Any Money Making Ideas?

[rweatherly]

Although I made my DIY CNC mill mainly for personal use, I think it would be interesting to hear any ideas that others have regarding making money with their machine.

I have seen a few posted, including making parts for the JGRO mill, wood sign cutting, cutting vinyl for painted or sandblasted signs/art.

Are there any other ideas out there?

Thanks,

Richard

[signIT]

Make dog signs! so called shadows they are very popular here in Sweden you can make them of cheap hardened Masonite, paint them with a good black spray paint.

I have seen that metal rockers have a kind of stylize deathskull made of aluminium coated with fluorescent tape a simple part that many young people would buy.


SignIT

[rweatherly]

SignIT-

Tell me more about the dog signs. I don't quite understand the process.

[ToyMaker]

Here's a (short) list of things people here have suggested you can make with a CNC Router/Mill that have sales potential.

1. Aircraft parts

a. Airfoil patterns
b. Ribs
c. Spars
d. Panels
e. Firewalls

2. Belt buckles
3. Branding Irons
4. Clock parts

a. Dials
b. Escapements
c. Escutcheons
d. Hands
e. Pendulums
f. Weight shells
g. Wheels (gears)

5. Cutout Letters (foam, MDF, aluminum)

a. Block
b. Cursive
c. Gothic

6. Custom car & truck parts

a. Door handles (interior)
b. Door lock knobs
c. Fill caps

i. Brake fluid
ii. Coolant
iii. Oil
iv. Transmission fluid
v. Windshield washer

d. Hood ornaments
e. Keyhole plates
f. Peddles
g. Radio knobs

7. Decoys, Hunting
8. Engraving

a. Bracelets
b. Fobs
c. Nail trimmers

9. Gun parts
10. Instrument panels
11. Jigsaw puzzles
12. Key fobs
13. Laminate inlays for trashcans
14. Motorboat windshields
15. Picture Frames
16. Plaques

a. Memorial
b. Name (desk, wall)
c. Trophy mounting

17. Rotation, injection, & blow mold inserts
18. Stamps & dies for clay work
19. Stamps for scrap books
20. Stencils
21. Switch plates, electrical
22. Tool wall racks & holders
23. Vinyl floor tile inlays
24. Weather vanes
25. Wood toys

a. Automobiles
b. Planes
c. Trains

26. Wood washroom symbols for outhouses



robotic regards,

Tom
= = = = =
"When you're messing with a flirt, you're flirting with a mess."
- - Dennis R. Ridley

[signIT]

Use this idea, take a photo of a dog or cat and convert it to a sillhouette, convert this to a PLT file or G-code, load the router with cheap Masonite and run paint the sillhouette black and sell it to people with dog and cats they just love it, and you get some nice money so you can build a high speed router and make some real nice products, here is a link on how to make a sillhoutte.

http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=200580

Leffe

[pen25]

ya know if you have a big enough router.. one could take some simple diy speakerdesigns.. cut the plates and sell them on ebay.. i good speaker design and proper cuts allowin the diy'er to put it together at home and sound good can be a money maker.. design the cabnet around a speaker that is reasonable price at parts-express

[chuckknigh]

If you have a 4th axis, you could make wooden pens, too.

Those always sell well...and with a CNC you could do some interesting faceted and "engine turned" effects to help differentiate yours from everyone else's.

Thinking about it, I would probably like a faceted wooden pen...maybe in a nice exotic hardwood like ebony or paduak. Or a native like Osage Orange.

-- Chuck Knight