[JavaDog]

So who built their CNC Mill/Router/Lathe and is making money with it?

[Bloy2004]

I wish I could say .....I'm still in the spending mode-when I can.
....though i'm just a hobbyist.

Bloy

[Nonoriginal]

lots of votes... but no comments..c'mon guys spill it! (group)

No money here yet...I've got something good being shipped on friday next week! :devious:

[Ken_Shea]

Here is some advice,
"Don't quit your day time job"

[sendkeys]

Here is some advice,
"Don't quit your day time job"

lol so true i have sold stuff but after counting hours and tooling cost, i could make more working at a tacobell hehe

[Whitesideentp]

I purchased a CNC machine from RomaxxCNC.com. I use it to cut parts that I used to cut by hand using various shop machines. I now manufacture about 200% faster!

[shep640]

I have a friend who owns a machine shop so he has given me stuff that he doesn't want to do. Started with a Birmingham 9 x 20 lathe. I know the 9 x 20 according to alot of people is junk however it has done me well. I have been able to buy a Dyna Myte 3000h, an Enco mill, and a Wade turret lathe all paid for by my 9 x 20 lathe. So with all the negative talk going on about machines and the economy don't believe it work hard think large.

[cncjunky]

I am making a few $100 here and there. There definately is and has been a strain for many years now on U.S. manufactures. I here alot of struggles and some triumphant stories here, but what is everbody making? Wheres the ideas? I have access to 2 buildings full of all loads of equipment, problem is ideas. A usefull thread would be " Your ideas I can use to make money".

[JFettig]

well, while Im at college I have a little spare time to make parts, although I have only sold a few things, it is my main job setting up an online store right now

Jon

[JavaDog]

setting up an online store right now

Jon

Same thing here, once I get my machine finished. :cheers:

There are a ton of projects I want to build for myself, but I also have a variety of bits n' bobbles that I will be selling to try and generate some extra income.

Speaking on online stores, I am using OSCommerce. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Far nicer than any 'Shopping Cart' program you could buy (OSCommerce is Free/OSS) and you can customize it however you want.

[RotarySMP]

I'm far too nice to my friends, and make them stuff for nothing. That what a hobby is for right?

[Swede]

I keep justifying my continuous hardware acquisition with the "Someday..." excuse.

"Someday, I'll offer steam or IC engine kits"

"Someday, I'll invent some cool R/C widget which will provide some income"

I always know, deep-down, that the chances of making money, for me, are pretty slim. I think a lot of the fun will go out of it when creating income is the primary goal.

[Fozzy]

Yep, I'm making money at it,now there are 5 of us and about 10 cnc mills/routers.lathes....but it all started as my fathers hobby about 23 years ago when he made his first cnc engraver, never looked back. Since then we've made many more machines with the largest been a 3Mx2M router.
We still keep wanting to build new machines, currently playing around with ideas for our first 5 axis router.

So if keep at it...you can make a very enjoyable living out of it!

Simon

[joecnc2006]

Yep, I'm making money at it,now there are 5 of us and about 10 cnc mills/routers.lathes....but it all started as my fathers hobby about 23 years ago when he made his first cnc engraver, never looked back. Since then we've made many more machines with the largest been a 3Mx2M router.
We still keep wanting to build new machines, currently playing around with ideas for our first 5 axis router.

So if keep at it...you can make a very enjoyable living out of it!

Simon

Any Pictures? of older and newer ones?

[Fozzy]

No problem, ive posted them into a new thread...here didnt seem the right location so look here.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...3213#post73213

Simon

[chronon1]

Are making money but for fear of getting their money making idea and plans duplicated and thereby losing revenue, are not saying that they are making good money with their machine ?
If you are one of those people-- it takes a ton of gumption to admit to it ... !!!

[JavaDog]

Wow, looks like it is a pretty even mix on here!

Once my machine is finished, I hope to put myself solidly in the "I make some on-the-side money" camp.

[traveler]

I have made money with my CNC plasma table but it has mostly been a support machine used in conjunction with contracted fabricating projects. It's hard to separate exactly what to assign money to when you use several machines during a project. I can say however that if I didn't have the plasma table I could not have done several of the projects that I have completed and made money on. It's a strong spoke in the wheel of my shop.
I want to convert my mill to CNC also but have little hope of the mill making me any money. I want to just do it for the enjoyment of having it.

[ViperTX]

traveler....you allocate costs based on run time and setup for each machine....your cost to run the machine on an hourly basis should have all the maintenance, etc. factored into it.

[ViperTX]

So initially my thoughts were to make money off running the machine.....but now I'm moving into a stage of designing solutions, providing parts for people who wish to design their own systems.