Who is making money with their CNC... - Page 5


View Poll Results: Who is making money with their CNC machine?

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  • Not a dime! I use it for fun/my own projects.

    248 24.36%
  • Mainly a hobby, any money made is just gravy.

    207 20.33%
  • I make some on-the-side money, not quitting my day job!

    247 24.26%
  • I better make money! This machine IS my job!

    316 31.04%
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Thread: Who is making money with their CNC...

  1. #81
    Registered chronon1's Avatar
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    do yuo think someone would buy this ?

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Who is making money with their CNC...-wars1-jpg  


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    I think that people looking to make money from the simple use and custom jobs directly, are up against a pretty hard sell... that is, typically machines not as big, fast and accurate as purely commercial machines... a tough sell. However, unless it's just a sideline thing where any money is good, only then can you undercut the commercial cousins.

    ...but the real opportunity to make money is coming up with some other "thing" that the CNC can make for you, something unique and special for a given market... selling this "thing" is where there is money to be had in a CNC saturated market.



  3. #83
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    Arrow

    Definitely has to be unique.. otherwise the big boys have a mold and plastic and cranking out thousands a day ... Course as soon as something gets out, as discussed elsewhere on this board, (i'll let you read it instead of repeating it) ...

    I saw one of those 'enco' type mills with 1/4HP motor for the spindle and nice little aluminum T-slotted table, think it was 7x9x6 .. they were asking $800 .. had quick move speeds of 30 ipm -- that would offer the better accuracy for prototyping .. at a reasonable $ --

    Come on, someone on this board has some formula to sell something ... some one suggested to sell household & garden items, and said the more 'feel good' and less useful it was the faster the sell ... ( which i guess means there are alot of people needing to feel good out there with extra money to try and do it with - let me not stand in the way of their 'pursuit of hapiness') .

    I think the 'War Sucks!' plaque would help people pissed off at this afghan/iraq situation 'feel better' by displaying their feelings ... maybe it's a little too radical and needs to be toned down more for the masses with more polishing the edges and less rough cut .. maybe I should afix it to a stick which you can put at in your garden or front lawn / walkway.. dang .. this is just starting a great brain-storm going here .....
    What if i changed 'war' to the current political figure of dislike .. ??? that might reach a few nitch persons, but perhaps a more widespread solution is what is in store..... i guess i need the virtual black board for the other team players to shout out



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    yup... stuff like that. Lots of little obscure "things" that can be made to sell. And the more grass roots and specialised you can get, the better. There's lots of obscure hobbies that can be marketed to, and what's more awesome is everyone involved in them get online to buy stuff. I have a bunch of ideas, but wont tell until I've made my CNC, made the molds, cast them, and have the site up and selling 'em.



  5. #85
    Member handlewanker's Avatar
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    Money, who wants money? before you can even think of making money, you must be tooled up to do what it is that you are going to do.
    This is not such a simple task. Here is an example. What would you do if someone came to you right now and said "I want 100 parts made to this drawing and I want them yesterday".
    The hypothetical contract is worth $1 per item and the lead time is 1 week. The hypothetical customer requires 100 parts per week and the total quantity is 2000.
    The part is a small brass bush .501" bore X .626" OD X .500" long with the usual tolerances and material type as required by the customer.
    Simple? Wouldn't we like jobs like this?
    How are you going to do it. There must be a dozen ways and each one has it's own drawbacks.
    You find customers like this in the fringe industries supplying the aircomppressor industries and other people making garden sprinkler fittings that are sold at local weekend markets.
    The problem with this simple hypothetical job is, can you actually go out and buy material and start producing parts right now, or are you going to go round in circles because you're not up to doing it?
    There's tons of money to be made, but you've got to be ready for it. Nothing pees off a customer more than a late delivery or jobs that are out of spec.
    I worked evenings and weekends in the late 80's and 90's using a handcranked capstan lathe of 1940's vintage making parts such as these, in the garage.
    The tools were all hand ground form tools (no tool & cutter grinder).
    Did I make any money? Well I did it for about 7 years and paid tax on the output, so I must have done something right.
    If you're not ready you won't get to the starting pad, and you won't get the work.
    The most important thing is to get a nucleus of machinability, to start off with and build on your profit to increase your tooling inventary.
    One thing for sure, if you think it's just going to be a hobby/make a few bucks and generally have a good time, go back to bed and stop dreaming.
    Making money is a very competative game and you can't muck about.
    Oh yeah. I forgot to mention, down at our end of the foodchain the buying power for materials does not raise much excitement and so does not get anyone bending over backward to supply you with a few rods of material at the very best price.
    If you're already making parts and some money then you're launched and running, and pretty soon you'll be browzing the catalogues for the super Wotzit CNC slant turn thingy, but if it's still just a wistfull dream then think about the hypothetical job I just mentioned and think how you would go about making a simple job like that, and how much money you need to just get started.
    This also applies to other materials and job styles be it wood, metal or plastic.
    Ian.



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    The very first tool is knowledge. Once you know, there are things you can make with just a drill press. The more money you wish to make, the more you need to invest. The biggest issue is what do the zoning laws say? In my town, there is NO light manufacturing allowed in residential areas. As the building inspector put it though, "Don't ask, don't tell, don't employ, don't have customers coming to your door (ie deliver or mail order), don't make noise that upsets the neighbors, don't upset the neighbors, don't have a mess and no problem."



  7. #87
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    mrwild, I see you have the problem of zoning laws too. From what I've been reading on these forums I came to the conclusion that "light industry" was a normal occupation in US residential neighbourhoods.
    In OZ we have 'zoned for residential' which means you live there and park the car in the garage, that is if you're not doing some "business", otherwise you park the car in the driveway and it's busines at all hours.
    Which leads me to tell a quick funny story. I once had a small ongoing sub contract job to supply the firm that I worked for with some brass strikes for Commission house doors. A commission house is a local council owned house that is rented out
    A strike is the part on the door frame that the lock bolt "strikes when the door closes and so locks the door.
    I had to make these parts from hard drawn brass angle and one of the operations required a square hole to be punche out on my fly press, a nine ton widow maker.
    A fly press is one of those hand machines that has a handle with a ball at the end and this is rotated to drive the ram down.
    On this particular night, the job had reached a thrilling stage where it only wanted a few more hours to do a bit of linishing and then delivery. So at 1.00AM I started to punch out the holes, 40 in all. It was dead quiet, swung the handle, down came the ram, KADOOMPKAKA!!!!!!!! and the next door neighbour's dog went woooofff wooooffff woooofff. Oh ****e, then dead silence, load another part, KADOOOMPKAKA!!!! WOOOOFFF WOOOOFFFF WOOOOFFFF. silence. This happened 40 times at 3 minute intervals.
    Lucky to say my next door neighbour didn't bat an eyelid, and so I got it made and went off to bed.
    One of the biggest problems with backyard manufacturing is getting rid of the waste material such as oily swarf. Usually when it gets to the point where you're employing people it's time to move and share a larger factoryette with someone else who'se compatible with your work process.
    Definately to be avoided is the long lease on a share basis with another person that has a job that will clash with yours. Such as you're doing machining and assembly and down at the other end a guy is hammering away at a sawbench. Soon you can taste the wood dust in your sleep.
    That's life. Getting there is the hard part, staying there is in the lap of your god.
    Ian.



  8. #88
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    Hi thekm, I would avoid anything specialised unless your really geared up to hold your own. Starting out all you want to find is those low volume jobs that the big guys with their expensive,new CNC set-ups turn away because it takes more time to set up than actually producing.
    OK so they are tedious and don't pay megabucks, but they are plentifull and they do make you productive. The big bonus is, down at your end of the dung heap you'll be working at home, this means no overheads apart from the bit of extra power you'll be using.
    There are tons of people out there who are making things but don't have the expertise to do the machining from raw material. I made parts for a guy who sold table lamps and wall lamps to a retailer.
    He didn't have any machining capacity, so I filled the gap in his chain and supplied whatever he needed and he did the finishing and plating etc, and we made a lot of music together.
    I'm speaking from an engineering point of view but other industries have the same infrastructure.
    I would never dream of getting involved with making something that everyone wants because this leads to every man and his dog getting in on the act and before you know it your cutting your own throat just to get the job.
    That kind of stress on a small playing field is the pitts.
    Before you even think of making something search the market to see if it is wanted. One item that is very desirable is brass namplates for homes.
    OK so the big boys are doing this all the time, but you've got no overheads and once you get your unique style of patterns together another home based industry is born.
    Ian.



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    I agree with Handlewanker 100%.. You have to find a Niche market/Item to manufacture and sell. As HW said there are items suitable for the Home based business and you have an advantage with low overheads etc...

    Our business is based around a CNC router. We produce Boat kits and ship all over Australia and we are just about to appoint a distributor in New Zealand.

    We have one employee. Not making heaps of money yet but it is a viable business.. www.capeboatworks.com.au

    You need to do your research, knock on doors and most importantly ' Prepare a Business Plan'.. nothing fancy just put your ideas, marketing strategies on paper..

    No 1 piece of advice... Take a Risk...

    Most people are looking for the 100% secure option.. that is why they never do anything...

    Forget the Security...look for the Opportunity.

    now get out there and look for the opportunities... they are out there.

    Cheers



  10. #90
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    Great advice Moondog. I completely concur. Those people that succeed are never the ones that took the sure thing. They had faith, hope, and courage.

    It has been a wonderful experience over the last couple of months. I have been inspired by the people that I interact with. Initially, I had the impression that the metalworking industry was a dying dinosaur. In the larger caliber it is. However, people are using our machines and others to make a real, viable, profitable business in this field. Almost all of these people are focused, dedicated, and proud of their products, and are making real progress. Most it is their only business. They make a good living, and I will enjoy watching them grow. Go kick some butt!

    Direction, Commitment, Follow Through


  11. #91
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    Default Looking for the money

    Back in 2004 I was looking for something that would supplement my income. I followed a lot of on-line sites including this one. My background in machining is almost non existent, but have been around computer controlled items for a long time, liked working in wood and this seemed a natural progression. Biggest thing was that I felt competition would be low at the bottom end.

    So, in October 2004 an opportunity to buy a "deal" on E-Bay started the black hole. My brothers stories about boats seem to become mine only with CNC. I bought more software than I could keep track of. The machine was European design with serial connection and suited for HPGL more than G-code.

    After a ton of misadventures, in November of 2006 I am actually making things. Nothing complicated, but I can now control the machine.

    My intention is the local "cute" or "wow" products that can be sold in a consignment store. On the list is to contact local jewelers to see if they want a logo put into boxes. The sign market is full of people with hand controlled routers that can do that. Could have gotten into custom cabinet door engraving, but jobs required capacity of 36" by 48" in order to do the larger doors of a set and mine is only 15" by 23".

    I made a couple engraved university logo signs, but quickly got a registered letter from the school to quit or go to court. Luckily they were first tries and I didn't charge for them. Need to get some advise on Trademarks and Copyrights.

    So, still looking for the product and probably behind $8 K without putting value on my time. Haven't given up yet or seen the tunnel light.



  12. #92
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    Default very difficult road to travel and compete against cheap 3rd world labor

    Man that seems similar to my situation .. I didn't spend as much on a machine and software but of course your time is not worth anything except the experience you gain ( hoping that you can havea good memory or ability to retain your exp) - when you start selling, and after the machine is paid for, then you get compensation on your gamble of time investment...

    I think you must be able to do something that can be reproduced quickly - unless you are doing custom things, but it seems most people want those
    nick nack knock offs that must be nearly mass produced ...


    Quote Originally Posted by SteveS View Post
    Back in 2004 I was looking for something that would supplement my income. I followed a lot of on-line sites including this one. My background in machining is almost non existent, but have been around computer controlled items for a long time, liked working in wood and this seemed a natural progression. Biggest thing was that I felt competition would be low at the bottom end.

    So, in October 2004 an opportunity to buy a "deal" on E-Bay started the black hole. My brothers stories about boats seem to become mine only with CNC. I bought more software than I could keep track of. The machine was European design with serial connection and suited for HPGL more than G-code.

    After a ton of misadventures, in November of 2006 I am actually making things. Nothing complicated, but I can now control the machine.

    My intention is the local "cute" or "wow" products that can be sold in a consignment store. On the list is to contact local jewelers to see if they want a logo put into boxes. The sign market is full of people with hand controlled routers that can do that. Could have gotten into custom cabinet door engraving, but jobs required capacity of 36" by 48" in order to do the larger doors of a set and mine is only 15" by 23".

    I made a couple engraved university logo signs, but quickly got a registered letter from the school to quit or go to court. Luckily they were first tries and I didn't charge for them. Need to get some advise on Trademarks and Copyrights.

    So, still looking for the product and probably behind $8 K without putting value on my time. Haven't given up yet or seen the tunnel light.




  13. #93
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    Hi Steve, All dressed up and nowhere to go Huh? Here's a few ideas that might give you some outlets for your enthusiasm.
    I now and then make parts for model steam railway engines, and the castings are the expensive bits, especially if the part is not a commercially available off the shelf model.
    To get to the casting part you need a pattern and this can be quite complex in shape, and time consuming to make.
    Just one item comes to mind and that is the wood patterns for cylinder and wheel castings with all the spokes etc.
    If I had a CNC set-up on the smaller side I'd be looking at making patterns like these etc.
    A bit of research as to the requirements and demand would pay off.
    Once you have a set of patterns for a popular item you can make many castings from them and that is where the money would be made.
    Ian.



  14. #94
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    Handlewanker,

    I have heard of many people in hobbies that need CNC parts. Problem is that if you are not into the particular hobby, then you don't know what to produce. There is also the chance that you could miss a subtle feature that causes a real problem in performance or assembly. Then your reputation is shot.

    I think the ideal is to come from the hobby to CNC and then return.

    I used to travel to Iowa on business and there was a guy that had a half dozen steam engine contraptions on the front acre. When he would start one of them every so often, I could watch for hours.

    Back to your idea, I will have to think on that. Metal casting will not work out too well in my neighborhood, but simple injection molding could. Cars haven't been in the garage in years.

    Maybe that is another survey, how many people with CNC can park in their garage?



  15. #95
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    Hi Steve, I wouldn't contemplate doing the casting yourself in any form whatsoever.
    Too much outlay and knowledge required, apart from the expertise with handling molten metal.
    The type of castings I refer to are the intricate ones that take hours to produce the patterns for, and these are for scale models etc.
    To do anything requires accumulating knowledge so that you can speak with authority.
    There are quite a number of people who run small foundries and will carry out the type of work I mentioned.
    Even if you've never seen a pattern for a casting or know what is required to produce one, it is essential to get to know what is required to make a pattern that a foundryman can work with.
    The learning curve is how good you are in figuring out and finding out.
    If you know of any model steam clubs or the like then go to one of their meets and see if it's something that you can relate to.
    The fascination for old world steam engines is almost as bad as doing photography and that is a bug that bites deep and long.
    There are many very skilled people out there that have vast amounts of machining knowledge and capability, but they still require the basic material to start with and that is a casting.
    They also do not have the time or knowledge to make up a pattern, which for them is a one off job, to get the castings, so they buy them in.
    I take it that you are geared up to work in wood, not metal, so with this in mind, patterns, which you would make and keep as the masters, would be used to produce castings to supply to the model trade, for popular models.
    Choosing the type of casting would be the research aspect of the project.
    It is quite time consuming to make a pattern, for example, a locomotive wheel casting, by hand, which has a lot of slender spokes and is usually built up with hand carved parts and is assembled and glued together, and further worked on to produce the finished master pattern.
    With CNC the pattern is machined out and the program adjusted untill the finished item is good, unlike hand work which requires painstaking hand work to get to the end product right and no going back and doing it again.
    The whole point is that you would not get much for the pattern if you were asked by someone for one, but you can use the pattern to produce many parts, over and over again.
    A typical case is the Quorn tool and cutter grinder.
    The set of castings for one of these machines cost something like $400 or $500 dollars, but the patterns once made would be worth only a 1/4 of this.
    It would take time to build up an inventory for this type of work, but if the range is carefully selected then the world is literally at your beck and call by courtesy of the internet.
    As a pattern maker you would become the artist in creating the original and the copies would be the money spinner.
    Ian.



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    Registered thkoutsidthebox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SyilAmerica View Post
    Great advice Moondog. I completely concur. Those people that succeed are never the ones that took the sure thing. They had faith, hope, and courage.
    Man I hope thats true! At present my equipment list is at 20k and counting. And I haven't much storage room left. Thats not including my two big cnc babies as yet not built. Or the new house with my workshop.

    I have no shortage of idea's swimming in my head. But getting properly equipped is certainly a task.

    Good luck to me. Im on this road for the long haul.

    Quote Originally Posted by chronon1 View Post
    do yuo think someone would buy this ?
    chronon, I have to be honest and say that I dont know anybody who'd buy that sign. Nothing wrong with the idea and not because of that, possibly a niche market selling online if you dont charge too much per sign and think of enough slogans to offer, but its just the rough finish that I dont like. It has to look nice and feel like they got their moneys worth.

    Can I share some thoughts I had looking at it?

    1) Maybe buy two 20c brass rings and glue them onto the holes to make them more attractive. It'll take 20 seconds to glue up and you can add on $1 for the effort!

    2) Dont make it square, cut it in a different more artistic shape.

    3) Route the edges using a nice shaped bit.

    4) Use your cnc routers abilities to add some form of texture to the surface.

    5) Offer it in a variety of colours.

    6) Most important: Nobody will buy from you if they dont know you exist. Get a website. Advertise in local papers. Whatever cheap advertising you can use to get your name out there do it. Make sure you get your web address into writing at every possible opportunity. Print some leaflets and ask shops can you stick them in their windows. etc etc


    Just my thoughts. Hopefully in a year or two I'll be ticking box number 4 in this poll!

    G'nite all.



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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveS View Post
    Handlewanker,
    Maybe that is another survey, how many people with CNC can park in their garage?
    I'm consider myself lucky. The garage on the house I'm in isn't wide enough for my truck. I wasn't happy with this at first, but it does have a good side!! The space is ALL mine, Mine, MINE!!! (Insert evil laugh here)

    alas, no money made here as of yet.
    What a great experience cnc has been for me though!!
    Getting into cnc was for the exclusive purpose of 'producing' those ideas that come up from time to time; and it's always fun to watch something you made from scratch move around productively all by itself.

    P.S. Anyone wanna buy toilet seat with their name cut in it? lol



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    MUST READ FREE ONLINE BOOK ABOUT EARNING SOME MONEY ?
    http://www.sherline.com/business.htm
    Very Very Very nice and good reading book. You can call the earn money with your cnc handbook bible

    Gtz.

    GUIDE HINTS
    1) Creating a new design or invention
    2) Designing the components so they can be manufactured economically
    3) Creating a complete set of production drawings with the aid of a CAD program
    4) Deciding on the amount of inventory to build or purchase
    5) Engineering what equipment will be used to manufacture the product
    6) Writing instructions for these products
    7) Coming up with an advertising and marketing strategy
    8) Deciding on where and how large the business establishment should be
    9) Deciding on what equipment to purchase
    10) Deciding how many employees to hire and how much to pay them
    11) Understanding the tax and accounting rules that affect your business




  19. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brunow View Post
    MUST READ FREE ONLINE BOOK ABOUT EARNING SOME MONEY ?
    http://www.sherline.com/business.htm
    Very Very Very nice and good reading book. You can call the earn money with your cnc handbook bible Gtz.
    Brunow, I have to concur, excellent advice. I downloaded the book a few months ago and read it twice in the space of about two days. Its a great book, and best of all its free!



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    I finally got my first mechanical parts purchase order.. 600 parts that are going into snowmaking machines. my primary focus with metalworking is artwork.. ..but since this is a business and I'm skilled enough with CAD and other graphic formats.. I'm able to breeze through design and production..

    I'll tell anyone that has a CNC machine and isn't making money with it.. ..you need to stop playing with it and go out and make it known that you have it. There are companies all around farming out business to private machine shops.. you should be working constantly to be honest.

    ..that is.. if you're good enough!

    "Quality, Price, and Speed. ..pick 2"



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