Shop Owners, How long have you been in business?

[Dualkit]

Please answer honestly. It has been my contention machining is rare in that a large number of people became self-employed part time or either full time self employed during our current recession. Anyone paid direct for work done on machinery they own is considered a shop owner for this poll. Even if you are just turning a few dozen brake drums a month on a $500 lathe. Use the date you did your first paying job as a start date.

Similar Threads:

• Shop saber owners - where are you?
• Question for all the shop owners.

[Geof]

I have been active on CNCzone since July 2005 and my impression is that the number of shop owner/operators on the forum has declined since 2008. Back in the early 2000's I think there was a surge in self-employment based in some (maybe a large) part on people being able to finance machinery purchases as a result of increasing home valuations. Many people who used to post back then who did have there own shops have since dissappeared.

[Dualkit]

The self employment surge I saw was due to guys that were used to working 60 plus hours a week, ending up having their hours and perks cut. I knew a tool maker who was allowed unlimited over time, cut to 32 hours a week. He started taking side work from old contacts. I believe he is still in business he started in 2006. The other two guys I know who started about the same time and for the same reason are no longer in business. As for me been in business 16 years, started part time making undersized alternator pulleys for a contact made through a friend and went from there, full time since 1999.

[dblox]

Worked in electronics for 7 years straight after dropping out of highschool. Bought a used CNC machining center off a guy going bust in Oct 2008 at age 24. Didn't have any experience in machining except occasionaly trimming plastic in an RF-31. My electronics boss generously allowed me to store my machine on his factory floor to use after my regular work hours. Got my own little factory unit when things picked up 16 months later and became full time in May 2010.
Now I have a casual employee and am looking at buying my second machining center. Hard work pays off.

I've still never touched a lathe though and wouldn't know what to do with a grinder if I had one.

If the internet didn't exist I would honestly not know the first thing about CNC machining.

[Thinwater]

I was a serious hobby machinest with older machine tools and a toy cnc mill then I took cnc machining and Mastercam programming at the college for a year. My partner and I started Tactical Machining 4 years ago with a Haas VF2. We are up to two VF2SS, A VF4SS, a VF4, a SL10 lathe, and are finishing the set up of our first horizontal, a Doosan 4 axis machine this week. We also have a 14 x 40 non cnc lathe, 54" 20 ton broach, and a pile of tooling. We are up to 16 full time employees and will need a few more, including one more "Real machinest" (Not a parts changer/tool setter) very soon.

I work 16-17 hrs/6 days a week and still have my day job. I am having a load study done on my power to see if I can add another horizontal without upgrading the service. My partner bought a 12,000 ft building to put it all in.

We have hired some very good machinests (Much better than me) and they have done a great job for us.

CNC zone was a big part of learning this business. I have many more products that I want to make but have no machine time available.

We make our own parts and put other companies names on them for them to sell. We are not a "Job shop" and take no walk in type work at all.

[Geof]

....I work 16-17 hrs/6 days a week and still have my day job.....

That's the way to do it!!!!

My 'day job' when I started my shop was part time teaching at local colleges. Early in year 5 I was offered two permanent teaching positions and turned them down to concentrate on my business. That was in 1985, now I have something like 25 spindles, lathe and mill, running in my shop and we export our own products worldwide.

And I no longer work 96 hour weeks. Actually if I wanted to I could work less than a 9.6 hour week but that would be boring.

Those early days of burning the candle at both ends and in the middle sure paid off.

[MBG]

I was a serious hobby machinest with older machine tools and a toy cnc mill then I took cnc machining and Mastercam programming at the college for a year. My partner and I started Tactical Machining 4 years ago with a Haas VF2. We are up to two VF2SS, A VF4SS, a VF4, a SL10 lathe, and are finishing the set up of our first horizontal, a Doosan 4 axis machine this week. We also have a 14 x 40 non cnc lathe, 54" 20 ton broach, and a pile of tooling. We are up to 16 full time employees and will need a few more, including one more "Real machinest" (Not a parts changer/tool setter) very soon.

I work 16-17 hrs/6 days a week and still have my day job. I am having a load study done on my power to see if I can add another horizontal without upgrading the service. My partner bought a 12,000 ft building to put it all in.

We have hired some very good machinests (Much better than me) and they have done a great job for us.

CNC zone was a big part of learning this business. I have many more products that I want to make but have no machine time available.

We make our own parts and put other companies names on them for them to sell. We are not a "Job shop" and take no walk in type work at all.

Are you in Deland,fl? I think I heard of your company. Glad to see your doing well.

[Thinwater]

Are you in Deland,fl? I think I heard of your company. Glad to see your doing well.

In DeLand, at the airport industrial area.

[A1CNC]

I started my side business in 2005. I literally was doing some work in my back yard and under a car-port while waiting to get the garage built!

I too started my business while working full time. I did both untill I was laid off. The company I worked for had to scale down their work force by ~20% 3 years ago and I have been on my own since.

1st cnc was a combo plasma / router. Shortly after (~6-8 months) I realized I needed a cnc mill and found (2) Bridgeport series 2's with Boss8 controls. Then I realized the big job I did with 12 toolchanges per part was a drag on a Kwik-switch machine! I found (2) small machining centers with tool-changers cheap.

Today, I have (3) Vmc's, (1) Hardinge Superslant, (1) Grizzly 9x20 converted to cnc, Etc... In the same 20 x 24 2 car garage I started in.

[Dualkit]

Right now 40% started during the recession. The manufacturing recession started in 2007 and hasn't gotten any better. That is 40% that are still alive, for every one still breathing I bet two are gone. Kind of backs up my theory that the economy forced a flood of start ups that further depressed prices shops could charge. Considering the circumstances it will take a long time to pull out of this downturn.

[sunny_daise]

We start the business for a long time, one half is from my family, one half is from myself. If you want to learn the business, then you can have a lot of time to do it.

[cncmakers001]

Since 2008, thanks for all my friends supporting me.

[sherry rose]

i am in business several months ago, begin is very difficult, but i think i can hold on. i belive, my life and tomorrow will be better.