Mark Winlund
02-16-2008, 6:49 PM
Fellow forum members:
It was suggested that I show people my shop. After being an engraver for 30 plus years, one tends to collect a considerable amont of stuff. I will start with the engraving equipment, and do the rest of the shop in another post. That way, you will not be forced to wade through the whole thing!
First, a bit about me... I am 62, and my first training was in the Navy, during the Viet-Nam war. I went to a full year of school in electronics, 6 days a week, 8 hous a day. This was a great help to me after I was turned loose at 21. My first employment was in electronics. In short order, I was a research technician, final inspector at an aircraft plant, started the first of several businesses that I went broke at, namely electronics manufacturing. I learned pcb making, welding, and an assortment of skills leading up to a short career in TV repair. I got married and moved to Oregon, did CB repair for a while, then started a welding shop. This lasted about 6 years. During that time, a customer asked me to make engraved plates for his equipment that I was fabricating. After looking for a subcontractor, I realized I could buy the equipment (a pantograph) and pay for it with the first job. Eventually, the engraving turned out to be many times more profitable than welding (and you don't have to lie on your back or get burned!)
After a few years of this, Will Dahlgren came out with his CNC engraver, that could out-produce 6 pantographs. I jumped on it, and our business exploded. I did this for the next 25 years or so, expanding into vinyl cutting, screen printing,sublimation, and outdoor signage in addition to our engraving business. At our peak I had 23 employees.
Running a company this size was not much fun, and along with poor health, I retired at 55. I put what I had accumulated into real estate, and the income from that keeps me going along with doing a bit of engraving on the side. I now have only one employee, a helper (Anthony) that is also a crackerjack salesman. I am back enjoying what I do, and have a shop full of tools to do it with. As you will see, I really like tools. Most of my days are spent in the shop building and restoring tools, and engraving the work that Anthony brings in.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me, or reply to the posts.
Regards,
Mark
It was suggested that I show people my shop. After being an engraver for 30 plus years, one tends to collect a considerable amont of stuff. I will start with the engraving equipment, and do the rest of the shop in another post. That way, you will not be forced to wade through the whole thing!
First, a bit about me... I am 62, and my first training was in the Navy, during the Viet-Nam war. I went to a full year of school in electronics, 6 days a week, 8 hous a day. This was a great help to me after I was turned loose at 21. My first employment was in electronics. In short order, I was a research technician, final inspector at an aircraft plant, started the first of several businesses that I went broke at, namely electronics manufacturing. I learned pcb making, welding, and an assortment of skills leading up to a short career in TV repair. I got married and moved to Oregon, did CB repair for a while, then started a welding shop. This lasted about 6 years. During that time, a customer asked me to make engraved plates for his equipment that I was fabricating. After looking for a subcontractor, I realized I could buy the equipment (a pantograph) and pay for it with the first job. Eventually, the engraving turned out to be many times more profitable than welding (and you don't have to lie on your back or get burned!)
After a few years of this, Will Dahlgren came out with his CNC engraver, that could out-produce 6 pantographs. I jumped on it, and our business exploded. I did this for the next 25 years or so, expanding into vinyl cutting, screen printing,sublimation, and outdoor signage in addition to our engraving business. At our peak I had 23 employees.
Running a company this size was not much fun, and along with poor health, I retired at 55. I put what I had accumulated into real estate, and the income from that keeps me going along with doing a bit of engraving on the side. I now have only one employee, a helper (Anthony) that is also a crackerjack salesman. I am back enjoying what I do, and have a shop full of tools to do it with. As you will see, I really like tools. Most of my days are spent in the shop building and restoring tools, and engraving the work that Anthony brings in.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me, or reply to the posts.
Regards,
Mark