> 200 years ago when a lot more people spent time building wooden ships, it was much easier to get a carpenter to build a table/furniture at a relatively afford

> 200 years ago when a lot more people spent time building wooden ships, it was much easier to get a carpenter to build a table/furniture at a relatively affordable price point. I'm going to make a call on that claim. Keep in mind that 200 years ago was 1817, well before the rise of the middle class. I bet that far fewer people could afford the luxury of getting a table even approaching the quality of an Ikea table, let alone what a few $100 extra will get you for a custom table today.