Ab Furniture Survey

[Lil_Miss_Ruffles]

Good day!

It is my intent in the foreseeable future to start building and selling AB furniture and accessories at what I would consider more reasonable prices.

I am an experienced cabinetmaker and have built numerous other custom furniture projects in both soft and hardwoods. Actual construction is still a little ways off as I am currently finishing the remodeling of my home so that I can put it on the market and after that will be building a new home.

When I do start, however, I wish to offer a variable range of furnishings that will suit almost everybody’s budget. I also plan to be able to accept custom order requests.

Now, with that out of the way, what I would like to know is what you are all interested in? Please give it some thought, even if you don’t ever plan to buy such furniture for yourself. I would like your opinion as if you were going to build and furnish your own nursery.

Various things for thought:

How plain/fancy

Disguisable (could be explained to nosy guests as something else)

Types of material.

What would you like to see available for the AB/DL

(Besides being skilled with wood, I am also experienced in welding and am able to do some to a degree. I do plan to add more steel working tools to my future shop.)

Please, let me know your thoughts. Pictures and/or drawings are welcome too.

Sincerest regards,

Ruffles

[Guest Guest]

I don't know if I could ever afford one, but I'd love a hard wood or steel locking crib. The side should be lowerable, and as a daddy I'd love to have the side have an access hatch that wouldn't allow baby to escape, but give access for changes, restraint and feeding. It also needs to be able to hold a 6ft person comfortably (other cribs I've been in I'm exactly as tall as it is, making sleeping uncomfortable). There should also be loops and things to attach restraints to. The crib should be able to be dissasembled fairly easily for storage, I don't think you're ever gong to be able to hide it. Best left for a nursery in a house with a locking door

I'd love to see some sort of adapter kit to turn a regular chair into a highchair

[BabySteviee]

I think the only thing that AB's really can't do on their own in a nursery is obviously the crib.........most of us that have our own place would probably love to have a crib but it creates all kinds of problems when friends and family come to visit, a girlfriend or boyfriend spends the night, apartment managers want to do an inspection, or repair people need to fix something. I would love to see an adult crib (that functions like a crib) with removable railings so it could quickly and easily be turned back into a single bed.

That's the practical part...........now some stuff I would buy but might not have too much general appeal.

A Highchair.

An adult version of the wind up living room swings.

A playpen that looks like a baby playpen......netting and top and bottom bars instead of wooden rails.

A walker (the little mobile high chairs on wheels that you sit a toddler in and their feet reach the ground)

BabySteviee

Good day!

It is my intent in the foreseeable future to start building and selling AB furniture and accessories at what I would consider more reasonable prices.

I am an experienced cabinetmaker and have built numerous other custom furniture projects in both soft and hardwoods. Actual construction is still a little ways off as I am currently finishing the remodeling of my home so that I can put it on the market and after that will be building a new home.

When I do start, however, I wish to offer a variable range of furnishings that will suit almost everybody’s budget. I also plan to be able to accept custom order requests.

Now, with that out of the way, what I would like to know is what you are all interested in? Please give it some thought, even if you don’t ever plan to buy such furniture for yourself. I would like your opinion as if you were going to build and furnish your own nursery.

Various things for thought:

How plain/fancy

Disguisable (could be explained to nosy guests as something else)

Types of material.

What would you like to see available for the AB/DL

(Besides being skilled with wood, I am also experienced in welding and am able to do some to a degree. I do plan to add more steel working tools to my future shop.)

Please, let me know your thoughts. Pictures and/or drawings are welcome too.

Sincerest regards,

Ruffles

[Valentine]

I agree with Steviee, a crib that is easily switched back to a twin bed, and a highchair.

[Lil_Miss_Ruffles]

Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming.

Would any AB's be interested in oversize wooden baby toys (i.e. ABC blocks, wooden blocks like those played with in kindergarten, choo-choo trains, etc.)

Just a thought.

Ruffles

[baby-dandan]

Hi Gang!,

An adult sized crib would be the main thing I would like to have, and they are quite pricey (at least the ones the ones I've seen). If you could make them more affordable that would be great! I also am apprenticing in cabnetry, but I still have more to learn one day I hope to be able to build my own adult baby furniture, but I think it will take me a few years to become that advanced. Other objects I would be interested in are a toy box, a changing table, a high chair, and a rocking horse.

baby-dandan

[Guest Guest]

Changing table, crib, highchair.

[Chloe]

HI Lil Miss Ruffles,

I reckon 99.9% of all AB`s would love there own cot, and although a fold away one would be great, I have the idea to make just the surround part to go round a normal bed. Could be put up in minutes, easier to store, and alot cheaper to build / sell. maybe done for a double bed aswell ??

I feel if this is at the right price you may get a lot of customers a cot of any occasion, also would open up to people living at home still aswell.

Anyone else agree ?????

Also I love the Idea of a large rocking horse but fancy the cost of these would be extremly high ??

Throws tantrum *** I want my own cot *****

[Guest Guest]

reckon 99.9% of all AB`s would love there own cot, and although a fold away one would be great, I have the idea to make just the surround part to go round a normal bed. Could be put up in minutes, easier to store, and alot cheaper to build / sell. maybe done for a double bed aswell ??

That's a great idea, don't forget the optional locking top, and some kind of gate that people can rol in and out of at bed level, because a dropping rail really isn't an option.

[Lil_Miss_Ruffles]

Hello everyone.

I want to thank all of you for responding to my survey. It has helped me considerably in determining what products I will focus more on as well as how to offer them where they will hopefully be more affordable.

Construction will be of softwoods, hardwoods, or a combination of both due to strength requirements, also in regards to the higher quality ones (all hardwood).

There was a post to my same survey in another forum that explained why, at this time, these products are so expensive. Below I will show my response to that and why I believe I can do better.

Why does AB furniture cost so much? Simple so few people are actually going to buy it. It is the cost of setting up a business, equipment premises. Then you try and find customers.

BJ

My reply:

Hello BJ

In some part I agree with you. I have been in a business before many years ago and was flabbergasted by my overhead expenses.

Additionally, it is even more difficult for a business that specializes in only one item or genre. Take for example a piano store. Very expensive products and you don't see one going out there door every day. I used to work for a major Japanese electronic products company and one of their products were electronic keyboards, clear up to full-size organs. Their top of the line model sold for around $25,000 retail. My employee cost, should I have wanted one, would have been one fourth of that. Because of the slower sales rate however, versus other consumer products, such retail stores find it necessary to charge such prices just to stay in business; otherwise their overhead would close them down real soon. I understand this.

Myself, on the other hand, work out of my own shop. I don't have one now and have my tools/equipment set up in my garage for the current work on the house. When the new house is built though, I have a moderately sized shop planned to occupy the vary large, multi-room, basement area.

Secondly, I do not limit myself to one class of product, such as ABDL oriented paraphernalia. I also supplement my income with an assorted array of other custom woodworking projects; everything from oak breadboxes to Victorian gingerbread and custom furniture.

Also, the mommy works as I am semi-disabled with a heart condition, therefore my income is secondary to help pay for my monthly medications that keep me alive (no, I don't have insurance). Nonetheless, life has taught me to be a firm believer in the old adage, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket."

With woodworking I can easily diversify to whatever the demand may be.

My biggest reason for approaching the ABDL crowd is because I believe I can provide many of the same products out there at an appreciable cheaper price. I still have to make some profit of course, but I think I can do so and still be considerably fairer to the ABDL community price wise.

I have this survey going on three different forums and they have worked well to educate me as to what is wanted as well as some interesting ideas for things that are not available at all.

Although it will be my intent to offer all ranges of quality, hence also price range, it has become evident to me that there are many who would love to have something but just cannot afford it. To approach this, I hope to come up with some things that will be in a more affordable price-range for lower incomes, such as kits, less-fancy models, unfinished wood, possibly even the ability for customers to buy "parts" so that they could, as their income allows, buy the separate components and eventually put together what they wish.

This is still in the very early planning stages but I think that because of my ability to diversify, work out of my own home, and sell via online, I will be able to do this and see a profit while at the same time make these items more affordable for the consumer.

Now, should the day come where I have to hire employees to meet demand, then yes, I can see where some prices may have to go up. We're then looking at overhead costs again.

I'm going to try to keep it small enough to avoid that. The drawback to that may be extended waiting periods while I try to stay caught up with orders.

We shall see what we shall see I suppose.

All in all, I wish to thank everybody for their input to my inquiry. It has helped considerably in establishing what I plan to do and offer.

Again, thank you for your responses.

Sincerely,

ruffles

[Guest Me2]

Here are My ideas for AB/DL furniture:

I have a larege wicker rocking chair. Very large.. I have added to it by attaching rings and attachment points to the steel frame beneath the wicker. I have a large pink corduroy chair seat from one of those cheap folding chairs. That fits the rocker perfectly and becomes My "Cuddle/Bondage seat" I clamp the material to the chairback and seat. I can tip My large baby backward on the rockers and kick chocks under the front runners and bingo, a baby carseat with straps!

When not in use, all the rings and attachment points fold back underneath the wicker arms and back and the chair returns to "civilian use"

For a large crib. make the sides fold, not *down* but down and *under*. Build the bed platform area with a shelf onto which the sides slide onto, sideways like drawers. If one side sildes in on a slightly higher shelf, the other slides onto a shels below the first, you can have railings as tall as the bed is wide! Much taller than if they folded downward. For the taller head and footboard, hinged in half horisontally so that the headboard folds down behind itself (or in front if the bed isn't on wheels) aand the footboard likewise. Folded down double on hidden hinges, they look like a regular headboard and footboard. The hidden surface inside could even be painted with teddybears, blocks etc. Folded up, they would attach to the railings that come out from under the bed frame shelf. Folded down and covered by a regular bedskirt, they would be completely invisible even on close inspection!

For a giant rocking horse, it's simple. Just make it. A horse shaped body with a flat "seat" top. large rockers, tail etc.. Then, the seat area is the trick part! The seat has holes in one side which are the size needed for largish ceramic plant pots. Get some artificial )or even real) spider plants or hanging fern type plants and et them on the seat. A plant holder. It could even be painted to look like a carousel horse. It would be set on a flat floor stand so that the horse is immobile, the rockers fitting into place in slots in the stand. To change it into toddler furniture, remove the plants, lift the rockers out of the stand, set the rocking horse on the floor and take the seat off and flip it over and reset it (now with the padded side upward!) back on the horse. You could have a dowel/handle set through the horse head even as a plant stand. Just hang a plant off it. reins could be stored in a zippered compartment on the cushion on the seat.

A toddler "walkabout" or cruiser could be made from a heavy television stand with wheels. Or perhaps that would be the furniture item that the cruiser could be made to resemble.

High chair? Made from (or to resemble) a barstool or dinette stool. What I would do would be to buy one of those "captain's chairs" with the bowed back and arms, and remove the legs, replacing them with barstool legs. The shelf unit could be made to fit onto the arms. A footrest could likewise be bolted onto the legs and removed when not in use.

For the net playpen, it would be an easy thing to buy two or more volleyball nets and string them onto a frame. The frame would be the trickier part. Other possibilities include net hammocks or tennis netting. Frames could be fabricated from tent frames purchased at any sporting goods store.

What I use for a cage is a good old fashioned "X-pen" from PetSmart. Eight tall sections of steel barrier, lockable and fitted with ground bolts, once in the "kennel" My puppies can't go anywhere! Instead of the clips they supply to close the structure, I use padlocks.

For an auto swing, one must think of what sort of heavy reciprocal motors are out there to move the swing back and forth. The only reciprocal motion motors I know of in use are windshield wiper motors (friend of Mine has a Fsking machine made from one) but they would be too light. But something similar might be found. I don't know. The other possibility would be to use a windshield wiper motor, but not at the top to "swing" the device back and forth (takes a lot of power) but at the *bottom* to pull and push the swing back and forth (takes less power). The swing itself could be made from UniStrut or similar materials with a canvas seat specially made to fit into/onto the arms of the device. This, naturally, would be impossible to hide. it would be an item of dungeon furniture I would love to have.

Anyway, those are My ideas.

Alsi, did you all know that Lego and Tinkertoys both make giant sized versions of their sets? The Tinkertoys are absolutely huge! The Legos likewise and easily make a person feel small when playing with them.

Hope some of these ideas can be used.

Here's a link for My phone babies to call! I would love to talk to sweet babies from all over and I'm reasonable, too!

Lady Sonelle

[Ryu]

I would absolutely love a walker. The last time I was able to fit into one of the baby ones was when I was 8. A highchair is also a must.