

Show HN: Handcrafted standing desks from reclaimed materials - fitztrev
http://woodwardsalvage.com

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deerpig
US$1500 for something that we cobble together here in Cambodia from rubbish
because we don't have any money?

You have rubbish from an industrial collapse? We have rubbish from a fucking
genocide! Now THAT is furniture with a story!

We are happy to sell you standup desks built from wood from french colonial
Indochina for US$1500. Our new office is being renovated from such a building.

But if you want a REAL story, we have a premium standup desk made from
reclaimed wood from work camps run by the Khmer Rouge for US$3000.

For US$5000 you get bullet holes.

~~~
chaostheory
I know you're being sarcastic, but it's viable if you have the right
marketing.

> But if you want a REAL story, we have a premium standup desk made from
> reclaimed wood from work camps run by the Khmer Rouge for US$3000.

Yes it's a joke but from a non-Cambodian's point of view, this is like selling
memorabilia from the 3rd Reich or Imperial Japan ala WWII.

After reading your comment and seeing stuff like Swatzikas (the day version)
being displayed in mainstream department stores, or pictures from
concentration camps being displayed in restaurants; I often wonder why people
in Asia seem so ignorant or insensitive to historical atrocities. Is it
because history education over there is near non-existent or do they just
suck? Or is it because most people are just indifferent to history?

~~~
deerpig
>I know you're being sarcastic

So you say, but then you go on as if it had been serious. The comment was
meant to be more satirical than sarcastic.

The point being, that trying to cash in on the collapse of a city that had
been one of the great industrial centers of the world is being insensitive to
the people whose lives have been destroyed by the collapse. Just as it would
be insensitive to do so by cashing in on the Cambodian genocide.

As for Asian insensitivity, yes there is some of that here and a lot of it is
because western history is taught in about as much detail here as eastern
history is taught in the west.

Many people here don't understand the tie between the swastika and nazis
because it is an ancient Buddhist and Hindu auspicious symbol.

There is plenty of insensitivity about this part of the world in the west as
well. How many people in America believe that Cambodia is little more than a
hive of prostitutes and pedophiles? How many tourists come to Phnom Penh or
Siem Reap each year not only to see Khmer ruins, but to take tours of
orphanages?

There is plenty of ignorance and insensitivity to go around.

I'd love to see you review Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' on Amazon :)

~~~
chaostheory
> So you say, but then you go on as if it had been serious.

Because it is serious. From our point of view, making a joke about a death
camp is poor taste. I was just trying to be nicer in my criticism because I'm
less familiar with Cambodian culture than I am with East Asian culture(s).

> How many people in America believe that Cambodia is little more than a hive
> of prostitutes and pedophiles?

I hate to say this, but Cambodia doesn't even register with most people here
beyond being an Asian jungle and the Khmer Rouge, if even that since there are
so few Cambodians here compared to other Asians. I would imagine the most
exposure people in the US have had to Cambodia is through a cartoon show.
We're a lot more aware of Thailand and Vietnam.

> Siem Reap each year not only to see Khmer ruins, but to take tours of
> orphanages?

Are they not there to adopt or it something else? If they're there to adopt,
what's the problem from your point of view?

> I'd love to see you review Swift's 'A Modest Proposal' on Amazon

I'll check it out

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gk1
I've paid some high prices for reclaimed wood furniture, and when I move to a
larger place (in several months) I will likely do it again. Here's my
feedback:

The first comparison I started making in my mind is with the counter tables
from Restoration Hardware. They are nearly half the price ($635+), and in my
opinion look more the "reclaimed" part. I also don't see the height dimension
on your page, so I can't compare that. Another thing I'd like to see is
previews of the other finishes and metal types. I like darker woods and
metals, but I can't tell which metal finish the photo is showing.

With that said, the price does seem right to me, and comparable to what I've
seen in some Etsy stores and local shops.

Edit: Also, it would be great to see shipping costs up front. I went all the
way to the checkout page to find it, and I _still_ don't see anything about
shipping costs. That sucks. Either offer a flat shipping cost (like RH does),
or add an estimator right on the product page (eg, "Enter your zip code to
estimate shipping.")

~~~
yaddayadda
I don't know if the following were on the front page when you visited or if
fitztrev has added them based on comments, but the front page now addresses
height and shipping costs (which probably bring the cost more into the range
that you're used to). There are also small cubes of the different finishes. I
agree that it would be nice if the photos indicated which finishes were shown.

\- "To ensure the proper height, we will contact you after your order to get
your height."

\- "We are currently offering FREE SHIPPING to the lower 48 states."

~~~
gk1
I don't know if they were there before. In any case, those things should be
_front and center_ , especially the free shipping. Those are great selling
points.

~~~
yaddayadda
I agree, these are absolutely awesome selling points. When I'm having to write
up things I frequently find that people want more things front and center than
can reasonably be front and center. For the angle that he is taking it sounds
like "reclaimed" and "hand-crafted" are the front and center points from the
sellers perspective.

I think the 'story' behind the furniture needs to be more prominent (i.e., why
are "reclaimed" and "hand-crafted" _the_ selling points), and then organizing
the site so that the custom height and free shipping are _easily found_ (e.g.,
specific answers on a FAQ page, or simply bullet points below the front-page
'story') would go a very long way.

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fitztrev
OP here. I've been a developer for 10 years and have used a standing desk for
the last 2. When I started, I just used whatever materials I could to prop my
computer up higher. Once I was sold on the idea and benefits of standing, I
started looking for a more permanent solution.

I wasn't really happy with the options. I wanted something very high quality
and unique. So I decided to start building my own using reclaimed and salvaged
materials.

Here's what I have so far. What do you think? What's important to you in a
standing desk?

~~~
vog
_> What's important to you in a standing desk?_

Being affordable. That is, having a price tag comparable with normal
furniture. Who will pay $ 1495 for a desk?!

~~~
sasvari

      Who will pay $ 1495 for a desk?!
    

I don't completely get the concept of _it has to be dirt cheap no matter
what_. People are paying $500+ for a TV which is next to worthless after a
couple of years, but don't want to pay more than a couple of bucks for a solid
table which will most probably outlife them.

~~~
mhurron
> it has to be dirt cheap no matter what

Some people have constrained budgets

> a TV which is next to worthless after a couple of years

Oh, wait, you won't get it, you expect to throw away perfectly working devices
frequently.

The desk looks like there is maybe $50 worth of materials and maybe 2 hours
worth of work there (I'm taking for granted they know what they're doing and
can do a lot of it pretty efficiently). So that's what, between $100-$200
material and labor. Where is the other $1300 of value coming from?

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chaostheory
Your website needs work. The title talks about a story yet there's not much of
one. This story needs to be on the front page. I didn't really feel like
clicking to read it. It also needs pictures to help convey your words. I need
to know why this desk is worth $1495. Why I should buy this instead of
something cheaper / more functional but sterile?

1\. You need to show off more pieces (how do we know each is unique when all
we see is one desk?). It will show character that will compete against the
more functional boxed desks which are the same for everyone.

2\. You need to show the people working on this. Knowing about an individual
(or small group of people) working hard on something 'good' versus thinking of
a nameless, unidentifiable huge group of people working in a factory for a big
corporation is huge

3\. You need to convey the quality somehow. (Show the process or the
material?)

4\. You need to show Detroit.

5\. You need to show what happens when we don't reclaim stuff.

6\. Going back to points 4 and 5. You need to show that you're making
something good out of the bad.

I'm not a designer, but I know enough to tell you that you need a really good
one badly.

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tmuir
"Handcrafted" has become a red flag for me, in the same way "vintage" and
"cozy" are for apartment listings. Almost anything that isnt produced on a
large scale is handmade. Its an empty marketing phrase that tells me you have
nothing better to showcase. There is no detail of this desk that makes you say
"wow this was built by a master craftsman."

~~~
mathetic
Well, may be you should think of the difference in production of a Aston
Martin vs a Ford.

~~~
tmuir
Comparing a $200,000 luxury sports car to a desk is preposterous. First of
all, there are actual features to differentiate an Aston Martin from a Ford.
This is a piece of wood with some metal suspending it off of the ground.
There's nothing to differentiate this product from a desk purchased from ikea,
except for the fact that you get to "handcraft" the ikea desk yourself. In
fact, besides the sourcing of the material.

~~~
mathetic
Fair enough. I was making a general point rather than this specific product. I
agree that this desk does not live up to its price tag.

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fitztrev
I appreciate the comments. As I said, I'm just getting started with this. I
posted it here just to get some initial feedback.

I understand there are other options for standing desks that are both less
expensive and more functional. The value proposition isn’t a "better" standing
desk, or a "cheaper" standing desk, it is a standing desk that is built by
hand from reclaimed, quality materials, sourced from the community.

It allows me to continue to support the deconstruction of abandoned homes and
buildings in the Detroit area, which is one of my main focuses.

~~~
nmcfarl
_> It allows me to continue to support the deconstruction of abandoned homes
and buildings in the Detroit area, which is one of my main focuses._

This is a good bit of the story, and the value proposition I think, as are the
things on the About Us page. I’d suggest you get at least one more of those
bullet points on the homepage. I’d go with something that hits: Reclaimed,
Recycled and Biodegradable, as those seemed like strong points to me.

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snide
If you missed it, there's a pretty rad standing desk on Kickstarter right now
that has some nifty, discreet power controls. $399.

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2036834894/the-most-
aff...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2036834894/the-most-affordable-
automatic-sit-to-stand-desk?ref=live)

~~~
mathgeek
I really like this one, specifically. I didn't back it because with young ones
in the house, I see the automatic raise/lower as a dangerous thing. Little
fingers will hit it and watch the "magic."

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epenn
I like the idea of using salvaged materials, but the price seems way off the
mark, even for something custom made.

~~~
fitztrev
I understand totally. Unfortunately steel and reclaimed lumber is not cheap.
Each desk is made entirely by hand, so there’s a lot of labor that goes into
each one.

There are others out there that do offer a more affordable solution. I even
started out just modifying my existing desk to accommodate a standing
position. But I wanted something that was much more durable and didn’t look
like it necessarily came from Ikea.

~~~
pmorici
For comparison here are some similar desks built from reclaimed materials on
Etsy. Typically under 1k. Granted most of them have hair pin legs instead of
metal bar; what would you say justifies the 2-3x premium on this desk?

[https://www.etsy.com/search?q=reclaimed%20wood%20desk&ship_t...](https://www.etsy.com/search?q=reclaimed%20wood%20desk&ship_to=US)

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bryan11
If I'm buying a standing desk, the ergonomics need to be right and for me that
means adjustable height.

It would be nice to see a separate, adjustable monitor stand. It could ideally
be used on the desk shown or one someone already owns.

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welly
Christ! $1500? I know they're "handcrafted" and all. But there's neither $1500
of material or work in that desk.

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sturmeh
Yay, you made a non-adjustable standing desk from what looks like reused
scrap, and decided to put a price tag as if it were art.

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reedlaw
This looks nice, but I would be more excited by a startup offering affordable
walking workstations. I've put together a couple of these with the cheapest
one costing only $80. The price largely depends on the local availability of
used treadmills. For the keyboard stand I used reclaimed wood pallets. For the
monitor stand, a bookshelf.

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lukasm
"Industrial Standing Desk $ 1,495.00"

Thanks, but no thanks.

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lafar6502
Looks like it's been built by someone who never did any metal or wood work
before. A fresh university graduate?

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mephi5t0
this is bananas

