For the purposes of this article we will continue with our example of the Wooden Cutting boards that we have talked about previously.  By now you should know where your material is coming from, and how to fixture the material to your CNC machine.  As we all know, just because you buy quality material, and you have an outstanding fixturing system, things happen that make it so you have product loss as you’re manufacturing.  For example:  After a few production runs of our Medium Sized Cutting Board, we had a sizable pile in the corner of defective boards.  It could be something as simple as a chipped out handle, or maybe the board slipped on the fixture during cutting and caused a cut where we didn’t want one.  One day my youngest son (Scott’s Brother) came into the shop and asked what we were going to do with all the scrap boards sitting in the corner.  We replied that we were either going to throw them away or use them for firewood.  He replied “Why don’t you just make smaller cutting boards with the material in the center that is still good?”.  What a brilliant idea!  This goes right back to what we’ve said before, take material that was previously considered waste, and make it into something useful!  So our Small Size Cutting Board was Born!  It is just that simple to have a pile of “wasted” money turn into another vane of gold.

Let’s also consider that since we have our three sizes of cutting boards that all the people who would buy these from us have, and now we’ve reached the point that we need our existing Cutting Board customers come back and buy more products from us.  We can now take the exact same board we have already been producing and add some V-carving from the Mega Clip Art Collection (available from ShopBot) or some 3D carving from Vector Art 3D or any of the other clip art distributors that can be found on the Internet.  Now we have something new and different that will appeal to those who already love our Classic Cutting Board.  We’ve created a collectible line of products.  We can add more carvings and more designs each quarter or each year so that our customers can come back to the website and hopefully decide they need the new styles in their kitchen.  Lets take that one step further.  We’re now going to use the shapes and profiles found in the Mega Clip Art Collection to make Cutting Boards in different shapes.  We can make Boards in the shape of animals, vehicles and many more.  Here’s another idea:  Lets V-carve shapes in the corners of the Cutting Board so that dough can be pressed into them to make relief shapes before baking, or lets make a board with a groove cut in it for carving meat so the juices will flow to one side of the board.  The possibilities are endless!

This next topic is one that most people above a certain age think is useless and a waste of time.  Social Networking.  Social Networking is a constantly moving target that is centered around websites that people frequent in their spare time to either communicate with their friends, colleagues, potential customers, or a place for them to see something new and different.  Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are three examples of Social Networking sites designed to attract people to share what is going on in their lives and communicate using short messages and pictures.  YouTube and Flikr are designed for people to upload videos (YouTube) or pictures (Flikr) to share information, share a laugh or what have you.  Businesses are starting to utilize these sites for Instructional Videos, or posting pictures of new products for all to see.  Even ShopBot has a twitter account!  Facebook has what is called “AdPages” for local businesses to post their hours of operation, or for Online Businesses to promote their products.  Businesses of both kinds can post their Special Offers as well as pictures of products.  They also use these sites to allow the customer to express a concern or complaint in public space, so your potential customers can see how you deal with issues publicly.  We were skeptical of the usefulness of these sites too.  At the IWF 2010 in Atlanta this year we attended a seminar on Social Networking, and were shown statistics on how many people in the United States use Mobile Devices such as Droid Phones and iPhones. Since these devices have applications (Apps) specially made to interact with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, people spend a fair amount of their free time on these sites.  So we started to look around us while in Atlanta to verify these claims.  While riding the MARTA we saw that literally 95% of the people around us were constantly on their mobile devices, whether they were playing games, or texting, or who knows what, they were using the device.  Chances are, they were also using social networking.

So, how can you use those sites to work for you?  The truth is, something that may work this week may not work next month.  Technology moves at the speed of people, and business does too.  You will need to decide which Social Networking site you wish to use first, and create a personal account.  You can use this personal account to learn and become familiar with the interface, which will make you more effective when the time comes to create the business page.  Once you learn how to use the site, it is advisable to create an account strictly for business purposes.  We will cover basic use of one of these Social Networking sites known as Twitter.  In Twitter you have a following and followers.  Your following are the users that you search for and decide you want to see more information from.  Your followers are the users who have found you and want to hear more from you.  You can search in twitter using keywords which will show matches in other’s tweets (which is what a post is called) and content users have posted like captions or links.  Your tweets should be pertinent to those who would want to purchase your products.  If we’re selling Cutting Boards, you may wish to post recipes for cookies, or showcase other sites who sell cookie cutters, or rolling pins.  Every now and then when you’re tweeting you need to drop in a url to your own website, so people will know that when they need a cutting board you’ll be there for them.  Having pictures posted will give them something to look at, and make sure to include a direct link to the product page for that product in the caption so its a one click route for your customer.  Also, you can create lists of other users who you follow that could be interesting to your customer, which will keep them coming back to see what you and you’re following are talking about next.

At the IWF we learned that there is a shift in customer searches as people find that they would rather find a video on YouTube to watch rather than search on Google and sift through millions of web sites.  So, you can create an instructional video on how to use the V-carved cookie molds available on your website, so not only can people get excited about what they can make with your product, but they will know where to send the money!  Customers also love to see where the things they buy come from, so give them a virtual tour of your shop.  Show them how your ShopBot cuts the 3D files.  Don’t worry about giving them “too much” information on your product, If they wanted to make their own cutting board they would have already.  Remember that you’re the crafter.  In their eyes you make things happen that are impossible to the common person, and they’re right.  You have talents and ideas that you’re sharing with the world.  Social Networking sites allow you to address your customers in a more personal environment which will make them feel more comfortable with you and so they will be more likely to purchase products from you, rather than the crafter who only has a text filled website.

Like we said before, Social Networking is an ever evolving tactic to increase sales.  The best idea is to observe what others are doing, even in other industries, and see if it will work for you.  Or if you have a new idea, try it out!  You never know if something will work until you try it.  There are no set rules, and if you make a mistake, its no problem, because the internet is all about the flavor of the week.  No one will remember small spelling mistakes, or bad grammar, it only makes you appear more organic.

The final topic we would like to cover is Customer Service.  In our experience good Customer Service is paramount when it comes to having happy customers that will tell their friends about you and return themselves.  Giving good customer service is not a difficult thing to do.  Answer Emails in a timely fashion, be polite and helpful on the telephone, and try and make your point of sale system as user friendly as possible.  When you encounter an issue (note I said “when” not “if”) do your best to help the customer get to the end result that they want.  What I mean is, if they ordered a product from you, and are unhappy with the quality, or felt like they were mislead by your advertising, see if it is possible to send them a new product, or try and help them understand where the miscommunication occurred.  You may encounter a customer that is so enraged or displeased that nothing you do will make them happy.  At this point it is very difficult to keep your calm, but you must do so.  You will get more negative repercussions from being rude to a customer than you will get from merely letting the customer fuss and fume for a short time.  As long as you do everything in your power (with in reason of course) to see to it that the issue is solved, then you can’t go wrong.  Customers will recognize that and return to your business in the future.

Over the last few months we have given you our perspective on a strategy for creating a successful business.  We have explained in as much detail as we can how to come up with ideas that interest you and generate products to suit those ideas, how to source materials and utilize materials that otherwise were waste.  We talked about how to set up a useful website, and how you can approach store owners with your products.  We’ve talked about customer interaction, both online and on the phone.  The next steps are up to you.  Take these suggestions and make something with them!  Use the tools you have and make yourself successful, because no one will do it for you.  No one ever claimed that running your own business was easy, and not always fun.  In the end once you can look back at your sales sheets and see an upward trend, you will feel accomplished and confident that you have created a Successful Business.

Getting the word out

In the last articles we have gone from thinking about possible products all the way to fixturing your CNC equipment and then packaging and shipping. But how are your potential customers supposed to know that you sell the exact product they’ve been searching for? You’ve got to now get the word out. In this installment we will explore the possible routes you can take in internet advertising, and physical marketing. We urge you to think about the products you buy for your home or your business and recognize the ones you would rather just order online, or the ones that you feel more comfortable driving to a store to pick out in person. Then try to figure out where your product falls in those two categories. Some products aren’t suitable for online stores, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a nice looking website showcasing your work, which will ultimately bring your customers right through the door of your or someone else’s store to buy them.

More and more people are shopping online these days. Some find it easier to search the internet and research products from the comfort of their own home, rather than fighting traffic, and pushing through crowded stores to get the items they want or need. Others enjoy the ability to visit stores and shops just to see what all is out there. This isn’t to say that a single person does all of their shopping online, or all of their shopping in stores. In reality most people do a combination of both, so it is important to be represented in both places!

With that said, let’s start with the web….

Web Hosting and editing:

If you don’t already have a website, don’t worry, here are a few suggestions to get you started. The first step is finding a web hosting company that you feel comfortable with. The best idea is to talk to others you know and find out who they are using. We have talked before about using others’ experience to put you ahead of the game, and it is no different when it comes to choosing a web hosting provider. We have used DreamHost for years and are very happy with them. They offer services that make it easy for us to quickly implement new ideas to our website, and they have an active service team that responds quickly, and is helpful whenever we run into issues. Once you’ve picked a webhost, you need content for your new website. Some of the hosts will have a web based website creator which will allow you to fill in your content, but doesn’t let you have full control over the look and feel of the site, while others will require you to create your site externally and upload it to the server. If you are not very html savvy, you may wish to start with a more simple creation method, but we urge you to learn more about using the internet and utilizing tools such as WYSIWYGs (What You See Is What You Get) which is a computer program that will allow you to create webpages much like Microsoft Word lets you create text documents, and then generates the html code for you. We use a program called Dreamweaver, but there are literally thousands of different WYSIWYGs out there, and they all offer something unique and different. There are also sites on the internet devoted to selling premade templates for websites. They will start you off with a look and feel, and allyou have to do is load the content into your WYSIWYG and enter the information that is related to your business. Don’t feel rushed, take your time and understand how the different parts of your website come together and make it an effective tool for you.

Search Engine Optimization:

After getting your website up and running, you need to make sure your site is Search Engine Optimized (SEO) so people can find you using Search Engines and Crawlers. Google, Bing, MSN and Yahoo are just a few of the more popular Search Engines that people use, but there are many more throughout the internet. Each of these “crawl” your page in slightly different ways, but the general rules for SEO are the same. When you optimize your webpages, all you’re trying to do is make it easier for the programs to find out what your pages are about. You can use tools like “Meta Tags” to target words people search for, and the Search Engine will read those words and display your site when a potential customer searches for that. For example, let’s say we’re wanting to advertise our cutting board website, and we want to specifically target those who are interested in 3D carvings. We could use a Meta Tag that included the words “Cutting Board” and “3D Carving”. With a little searching, you can find days worth of reading about exactly how to SEO your website. This process never ends. Small things, like changing your website regularly can go a long way to bumping you up in the search results.

Paid Internet Advertising:

If you have an advertising budget, you can create accounts with Google AdWords or Microsoft AdCenter for example. These sites will display banner ads that you design for a fee. Part of this is learning how to target keywords that are specific to your products and services. You will also need to learn how to design effective ads. Advertising online is very competitive, and the services you use will rank your keywords, and your ads, and you will be placed in the search pages accordingly. You have the option of spending however much money you like, on a daily or monthly basis and this will determine your possible “impressions” which is how often your ad shows on any given keyword. Depending how much you spend depends on how high up on the search ladder you appear. Be careful, as you can spend quite a lot on advertising in a short time. These advertising services will also give you the option of joining their “Content Network” which is a collection of sites associated with them that have they’re own ad banners. You can recognize these banners if they are in the Google Network because they say “brought
to you by Google” at the bottom. This is a good example of an ad listed in Google’s Content Network, instead of their Search Network which only displays when you search a topic. These ads can be large and graphical, video, or just plain text, its all dependant on how much you want to spend. We can’t stress enough, that if you go wild on internet advertising you could find yourself with a large chunk of your profits flying out of the door, but like
everything in life, if you use it in moderation it can help significantly. Do a little reading, and find success stories and try to figure out the happy medium for your application. You may find that using AdWords or AdCenter will help you initially gain recognition, and after a while your SEO endeavors may make it so you no longer need to spend money with external advertising firms.

Along with the paid ads showing you will get the ability to do quite extensive analysis of the visits to your web site through AdWords and AdCenter. All of this data will allow you to get a profile of the visitors to your site, and enable you to fine tune your keywords and ads to better meet your customers shopping habits. Google offers a service called Analytics, which is separate from AdWords, and it gives you the ability to get information about your visitors such as, state, search engine used, time of day they viewed the page, and much more. All these tools will help you decide where to spend your money in internet advertising. Don’t think you can just set up an AdWords
or AdCenter account and never worry with it again. Just like technology, this is an ever changing environment, and without moderation, you can find yourself at the bottom of the “advertising food chain”. Again, go slow with this
and take the entire process one step at a time as you gain more knowledge and experience.

You can always spend big money and let someone else take control of your site and advertisements and have them just do it for you, but you are a builder, a creator of products, so shouldn’t you build your own knowledge base and web site? That is up to you.

Customer Interaction:

Now that you have the website up and running, remember to put the URL (Universal Resource Locator or “web address”) on your business cards and every thing you print, like invoices, flyers, etc. Let’s say I picked up one of your business cards and looked at it later, I would try to visit your website to remind me of what you make. If you make an item that is not on your web site, I may have forgotten you made the one I liked and continue to look for it
elsewhere. But if you had a picture on your website, I could contact you about getting one. Even if you work mostly on custom products for customers, you should have a gallery on your website showcasing what you have done for other people. This will accomplish 2 things. It will get your potential customers excited about the work you can produce, and it may give them some inspiration on what it is they want you to make. You can also more easily illustrate ideas when you’re on the phone with a customer if you can direct them to a gallery of pictures that is located on your website. If you’re interested in taking on jobs that are not easy to show on a website, be sure to include a small paragraph explaining what kinds of work you’re willing to take on.

Find a way to talk about your products to everyone. Someone will tell someone who will tell someone and somewhere in all of this, you will get connected with a buyer. We have found that “Word of Mouth” is an incredibly powerful tool. Social Networking plays directly into this. We will talk in a later article about Social Networking, because like you’ve seen with online advertising, it too is a huge subject for discussion.

Have you handed out free samples? If not, what are you waiting for? The power of having your products out in the field of buyers is often overlooked. If buyers cannot see your product, how can they get excited about it and purchase it? Don’t think of giving free samples as giving money away, because that is just not the case. Let’s think about it. If you sell a product for $14.95 and you give one away, how many people will that one person show? Maybe 1… maybe 100! That’s the gamble you play, but more often than not, if it looks nice and the person is excited about it, more people will hear about it. Even if it is displayed somewhere in their house, you can be assured that their friends and family will see it and tell others.

In this installment we talked about web advertising vs. “brick and mortar” stores. Have you talked to and shown your product to local stores who might put one or two of your items in their store? Remember these store owners and managers are not the big bad wolf! They need product to sell and are always looking for that something special that will drive their sales figures up. Your product just might be that item that they are looking for. Take samples and walk in and chat with them. Offer to leave the samples. Provide product for them to test their ability to sell by leaving them on consignment. The choice is yours; you can either have your product on the store shelves with customers looking at them or keep them on your shelf where only you see them. Store owners are sometimes leery of starting a new product line with
a supplier they have no experience with, so be patient with them, they’re only looking out for their own business as well. Also, try to be a one stop shop for them. If your product requires a rack to display, generate a possible rack for them as well. Try to be aware of the space requirements they have, and the color scheme in the rest of the store. Not only will this make the store owner more apt to use your products in their store, it will make your products more appealing to the customers themselves!

Next month we will focus on expanding your product line without starting over with part 1, where you started to think about and find a direction for what you were going to build. This step will become the cornerstone to keeping your products fresh and exciting. You will always have new items to keep your existing customers coming back to see what is new from you. We will also explore briefly Social Networking and how it can help you in the worldwide marketplace.

One of the easiest ways to find sources for material is to look, read, and ask questions on the ShopBot Forum.  There are many posts easily found with the search feature, where people have asked how to find various materials.  Distributors vary widely across the United States,  but here in Central Virginia, we are fortunate to have companies such as Atlantic Plywood, Central Wholesale, Mayer, etc. that provide material such as plywood, Baltic Birch, solid wood lumber and several brands of solid surface material.  If your product requires plywood, then don’t overlook Lowe’s or Home Depot for a few sheets to get your idea off the ground, and the first prototype or two manufactured.  Be sure to visit Cabinet Shops in your area and inquire about solid surface drops, and sink cut-outs. Many times these bits of material are a hindrance to those shops and their owners are happy to see them leave for free!  If you have a lumber yard equipped with a kiln close to you, be sure to ask if you would be allowed to purchase test stacks or over-runs from their drying operation which you may get at a substantially reduced price.  Odd length lumber is always cheaper than standard lengths, and you may find that you end up with less waste if you design your product to be cut from odd lengths.  Using Google, or other search engines, can make it very easy to find local distributers for any kind of material you’re looking for.  Let’s say we wanted to find a supplier for 3mm Baltic Birch in the San Diego California area.   All I did was type in “Baltic Birch Distributor San Diego CA” and wouldn’t you know it, the first result took me directly to the ShopBot Forum!  Down from that there is a plethora of places just dying to get on the phone and give me a great price and truck the material right to my shop door.  This works for anywhere in the US.

So now there is material in your shop and you want to cut!  You need to consider how you’re going to hold this material on your CNC.  Fixtures don’t have to be complicated or permanent to be effective.  We use vacuum whenever it is practical due to its reliability and speed when it comes time to reload the machine.  Pictured below is an example of a vacuum mask that we install on our ShopBot to hold glue-ups in order to produce cutting boards.  This mask allows us to hold solid surface as well as wooden blanks.

Some items, however, seem to work very well with mechanical hold downs.  Also shown below is a simple method in which we hold a cutting board that gets a 3D carving cut into it.  This fixture does not use vacuum, but rather T-Slots and mechanical hold downs.

Fixtures don’t need to be complex but should be well thought out to ensure that you can quickly position and secure new material with the confidence that it will hold tight throughout machining. Also, in designing your fixtures, they should be easy to install on your machine and easily swapped.  Pictured below is a two zone vacuum table that has 24”x32” zones and ¼” location pins in each corner to allow multiple dedicated vacuum masks to be switched out quickly and accurately.

In addition to the dedicated fixtures, you can use MDF or Trupan to create more generalized vacuum fixtures that will also fit nicely and work with the ¼” location pins.  Just as your Spoil Board may already be used, this type of fixture can be resurfaced and reused for a variety of purposes.  If you plan on fixturing this way, you might want to consider using the 2D offset capability of the ShopBot and many other CNC machines.  This will allow you to save, or set, a location instead of being tied to one spot as an origin point.

Give thought to what additional tools and equipment will be needed to complete your product.  With our cutting boards a nice rounded over edge is quicker to achieve with a hand router or router table equipped with a bearing guided round over cutter.  While it is entirely possible to program your machine to prompt you for a tool change, or for those with automatic tool changers, to change to a round-over bit and have the machine do one more profile pass, we find that having the machine do the more time consuming tasks keeps us from standing around, and keeps work flow moving.  One thing none of us can escape is hand sanding.  Many people try to take short cuts by thinking a machine can do a better job of sanding your product than a good old fashioned palm sander, but it is not so.  Palm sanding allows you to run your hand across the material as you are sanding it, and doesn’t skip over slightly thinner areas.  Another common process that could require extra equipment is drilling.  If you have a part that needs a horizontal bore, then it is probably more worthwhile for you to invest, or build, a horizontal boring machine instead of trying to set up the CNC to hold the part on its end. We are not saying that you cannot make horizontal holes with a CNC router because machinists do this all day.  We are saying that in our case, drilling horizontal holes with a separate machine is more efficient for us.

Now that the product is assembled you need to be able to finish it in such a way that it doesn’t break the bank, and you get consistent quality results.  The finish that we use on all our cutting boards is simply pharmaceutical grade mineral oil.  The quickest and best method that we have found to apply the Mineral Oil is by submerging the boards.  So, in this case, the addition of a tank the size of our largest cutting board was a necessity.  This can be obtained as easy as a trip to your local Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart and purchasing a plastic storage container.  Even the lid is useful for not getting Oil all over everything else and creating a safety hazard, and for keeping contaminants out of your finish.  A homemade drying rack will allow the cutting boards to drip into a pan which will collect the excess and allow you reuse it at a later time.  Any time you can reduce costs that will go a long way to making you “recession proof” and ensuring that you have the money available to expand when needed.  We believe that you are better served by saving a dollar than making a dollar.  If you do not agree, think about it this way:  In order to make one dollar go into your pocket, you have to not only make that dollar, but you have to make the expenses that are paid before you get that earned dollar.  Simply saving one dollar does not require any additional effort other than what it takes to think through a situation and make it more efficient.

If your project requires hardware, or additional specialty items, remember to take your time in research and use your favorite search engine exhaustedly to locate not only the hardware you would like to use, but a place that sells it at a reasonable price.  Everyone needs to understand that if you go to Lowe’s to buy a hinge at $15 each for the prototype, that’s OK, because if the product becomes successful, you’ll be buying that same hinge elsewhere for $4 or less a piece by purchasing them in quantity.  Your prototypes are there to show you the initial procedure needed to create a product, after you decide you like what you have made, it’s time to make the process more efficient and productive.  You should ALWAYS be on the lookout for an easier, better method.  This search never ceases.  New methods, and new products are being conceived every day, and it is helpful to stay in touch with others in your field through forums and workshops, to ensure your method is the proper one for your business.  Being flexible with your methods will keep you from becoming stagnant, or locked into one way of thinking. Once your product is made, finished and your methods finalized, you’ll start needing to ship outside of your local area.  Attractive packaging raises the perceived value of your product.  Small items placed in clear plastic zipper bags with integrated hangers work well for a hook or peg display system, while specialty cardboard boxes may be more appropriate for larger items.  There are many distributors all over the country who specialize in Boxes and Bags.  They can create a custom look for you that will help to sell your product.  In the case of cutting boards with 3D carvings, a box with a window to showcase the carving is preferred so the customer can have a good look at the carving before the purchase is made.  Plus, let’s face it, people who buy wooden or hand crafted products love to run their hands on them.  Something about the warm feel of wood or the slick texture of a polished solid surface cutting board gets customers excited. Remember the “wow factor”?  If you can hook them with a snappy looking product, then reel them in with attractive marketing and packaging, then you will certainly ensure a sale with a beautiful quality product.

We certainly hope that our insights will be helpful to anyone who is aspiring to become a successful business owner in this day and age.  Handmade quality is slowly becoming something of the history books.  With the saturation of cheaply made products being imported from everywhere but here, Americans are becoming used to a disposable lifestyle, which is neither good for our wallets nor our planet.  By becoming a responsible business owner, you can, in your own way, contribute to the rebirth of production excellence that existed in our country.  There are very few American companies who can say that everything they sell is 100% made in the USA, and that is a drain on our economy and our pride.  We urge everyone who reads this to take a step back and view your lifestyle, and determine how much you do that contributes to the rampant flow of merchandise into our country.  Try to support local businesses, and pay the few cents extra to get things that were packaged in an American factory, because you’re paying to keep our fellow Americans employed.  Check back next month for our next installment in this series on The Recipe for a Successful Business.

With the current economic situation people are turning to smaller business structure where they produce their own line of specialized products. We recognize that there are lots of questions involved with starting a business like this, and it can be quite overwhelming to suddenly be handling your own research/development, manufacturing, marketing, and shipping.  That is why we have decided to publish a series of articles helping you with the various processes leading up to a successful small business based on a product line of your choice.  Picking these products seems to be an area where most individuals fail.  There is nothing hard about this step, and for some reason business owners make this a major obstacle.

The First step in picking your new product should be making a list of your current interests.  Then, review this list with an eye towards, ‘what can I produce to further other’s enjoyment in this field’.  You will find, that making a product that you have no interest or experience in will be much more difficult to be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about, thus making it more difficult to sell.  For example: we live in a rural setting where there are many farms that raise horses.  The extent of our knowledge with horses is limited to: they have 4 legs, hay goes in one end and fertilizer comes out the other!  With that degree of knowledge, we would surely fail in trying to produce horse related items. However, take camping, or outdoor cooking as an example, and we would be more qualified to produce a camp gadget or some other item of interest to outdoor enthusiasts.  If you will take a day or two to carefully make your list and then comb through it and find an area that most excites you, you have set the stage for picking your first product.  From here, you will want to put every idea that comes to mind for products down on paper, save it, and come back to it a few hours or even days later.

When it comes time to pick your product, give thought to how wide of an appeal this product has.  For example: If you come up with a perfect product that matches your interests, but would only have appeal to folks in your neighborhood, you more than likely will not be able to turn this product into a profitable business.  However, if your product has national or even worldwide appeal your chances for success increase exponentially.  You must also consider the method of delivery to your customer.  We have found that smaller more easily shipped items are much easier for me to get into our customer’s hands than large more bulky freight items that require trucks instead of UPS or USPS for delivery.  Also think about the time it takes to produce each product, remembering the more complex it is, the more expensive the product will be and thus, the smaller the audience you will have to promote your product to.  Think about utilizing the scraps generated in your shop or other shops close by.  If you can find a use for the material previously considered trash, this will allow you to keep the cost of your product down, and also keep the price point low.  Another benefit will be keeping this material out of the landfill!  Taking care of the environment is a project that we all should share, and with the prices of material rising as they are, every little bit helps.  Try to utilize your CNC Router or other automated tools for production, any time you can decrease the amount of human labor, the less costly the product will be overall. And finally, be mindful of the quantity of product that you can produce, keep quality on the top of the list, and don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.  You may find that you have to invest in additional equipment, or even expand your facility to meet the demand for your product down the line.  Don’t be lured into over-extending yourself financially by what may seem to be attractive terms or lease agreements.  Build your business on a solid cash base foundation, and you will not only sleep better at night, but you will be much more “recession proof” than the business next door that has monthly payments that exceed monthly income during slow periods.  Don’t be discouraged if your first months are slow, you still need to set yourself up for large scale production. If you can’t get the product to your customer, you will find you don’t have repeat or consistent sales.  Just because you aren’t moving 1,000 units this month, doesn’t mean 3 months from now you won’t be over your head swamped!

We have found that items priced under $50 each, no matter what they are, have a much broader appeal than items priced above that mark.  In today’s economic times people are tightening their budget when it comes to nonessential or frivolous items.  If your product is non essential, you must be sure that it has a “wow factor”.  We define the “wow factor” as simply the expression you see on a person’s face or their exclamation when they first see your product.  If you can find a way to partner this “wow factor” with the needs of their children or pets, you have now created a more appealing product.  Remember to view your selling price not only from a business standpoint (you’ve got to make a profit after all!)  But also view this price from your customer’s perceived value of the product.  Some business owners will argue it is better to make one item and profit $10, than it is to make ten items and profit $1 each.  While it is true that time is money, in the long run, we would rather have ten happy customers who are willing to buy from us again, than to have one happy customer who may buy from us again.  Keep in mind that people talk.  The word will get out to your customer’s friends and family if you produce a quality product that they find useful.  Thinking these situations through will put you ahead of the game when it comes to that difficult question of “what do I charge for this?”

In future installments in this series of articles, we will cover the actual manufacturing of this product we have chosen, as well as promotion and expansion of your product line.  We will also explore how to “think CNC” when it comes to production, as well as setting up your shop for successful large scale manufacturing.

Now that I had a plan, the next step was deciding on which CNC Router manufacturer I will buy my machine(s) from…. This proved to be a much longer process than I had expected it to be with many twists and turns along the way. I started out by looking at the ShopBot PRSalpha tool and visiting shops with this tool in use. I figured that I was already familiar with ShopBot and I would have the shortest learning curve staying with their products. But I kept thinking I can get a better machine for the same, or almost the same, money so I kept looking. I have visited machines that were within a reasonable drive from me while taking notes and watching the machines cut. Along the way I met many nice folks running these machines. I was impressed by what I saw, both software and hardware wise. Now, to get more to the points of the different machines I looked at, and why I like or didn’t like each one. I am not going to name any manufacturers or do your homework for you. You have to evaluate each of your own needs as I did. I hope this will give you some ideas as to what to look for or maybe even a jump start on buying your first tool.

My first point to consider was the control system and software. Since I know the ShopBot control system, it made comparing easy for me. I just asked to have a part file I generated in Aspire2 and toolpathed, run on each of the machines that I looked at. There are machines out there that cut faster than my current ShopBot does. Remember I have toolpathed these files all using the same speed for X, Y and Z so I am seeing how the ramping is done and how smooth the machine runs. The easy operation of every machine I looked at made them all about the same in operation. Each works different, but all do the same things. So I would be happy with any of the control systems I looked at.

Second, I looked at the build of the machine. I want to get away from a bolt-together machine and go with a more rigid welded steel frame machine. There was only one other machine I looked at that was a bolt-together, the rest were welded and built quite nice! The welded frame machines will make it harder for me to get it unloaded since I do not have a fork lift or crane on site, but I continue to feel that I needed the welded frame. I also felt I needed the mass and weight of the welded frame to get the cut quality I wanted.

While I am looking at the build quality of the machine I am also looking at the motion system of the machine. What method is used to make the gantry move as well as what is conveying the weight of the gantry. As we all know, ShopBot has a V roller and rail for all axis movement. This is basic and simplistic. It requires another V roller or some method to keep the roller and rail together. The other method I am evaluating is the linear rail. Linear rails are very precision rails with a block that moves along the rail and cannot be moved in any other direction except back and forth in the direction it was intended to move in. With precision comes expense, but I continued to feel this was needed. I have even looked at adding linear rails to my current machine. All of the other machines I looked at have linear Rails. How the gantry is attached does vary from machine to machine.

I looked at servo motors both AC and DC as well as stepper motors. Servo motors have a constant torque and can run faster than the stepper, but the DC ones need their brushes replaced from time to time. Steppers do not require any maintenance and have more torque at the lower end of their speed range. Both work good if properly matched to the application. I have always been told that the servo has more resolution than the stepper. Well, that is not exactly correct! A servo has to have an encoder for feedback. The resolution of the encoder determines the resolution of the motor. So if your servo has an encoder with less resolution than a stepper, the servo will not have the best resolution. Beyond the native resolution of either motor, you have to consider the gearing that is done after the motor. The bottom line is, how accurately can you move the axis and can you repeat the movements, all at a speed that is appropriate to the application. I found that all of the machines I looked at could do an excellent job of this.

How the servo or stepper is attached to the axis was important to me and how many motors were used to move an axis also figured in. Some machines use a single motor to move the gantry. Some machines use a single ball screw under the table and run the gantry on the ends with linear rails. I found that this is nice, but allows the ends of the gantry to pivot a little. The point holding the gantry is in the middle, on a 4’ wide gantry, you have 2’ of a lever when the spindle is on the outer side of the table. The amount of “rack” that the gantry could be put in depended on the spacing between the bearings that run along the length of the table. Some machines were quite tight while others were quite loose. I also looked at machines that put motors on each end of the gantry so there could be no movement. This configuration was the tighter of the two in my checking.

Now this article was not intended to be a guide for selecting your CNC Router, but a synopsis of my personal experience while looking at machines to replace my ShopBot PRTalpha96. So in conclusion, here is what finally won out with me.

The machine I chose had the following: Control software that was easy to learn and use, stepper motors on each end of the gantry, very strong and beefy gantry, resolution that exceeded my current needs as well as what I can envision my needs will be in the future, and table design that allows me to construct my own vacuum hold-down system. This will allow me to meet my requirements as they may change or evolve. Also, the machine has mechanical systems that I can work on if repairs are needed down the road, electronics that are modular and easy to replace if needed and support that can be reached on the weekends if needed at no additional cost. The table is bolt-together but still heavy enough to give good cuts. Price vs value was good. I chose the ShopBot PRSalpha48. This is a 4’ X 4’ PRS machine that is half the table size of the machine I had, thus allowing me to put two machines into almost the same space that the other machine required.

I hope this gives you some points to think about as you are deciding on what machine is right for you. If you have questions about something I wrote about you are always welcome to call me or email.

I hope the rest of 2009 is good for your business and 2010 will be even better. Go out and find your niche. Don’t just copy someone else’s work and method, make your own place, and success will follow

My machine is a PRT Alpha96 and it seems that I never have the Z axis at the right height to change the bit when I want to.  Well, here is how I fixed that problem and solved a few others as well.

As you can see from the above picture, I mounted a small lever actuated micro switch above my Z axis and ran two wires to the Waco connector located on the Y car.  I am able to conveniently get ground and INPUT #1 here since the Z Zero Plate uses that cable.

My solution is quite simple.  I command the Z axis to move up until it touches the micro switch (you can use a proximity switch as well) and then move back down a predetermined amount.  This will place the Z axis at just the right place so my hands will reach the wing nut holding the dust foot on as well as making it easy to drop the current cutter and collet nut.  I have added the “raise Z” routine to a lot of my files.  Now rather than worry that the “Safe Z height” setting will clear everything, I know the tool is as high as it can be.

I think the pictures are all that is needed to show you how I mounted a switch, and I bet you will come up with a way to mount a switch or proximitity  sensor to your machine.  If you implement this modification to your machine, please post pictures to the ShopBot Forum so others can see.

Now in trying to keep everything simple, here is how I implemented the bare bones code I wrote to make all of this work.  Remember, what works for me, might not work for you without tweaking it a bit.  Always know what the code is going to do before you just run it or edit your files and insert this code into them.  Remember, YOU are the one responsible for the actions of YOUR machine.

Between the rows of asterisks’ below is my Custom Cut #5, which places the spindle where it’s comfortable for me to change cutters.

‘*****************************************

‘Ed’s Bit Change

ON INPUT (1,1) GOSUB ZTOP
MZ,6
J2, 6,15
‘Remember to ZERO the Z axis before cutting!
PAUSE

END

‘ Subroutines below.
ZTOP:

&Z = %(3)
MZ, (&Z – 2.0)
RETURN

‘*****************************************

Here’s a commented description of the file, line by line, to show you what each command does

‘ First I tell the software to start watching the input #1 and goto the ZTOP label when the input goes on

ON INPUT (1,1) GOSUB ZTOP

‘ The next line tells the Z to start moving up. When the switch triggers the ZTOP subroutine will run
MZ,6

‘ The tool move to the location X=6 and y=15 after it returns from the subroutine
J2, 6,15

‘ A friendly reminder that I still need to zero the Z, and a PAUSE so that it stays on screen.

‘ Hey, I am getting old you know!
‘Remember to ZERO the Z axis before cutting!
PAUSE

‘ Finally an END statement to stop the program and prevent it from falling through to the subroutines below.

END 

‘ A comment to help me keep track of things..it marks the start of the subroutine
‘ Subroutines below.

‘ This is the label for this subroutine…you can tell by the semicolon after the name
ZTOP:

‘ Here I am reading System Variable 3 which is, the current Z height and assigning the variable %Z to that value
&Z = %(3)

‘ This line takes the current Z height from variable &Z and subtracts 2.0 from it and moves the Z to that position
MZ, (&Z – 2.0)

‘ The program will now jump back to the next line in the main program which is a Jog command.  (J2, 6,15)
RETURN

If you do not completely understand what each line of code does, I invite you to click on “HELP” at the top of your screen while in the ShopBot Control software or navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\ShopBot\ShopBot 3\Help and read the documents on the commands and their use.  You will also see that I read a “System Variable” to get the current Z height when the micro switch is touched so that document would also be a good read.  Believe me, there are a lot of things you will start to dream up when you start to understand a little more about the under-the-hood workings of your ShopBot router and its Control Software.

Next month I will show you how taking a bit of information from several different folks, then applying it to my style of work has created the best vacuum hold down I have used to date.   I didn’t directly copy them, but I allowed them to inspire my design.

]]> http://www.shopbotblog.com/index.php/2008/11/642/feed/ 0 http://www.shopbotblog.com/index.php/2008/10/the-shopbot-relay-board/ http://www.shopbotblog.com/index.php/2008/10/the-shopbot-relay-board/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:18:46 +0000 Ed and Scott Lang, Mountain View Wood Works http://blog.shopbottools.com/?p=640 For quite a while now I have been using the outputs from my PRT Alpha control box to control equipment in my shop.  By equipment, I mean my cyclone dust collector, vacuum motors etc. I find that by editing my post processor in PartWorks to automatically add the proper SO commands to my ...

Continue reading >>> The ShopBot Relay Board

For quite a while now I have been using the outputs from my PRT Alpha control box to control equipment in my shop.  By equipment, I mean my cyclone dust collector, vacuum motors etc. I find that by editing my post processor in PartWorks to automatically add the proper SO commands to my part files I can make things happen, or make sure I have not forgotten something quite useful.  If you think this might have an application in your shop, read on.

The outputs right off of the control board are not able to handle the voltage or current loads of the equipment I want to switch on and off.  This would require me to add a device to the outputs that can handle the loads.  My first thought was a solid state relay or to cobble together a driver transistor circuit to in turn activate a relay with the properly rated contacts for my load needs.  While gathering the parts needed and deciding on how I wanted to build this, I found the ShopBot Relay Board.  This relay board is already built, and is plug and play!  After a phone call to ShopBot, the relay board was in my hand and I began to realize that ShopBot had put more thought into this Relay Board than I was going to build into mine.  This board will allow you to jumper select what output controls which relay.  This will allow for a very easy to configure system.

Enough excitement, let’s get down to business and install the board and get things connected.  First you will slide the Relay Board into the rear slot that the control board sits into.  Then you will install two screws into holes in the front of the Relay Board.  Finally you will plug into the cable from the Relay Board into the Output switch connector on the Control Board.  That’s it, all installed and ready.  On the relay board there is a bank of jumpers next to each relay.  These jumpers select what Output will control what relay.  There is also a LED on the board to show you what relay is active.

Next I decided to wire up my vacuum motors to the control board.  Since I am running four motors, I wanted to wire up two to one relay and the other two to the next relay.  This way I am keeping the load within tolerance of the relays contacts.  I first jumpered two relays to operate on the same Output signal from the Control Board.  This is done by moving a jumper.  Next I ran my wire and connected it to the very nice screw terminals on the Relay board.  Then after finishing up the rest of the wiring external to the Control Box, I switched on power and tried it out.  With the ShopBot Control Software running I can now hold the Alt key and push the 5 key and turn on output 5 and my vacuum motors run.  By holding the Alt key down again and pushing the 5 key I turn off output 5 and my vacuum motors stop.  Next I decided that I should have the ShopBot control the dust collector as well.  After wiring that unit up to another output, 6 in my case, I verified it worked correctly.  Now I have all of this wired up and working so let’s move onto the post processor editing to make all of this happen automatically when I run a file.

I remember reading David Buchsbaum’s article on editing the post processor some time ago so I found it and reread it.  The article is found in David’s column, Notes from the Sandbox. Next I opened up the post processor and took a look around.  After seeing how commands are written I decided to put mine in and see how it worked.  Here is what I did and why:

By adding the below commands, I can turn on my vacuum motors and wait one second for them to come up to speed:
“SO,5,1″
“PAUSE,1″

Next I want to turn on the dust collector so I added the following:
“SO,6,1″

The next three lines will simulate me pushing a button by closing output 8 for one tenth of a second and opening it:
“SO,8,1″
“PAUSE, .1″
“SO,8,0″

Then by adding the below lines I can turn everything back off when the file is finished:

“‘Turning router OFF”
“SO,1,0″
“SO,6,0″
“SO,5,0″

By using the Relay Board I was able to get all of this done and still have relays free for some future use.  In my setup I also have switches on the wall to start the dust collector and my vacuum motors without having the ShopBot do this for me.  I hope some of this will inspire you to learn more about your ShopBot.  Use any of this information at your own risk.  It works for me in my shop doing things my way.  It may not be the way you want to do things and this is not the only way to do this.

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In prior articles I wrote about my vacuum table and how I used the Fein Turbo III vacs to hold my parts. The Feins are quiet and ready to connect and run right out of the box. ShopBot can even provide you with them!

For those of you who want to get started using vacuum as a means to hold work on your machine, and want to either save some cash or build it yourself, there is another option for you to consider. Surf on over to http://www.lighthouseenterprises.us and let Ward fix you up with Imperial vacuum motors and mufflers. You will be looking at the heart of the vacuum systems, the motor. These are not going to be complete units ready to plug in, but the parts to assemble a wonderful vacuum source. You will have to wire up motors, drill holes and build a box. I will be showing you how I experimented with my motors from Lighthouse Enterprises. I am not suggesting that you should follow my example. Do look at the ShopBot Forum and see how others are using the same motors and just how fancy some have made the enclosures for their systems. The scope of my project was to get vacuum cheap and quick. I also wanted to build this vacuum source without using my ShopBot. The reason for this is simple, if I were just getting started, I would not have a vacuum source to hold parts down to cut this project in the first place! If this project sounds like something you want to tackle, then read on.

First I needed to mount the motors to something. I figured that drilling a hole the same size or larger than the inlet hole would be just fine. I used All Star spoilboard gasket between my motor and the box, but now Lighthouse Enterprises supplies a gasket with the motors. Since I didn’t have a drawing of the vacuum motor flange handy, I took some scrap threaded rod and sharpened one end at the bench grinder. This rod will now be use as a long center punch. I put a washer and nut on the other end and positioned them so the rod would be suspended just a tad bit above the surface I was going to mount the motors on. This way the rod would hang straight and I could mark where the center of the mounting holes needed to be. Next I drew a circle around the base of the motors and found the center of that circle. This would later become the center of the motors inlet hole. None of the dimensions are critical! Let me quote Bill Young from his February 2007 article, “Unless you’re cutting out valves for artificial hearts, don’t feel like you need micro precision either.”  This project is a good example of what he said. I will be using scraps to make this vacuum source!

I was going to get fancy and use T-nuts on the inside of the box for the threaded rod to screw into but decided that was going too far. I grabbed a hole saw that would cut a hold that I could just get my hand into to put a washer and nut on the rod inside of the box. I also put a washer and nut on the outside to lock the threaded rod in and prevent the nut inside from working lose. A dab of thread lock would be a good idea here as well. The next steps were very simple, I just built a box. No fancy joinery but I used plenty of glue and narrow crown staples to assemble the box. I found another hole-saw that will cut a hole almost the right size for the flexible vacuum hose I am going to use. A wrap or two of blue painter’s tape on the hose makes the fit real tight. For those who are still making “heart valves”, here are some dimensions of my box. They are sized like this because that is what I had in the scrap box. 33″ long, 8.5″ wide, 7″ tall. I used a 4″ hole saw to cut the holes for the motors to mount over. I think smaller holes would be better, but I had a 4″ hole saw handy. The hose connection could have also been a PVC pipe or pipe flange with a short flexible coupling between the box and the ShopBot. At first I wired up an extension cord with the female end cut off as my power cord to test the system. Now I am using the ShopBot relay board to automatically control my vacuum motors and my dust collection! Next month I’ll show you all about that!

Below are some pictures that will show you how I knocked together a quick, cheap but very effective vacuum source for my ShopBot. I have been using it for over a month now and am very happy with it.

The long black device pictured is the exhaust muffler that Lighthouse Enterprises can provide you with. The muffler will eliminate the high pitch scream from the exhaust port. The motor will still provide you with audible feedback so you will know if it is turned on or not. If you experiment with reducing the sound of the motor even more, remember to keep a good supply of air moving past the motor.

I think the following pictures will be self explanatory. Good luck with your vacuum source project.

*

Since I am not a good painter, I look at this step of making a sign the biggest challenge. I have tried rollers, brushes and rags all with mixed results. I am going to explain this month how I can finish a sign quickly and get what I and others feel are fantastic results. You may already be doing something close to this so don’t be surprised. Here we go…..

Step one- Route the sign in solid surface material.

Step two- clean the routed areas and let dry.

Step three- spray the routed areas and sides of lettering with the base coat

Step four- before the base coat dries, spray the top coat and let the two mix and mingle while drying.

Step five- After the paint dries sand off the over spray with your random orbital sander, polish and admire.

Now that you have the 5 easy steps, lets go a little deeper into each of them.

Step one: Routing the sign. My software of choice is PartWorks (Vectrics V-Carve PRO). I use a technique to get PartWorks to create two tool paths automatically. One for large area clears using a larger cutter and a smaller more detailed tool path with a smaller cutter. By doing this I reduce the time to cut a sign by much more than half. Here is how I do that. In the tool database create two “special” tools. I am going to use a 0.25” end mill and a 0.125” end mill. The trick here is to tell the software that you are going to V-carve the sign! When I enter the specs of the 0.25” end mill I select the tool type “engraving”. I tell the software to use a 0.1 degree angle and the diameter is 0.25 with a flat diameter of 0.249. Now create a special tool for the 0.125” end mill by entering values of 0.125 for the diameter, 0.1 for the side angle and 0.124 for the flat diameter. Remember to set your pass depth and the feed and spindle speeds appropriate to your work. Now all you have to do is select the vectors of your sign and tell PartWorks to V-carve it by using a large tool to create the area clear tool path and the smaller tool for the V-carving. My example assumes you are going to be using a 0.125” and 0.25” cutter. If you are going to use other sizes of cutter just enter them as engraving tools and adjust your numbers to fit your cutter.

Step two. I like to wash my solid surface with a mild detergent and lots of hot water before I paint it. This is to remove any dust that may still be sticking in the recesses. Make sure to let the sign blank dry before painting.

Step three and four. I use Rust-Oleum Hammered spray paint for this type of sign. I spray a heavy base coat of Dark Bronze followed up with Hammered Copper. You will have to adjust and experiment with how much copper spray paint you use. Don’t try to get even coverage and you will get better results. I find that after I spray the copper on and it starts to dry I will give it a little more spraying in places to brighten up the copper. Not too much now; you are not trying to cover up the base coat of dark bronze.

Step five. After the thick paint has dried and gotten hard, I will start sanding the surface of the solid surface sign with 60-grit paper on my random orbital sander. Then I move up in the grits until I get to 400. Then I use buffing wheels to bring up the shine on the surface of the sign. The buffing starts out with one wheel and tripoli as the compound and then I move to the next wheel and white diamond compound.

There you have it, the five easy steps to making a very expensive sign. One thing for sure, if you are not making sawdust and spraying paint, you will not learn. Now go out and give it a try!

When I change cutters in the middle of a job, I want to re-zero to the bed. I cannot do that with the bed covered with the job. So, here is how I solved that.

What you are looking at is a 1.5” diameter aluminum rod about 9” long. It is mounted to the end of my table and has a wire connected to the bottom and runs to the input #1 in the control box.

I copied the ShopBot supplied Z zero file to a Custom Cut file and changed the variable for the Z zero plate to a fixed number 0.00 since the top of the rod is the same height as the table of the machine. I also entered the fixed location of the X and Y that I needed the spindle to go to in order for it to be centered over the rod. Now all I have to do is run the Custom Cut file and the machine will move over the rod, run the Z zero routine and pull up to the safe z height. Nothing could be easier!

But wait! How do I get the surface of the rod exactly the same as the top of the table you ask? Well, here is how I took care of that. I created another Custom Cut file that will call the Custom Cut to zero the cutter to the aluminum rod. Then it will move away from the rod and prompt me to push the START button. Then it will surface 0.005” off the top of the rod. Next it changes the spindle speed by using the neat utility Ryan Patterson wrote. Be sure to look at the ShopBot Labs page to find the one for your spindle. http://www.shopbottools.com/shopbot_labs.htm. Then I surface my table with the same 0.005” depth as I surfaced the rod. Now both the table and the rod are at the same height. When I lay 4′ X 8” material on my machine and cover the entire table, I can still zero the Z by using the “ZZR” (Z Zero Rod). Below are a few more pictures of the rod and how it is mounted. If you can make use of something like this, please improve on the idea and let us all know.

It’s now time to get back to making those Christmas yard cut outs before it is too late!

Z you later,

Ed