[knuttypine]

DAV, USMC. Looking for ideas that will allow me to use my workshop for some income to supplement my VA compensation pay.

We are from Hawaii and do purchase a lottery ticket from time to time to keep the dream alive of someday moving back but it is too expensive on a small fixed income so we are living on the coast of North Carolina near USMC Base Camp Lejeune to take advantage of the Commissary savings and have some access to beach for the dogs to walk and fishing for this old Captain.

I have pretty good shop set-up and sufficient equipment. Just need to learn and hone skills and locate and obtain wood. (also) I have a Compucarve-CarveWright CNC that is about six years old, or so, but barely used.

I appreciate learning from others here on the forum and would like to thank those folks that share and explain. Thank you.

It seems my main interests are saltwater style fishing lures and boxes to display or present the lures.

Shadow boxes to display or present lures are also on the list.

Simple, but very nicely done, puzzle box or so called secret box or Japanese style puzzle box of 2 or 3 moves to present a custom lure would be a great skill to learn if someone out there can make some suggestions.


I look forward to learning from all the forum members and hopefully someday I can pass along some help or tips to others as well.

Thank you.

 

[bobj3]

Hi

You may want to check out the link below,he has may plans to make the secret boxes or Japanese style puzzle boxes..I have made some of them are they are great fun to make..

http://www.routerforums.com/wood-scrolling/17496-another-weird-puzzle-box.html

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bruce.viney/videos.html

=

DAV, USMC. Looking for ideas that will allow me to use my workshop for some income to supplement my VA compensation pay.

We are from Hawaii and do purchase a lottery ticket from time to time to keep the dream alive of someday moving back but it is too expensive on a small fixed income so we are living on the coast of North Carolina near USMC Base Camp Lejeune to take advantage of the Commissary savings and have some access to beach for the dogs to walk and fishing for this old Captain.

I have pretty good shop set-up and sufficient equipment. Just need to learn and hone skills and locate and obtain wood. (also) I have a Compucarve-CarveWright CNC that is about six years old, or so, but barely used.

I appreciate learning from others here on the forum and would like to thank those folks that share and explain. Thank you.

It seems my main interests are saltwater style fishing lures and boxes to display or present the lures.

Shadow boxes to display or present lures are also on the list.

Simple, but very nicely done, puzzle box or so called secret box or Japanese style puzzle box of 2 or 3 moves to present a custom lure would be a great skill to learn if someone out there can make some suggestions.


I look forward to learning from all the forum members and hopefully someday I can pass along some help or tips to others as well.

Thank you.

 

[jw2170]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[denniswoody]

Try your local library for books on technique and plans. I am sure you will find lots of ideas and if nothing else it will help guide in terms of what you don't want to make.

 

[knuttypine]

Hello, Thank you all for the welcome and tips - links. I appreciate the help.

 

[flockshot]

For your fishing lures, check out YouTube and search "lathe duplicator" or "making fishing lures" to see homemade machines to make the lure bodies.

 

[JOAT]

Hey Marine, welcome aboard. Retired Army here, about 9-10 miles east of Raleigh. Not a bad state.

Just don't make the mistake I've seen many retired guys do. They price their stuff way low, just so it will sell, which is well and fine, except they don't consider the time it takes to do their pieces, by the time you take out for material costs, if you figure out an hourly rate, some of these guys are earning around 50 cents an hour. If they just want to pass the time, get back materials cost, and pocket a buck or two, no problem in that at all. But if they're interested in actually supplementing their income, that's not a good way to go about it.

I got a stop watch, and timed my work. Some steps I thought took 2-3 minutes, maybe actually took 5, even 10, or more, minutes. Worked on that, changed some things, and got the time cut way down.

 

[stanzee]

Hey Marine, welcome aboard. Retired Army here, about 9-10 miles east of Raleigh. Not a bad state.

Just don't make the mistake I've seen many retired guys do. They price their stuff way low, just so it will sell, which is well and fine, except they don't consider the time it takes to do their pieces, by the time you take out for material costs, if you figure out an hourly rate, some of these guys are earning around 50 cents an hour. If they just want to pass the time, get back materials cost, and pocket a buck or two, no problem in that at all. But if they're interested in actually supplementing their income, that's not a good way to go about it.

I got a stop watch, and timed my work. Some steps I thought took 2-3 minutes, maybe actually took 5, even 10, or more, minutes. Worked on that, changed some things, and got the time cut way down.

A good time study is very important when establishing the price for an item. Give yourself some practice time for a procedure and when you feel satisfied with the speed then time at least 3 to 5 repetitions. After all the steps are timed and added together then set your hourly rate for use in the price computation. Also use a factor of a fifty minute hour because there is rest/idle time to consider. If you would like more information on time studies, PC me and I will look up information sources for you.
It has been a long time since I performed time studies when rating performance ratings for persons with disabilities to be used in establishing wage rates as allowed by Wage and Hours rules.

 

[papawd]

Welcome, I have made a few lures and caught fish on them it makes it really fun.... But if wanting to make a little money fly tying is where it's at I have tied flies for fishing and have plenty of people in my old kayak club buy them as fast as I could make them

 

[flockshot]

I have got to weigh in a little on pricing of your work.

First of all, your material cost and time spent have nothing at all to do with pricing of your work. Both are incredibally important in determining if you can make a profit or not, but not in pricing.

The price you charge is 'what ever the market will bear'. A glass of soda pop costs about 3 cents to make and can sell for over a dollar. It sells for over a dollar because that is what people are willing to pay for it. Plain and simple.

The market will tell you if your prices are too high by not purchasing and if you price too low the market may think you stuff is junk. Better a little high than a little low.

Look around an see what similar things are selling for to get an idea. It may be, that if you want to sell your favorite stuff you will end up working cheap, or it could be that you need to make something different to increase profits.

Also, you colud wind up making exactly what you want to make with a profit margin that makes you really happy.

Best of luck with your, one of a kind, hand made, custom colored, collectable fishing lures and other projects.

Keep it fun. Never let the business end overshadow the creative end.

 

[JOAT]

I have got to weigh in a little on pricing of your work.

First of all, your material cost and time spent have nothing at all to do with pricing of your work. Both are incredibally important in determining if you can make a profit or not, but not in pricing.

The price you charge is 'what ever the market will bear'. A glass of soda pop costs about 3 cents to make and can sell for over a dollar. It sells for over a dollar because that is what people are willing to pay for it. Plain and simple.

The market will tell you if your prices are too high by not purchasing and if you price too low the market may think you stuff is junk. Better a little high than a little low.

Look around an see what similar things are selling for to get an idea. It may be, that if you want to sell your favorite stuff you will end up working cheap, or it could be that you need to make something different to increase profits.

Also, you colud wind up making exactly what you want to make with a profit margin that makes you really happy.

Best of luck with your, one of a kind, hand made, custom colored, collectable fishing lures and other projects.

Keep it fun. Never let the business end overshadow the creative end.

That's pretty close to how I think about it. I don't figure in any hourly wage, but if I can't make a reasonable bit of money off of something after materials costs are deducted, which means making it in a reasonable length of time, I only make that item for myself, or one of my family.

 

[RingNeckBlues]

Knuttypine,

Thank you sir for your service!

Your getting some great tips for box ideas and how to market them. I've found that even selling to almost giving a few nice items away is a fine way to advertise your product. A good word of mouth works very well.

So you also have a 6 year old hardly used CarveWright sitting there waiting to help you out with your boxes. It will work great for adding special detail/designs to your boxes. Are you also signed up on the CarveWright forum? It is a great resource dedicated to the CarveWright system. You will find help for the software and machine. My forum name over there is fwharris.

 

[knuttypine]

I thank you all for your input. Pricing is not a problem if my past experience is of any use.. make it good with good materials, guarantee your work and price it so the new owner can be proud to own it.

Problem that continues tho is one of plans for simple, 2 or 3 move, secret-puzzle box plans that can be adapted for a presentation box for gift of premium special edition fishing lure. The other big problem is designing a lift for a lure in a more standard type presentation box that will lift a special lure up for viewing in the same manner as the more common pen/pencil box. I have purchased good pencil boxes for reverse engineering but lifting a pen from shallow box is not the same as lifting a saltwater fishing lure from a much deeper presentation box. Seems like I need to come up with a compound lift of some sort that can be made from pretty wood and remain very reliable.


Always open to suggestions, links, plans, recommendations. Thank you. Great New Year 2U.