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Etsy & The Copper Post Top Story

Click on any picture to see a larger version.

Decorative wood, metal, and plastic caps can be found for all standard size posts. Deck builders use these prefabricated post toppers frequently or build their own in the wood shop. Post tops protect the exposed end grain of railing or stair newel posts from rain and premature cracking, splitting, and rotting. The post tops on my porch railing, of course, were not a standard size, and I wanted metal. Specifically, I wanted copper.

Figure 2 - Hand-crafted copper post top custom-sized to perfectly fit. I know, I know... the railings need painting, and I am going to do that before permanently installing these beautiful pieces!

Searching the internet for a square, slightly pyramidal in shape, copper post top with inside dimensions of 7-3/8" X 7-3/8" is like trying to find a needle in a worldwide haystack. Luckily, I stumbled onto Etsy and found a lady who could make the copper pieces to my exact specifications. She developed a special listing called "Steve's Post Tops" and I paid her via credit card through the Etsy site… within a few days she shipped me seven copper post tops that were perfect. Perfect fit, perfect design, perfectly made.

Many of you are likely already familiar with Etsy… I was not. Turns out, this is a web site with huge potential for woodworkers who make artsy and crafty things. Opening an Etsy "store front" is relatively easy and as soon as you list your original handmade items millions and millions of people can see your works of art and, hopefully, purchase them. For a quick look at what other people are selling, go to Etsy's web site and enter "wood boxes" or "wood turnings" or anything else made from wood, in the search box and you will see hundreds of offerings. You, too, could be making extra money on Etsy!

I realize I am very late to the game describing Etsy and many of you may already be familiar with the site… I don't spend inordinate amounts of time surfing the internet or shopping on line, so I am likely tilling old soil here, but if you make things out of wood and would like to try your hand at selling your work without the hassle and expense of opening your own online store, this might be just the ticket. Etsy has been around just over ten years and is classified as a peer-to-peer e-commerce site, specializing in hand made and vintage items. Factory-made knock-offs are a no-no. The site collects a small listing fee for each item you post, and a commission on each item sold. You might think of it as a craft fair on a global scale. The ability to make and sell a custom item, like the copper artisan did with my post tops, might be especially appealing to some woodworkers. Check it out.

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Steven Johnson is retired from an almost 30-year career selling medical equipment and supplies, and now enjoys improving his shop, his skills, and his designs on a full time basis (although he says home improvement projects and furniture building have been hobbies for most of his adult life). Steven can be reached directly via email at sjohnson@downtoearthwoodworking.com

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