Anyone bring your machines to a Flea Market, Craft Fair, Steam Club or other event?

[slashmaster]

Anyone have a somewhat portable cnc machine that you bring to public events to try to make money? If so, what do you have and how do you do it? This is something I'd like to attempt but a normal x3 takes a lot of time to break down and build back up..

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[ninefinger]

I haven't done it myself but I've seen it done with a router type machine. All they would do was engrave the side of a pre-made cube or medallion. So your setup is the same each time and you can simply change the image you are engraving.
I think you could leverage that along with some sample to get interest in machining stuff offsite - but most people will be hit with sticker shock when you tell them how many hours and $'s its going to take to make the custom thing they want.
I'd like to bring a lathe to show off and try and raise interest in my live steam club but even my Compact 5 lathe is still too difficult to move without tearing it apart.
Mike

[slashmaster]

I haven't done it myself but I've seen it done with a router type machine. All they would do was engrave the side of a pre-made cube or medallion. So your setup is the same each time and you can simply change the image you are engraving.
I think you could leverage that along with some sample to get interest in machining stuff offsite - but most people will be hit with sticker shock when you tell them how many hours and $'s its going to take to make the custom thing they want.
I'd like to bring a lathe to show off and try and raise interest in my live steam club but even my Compact 5 lathe is still too difficult to move without tearing it apart.
Mike

Yeah, was thinking about starting by brining a non cnc mini lathe to the local steam club, put it on the picnic table, run an extension cord and work on whatever my current project is. Maybe somebody who breaks something or didn't finish it so it works well will come to me while I'm working and ask?

What does that compact 5 weigh? Seems like it would be light enough to move just by taking off the tailstock and chuck?

[CNCMAN172]

I have seen this done in the back of a covered trailer. The guy had his machine bolted to the floor of the trailer and had chairs on the side. I think it was about a 3x5' machine. This was at a crafts show and he would vcarve your kids names in various plaques that were ready to go except for the engraving which only takes a few minutes. I sometimes travel up to Northern Michigan to the Buckley Old Steam Engine show, an amazing event. Several years back another guy did the same thing. He had a small Honda generator for power.

https://www.google.com/#q=michigan%2...72858744415716

[slashmaster]

I have seen this done in the back of a covered trailer. The guy had his machine bolted to the floor of the trailer and had chairs on the side. I think it was about a 3x5' machine. This was at a crafts show and he would vcarve your kids names in various plaques that were ready to go except for the engraving which only takes a few minutes. I sometimes travel up to Northern Michigan to the Buckley Old Steam Engine show, an amazing event. Several years back another guy did the same thing. He had a small Honda generator for power.

https://www.google.com/#q=michigan%2...72858744415716

Interesting! I want to see if I can find that, do you remember who either of them were?

[CNCMAN172]

No I did not know either of them personally. Just CNC is a hobby of mine and I thought it was kind of cool to see this at that kind of show. Years before I saw a guy do something similar with the plaques but he had a hand router and letter guides. The CNC thing was way faster and neater. Actually not difficult to do if you have a generator. I remember the spindle they used in both cases was like a Porter Cable router, not a three phase spindle.

Russ

[ninefinger]

Sorry - should have been clearer - Its a Compact5 CNC. The CNC part seems to add as much weight as the lathe itself. If I had to guess its 150lbs right now in its converted state. The tailstock is laughably light - maybe 2lbs. Same goes for the Chuck - maybe 3lbs - its only a 3" chuck. Most of the weight is in the bed, the motor and the sheet metal structure - its not thin gauge stuff.
Now that its converted though I think I can take the "electronics" box off the back pretty easy (4 bolts) and everything is connectorized so I might actually be able to move it without killing myself. I can do 100lbs if I can grab it right, just not 150!
Mike