Replies

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jul 08, 2005 05:38pm | #1

   It depends a lot on where you are and how much demand there is for what you offer but I generally pay around $75 an hour with a $45 minimum for this sort of thing plus set up fees when applicable.

   MontanaFest
1. 
   MichaelPB | Jul 08, 2005 05:44pm | #3

   Well, I am in a place a bit more expensive and crowded that beautiful Montana.  I am located in Sacramento, just outside the San Francisco bay area.

   Thanks for the great information!  Any examples of what they did and the number of hours they billed for?  There is very little useful information out there on running a carving machine and few are overly willing to share what they do know.

   Thanks again for the wonderful info!

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jul 08, 2005 05:49pm | #4

   I can't help you out specifically on carving machines. The only things I head to other shops for at this point are wide belt sanders and CNC router stuff.More crowded? Are you kidding??? Do you have any idea how many cows are in this state?LeeMontanaFest

2. 
   RickL | Jul 08, 2005 05:41pm | #2

   You might try posting on http://www.woodweb.com . A professional woodworking site. Millwork typically runs around $50 to $100 an hour. Our shop gets $50 but shops in the large urban areas get more and it depends on your part of the counrty and how specialized you are. Start low and work your way up if business gets too good. 

   Woodweb has a CNC forum.

   
   

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   Edited 7/8/2005 1:02 pm ET by rick3ddd

1. 
   MichaelPB | Jul 08, 2005 09:07pm | #5

   Don't laugh but using a carving machine is considered millwork just like running stock through a shaper?

   I sure know which is easier and faster.

1. 
   WillGeorge | Jul 08, 2005 11:28pm | #6

   a carving machine .. HAY! Just what is that???

   Can you post a Picture and your work.. Just wants to know what it is here...

1. 
   MichaelPB | Jul 09, 2005 01:54am | #9

   George,

   Imagine a giant 3D pantograph for grown up kids and you have a carving machine.  Here is the company that made mine

   http://www.terrco.com/ter_61.htm

   I use it primarily for doing gunstocks but I want to diversify and get some other items going.  I am currently building a flat deck so I can do things like carved crosses that only have decoration of the front and sides.

   Making a pattern is easy, just glue things to your pattern, use bondo or whatnot to smooth or add details and start carving.  Back east you find machines with 24 spindles back when they were used to make furniture.

2. 
   RickL | Jul 09, 2005 12:09am | #7

   A lot of folks think CNC is for big production runs and not for the small shop. It makes just as much sense for short runs and single projects.

1. 
   MichaelPB | Jul 09, 2005 01:30am | #8

   CNC is one thing, but to do what I do, you need MNC machines, which is Magically numerically controlled.

   CNC is great if you have the blueprint and or the part was originally produced on CNC but my work, gunstocks, is all custom and doing them on CNC is a nightmare.  I have worked with high end 4 axis CNC setups to do gunstocks and even after lots of tweeking you can spot a CNC done gunstock, the curves are just not organic. 

   Now modern stuff like Rugers IS designed to be made with CNC stuff.

   Imagine trying to setup a CNC machine to copy one of Albion's glorious medieval chests for a run of less than a few hundred, let along 10 or 20, it can't de done, the programming and debugging time would be murder.

   http://www.mgstocks.com/images/mg34set.jpg

   http://www.mgstocks.com/lewis.jpg

   These kind of items are very difficult to set up for and make on CNC, even with a fancy optical scanner which is then pricy.