Messages

611

General Mach Discussion / Re: Mach3 for Large CNC Router Table - or Not?

« on: January 09, 2018, 10:50:18 AM »

Using M3 on a plasma table and a mill - making money for me, cant see much benefit in spending more for i do.

612

General Mach Discussion / Re: Cool CNC Features

« on: January 09, 2018, 03:05:10 AM »

Also got rigid tapping on my BP Works well at lower speeds as its only a standard motor not servo drive so if you go too fast it will over-shoot but not been an issue yet.

It also has two spindles, one goes to 24k. All controlled with the same control cabinet, i fitted as many bells as i could when i built it

Yes the VFD outputs it as a signal IIRC and that goes to an analogue input on the controller.

Junk rebuilder VMCs seem to have dried up now, as you say they are all 5k plus, then you need 5k on controls/rebuild and thats if the ways are not shot.

613

General Mach Discussion / Re: Cool CNC Features

« on: January 09, 2018, 02:22:03 AM »

I've been looking for used VMC to replace my converted Bridgeport - did you find one yet at a usable price?? Seems they have all gone up in value

I have spindle power on my BP - the VFD outputs it so i sent it to the CSMIO and that shows it on screen, very useful.

614

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 07, 2018, 03:24:42 AM »

Hmm, thats what i was thinking - we are all builders and tweaks so i would be preaching to the wrong crowd

I always use standard industrial steel enclosures, apart from the Bridgeport which has a cabinet about 4' x 3' x 1' - its massive and its full up! This was welded up from 3mm steel sheet and sprayed.

The more I look into it, the less of a market there is i think, most DIY CNC'ers will happily put together the parts and assemble a panel of some sorts - its part of the fun for most, I would only be of appeal to those with less electronics ability or those with small machines that have failing TB multi-axis boards in them etc. I can offer to build to order maybe - you specify what motor size and connection method and away we go, something like that maybe??

615

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 02:36:35 PM »

HI,

I bought a 3d printer some years ago, joined a forum, found that some the parts were lacking as they were made from perspex and mdf, took the design, converted it for laser cutting and had them made outside and sold to members, later on i made them myself by plasma cutting and hand finishing and now they are CNC milled and hand finished. Unfortunately practically every one of this model now has my parts on it and sales have of course dried up.

Most of the newer printers have learned from these early ones and are now far better built. The Cetus printer even has linear rails !

Drones I know little of, will check that out.

My cabinet idea was maybe fully built, ready to connect supplied motors, 3 axis, 3 axis +slave or 4 axis options, ethernet connection, linear PSU, some flavour of motion controller. Something like that, lots of options but all with the idea of fit, connect and go. I have checked and they are of course already on eBay but using low cost parts, smaller motors etc - I want something that will last. Just ideas at present

616

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 12:16:40 PM »

Dave,
Here are a few suggestions, for what they are worth, with the understanding that I am just being
candid in my response.

1. Define your plan to address your "temporary" financial situation. Expect 1 month for say each $10,000 of
    yearly income as a time line.
2. Define what you want to do both short and long term work wise. The first step to achieving any goal is to envision     it. Remember that you can have anything you want but when you decide you must pay for it.
    This may be the hardest  mental work you ever did my friend. It includes analyzing skill sets and the application of     them to current manufacturing needs.Prioritizing tasks to be done, and there are a lot of them that will be generated,
    from the thinking.

Now go take of yourself  and no one else. You are not worth anything to anybody if you are not at peace.
Exercise ( just a nice daily walk will do), eat healthy, don't drink ( you need a clear mind), be at peace with your master ( he is always with you). Work hard on #2, relax / rest , and by all means do something that gives you enjoyment.

I just have to say a few things:
- You will progress or fade away. So you build on any skill set you currently have. You will be learning forever
   no matter what profession / work one is in. If not your fading away!
- Understand that YOU have a buisness and that is simply to make money. Matters not if you work for someone else.
   Change your thinking about work is.
- Consider investing in your buisness, namely you, ie; part of the plan may be to take a course to get certified in            welding
- Get used to the idea that you will need to find a job over and over again. That is the dynamic times we live in.
   So at any time for the buisness have a fall back plan in place. You will work again and it could be more rewarding
   than before. Nothing is ever perfect, pay is great-job sucks, job is great- pay sucks, just the way it is.

You may not realise it, but this may be the greatest opportunity you ever had........since for the first time in a long time
YOU are taking control of your buisness! Allow no time for pitty parties, always think positive, plan and implement,
now go do what needs to be done!

FWIW,
RICH
 

Thanks Rich, a lot to digest there.

The changeover period should hopefully not be too bad, we are adjusting now to lower outgoings in advance and there will be redundancy to tide us over so i'm not going to go into panic mode the day i leave In 14m I can start drawing on one or both of my pensions - this will really lift the financial position and mean I have less urgency to get a long-hours job etc. Naturally if something comes along i won't give it up - you can never be too well off right?

I'll re-read the post a few times as it is pretty deep, but I'm a fairly relaxed low-stress person, tend to approach situations and just deal with them as it needs at the time. I don't "not" drink, maybe one or two a week. Exercise is problem as I have early arthritis in knees and wrists - a common problem for long-term printers! Years of kneeling on concert floors loading paper by hand into presses is ok when young but really bites when the years roll on. This makes walking long distances out, I was advised NOT to jog or run, cycling is ok though. This of course will affect any job I go for.

Fun times ahead

617

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 12:03:39 PM »

Hi Dave,
A good place for you try try and sell these types of items is Etsy. They seem to specialize in handcrafted and more unusual stuff.


Mike.

IIRC I was on Easy for a while, probably still on it - never ever had a tickle from it! Amazon is bad but etsy was non-existent for sales or leads.

I also tried very hard to get on "Not on the highstreet" but was refused each time.

I'll have another look at Etsy

618

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 03:53:49 AM »

Dave,
This is a really tough one. There is a really huge problem that no one thinks about but actually happened to me.  I built a machine that kinda sorta worked and then sold it to a company.  It was too slow to get all the work done so they built a mirror image copy on the same frame.  When an employee got hurt because they cut a few corners, like guards, they said he got hurt on the machine I built.  $15,000 later I was able to prove I didn't build the machine and the judge let me out of the suite before going to trial. It would have cost $100,000 to go to trial, even if I won!

You can be sued 30 years later, so insurance doesn't help unless you pay until you die.

Since then I have designed and built lots of machines. Some were one offs. They all had one thing in common.  For every one I got a regular hourly pay check and W2.  If a customer employee got hurt he couldn't sue me or the company, only workman's compensation.  If I got hurt I could sue workman's comp.  Without that paycheck I could sue the customer for all he is worth.  So both of us were protected.  One year I got 4 W2s and not because I changed jobs!

A product you make and sell is the holy grail of nearly every small manufacturing company doing job shop work.  I even have my own product.  A special paint scraper for removing bottom paint from a boat.  I got it patented, then lost my job at a company that closed and didn't have access to the equipment to make it.  A few years later I was out of a job again and the patent came up for maintenance fees of $500.  Eat or keep the patent?  Recently I made ten of them on my CNC but my wife threatens to divorce me if I try to sell them!

So I highly advise you spend lots of time honing all your skills.  I am 64 and the director of engineering, not cheif engineer because I don't have a degree.  I do have 4 patents.  But I do electrical design and wiring, PLC programming, CNC programming, machining, welding of all kinds, and use Rhino, AutoCad and SolidWorks every day.  So at an age when lots of guys are no longer relevant I hold my own with the young guys surrounding me.

Hi,
not sure what a W2 is in UK equivalent?

I am a fully registered limited company so i can't be personally sued for anything - the company will take the hit and in the case of a very odd lawsuit would simply be declared bankrupt and closed down. I make a point of never offering to install stuff on-site as that opens up public liability etc.

The one CNC i did build was eventually sold as "parts or repair" as it was not 100% finished, this negates me from any claim. The customer loved it and has finished it and still uses it. It was made for a task which it did well, the task finished and i moved the jobs to the Bridgeport conversion to save shop space.

I don't really have many skills to hone - all my knowledge is in a very narrow band related to print (which is practically dead now) and small-scale engineering. I can program older ladder-logic PLC's after a fashion, I can sort of use Fusion360 to a degree, I can sort of use Illustrator and simple CAD apps to design fire-pits and brackets but I would not punt these as "skills" on the job market as the band of knowledge is pretty narrow. I know I can build a good CNC machine now, I can wire a neat panel and set the system up for Plasma or Milling but thats about it

I know where to buy good parts that I have proven in the real world, so quality would again be my USP, trouble is, most people look to price first, quality second these days so that means cheap chinese drives, poor PSU's, cheap BOB's and a whole headache of what to say when they blow it up.

I am adamant that I'm not going back to print, my type of print is dead now, its just working a photocopier style box and they like youngsters for that, anything bigger and they want previously trained people for that specific machine, you can only get that training by working in a place that sends you away on the course!

Aint life a bitch

619

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 03:38:54 AM »

But it's not that simple. You need to work hard, make a good product, at a fair price, and most importantly, get the word out. 99% of it is being a salesman.

Thanks, my main USP so far has been quality - people seem to love the products i make, they are stronger, neater, and I do custom designs when asked - many do not. I totally agree 100% with the gist of your post that 99% is being a salesman - and this seems to be where I fall flat on my face.

Because I make a point of making my stuff better, the price is already at RRP so that seriously limits me to direct retail only - I have tried and almost got a garden centre on-board to sell my fire-pits BUT I could not make them as good and drop the price to offer the customary trade discounts they demanded so it fell flat.

I am on Amazon, eBay and my own web shop, Amazon brings in bugger all, the sales are balanced 50/50 between the other two outlets.

I have not tried a leaflet drop yet, not sure if thats still PC these days or not.

But as i keep getting told, its no use making a product if you cant sell it - This is why i have so many odd products in my store, each one brings its own input so I try to keep as many eggs is as many baskets as possible

620

Tangent Corner / Re: Looking for ideas / advice, i think :)

« on: January 06, 2018, 03:30:29 AM »

P.S. If you are not all ready part of it, join Linkedin. I am not looking for a job but some of the ones on there have almost tempted me to apply!

Thanks I will look into LinkedIn ASAP, not heard of it personally until today