basically (and trust
me, having spent almost 30 years as consultant writing proposals I tried
every trick I could think of to try to make impressive credentials,
prior job experience, etc., etc., etc., in order to sell or try to "bulk
up" the proposal... :) )
Again, just a thought but it did give me a wince to read...maybe nobody
else will even notice.
--
dpb
> Not sure I get the jist. Are you saying I am just one guy vs "our"?
As I noted in the earlier response I was suggesting to minimize "the bs
quotient".
Specifically, if what you're trying to do is say you've got the
facilities, equipment and people to run part-production lines in volume
then say so don't use euphemisms w/ management-bingo buzz words.
HTH at least clarify where I was coming from and what grated my teeth...
--
SonomaProducts.com
I figure out how to darken the text color a liitle. I really just
needed some space filler to fit in that third top slot that came with
my template.
dpb
> Very astute, it is marketing bs. I'll think about changing it... after
> I figure out how to darken the text color a liitle. I really just
> needed some space filler to fit in that third top slot that came with
> my template.
Yeah, see other note on what I'd put there instead, though.
Particularly if you're really serious about the commercial clients I
think it would help to have specific capabilities rather than fluff.
I looked at that section specifically because while I'll never do it the
one thing I've thought if were to try serious w-working ever again I'd
like to have would be a commercial moulding shop w/ similar-type
architectural detail work. But since ended up back on farm the
population density here isn't sufficient to even consider it even w/o
the present market conditions but I wondered what you were up to and/or
where heading...
good luck; as others have said overall it's more than just good; it's
excellent layout, etc.
--
Larry Jaques
"SonomaProducts.com" <bwx...@yahoo.com> scrawled the following:
>Not sure I get the jist. Are you saying I am just one guy vs "our"?
No, he's prompting you to use "Leveraging our talented craftsmEn."
--
We rightly care about the environment. But our neurotic obsession
with carbon betrays an inability to distinguish between pollution
and the stuff of life itself. --Bret Stephens, WSJ 1/5/10
Larry Jaques
"SonomaProducts.com" <bwx...@yahoo.com> scrawled the following:
>Very astute, it is marketing bs. I'll think about changing it... after
>I figure out how to darken the text color a liitle. I really just
>needed some space filler to fit in that third top slot that came with
>my template.
Check the .CSS file for that template.
krw
<bwx...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I guess you are speaking about the woodworking kits.
Yes. In particular the Mission tables. They're exactly what we're
looking for.
>Those are actually future products.
Ah, the old bait and switch trick. ;-)
>I am really only in the outdoor furniture
>business right now. I will actually try to have one price per kit
>regardless of material unless it is very exotic and expensive. On
>larger pieces that won't be possible but on small items the wood cost
>is a small part of the total cost. Mostly labor. Once I have online
>ordering then shipping will be extra. Right now I am positioning it as
>a wholesale business so hobby shops, etc. would be selling them.
Rats. I guess I can put my credit cards away.
BTW, as long as you're looking for misteaks, when you select
Kits->Jack London->Jack London Coffee table, a picture of the coffee
table is shown but the caption says "Jack London End Table". Just a
nit, on an otherwise very nice site; simple and elegant.
<snip>
Hoosierpopi
I would suggest using .gifs for all your image files save those in a
"gallery page" where framed thumbnails are linked to .bmps or jpegs of
large images that ope in a new frame or window.
Although most folks seem to have HS Internet Access - they are a
significant number of potential customers on DSL and Dial-Up.
The best sites IMHO are those one can speed through, drilling down to
the information required quickly and simply. "Begin with the end in
mind," is a good thought to hold when designing a site.
So many folks get entangled in the FLASH that the resulting site
detracts from its raison d'etre.
KISS is another principle one might embrace in the design phase.
The best designs are completed on paper and de-bugged on paper. Only
then should one decide upon the tool(s), templates, software needed to
create the pages to put up on the web.
Unfortunately, it is easier to get something up on the web by writing
it in a software "package" replete with its own tools and templates
that tend to define the sructure for you.
I admit to having taken the later route for my web adventures to date.
But, were I creating a commercial venture I would design my site
irrespective of the tools at hand and commission someone else to craft
the final product / code.
SonomaProducts.com
plugin that does all the work for me. I add one small statement on the
page telling it what directory to look in and it makes the thumbnails
and puts them on the page and makes the popup work. I can then just
add or remove images from the directory and it keeps everything update
automatic.
Pat Barber
Good luck with the sales.
Simple is better in a web page.
SonomaProducts.com wrote:
> I spent my holiday vacation time rebuilding my website www.sonomaproducts.com.
> I am very proud of how it came out. Lots of my woodworking projects
> shown.
>
> It is a bit of a false front or faux site at the moment. Not much of
> an actual company behind it. I am going to venture out to try and get
> my Adirondack furniture into the retail market. So I built this site
> to help me pass the "sniff test" once I start approaching buyers.
>
> I will only stay in my local region with the garden furniture. The
> product line/business probably can't scale to become full time for me,
> but I hope to make some cash to fund my dream of a woodworking kit
> business.
>