How a woodworking commission works
Brief the piece, pick a maker, and keep your money protected until the furniture is in your home.
From sketch to delivered piece
- Brief the pieceWhat it is, finished dimensions, species and finish if you know them, photos of where it will go, a sketch or reference images, your deadline, your delivery address and a budget range.
- Compare makersWoodworkers reply with a price and a timeline. Look through their past pieces, completed jobs and reviews, and ask about joinery, wood sourcing and delivery before you choose.
- Accept a bid and payCard payment goes through Stripe. The Spool List holds it, and the maker isn't paid until you've confirmed delivery.
- Receive it and confirmFollow progress photos in the app while it's built: the glued-up top, the dry-fit base, the first coat of finish. Once the piece arrives and you confirm delivery, the maker receives the payment.
The table you want doesn't come flat-packed.
Your size, your species, your finish. Post one brief, compare bids from verified woodworkers, and keep your payment protected until the piece is in your home.
Post your piece →What custom woodwork costs
Figures from HomeAdvisor's custom furniture cost guide (published September 2021). US national figures; your bids will vary.
Why commission woodwork here instead of in a DM
Paid when the piece arrives
You pay when you accept a bid. The platform holds that money and releases it to the maker once you confirm the piece reached you.
Makers bid on your piece
One brief reaches every verified maker with the skills it needs: furniture, cabinetry, turning, carving or CNC. Compare price, timeline, reviews and past work side by side.
The bid is what you pay
Buyers pay the maker's quoted price. The Spool List adds no buyer fee on top.
Reviews from finished commissions
A maker's reviews are tied to completed orders, so every rating comes from someone who actually commissioned them.
Scope in writing
Species, dimensions, joinery and finish are agreed in the job before work starts, so nobody has to remember what was said on the phone.
A dispute path, not an unanswered inbox
If a piece stalls or doesn't match the agreed scope, raise a dispute from the app. The Spool List reviews any that the two of you can't settle.
Every commission on The Spool List is a job with a written scope, so 'walnut, 72 by 38 inches, oil finish, breadboard ends' means the same thing to both of you, in writing, before money moves.
Furniture takes time, and solid wood has to be dried, milled and left to settle before it's cut to final size. The maker can post milestone photos in the app as the piece comes together. Payment still goes to the maker in a single release once you confirm delivery.
If a piece stalls or arrives different from the agreed scope, the dispute process looks at the brief, the progress photos and your messages. That's the part a text thread can't give you.