Are there to many 1 man shops for young folks to compete?

[Booze Daily]

Well, since we're still discussing this...

I started in a kinda dumpy building in an industrial area, but one thing I made sure of was that my paperwork looked professional.
Window envelopes with company logo, stationary w/ logo, checks with logo.
If you don't act serious how will anyone else take you serious?

 

[kustomizer]

Dad bought a new 1974 Jeep J10 4WD with bumpers, am/fm, 4spd, factory ac, in 75 for $3500., I was in town the other day when a guy was buying a 2500 Chevy with lots if fancy stuff. I don't know what he paid for it but it had $109,000 on the window sticker

It don't even seem possible

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Dad bought a new 1974 Jeep J10 4WD with bumpers, am/fm, 4spd, factory ac, in 75 for $3500., I was in town the other day when a guy was buying a 2500 Chevy with lots if fancy stuff. I don't know what he paid for it but it had $109,000 on the window sticker

It don't even seem possible

I haven't bought a new vehicle in quite a while. Isn't there a lot of padding on options? Looks like the cheapest bare bones Jeep has an MSRP of $29K, $3500 then is $21,910.32 now.

 

[kustomizer]

I haven' bought a new vehicle in quite a while. Isn't there a lot of padding on options?

I don't think there are many deals on anything nowadays and that is likely to continue for a while, cars, machine tools, raw material, fuel or food.

 

[TeachMePlease]

I haven't bought a new vehicle in quite a while. Isn't there a lot of padding on options? Looks like the cheapest bare bones Jeep has an MSRP of $29K, $3500 then is $21,910.32 now.

You're not buying a jeep for less than $40K right now. You can't even buy a HONDA CIVIC for $30k.

There is a disconnect between your generation and mine. Many of yours seem to think my generation whines a lot about wages, and aren't willing to work hard to have anything nice...

Average rent for a 1bd/1ba apartment in my area is just shy of $1800/mo (more than my mortgage, btw). That is not a fancy gated community, that's your average ho hum crappy apartment. In 1986 dollars (the year I was born), that was $709. Minimum wage in 2021 is $7.25/hr. So that rent is 248ish hours of minimum wage in 2021. Minimum wage in 1986 was $3.35, so the same rent was 211ish hours. So to afford the same items, people my age have to work 40 more hours.
S
My house in 2021 dollars was $250K. That's only $98K in 1986 dollars. So 34,482 hours of minimum wage in 2021, or 29,426 hours of minimum wage in 1986. So a 17% increase in how much we have to work, to afford the exact same thing.

I'm not saying everyone who makes minimum wage should be able to afford a $250K house. I'm just pointing out the disparity in what our wages equate to compared to your wages back in the day. And I don't mean to single you out, just your question about "how much padding" there is in new vehicles shows me that it's not something you've done recently, and pointed out to me how there's a disconnect there.

 

[kustomizer]

I haven't bought a new vehicle in quite a while. Isn't there a lot of padding on options? Looks like the cheapest bare bones Jeep has an MSRP of $29K, $3500 then is $21,910.32 now.

The J10 wasn't a Jeepy Jeep, it was a full size pickup, they make one now they call a Gladiator

Jeep Gladiator Inventory - Starting at $43,870

 

[Jashley73]

You're not buying a jeep for less than $40K right now. You can't even buy a HONDA CIVIC for $30k.

There is a disconnect between your generation and mine. Many of yours seem to think my generation whines a lot about wages, and aren't willing to work hard to have anything nice...

Average rent for a 1bd/1ba apartment in my area is just shy of $1800/mo (more than my mortgage, btw). That is not a fancy gated community, that's your average ho hum crappy apartment. In 1986 dollars (the year I was born), that was $709. Minimum wage in 2021 is $7.25/hr. So that rent is 248ish hours of minimum wage in 2021. Minimum wage in 1986 was $3.35, so the same rent was 211ish hours. So to afford the same items, people my age have to work 40 more hours.
S
My house in 2021 dollars was $250K. That's only $98K in 1986 dollars. So 34,482 hours of minimum wage in 2021, or 29,426 hours of minimum wage in 1986. So a 17% increase in how much we have to work, to afford the exact same thing.

I'm not saying everyone who makes minimum wage should be able to afford a $250K house. I'm just pointing out the disparity in what our wages equate to compared to your wages back in the day. And I don't mean to single you out, just your question about "how much padding" there is in new vehicles shows me that it's not something you've done recently, and pointed out to me how there's a disconnect there.

And you haven't even added in yet insurance, medical insurance, or children...



And I consider myself very fortunate to have married a good woman, with no student load debt between us. But raising (2) children today is NOT for the faint of heart either... Not doing that on a single machinist's income like you could in the 80's & 90's...

 

[standardparts]

I am 100% on board with the thought that you can't hide from the Sat image these days is a concern, but I would like to think that if he was to sell himself as a one-man start-up, and be right up front aboot the fact that he is in some Shidt Hole location until we see how things go, I for one wouldn't think that would red flag someone giving him (a new guy) a chance? And right now - I think that most places would be open to a new shop?

I don't see/hear quite as much begging for help anymore tho. Is it b/c they don't need the help anymore?
Or - my guess is that they have given up expecting to add help, and are reducing the work that they will take on now?
And if they can find someone to spin some work off to, I would think that option is very much on the table yet.
???

For me - yeah, I feel that Google Earth is not dooing me any favors, and that I need to git out of my own Schidt Hole.


------------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

"google view" cuts both ways.......

Pre-Covid, about 2 years now, I spent 3-4 days every 8 weeks traveling to "network" out of state, which usually meant attending an event where like minded people congregated who usually had linkage to machining...and often times once a relationship developed would agree to consider some crazy/stupid/hairbrained part production idea---so sometimes it works the opposite where someone in need of parts production who won't pass the "google view test" has to work hard to overcome predetermined "bias" from an entity that has a truly impressive presence.

Would expect machine tool shows could be one example not blowing off someone who asks questions and who's contact info implies "unlikely to purchase"----which in some cases is anything but.....

 

[CITIZEN F16]

You're not buying a jeep for less than $40K right now. You can't even buy a HONDA CIVIC for $30k.

There is a disconnect between your generation and mine. Many of yours seem to think my generation whines a lot about wages, and aren't willing to work hard to have anything nice...

Average rent for a 1bd/1ba apartment in my area is just shy of $1800/mo (more than my mortgage, btw). That is not a fancy gated community, that's your average ho hum crappy apartment. In 1986 dollars (the year I was born), that was $709. Minimum wage in 2021 is $7.25/hr. So that rent is 248ish hours of minimum wage in 2021. Minimum wage in 1986 was $3.35, so the same rent was 211ish hours. So to afford the same items, people my age have to work 40 more hours.
S
My house in 2021 dollars was $250K. That's only $98K in 1986 dollars. So 34,482 hours of minimum wage in 2021, or 29,426 hours of minimum wage in 1986. So a 17% increase in how much we have to work, to afford the exact same thing.

I'm not saying everyone who makes minimum wage should be able to afford a $250K house. I'm just pointing out the disparity in what our wages equate to compared to your wages back in the day. And I don't mean to single you out, just your question about "how much padding" there is in new vehicles shows me that it's not something you've done recently, and pointed out to me how there's a disconnect there.

Do note I said MSRP plenty of vehicles sell for more than that, usually when supply exceeded demand, also I said I haven't bought a new vehicle in some time, so you can retract those two digs.

I have also constantly said machinist wages have stagnated, my last job punching a clock I made $28 an hour non union damn near 30 years ago. I have also mentioned that I often look up apartments I and relatives lived in a long time ago and put rents from them into inflation calculators. Which usually show rents have went up double or more the rate of inflation. I think you have me confused with someone else.

Maybe you should cut back on expenses, what do you spend a day on that hairdo, that must take $200 a month of hair spray, let alone shampoo. Learn from your elders, I just do my hair when I am shaving in the morning. I don't spend money on any hair products, nor do I need to worry about packing a comb or hair brush when I go places. It also cuts down on showering time, cleaning hair out of drains, and I can drive with the window down and not worry
about my hair.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

The J10 wasn't a Jeepy Jeep, it was a full size pickup, they make one now they call a Gladiator

Jeep Gladiator Inventory - Starting at $43,870

I admittedly don't know my Jeeps. I have only been in a couple my whole life. My neighbor has what I think is a Wagoneer. That price is for the cheapest model I could find.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

And you haven't even added in yet insurance, medical insurance, or children...

I think medical insurance is the worst of them all. I had already had two non related to machining self employment ventures by the time I got back into machining when I was 23. I approached machining jobs differently than your typical employee. I always went to work to learn as much as I could and treat the place like it was mine. I figured self employment attempt #3 will be as a machinist. To increase my exposure I job hopped, that was also a way to quickly climb the pay scale. I wasn't loyal, but at the same time I was high energy, and wanting to be as productive as possible while doing it with the least amount of expenses.

Oops, got off track. Anyway, when the cost of medical insurance starting creeping up and companies that used to even provide good family coverage for free or token payments starting asking more from employees towards the cost, a lot of workers started squawking. Most of these people had no idea what it would cost if they paid full price for the same coverage on their own. Since I was always plotting to go out on my own I knew a lot about company overhead the average employee did not.

I seriously do not think anything has blown away inflation like the rising cost of medical insurance. I am sure you spring chickens can't remember when the crap insurance was 80/20, with a couple thousand a year deductible.
As I get older, the age at what I would call someone a spring chicken goes up.

 

[kustomizer]

And then the government stepped in to make it affordable and now nobody can afford it

 

[CITIZEN F16]

And then the government stepped in to make it affordable and now nobody can afford it

Are you talking about medical insurance and was that sarcasm? So weird, this did not come out what it said when I quoted it. The part after affordable wasn't there.

 

[FeelerHaasEnco]

Are there multiple meaning for likes? I thought me and this Barbter guy are cool, then he likes a post where I said I took a nasty shot to the nuts from a lathe. I am confused, that wasn't a made up story, it really happened, and it hurt like hell. I just noticed another like came in, yikes!

The machinist I was trained by had a cut off tool break and got him in the forehead... I asked him why he looked like harry potter and he proceeded to tell the story

Lathes are no joke, sorry for you nuts

 

[Jashley73]

I think medical insurance is the worst of them all. I had already had two non related to machining self employment ventures by the time I got back into machining when I was 23. I approached machining jobs differently than your typical employee. I always went to work to learn as much as I could and treat the place like it was mine. I figured self employment attempt #3 will be as a machinist. To increase my exposure I job hopped, that was also a way to quickly climb the pay scale. I wasn't loyal, but at the same time I was high energy, and wanting to be as productive as possible while doing it with the least amount of expenses.

Oops, got off track. Anyway, when the cost of medical insurance starting creeping up and companies that used to even provide good family coverage for free or token payments starting asking more from employees towards the cost, a lot of workers started squawking. Most of these people had no idea what it would cost if they paid full price for the same coverage on their own. Since I was always plotting to go out on my own I knew a lot about company overhead the average employee did not.

I seriously do not think anything has blown away inflation like the rising cost of medical insurance. I am sure you spring chickens can't remember when the crap insurance was 80/20, with a couple thousand a year deductible.
As I get older, the age at what I would call someone a spring chicken goes up.

#1 - I followed that same path as you. Jumped around and it has served me well.

#2 - My current plan is 2,400 family deductible, 80/20 after that. This year we're going to meet the deductible. I pay about $400 a month in premiums as well. :O

#3 - I do not want my children going to a "everyone can be a boy or a girl or anything in between, but if you're skin is light-toned then you're a racist oppressor" gone off the rails woke school. So we have chosen to do private school, and I grow more grateful every-single-day that we're able to make it happen. (This particular private school is very "affordable" compared to others, but still...) My wife works part-time when my youngest is in part-time pre-school. Those (2) tuitions cost us more than our mortgage...

#4 - There is a reason ^^^ that our vehicles are all over 200,000 miles, our house isn't fancy, no boats or expensive hobbies, and no fancy vacations. And that's not likely to change until my side-hustle starts picking up, and/or one of us makes a significant career change. Or both/all.



And to be fair, I'm similar in age to teachmeplease. I can't speak for him, but I'd don't spend much at all on my hair...

 

[CITIZEN F16]

The machinist I was trained by had a cut off tool break and got him in the forehead... I asked him why he looked like harry potter and he proceeded to tell the story

Lathes are no joke, sorry for you nuts

Cut off tool in the forehead? That seems almost as odd as the air hose to the nuts story, but I believe them all.
Do tell. The way I set up and run CNCs and manuals a broken cut-off tool if shot out of the holder would head down, not up. For the record I have never made a round part more than double the size of a dog bowl.

 

[Ox]

Well, if'n you did, tha'd be a sizeable cut-off tool.


-----------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[CITIZEN F16]

#1 - I followed that same path as you. Jumped around and it has served me well.

#2 - My current plan is 2,400 family deductible, 80/20 after that. This year we're going to meet the deductible. I pay about $400 a month in premiums as well. :O

#3 - I do not want my children going to a "everyone can be a boy or a girl or anything in between, but if you're skin is light-toned then you're a racist oppressor" gone off the rails woke school. So we have chosen to do private school, and I grow more grateful every-single-day that we're able to make it happen. (This particular private school is very "affordable" compared to others, but still...) My wife works part-time when my youngest is in part-time pre-school. Those (2) tuitions cost us more than our mortgage...

#4 - There is a reason ^^^ that our vehicles are all over 200,000 miles, our house isn't fancy, no boats or expensive hobbies, and no fancy vacations. And that's not likely to change until my side-hustle starts picking up, and/or one of us makes a significant career change. Or both/all.



And to be fair, I'm similar in age to teachmeplease. I can't speak for him, but I'd don't spend much at all on my hair...

I was just messing with him on the hair comments, when it was going I quickly accepted it, kept a buzz cut then just shaved it off. I was wishing Mohawk Man would come back, because I think he threw me in with all those out of touch old geezers and that is not me. Some things are better now for young people than I was their age, and some things are worse, I am more than willing to have an honest discussion on those issues. I think I will go do a little work and come back later.

 

[FeelerHaasEnco]

Do tell.

When he first started no one told him anything... And he's left on his own at a Hardige tooling lathe making small parts; up until this point he had only done some facing and drill/tap so the cut off tool had not been used yet. The part he needed to make was requiring the cut off tool, and the one they had wasn't in the holder... Not knowing any better he sticks it out 2 in or so past the holder because "it looked right" I think he said. He probably didn't set tool height either, and as soon as it touched it broke the cutoff and being that it was 2+inches it must have have enough inertia to bounce off the bed or something to redirect it back up.

Seriously lucky that didn't kill him, or loose an eye. But after that day I respected the lathe a lot more

 

[BoxcarPete]

[snip]

I seriously do not think anything has blown away inflation like the rising cost of medical insurance. I am sure you spring chickens can't remember when the crap insurance was 80/20, with a couple thousand a year deductible.

As I get older, the age at what I would call someone a spring chicken goes up.

When my wife worked in a school, we had good coverage through the teacher's union. They actually complained about paying part of the premium.

Crappy? Now, I have a "high deductible" plan and the deductible keeps going up. It has now gotten to the point where the deductible is higher than I can legally contribute to my family HSA per year. Even though I max it out, we scraped the bottom of the barrel last year when my daughter was born and we're going to do so again next year when our third comes along. Maybe we could build up a little nest egg if we stop having kids every other year

BUT, the one good thing is that it's PPO. I am not a mouth-breather and I'd really prefer not to fight and argue with stupid GPs if I want to go see a specialist. I have a family history of skin cancer so I've been seeing a Dermatologist annually for years, I have probably in the last 10 years seen specialists 3-4 times more than a GP. It was kind of amusing how confused people would get when I filled out the paperwork and left the line for GP blank.