Got sucked into the hype, Damn. Reality Check for Everyone

For Sale Or Trade
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Back in November of 2022 I came across a video on YouTube where a guy made 500K with a desktop CNC. Remember that one? This started a huge rabbithole of YouTube watching and research on CNCs. I wonder how many CNCs that video has sold. Being a computer guy and someone who is generally handy, this seemed like the perfect fit for a side hustle and something that could get me out of my 9 to 5.

Bought the CNC, fabricated the entire table and enclosure, bought tons of software, learned it all, got pretty good at it. Figured out some cool products, made some handfuls of sales. Found out I donā€™t really like finish work nor have any room to finish large amounts of items (no shop space, no basement). Sales were a trickle in a VERY saturated market these days on Etsy and my own Shopify store. Then, when you find yourself doing a run of a product all day on a Saturday and realize that is not fun at all, and that product may make you break-even profit after labor and materials, itā€™s less fun.

Additionally there is NO math on earth that gets a single desktop CNC making, say, 20K a month (donā€™t forget as an independent business you are paying full FICA taxes and income taxes and pre-paying them quarterly).

So, Iā€™ve made some money for the guys at OneFinity, a couple bit shops, the hardwood store, and some YouTubers. Learning experience that cost me a few thousand dollars. So for anyone about to dive in, sit down and REALLY THINK about how this is going to go and what your expectations are.

OneFinity X50 Woodworker For Sale - Chicago suburbs. PM me for details.

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@expressomatic great points. The $500K guy had some product that he was first to market with (some phone charger stand/station) at a much earlier stage of Etsy. Iā€™m not sure itā€™s realistic to break into Etsy in 2023.

Iā€™m not sure what my thinking was when I started this journey six months ago. I remember looking at signs and stuff on Etsy and other things like grill handles and accessories and seeing reasonable sales and whatnot. I thought my designs were really good and I experimented with epoxy, CA glue, inlays, you name it. Iā€™d say Iā€™m pretty good at this so I learned a lot.

At the end of the day, you need a product and the product really canā€™t be a sign, tray, bowl, or basic utensil. Or any art/craft chotchky decoration, or anything that takes major finishing work (stages of paint, epoxy, sanding, etc.) or it becomes pretty much instantly unsustainable for 1 person in a garage with spare time and a family.

My main point is these CNC companies and YouTubers are not selling a tool, they are selling a fantasy. A fantasy that some people can make true with one-in-a-million product development and timing.

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Hey m3fan,

I think we all here enjoy the fact that a CNC router has become accessible for nearly anyone today. But if you think of the fact that the Onefinity manufacturer alone has sold about 20,000 of them, do you really believe that all of those buyers now can make $500,000 because they own a CNC now?

It is extremely difficult to start a business with selling something that you produce yourself (especially if what you could produce can also be produced in large batches by badly paid chinese with no right to found a labor union or to criticize their boss or the government and have no health insurance, products that then can be sent in big containers to the US and to the EU).

To make money with a business, what you need, is not only a very good idea, but also to achieve a lot of other steps and make no mistakes then (and also have luck). Like the myth of the dishwasher that can become a millionaire, it is an absolute minority of people that first were dishwashers that can really hope to become something else than a dishwasher in their life. Itā€™s a myth.

Itā€™s a really good idea that you need, a really good one. And then a good knowledge of how to run a business too, including what is needed then, e.g. market analysis, marketing, web appearance, enterprise resource planning etc.

The Onefinity manufacturer is an example of something that worked, a good idea and obviously many things were done right, and luck was also there I am sure. I wish everybody who founds a business luck! And Iā€™m happy for everyone for whom it works out, because itā€™s so incredibly hard to pull off.

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I think I fell for the same marketing hype with Bob Rossā€™ paintsā€¦ bought the paint brushes, paints, VHS tapesā€¦ I was going to make millions selling landscape paintingsā€¦ I canā€™t even get $1 for the VHS tapes now, let alone my ā€œpaintingsā€ :wink:

I make about $5K a month of product on my CNC, I donā€™t credit the CNC for making me this money, I was making similar money before I used the CNC to speed up the work. I guess I could make a video claiming that my 1F is making this much money, but the reality is I have a niche market with a patented product no one else makes. My sales volume is directly related to my advertizing and social media pushes, if I slow that down, everything slows down.

If you have a product the CNC can help you with, it is an amazing tool. But if you donā€™t have a product, itā€™s just another tool in the shed.

As for YouTube, itā€™s a shame to see even the legitimate YouTubers using deceiving titles and shocked faces on their thumbnails to hype things upā€¦ especially when the content is good and doesnā€™t need deceiving tactics to be appreciated.

Sorry to hear about your experience, you have a good machine on your hands, you should be able to sell it at a good price, especially considering the lead times on a new machine.

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This is a more expensive version of the 3D printer hype. Iā€™m a tech guy, and I finally bought a 3D printer last year. My family was surprised it took me so long to buy one. But in reality, I never needed one. Then I started a project that needed the precision I could not get any other way. That $300 3D printer was able to help me build what I couldnā€™t otherwise build. Now that I have the tool, I find myself using it quite often.

I am confused by the YouTubers who post videos of the things you can make with a 3D printer: a TRASH CAN! Really? A whole spool of PLA (at $25), and many days to print a trash can? Stupid.

CNC router has a higher barrier and greater learning curve, but is fairly analogous. I donā€™t know if Iā€™ll get $4000 worth of value our of my 1F. But I DO know, Iā€™ve made things that couldnā€™t have otherwise made without it. Some items that take 5hrs on the 3D printer, I can make in <5 minutes on the 1F. And larger items that canā€™t be made on my 3D printer, are now possible.

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My CNC is a shop tool that allows me to build the ocasional project or guitar that i otherwise wouldnā€™t.

i have a ā€œgeneral cnc servicesā€ post on facebook marketplace, and iā€™ll cut, carve, make whatever people see on etsy but want to buy local.

Thatā€™s almost paid for my CNC, which is all I ever wanted. I like to do things once or twice, and pay attention to the details.

Most of the guys making real money from CNCs are cutting tens of thousands of the exact same thing, and really grinding it out at all hours of the day to do so; not something for everyoneā€¦

I donā€™t really think anyone hides that fact or is trying to scam anyone. The money is there, people want to buy things that are CNCā€™d and personal, but to make real money, it takes a lot of work and a lot of grind

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Getting rich with a CNC is very difficult. But there is nothing wrong with your hobby paying for itself. That is much more doable.

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Yes a lot of Hype was out there especially for the causal woodworker. Word to the wise a CNC is like fools gold, so unless you currently have a woodworking business that is already producing income and looking to increase production or create new products for your business or looking to just have fun with a new toy and if you happen to make some money great, then buy a cnc. If you think your going to start a new businessā€™ and make a living you will be inline for a rude awaking. Is it possible yes, but maybe playing the lottery is better.

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Hey Giancarlo,

Here we still have Bob Ross on TV every night, at the time when you go to sleep. Bob Ross is not for buying their expensive stuff, it is for find to sleep quickly with his gentle voice :slight_smile:

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Hey Matt, hey all,

I wouldnā€™t go that far and say playing the lottery is better, but otherwise I agree. I bought the CNC to do something with it that I have been doing for a very long time already (=to have some parts made by the CNC now).

But since I bought it, I also get completely new ideas on what to possibly make with it. An extremely versatile tool.

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I do not have a full shop and also struggled to find the happy medium between 5-figure investment in ā€œeverythingā€, and wishing I had something I donā€™t. And, I think I have found it (for now).

I donā€™t think anyone can compete with the ā€œHobby Lobbyā€ Corporations (or YouTube) with workshops larger than my house. And, I donā€™t try to compete.

I then did some woodworking soul searching and had to ask myself ā€œwhat is a CNC good forā€ (rhetorical question)? A lot of something over and over, also custom/personalized and/or so difficult that it is not even close to feasible trying to accomplish by hand. In fact, I try to push myself and design things that are complicated enough where others wanting to copy will have a challenge.

And this is what I am concentrating on, but not just by itself. It should also be something unique or a new twist on an existing concept. My first serious projects with my CNC were Christmas gift boxes, because I was able to carve their names, dates and other things, making something that cannot be easily purchased. I have since created things like charcuterie boards made from high expensive hardwoods, but they are round, two-piece (utensils stored below), and inlayed with text (name/date) on top and bottom along a curved path. Since I can devote the time, I make sure each one is sanded and finished as best I can.

I too have a regular 60-hour-per-week job, so I go for both uniqueness and quality. Since I can take the time doing 1-3 orders a month, and making sure the customer understands it may take me 2-3 weeks (day job) to get it finished.

My shop? Using 1/3 of my basement and a sliver of my detached garage (weather permitting) for the following:

  1. Harbor freight 12-inch miter saw
  2. Wen 8-inch jointer
  3. Wen track saw
  4. Airbrush kit for finishing

Thatā€™s it!

And for finishing, this took me better part of six months to clear space and throw up a 6-foot by 4-foot ā€œspray boothā€ with exhaust tied in with my clothes dryer. Itā€™s just four 2x4ā€™s for the walls and the super thick plastic sheeting from The Depot. I also use an old (small) kitchen table to mix epoxy and do other messy things. And, I use the CNC table itself (and enclosure) to do all my sanding or pop out to the garage if possible.

Yeah itā€™s a juggle to not be carving something at the same time Iā€™m sanding and constantly stepping over myself and other things in the basement. But I am doing these things now so that when I retire (and hopefully move), I can hit the proverbial ground running.

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For me:. CNC bridged my areas of interest: 3D modelling, 2D design, programming, and woodworking.

I doubt iā€™ll make any money out if it (UK cost base vs say India or China will never work) but iā€™m having a lot of fun making gifts for others (iā€™ve never been one for shopping) and making items for the house (which i also did without a cnc, but not so well).

I have a 3d printer: now i think that has saved me money (one of the first Prusa MK3) by repairing stuff around the house.

I say enjoy the process of designing, problem solving and creating.

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People really need to go to a woodworking site, like Sawmill Creek, and ask about making money working with wood. Youā€™ll find that thereā€™s only two types who do. The first is the guy whoā€™s done it all his life and has skills that come with time. The second is someone who hits upon a unique product that sells. A CNC isnā€™t going to change this formula. Then, if you want to make money, you need the other woodworking tools to do things like make panels. Anytime you have to pay for someoneā€™s labor to do something for you then thatā€™s profit that they are making, not you.

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Most of the outlandish claims Iā€™ve seen regarding you can make $$$ per year with anything are extrapolated values based on input cost and time to manufactureā€¦ nothing about selling them. Usually something like this: ā€œI bought a 2x4 from a big box store for $4 and made 6 items from it in 15 minutes and each one sells on my store for $10ā€ āˆ“ 24 items an hour * $10 * 40 hours/week = 10k/week

Itā€™s very difficult to sell that amount of anything passively with an online shop. You can do it more actively at things like craft fairs but a 5k weekend is about the best Iā€™ve had. Sometimes youā€™ll hit on a product that sells well and for a decent profit, themed wall hanger guitars seem to be one of these items for me, selling for more than fully functional guitars in some cases.

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I am very established in a niche market. I am using this machine to rough out wooden parts, also I combine it with a 3d Scanner to restore antique wooden objects.

So far CAD/CAM has cost me a lot of time and money, but first of all I love doing this and I can see the payback coming in a few years. I never though this would be profitable in the first year, but now I am very confident in what I am doing, and I feel there will be a lot of gain in the long therm.

I think if you work hard and find a product/a market there is opportunity. But the product/service has to be sophisticated, otherwise everyone would do it.

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Hey Tom,

what type of 3D scanner do you use?

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I have the Transcan C, by the way a good and very precise scanner.
I model with Rhino 7.

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Interesting thread. For my day job I make a handsome CxO salary, bonus, and commission teaching and consulting F100 and fedgov. Guess what and who I teach? how to operate a business and product development to engineers, finance, IT and software people who have no clue about business or product development.

I donā€™t understand the concept of how anyone thinks they are going to make a living from one tool or a small shop. There are edge case exceptions where someone corners a market on IP, but that is a rare exception. If you want to make above average income money you have to design the business for scale. And a thousand other things and skillsā€¦

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Buddy, I just like making stuff. Sometimes I make a little money off what I make. Sometimes its something I need and can make myself now cheaply. Sometimes I just do something for fun.

If you thought youā€™d turn a $3000 machine into half a million copying etsy store junk, you were deluding yourself from the start.

These are hobby machines. For hobby users. Prosumers to be sure, but still. Its a rare bird who runs a legitimate business from which they derive their income off a small gantry mill alone.

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Hey, I like doing woodworking and there is nothing wrong with my hobby paying fro itself. donā€™t kneed to get rich, just donā€™t want to get poor.

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