Thank you for your advice!
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I have the same sentiment about retirement and my use of my CNC. I have been retired now almost 3 years and a woodworker for over 50 years. I picked up my 5 pro about 2 years ago. The biggest learning curve for me was understanding 3d carving and speeds and feeds. I was able to find a great one on one teacher (Jason Woodruff)that I meet on line once a month who has enabled me to produce some beautiful models. I get the enjoyment of producing 3d models when I want to and not be pressured into making money and a production environment. If some day I accumulate a number of models I might do a flee market to see if any sell with the purpose only being for more wood.
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And then after all of the marketing you will get a good shock at what that SHIPPING COST is, then you have the problem of does the customer pay for shipping or do you. IF it is either the piece just went up in price and buyers may back out of buying! Check things out on Etsy for woodworking products and see the prices!
I think the responses given should manage any expectations you might have about monetizing your “hobby”. As a person who has played music and been a woodworker for over 60 years, the line for me that applies to both is an axiom, doing either for the money is inversely related to the enjoyment received. I play often and even get paid, I also make things for my pleasure and sell them too but money is never the motivation.
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Almost immediately after learning some basic techniques. I learned how to machine slate, glass, ceramic, wood, stone and metal. It is very easy to sell stuff, especially if it looks good and is personalised. The technicalities of mechanical engineering take much longer to assimilate. I bought my machine as a hobby, just for something to keep my mind active and to replace the many five or six-day 12-hour work shifts in trauma healthcare, after I retired from formal work at 72 years of age.
I don’t make stuff to sell… I make stuff that interests me and helps me to learn new techniques. When I have produced an item that a person wants, I will usually let them have it. If they want to contribute a little cash to the materials used, I am happy to accept it. What you cannot do is attempt to adequately cost your time as a non-professional.
Turning your hobby into a business is one way to become seriously unhappy very quickly. I have completed 5 decades of work, where I completed everything on my plate as if it were the most urgent thing to complete. I now feel that I would like to slow down a little and take things in my own time working at my own pace and taking pleasure in doing things.
I am currently modifying my methods of two-sided machining so that I can shorten the time required and improve the finish I can achieve. It will not mean anything to anyone else. I guess that encapsulates what the word ‘hobby’ means to me in this instance. Learning something at a comfortable pace and enjoying wherever it takes you. Without the pressure to keep stock, produce goods, and make sales while accounting for income and taxes, it has become a very pure sort of pleasure. I can fill my time learning what I want about the finer points of machining, arcane engineering techniques, along with the nuts and bolts of mechanical engineering.
I see a lot of people have answered you and they have provided many different viewpoints and advice. If a machine is going to put you under any sort of pressure to perform with production, sales, or even to pay back your original investment, I would suggest that you do not invest in something that will likely become a chore and a millstone around your neck. As far as I can tell, we only pass this way once and it is most assuredly not a rehearsal. You owe it to yourself to be happy because then you will make the other folk around you happy too. Good luck in your choices.
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