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Just Need To Vent - One Man Shop Running Beoyond Max Cap.

LFEngineering

Cast Iron
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Location
Ma.
First off let me say: "I'm not complaining". Too much work is like too much money; problems I'd like to have. That being said I'm starting to get stressed out. I've spent the past 3 years building my one-man machine & fabrication outfit and now the work is pouring in. I work full time as a tool designer & process engineering at a local wire drawing company from 5a-1:30p, then run my shop form 1:45-6ish M-F (or at least that was the plan). Since before Thanksgiving I've had a steady increase in work & I'm now working 1:45-9p M-F & 7-5 Sat / Sun.

I've always been a manual shop, but recently retrofitted my Bridgeport with steppers & Linux CNC to help ease the work load. It took about a week to get the CNC conversion running, but it's been cranking out parts since. I've tried streamlining every thing I do and it helped a little, but I'm still getting further behind every week. Unfortunately I don't really have enough work to support employees, yet I'm one bad week away from turning down work.

The answer is and always will be hard work, but I'm open to any ideas at this point.

:cheers:
 
hire a high school kid to run the mill(cheap). teach him the trade a bit. in a few years you'll buy him a full on cnc and kick back while he earns you a check. when i say he i mean he or she...but probably he
 
I've toyed with the idea of going solo, but it's hard to compete with insurance, retirement, paid vacations & good pay. I look at my shop as "overtime" that I can control. When we get slow at work I always have something to pass the time. I didn't start my shop to be a business, I started my shop because I enjoy making things. Just figured I'd make parts for other people and get paid rather then spend money on my own projects.

I think hiring some help may be the answer. I find it discouraging that I asked a few of my friends if they'd like to come help. I offered to pay cash & match what they are making now and they turned me down. I'm not asking for my help to do the B*tch work. "Sit here and when the parts done on the Bridgeport, put another one in and push GO." I'll take care of the band-sawing stock, deburring, welding & grinding assemblies.

Long term hiring help makes sense, but I honestly don't have time to "teach" people how to get the job done.
 
Raise your hourly rate until the work load gets under control. Why work 80hrs at $40/hr when you could work 40hrs at $80/hour?

Proturn
 
I agree with ProTurn. But don't think your going to compete at $80/hour with a Bridgeport....Get a VMC Any VMC will put that Bridgeport to shame. It will cut the time it takes to make stuff significantly.
 
I agree with ProTurn. But don't think your going to compete at $80/hour with a Bridgeport....Get a VMC Any VMC will put that Bridgeport to shame. It will cut the time it takes to make stuff significantly.

Those numbers were just an example. I have no clue where he would need to be.
 
I agree that a "real CNC" would be faster & is far superior to my conversion, but the ROE on my retrofit has almost already paid for itself in less than a month.

$1000 bucks for the retrofit parts and a week to fabricate the brackets, install & tweak. Thankfully I was slow that week so no jobs got put on hold.

I mean I went from manually making "widget 1" in 45 min + the risk of screwing it up to making that same part on the CNC in 15 min. Plus I spend that 15 min cutting stock or making a part on the lathe. No doubt a VMC could it it in 5min, but I'd also have to recoup a 10-20k investment.

Baby steps. Plus my plan is to fabricate a CNC plasma table & using the same CNC controller drive that too. Meaning aside from purchasing 3 extra steppers, the control computer and software will run either machine with separate configuration files.

Gotta look at it from my point of view, unlike someone who's shop is their living and is used to put food on the table I can afford to spend a little more time messing with these retrofits. I have the utmost respect for anyone who runs a shop full time, it's a step that I'm just not willing to take right now. Even though its a PITA I'd rather diversify my working into 2 places that way I always have a plan b.

It also sets the stage so my future kids will have a solid foundation if they choose to take the ball and run with it.
 
I am having the same problem. There is too much work coming in and its just me. Except, it did not take 3 years to get here. I started in May of 2012, and am billing close to $10K every month. The customers want to send me more. I had someone lined up to work for me starting June 1st but they backed out.

Its stressful. I started smoking again, and was trying to quit drinking, but that did not work. In fact, I met a guy in the bar this weekend, who sent me a job to quote this morning. This has been happening quite frequently for me. Its also very scary. I never dreamed that it would get like this, but its also been the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Hang in there. It may slow down some, but if your doing good work at a fair price, you may need to hire help. The suggestion of a HS kid is a great one. That is how I started. After 15 years, have a successful business.

Good Luck,
Josh
 
And get this too; my younger brother and I couldn't have more opposite lives. I mean we're talking N and S here, yet we're experiencing the EXACT same problems. He's also a one man operation expect he runs his own bakery / custom cake outfit. I have someone to bounce ideas off of and talk about the weeks ups and downs. Of course we're only 20 min away from each other and hardly ever see one another because we're so busy.

Lucky guy, at least when he scraps parts he can eat 'em.
 
I have never understood the aversion to hiring help.

I have been hiring people to help me for well over 30 years now, and its been absolutely necessary for sanity and health.

You can hire somebody for one hour, or one day- its not like you are getting married.

Sure, if you are going to be having ongoing employees, you need to do it all legal- which is usually less hassle than you think its going to be- but you certainly dont have to start out that way.
Paying cash under the table is a time honored american tradition.

As for not having time to train people- thats a fantasy.
No matter how skilled someone is, no matter how much experience they have, every employee always needs some training- nobody is you, nobody knows your tools, machines, and parts the way you do, or how, exactly, you like things done in a shop.

So you WILL be training people. But it still works out faster than not training, and doing it all yourself.

to have employees, you have to be patient, willing to be interuppted, and willing to accept a few screwups.

training takes time- I find that for my shop, its two years before somebody is really fully trained on the main tools, and that would be starting with somebody with a 2 year AA degree. But all along the way, they are doing stuff I dont have to.

I have had very good luck hiring recent community college grads in welding, machining, or manufacturing. We have a very good CC system here, and those kids are usually able to measure, cut, use basic tools, and generically run machines- of course, they need training and familiarisation with MY machines.
But I find that somebody who paid money, and had the gumption to go to school for two years is usually pretty motivated, and wants to learn. I have had several of those guys work for me for five years or more. I call up the teachers and ask who I should hire, they know the skills of their students. Part time, especially your hours, you could hire kids still in school, as most classes are in the mornings, at least around here.
 
to have employees, you have to be patient, willing to be interuppted, and willing to accept a few screwups.

And that my friend filters out a great number of people who would otherwise be able to build a great business with the skills they have.
 
I've toyed with the idea of going solo, but it's hard to compete with insurance, retirement, paid vacations & good pay. I look at my shop as "overtime" that I can control. When we get slow at work I always have something to pass the time. I didn't start my shop to be a business, I started my shop because I enjoy making things. Just figured I'd make parts for other people and get paid rather then spend money on my own projects.

I think hiring some help may be the answer. I find it discouraging that I asked a few of my friends if they'd like to come help. I offered to pay cash & match what they are making now and they turned me down. I'm not asking for my help to do the B*tch work. "Sit here and when the parts done on the Bridgeport, put another one in and push GO." I'll take care of the band-sawing stock, deburring, welding & grinding assemblies.

Long term hiring help makes sense, but I honestly don't have time to "teach" people how to get the job done.

Do you have your part time shop set up as a real business so you can use the tax advantages?
 
Ries,
Well put. I don't know if it's necessarily an aversion to hiring as much apprehension. Afraid of the unknown, especially when it comes to people. Just last week I was talking with a few of the (younger) machinist at my full time job & they were both interested in working part time. I mean we all get out at the same time and for the most part have nothing to do between 1:30 and 5 because all of our friends & family are at work or school. My only concern was souring our relationship at work. What if I'm a bad "boss"? What if they suck? I mean I'm sure their good machinist, after all they are currently employed and I doubt they'd volunteer if I was a dick. I just don't want to piss the guys off and then have to work with them for the next 40 years.
 
Yea I'm a legit shop. I'm a Sole-proprietorship so I'd have to change some things to have "real" employees, but yes I'm setup as a real business.

On the other hand having one of these guys from work help me could be extremely beneficial as training for a future management role at work.

BTW: Thank you everyone, I can't wait to hear more.
 
Good ideas with rates and help above...
Don't know exactly what you make, or if you're home or off-site, but can you "fixture-up" and run a table-full of 15 min. parts, rather than one-at-a-time? That way, you could get longer breaks, run lights-out if possible, etc.

Off-load some of the prep, like stock-cutting, to your supplier?

Are you fully-disclosed at the day job? If so, any sharp co-workers or interns need extra cash?

Chip
 
Ya everyone at work knows about my shop. Actually just quoted parts for my full time job not too long ago.

Multiple part setup has defiantly crossed my mind. I currently hand write all my code (no CAM yet), and any of my existing parts already have an established process. You can bet though any new parts will get multiple part fixtures.
 








 
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