(Not So) Hobby Machinist

[NC Rick]

Yep, I'm pretty sure working at that screw machine shop and being put on a small turret lathe to make 800 special pipe fillings taught me something. I found a different job after making about 500 of them. I'll say it here "Thank You Buck!" as that was a lesson learned. im Prolly not smart enough to ever have made it doing the cool stuff like tool and die...

 

[ttabbal]

Cool to see another Utah based hobby machinist! Welcome to the fun forum!

I think if I made a business out of it, I wouldn't enjoy it anymore. I like being able to just tinker in the shop and not worry about the time it takes to make a part. The making of the part is part of the fun. If I had to crank them out on a timetable, I wouldn't enjoy it as much. I wouldn't mind doing one off "hand made" kind of stuff, but people aren't willing to pay for it. Even CNC and 3D printing is like that. People want a thing, but they are only willing to spend $5 on it, don't have drawings and/or want tolerance that would take forever. Or is impossible, +/-0 for example. Even better are the ones that expect to describe something, in five words or less, and expect you to do the CAD for free.

If you can find a niche though, you can probably make some money at it. Particularly if you can find people who value local made and craftsmanship. Sadly, people often only care about price, and you can't compete on price with China.

 

[markba633csi]

Yes I think your welding skills would bring in more money, initially. Get wired up for 220 volts and add a welder to your arsenal.
Then put the word out and see what happens. You might find some spillover into the machining from the welding customers.
The most profitable thing would be to invent a thing, and manufacture it yourself, selling direct from your house. I'm reminded of Joseph Cossman, the guy responsible for the "spud gun" and "ant farm" He used to say "this country is condusive to making money!"
Possibly you could make some automotive or pet-related product. Most people own cars and pets.
-Mark

 

[pontiac428]

I could never run a business, because I lack the narcissistic desire to extort a profit from every person that walks through the door, every time. I've made a career in the government, so Atlas Shrugged capitalism is a cold turn-off to me. I help my friends for free, and I turn down work that comes with an estimate and expectations. Working with my hands is my therapy, and that is not for sale.

 

[ChandlerJPerry]

Thanks for the outpouring of advice everyone! Lots of fantastic insight here. My other big hobby that has an obvious correlation to machining is that I'm the owner of a 1986 Nissan 300ZX, but it has some of the best aftermarket support I've seen for a car of that age, from exactly who has been talked about! There are several members of forums and groups I'm in that have done exactly what is stated and found a niche either reproducing parts that are no longer available or making new aftermarket ones. So I'm a little bit late to that market, but I will definitely have to stew on some of my other interests and see if there's any value I can add to them. I actually have a good friend who's asking me to make a part for his electric skateboard when I get my mill set up. We go way back so his will be free, but it's an example of a hobby that I hadn't even considered could need machined parts. It feels very obvious now that it's in front of me though.

Welding could definitely be more of a draw but I would say that my situation isn't particularly conducive to it. I'm in a rental right now and for the foreseeable future, even if I proposed adding 220V to the landlord as an improvement I do not think there is a way to do it effectively without a lot more money/trouble than it's worth for a piece of property I will never own. I have been interested in the AlphaTig 201 since it will run on 110v and at least give me some reasonable capabilities with steel, I think 110v would still be inadequate for work on aluminum though because of the higher amperage requirements.

 

[C-Bag]

I always cringe at the idea of being a business person or being called an inventor. I just came up with something that people wanted even though I was skeptical it would ever amount to anything. But then the net came along and through word of mouth it just kept spreading and 35yrs later it’s become my gig.

I don’t do anything like a businessman would do. I don’t advertise. Never have, never will. It’s all by word of mouth, and it works. If I advertised I know I’d get people who don’t even get how it works and I’d have a headache dealing with them. I also don’t have any employees, I do everything myself.

i don’t don’t do bill me later. Even my dealers. i don’t do phones, you email me what you want, I send back a copy of the invoice, they send the check and I send it out the order when it gets here.

i have spent all my time mechanically automating what I do(not CNC) that’s why the mill/drill and 9x20. So I’ve been able to keep my prices the same for almost 20yrs because my labor has gone down. And my production has gone up 5x while staying a 1 man shop and cutting out my custom work. Doesn’t work for everybody but I am NOT businessman. I have only ever wanted to make things and that’s my happy place.

 

[ChandlerJPerry]

C-Bag and pontiac, I definitely respect and admire that point of view. I've never aspired to be a businessman or to run a business, having seen what that entails for both the customers and the people who work for you. I just like making cool stuff. Ultimately money can add a lot of steps inbetween you and the part you love, which is actually getting to work in the shop and make something.

 

[brino]

Great thread everyone.
I have really enjoyed all the perspectives and experiences!

I decided long ago to NOT make machine work my living.......but now I will wait for retirement to get back to electronics as a hobby.

-brino

 

[ttabbal]

For 220v, I made a large extension cord. Starting with a 10AWG 3 wire cord, with a dryer plug on the end and the matching plug for the welder on the other end. Now I own the place, so I wired it up with a 100A subpanel.

 

[C-Bag]

C-Bag and pontiac, I definitely respect and admire that point of view. I've never aspired to be a businessman or to run a business, having seen what that entails for both the customers and the people who work for you. I just like making cool stuff. Ultimately money can add a lot of steps inbetween you and the part you love, which is actually getting to work in the shop and make something.

There are so many ways to skin this cat. I too was always just seen as one of the machine stock and expendable. I didn’t mind as long I was not forced to make stupid little parts ad nausem. That makes me hate life.

In my last two wage slave tours I finally got to do what I love. Make cool stuff from scratch or improve and fix problems to be able to take stuff to production. Using all my skills as a welder/fabricator/mechanic. Meanwhile this little side hobby had taken on a life of its own as the net was taking off. And at the same time the penny pinching parasites in the front office decided to keep taking away more benefits they finally broke the camels back and I packed up my tools and walked out at lunch time with the middle finger salute never to return. I had let my anger get the best of me but was not going to be treated this way and my leadman who knew me well was not surprised. I had no clue what I was going to do. Two days later the biggest acoustic music dealer in the US emailed me and wanted to become my 3rd dealer. It was not all rainbows and sunshine but I have always lived cheap, never made much $$ and been a self starter so not punching a time clock was it’s own reward. It has just all rolled on from there for the last 15yrs.

Chandler, I was in the same boat. Renting and just getting a clue. Id see this as your opportunity to get time on your machines and take stock of the opportunities around you. Don’t get to deep in debt and stay agile.