I have written in these pages before how important it is to never throw good wood away no mater how small the scrap is. The scroll saw is the one tool in the shop that gives you the opportunity to use up these cut offs. Not every project we make has to include intricate fretwork or take hours to cut.Sometime the project can just be about the wood and not the design. I had some small scraps of beautiful curly maple. The 3d rays in this stuff can't be seen well in a picture but in person it's truly amazing. I contrasted that with some hardwood walnut dowel and made a very simple business card holder.
If you sell your work at craft shows it's important to have products that everyone can afford. A piece like this made from scraps in only minutes can have a higher percentage of profit even thought the price is relatively low.
If I were selling this at a show I would put a tag on it that said "Beautiful handcrafted business card holder. Hand cut from highly figured curly maple and contrasting walnut. No old growth lumber was cut to make this product." Depending on the location of the show I would charge in the range of $9.95. Let's say you could only make four of these an hour which would be no problem. Your gross is going to be $40 and hour minus low expenses. Even if your expenses reached 25% you are still making $30 an hour. Try to make that much selling highly detailed fretwork pieces. It's almost impossible. It is true that you may have to sell ten of these to make the same money as one fretwork clock but sometimes these will be the only thing that sells and can make the difference of a bust or successful show.
I'm not trying to say that this project would necessarily be a good seller. It may or it may not. You have to try projects out sometimes to find out what sells. My point is that sometimes selling many small projects can make up for not selling a large one and the percentage of profit per time invested can be even better. Just something to think about if you are considering jumping into a craft show.
