You bought your SB because...

[80grit]

1. You had an existing business and needed one to help with certain tasks.

2. You were starting a new business from scratch with a certain plan in mind of what you were going to make.

3. You were starting a new business from scratch, but didn't really have a plan of what you expected to make.

4. You just wanted one to start learning with part time and maybe see where it takes you as far as a business goes.

5. Purely as a hobby.

Other?


I just wanted to take a poll of sorts to see how everyone got started when they decided to get a SB. I asked a related question here several months ago, and several of the veteran Botters recommended that I have a detailed business plan before I buy. At the time, I was essentially option 4. I took that advice and tried to develop a plan. Since then, I have seen numerous areas where I can meet a need, but I don't have any commitments or anything. I guess I still have a plan, but it doesn't currently involve making a specific product. My plan is to purchase, learn, make a variety of samples to show, and see where it goes.

[chiloquinruss]

5. Was my dream retirement toy. However doing odd jobs for friends and family paid for it the second year. It is now six years old and has paid for a lot more toys and of course many hours of fun!

48x96 std, Spindle, Aspire, CPP

Russ

[gundog]

I was option 1 I had a business and was outsourcing parts to another business and it was not going well. My machine paid for itself many times over. I was also able to create and perfect many new products with the ability it gave me.

I sold it this year for near what I paid for it and bought a more industrial automated machine. But I can thank Shopbot for getting me to where I am and I am grateful. I still hang around here because I want to help others and I still pick up a thing or two here. Please don't ask about my new machine on here I don't think it would be in good form to discuss it here.

Thanks Mike

[dlcw]

1. You had an existing business and needed one to help with certain tasks.

I've had a cabinet/furniture shop since 2000. Been woodworking about 45+ years.

Decided that if I wanted to be competitive, I needed to update my tool arsenal to include some technology that would make me more efficient yet be able to keep my quality requirements up.

After 5 weeks (almost telling Shopbot to take the stupid machine back), and a lot of persistence and help from Gary Campbell, the machine was working and finally making me money instead of costing me money.

It has been a money maker and money saver many times over since 2009 when I got it.

It has the occasional (unknown) lost comm problem that seems to be pretty common with this machine, but other then that, it purrs right along darn well.

[MogulTx]

Option 1:

I had an existing business that was buying a lot of panel products from another company. Their lead time was horrible. Their dimensional accuracy and quality control was poor and their understanding of our projects was pretty bad. Plus we had to pay freight to get the materials to us. I met a local ShopBot guy who did a couple small projects for me, and I "KNEW" it was THE right tool for what I was doing. I had a partner who had blocked me on a couple of good innovations, so I decided to buy a machine myself and see "if I could figure it out"... I had the machine less than a month when I did the first little project for the shop - and the Bot did it better than our suppliers were able to do it because none of them could cut a 5' long aluminum template in one piece - that was curved. That project told me that I had made the right choice. I worked on that small machine (4 x 4 PRT) for a short period of time - then bought a 4 x 8 PRS Standard. I liked it so much that I then sold it and bought a 5 x 10 PRS Alpha, with 4hp spindle. And now I own that 5x10 and have bought another used PRS that I am modifying to try to take on another task... If it works, I will try to land a good sized contract with it and then have ShopBot build me a two or three customized units.

The machines are grand. And this forum is incredible. The people really make this fantastic. Those at SHopBot and those here on the Forum.

[tri4sale]

1. You had an existing business and needed one to help with certain tasks.

2. You were starting a new business from scratch with a certain plan in mind of what you were going to make.

3. You were starting a new business from scratch, but didn't really have a plan of what you expected to make.

4. You just wanted one to start learning with part time and maybe see where it takes you as far as a business goes.

5. Purely as a hobby.

Other?


.

#5 for me, this is a hobby, I hope to make enough money off the hobby to pay for the bot over time, but even if I never make a profit off it, its an enjoyment / quality of life / de-stresser (usually, sometimes it adds to the stress) item for me.

And if I do make enough money off it, then maybe I'll turn it into a business.

[steve_g]

I sold a business, but I was contractually obligated to continue production for a year, we had been using a fabrication house to make the parts… I saw an opportunity to buy a CNC and pay for it with promised work! My end plan was to have a fantastic wood shop in retirement. Now that I’m retired, I almost have more work than I want!
SG

[Ajcoholic]

#1 for me too. Grew up in a working custom cabinet & furniture shop. Took over full time from my father in 1995. Set up a brand new shop in 2010/2011 - and was hoping to incorporate some sort of CNC, but mainly to help with furniture components that were taking me too much time (chair parts, some carvings, etc).

Decided due to space, cost and my needs to get a 48" Buddy Alpha, with the 6' power stick for a 48" square cutting area, with a 4HP spindle.

So far serves my needs well. Some day I can see going to a 4'8 or 5x8 flat bed machine, but for the time being the Buddy will be serving my needs just fine.

AJC

[khaos]

I thought the chicks would like me more if I had one.

[Sk8MFG]

1. Had been in business for a number of years, based out of a garage doing our own product line. Some of our industry friends had started to talk about their displeasure with their current manufacturer. Poor quality, real poor customer service/warranty issues, "appropriation" of their designs.
Prompted us to go from garage/hobby operation and move into the manufacturing/outsourcing arena.
Found a large workspace we could grow into, limped along for a few months doing things like we used to. Looked into MasterCam, used big iron, finances wouldn't allow it. Came across a reasonably priced PRS from a fellow canuk.
Big selling point was the ability to disassemble and move it through a standard door. No garage style, or double door in our facility... still on the list of to-dos.

The rest is history, now we build for a number of brands. We have also continued with our own brand, launching a overseas branch for 2015.

All made possible by big blue. Too bad he needs a new spindle soon :\