Gary, thank you very much for the advise and suggestion. I really hadn't considered an evening/weekend apprenticeship, but that sounds like a very good idea.
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Originally Posted by
James Jaragosky
I got the message several posts ago.
As did I regarding tooling and shop setup costs.
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I only broke down my assessment of your situation and goals based on the posts that you have made and the reply's that others have given in return.
Understood.
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You seen to be a bit light on direction and planning; yet you are considering purchasing a 20k machine to accomplish something, but you do not seem sure exactly what.
If this turned out to be nothing more than a fullfilling hobby making a small amount of expendible income while staying with my IT carreer, I would consider it a success. A $20k machine is not going to be a part of this. That much, I have decided.
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In my opinion, that seems a recipe for failure.
Some years back, I decided it was time to release an album of my own. Despite the fact that I had the skillsets to write, produce and engineer the album, I also knew that there were many requirements that would cost in the thousands. While the thought of at the least, making back all the money I spent producing this album was a nice one, I also did the math determining the number of copies it would take to acheive this ROI. In the end, it really didn't matter. It was something I wanted, perhaps needed to do, and if I didn't make back a dime of the money I spent, it did not matter. To this day, I am still giving away the CD's...
The shop in my garage is another one of these "albums" for me. I am quite busy managing a successful career in IT, and while I would prefer to be in manufacturing (I do have a background in manufacturing and assembly, by the way), if this hobby never makes me a dime, as long as I'm having a good time, it's worth it.
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A well thought plan would enhance your possibility for success. Make the plan then purchase the equipment, not the other way around.
I do not disagree with the first statement. My plan is to have fun. Even without machinery, I'm already accomplishing this by playing around with the Aspire demo. Today I was successful in creating a sign using a logo I designed for an electrician friend who's self employed, and even figured out how to deal with tool paths. The thought of experimenting with cheap materials and eventually giving him a nice sign for his business is an exciting one. I have far too many ideas to execute on all of them, but I'm also not quiting my job and starting a business without a plan. What I'm doing is spending more money than many would likely deem wise, on a hobby. If I find a niche or two and can make some money, all the better.
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Everything I have written is only is my opinion.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best, and look forward to hearing of your success.
Understood, and again, I'm not trying to be argumentative. I am expressing my opinion as well.
Where I could fail is if I were to buy all this equipment, become frustrated trying to learn how to use it and quickly get bored... selling it all for a loss.
I have yet to be challenged with something where I have failed, and a spring chicken, I am not. This gives me a positive outlook on my future hobby.
Thanks again for the input, James. It may not seem like it, but I do appreciate it.