I don't like My Shop Bot any more.

[genek]

I had a customer that called in a order of 20 one handed salad hands. This item I have always made strictly by hand. Last night I sat down and re-drew the hands so that I could cut them out with the shop bot. I had the .25 wood ready to cut out 200 sets. This morning I started running the salad hands. Normally the best I can get finished by hand in one day is 30 (cut sanded glued up). the shop bot on the other hand spits out 4 before I can get one set sanded. For the first time the shop bot has worked my butt off. in less than 2 hours it has cut all 200 sets out. these sale at $8.00 a set. Now I have to sand like the devil is after me.

[scottp55]

Eugene, So you're complaining that your 'bot works too well? I like your cherry, too bad it's for food use and you don't incorporate the sap line, But Knowing you, you already have a use for the "scrap" in mind. If you're bored you can come over here and radius 130 1.75" cubes for me. Wish the Desktop could do it.

[harryball]

Eugene,

I feel your pain and let it never be said I wouldn't step in to help a friend in pain. Please have your bot ready for transport, I will take that evil thing and without complaint or quarrel or even charging you a fee, I'll bring it to my shop where I will punish it daily with repetitive and routine work. Then you can settle back and enjoy making things by hand again without the bother of productivity and profit.

/RB

[genek]

Scott I do use the sap wood in furniture and other non food items. (look at the waste wood posts.) However when I pull my wood I pull from the top of the pile and work down. Even in the food items the sap wood works very well and normally sale faster than the clear ones. I have found that women love character in the wood. The ones with sap wood and curl will be saved back for my up coming show. I have been invited to bring my products to display at the Incredible Food show October the 26th. Paula Deen's Sons will be on that show.

Mr. Ball I bought the shop bot to make my life easier, so that I would not have to work as hard. However on the one handed salad hands, the bot has worked my butt off loading wood for it to cut. I could not get one pair sanded before the bot needed more wood. The shop bot went through the 1/4 inch cherry like it was butter. best part about it very little sanding, no saw marks.

Had I known that the shop bot could have cut the salad hands so quickly. I would have been using it years ago... I am setting with all of my drop bins full at the sanding station. I have to sand all of them so I can have my bins back for other projects.
I have punished the mean old shop bot.. I am making it go to sleep 4 hours early.

[harryball]

Suit yourself

I find if it weren't for dealing with customers all the time, business would be pretty stress free.

[bleeth]

Eugene:
Time to contact your local school and get a trainee/apprentice in. As much as you clearly love passing on the things you have learned you will not only get all your parts sanded at a very reasonable price as well as other laborious chores, you will also get to help some kid get somewhere in life he/she may not dreamed of.

[genek]

I have several young men that the school sends me each year. I get the seniors from the wood shop class, this year I have 4 that take turns working after school for me. I also allow the class to design something each semester, then bring it over and cut it on the cnc, or laser. The new students really are the fun ones. they get wowed by the cnc and laser.

I may be working with a county government to set up a arts and crafts school sort of like John C. Campbell in North Carolina. If that Happens I will be setting up my shop there.

[myxpykalix]

It doesn't take a math genius to figure that @ $8.00X 200=$1600.00, i'm sure there is plenty of profit for you to hire out that parts you don't like to do....
Besides who likes to sand anyway?

I'm sure your problems are one that many here would be happy to have
I enjoy hearing of others success stories...so keep complaining
Good job buddy!


BTW if this school opportunity pans out please keep us informed.....

[genek]

Jack actually i do have high school boys to come in and sand. However i do all critical sanding and i do not ask them to do anything i would not do... As far as cost on the wood. My cost per set is as follows.. One cheery board 5 inches wide 48 inches long is 3.33 i split the board into and plane down to 1/4 inch. I get 6 sets of salad hands for a cost of .28 cents per set. I have another .004 in the brass nail that is used for the hinge. So yes there is a good profit built in... The young man that came over after school worked two hours sanding the salad hands, pasta measures, oven rack, and two book ends. Labor cost around .60 cents per set. So total cost per set is around 1.00

[genek]

Here is a picture of the one handed salad hands ready to go into the mineral oil bath.

The salad hands when folded lay flat in a drawer, when open they become spring loaded so you can hold a plate with one hand and get you salad out with the other.

Scott if you notice i do use the new growth, the patterns are laid out on size of board and centered what ever is in that board and it placement is pure random. I do not make server lay outs for each board just one for the size i am running.