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Saturday, April 12, 2014

NEW - Deluxe Brush/Razor hanging racks

I have been wanting to post about this new development for a while, but I had to get some products finished, and get some decent pictures. I have made some major improvements to the design my Brush/Razor rack, and here is the result of my redesign:


Finished bocote

The pegs are about 1/2" longer, which accomplishes two things: One, it allows the brushes to keep from touching the wall. With my initial design, some of the larger brushes would rest against the wall, which would create flat spots as the brush dried. This was in no way harmful to the brush, but it irritated me, so I changed the design to let them sit out a bit further. Secondly, it allows for two razors to be put into each razor slot, thereby doubling the razor capacity of the rack.
Bocote with brushes and razors


Raw bocote

So while all racks will be getting longer pegs, the rack pictured above is my new Deluxe Brush/Razor Rack. My initial design used a lumberyard grade red oak, which was stained. This produced a nice looking finished product, however, I recently discovered a local supplier for exotic hardwoods. The rack above is made from bocote, which is a very dense and beautiful hardwood from Central and South America. Generally, these exotic woods are at least twice the density of the lumberyard oak. But the greatest thing about them is their natural beauty. The rack above is not stained. That is the natural color of the wood, and the only thing I've done is sanded it and applied several coats of a high quality, oil-based urethane resin top coat. The picture to the right is the raw wood plank for the rack above looked like before any finishing.

The end result is truly spectacular. I don't want to downplay my original "standard" racks, because they were quite nice. However, the deluxe racks are in a completely different class. It's worth noting is that these racks are about 1/2" taller, and a full 24" in length. You may notice that there is an additional peg on the right end, which will allow you to put a couple more razors on it.

Of course, the exotic hardwood is not the same cost as lumberyard red oak. However, it is my desire to keep the cost as low as possible. Although these deluxe carry a higher price tag because of the cost of the materials, I am only increasing the final price by the difference in the price of the wood. The prices on the exotics vary by the actual wood, but they generally carry a $15 - $35 premium, with a few even higher depending on the wood. I'm also using premium hardwood dowels, which are about $7 more than the ones from the hardware store. I've created a list of woods. If you see one that you like, I can get an exact price, but keep in mind that not all woods are available all of the time. 

Marblewood - $85
White Ash - $75
Purpleheart - $80
Cocobolo - $110
Black Palm - $84
Curly Maple - $84
Bocote - $85
Wenge - $80
Lacewood - $78
Zebrawood - $82




Please note: All prices listed above are approximate, based on the cost of the wood. Wood prices can fluctuate significantly based on market prices. Please consider the above prices to be guidelines, not firm quotes.

I will still be making the standard racks available for $45 as a custom order, (plus $3 if you want a custom stain) however, I strongly recommend spending a little more on the deluxe version. I considered doing away with the standard version altogether, but I still want to have an offering for the budget conscious. However, my number one goal is 100% satisfaction, and I can honestly stand behind the increased quality of these deluxe racks.

Although much of my business will be made to order, which I'm quoting at 3-4 weeks, I do have a few that I'm currently finishing up to have on-hand for immediate purchase. Those include two made from Brazilian cherry, and one from an unbelievably gorgeous granadillo. Pictures and prices will be posted in a few days.

Thanks again for all the encouragement! This has been an incredibly fun project, and I get a great deal of enjoyment providing quality products to people. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or criticisms, or if you would like to place a custom order, please contact me at craig@thecraftybadger.com

-Craig

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