How FAST Can a $13,000 Laser Pay For Itself? Plus a Few “Selling Tips” I’ve Learned
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2022
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Chris, You have done an awesome job! I'm glad to hear you and your wife and family are feeling better! You are so inspiring to others and your energy is way up there. I'll continue to pray for you and your family. I just love to hear about your successes!
Good to see you're doing so well! Wish you nothing but continued success.
Inspiring me to turn my woodworking/epoxy hobby into a side business. Thankyou so much!
Thanks for all the advice and tips! It's great you have the upgraded laser now and wonderful to hear Laguna has such topnotch customer service. I'm so glad to see you're feeling much better now. I sure hope your wife has also recovered. Good luck to you!
Love to see your enthusiasm for what you do and for your family as well. You are an inspiration to me every time I watch a video you have posted
Love the enthusiasm! Your learning curve truly amazes me!
Great video again Chris. You are so positive about the fact you just need to put the time in to get so much out. Great ideas as well. Looking forward to making some of you builds on the CNC. Hope you are all feeling better. Cheers
Chris this is an amazing video! Thanks for sharing! I’m sure that I will watch this a few times.
Chris - Glad you and family are feeling better. Love to see your succeeding! Great work! All the best
Thank you so much I appreciate it!
Love your ideas on selling.. I am planning on checking into some of these ideas..
Glad you are back!
You’re an inspiration man, keep going. Wishing you the best.
I am so glad you are on the up matey. Cool.
Chris - Yes - 100% packaging matters! I’ve ordered from you before and I was blown away when I opened my order! I literally took pictures of every step of the unboxing (from the custom tape on the outside, to the neatly wrapped craft paper, to the way the products were placed in the box. Shortly before receiving your package, I had shipped my very first order and I felt like I could have done a better job with packaging. I used your packaging as inspiration to level up my shipping game. To date, have only shipped a handful of items, but I’m still hustling trying to make it happen. Thank you for giving us a glimpse inside(😜) how you run your business. You’re a class act!
That’s awesome thank you so much Monica i really appreciate the kind words. Best of luck to you and your ventures I love to hear people who are getting into it and starting to ship out there on orders
Welcome back!! Happy to see you are doing better!
Thank you sir!!
Hey Chris, glad you are feeling better. Another awesome video. Thanks for making it.
Thank you Michael I appreciate that
You are a great inspiration
Keep up the hard work! I have ordered lots of products from you over the past year. I'm happy with them all.
Yes sir you have and I really appreciate it thank you so much for the kind words as well
Love Jennie and Davis. Thanks for the great video
you're doing really well man, your videos are always good, great personality, honesty, and integrity. Keep it up.
Cool stuff Sir! It’s nice to see how far you’ve come building stuff, acquiring knowledge and giving people like myself inspired goals. Hopefully in the near future I’ll be able to also get some of these luxurious tools for woodworking you have. Until then, I’ll be watching and continue making due with the content I’ve been posting to grow my CZcams channel.
You are an inspiration. Great to follow your journey!
Thanks for being here Mark
Subscribed to your channel a couple weeks ago and thoroughly enjoy your videos. I am always looking for inspiration to be creative and you come up with some great ideas.
Lookin good. Love your content. Hope you all feel better soon!!
Thank you so much yes things are getting better
Glad I watched your video before I ended my day. I build mostly custom ordered wood furniture for secondary income and recently its become very hard to get orders. I went through many thoughts and even considered calling it done for now. I am not a salesman by no means, I am a builder. Hearing you talk confirms my most recent thoughts.... I must get better at selling and advertising. Thats my weakness! So I will build on that.
Love your work 👍
Awesome video & I see many more products I’ll be buying in the near future!!! Keep on keeping on brother!!! 👊🏽💯
Thank you buddy I appreciate that always good to hear from you
Glad you're better Chris
Order placed. Thanks for the content. Phone holder looks cool also!
Thank you for your order Paul I will get it out first thing Monday morning
I've really enjoyed watching your success. Congrats on finding a business that works.
Thanks for giving out the numbers. Very interesting and you have a great business going. Subscribed
Yeah I figured why not be honest no shame in it. Glad you appreciate it thanks for watching
Awesome work PATTI
Yeah she does good work
Hi Chris, glad to hear things are going well for you, I really hope that your business keeps going from strength to strength, very best wishes to you and your family, from Australia.
Always good to hear from you Les!! Thank you as always
You're natural in front of a camera! Peace be with you and your precious family!
Thank you Rich really nice of the road
Awesome content. Recently lost my big corporate world job and pulled the trigger and bought a CNC machine. Should take delivery in a few days, and the fun begins. Tired of working for the man, so gonna take a stab at being the man. If it is to be, it’s up to me. Keep up the good content.
Awesome tips Chris! That’s really cool that you were able to upgrade your laser and improve your workflow!
I always appreciate your positive outlook and motivation! And I’m glad to hear you’re all feeling better!!
Hugh! What’s up buddy thank you so much hope you’re doing well as well and have you guys been
@@AGlimpseInside we’ve been good, but crazy busy! We’re getting a whole bunch of chickens in a couple weeks, and I’m building a bunch of stuff for them... trying to figure out if it’s worth recording (which would slow down the build by 10x lol!)
Glad to see you are better! Love your channel and wish you nothing but success with everything you are doing. Oh and I follow Jennie & Davis too. They are doing an awesome job!
Thank you so much I appreciate it
Great video as always man and this one hits home. You sorta mentioned something that is a quote I always have running through my head. Don't remember who it's from but goes something like, whether you believe you can do a or thing or not, you are right. Thanks again for the inspiration.
You got it brother as always thank you I appreciate your Involvement here
You have a great energy, hope everything is going well!
Thank you very much. Yes things are going pretty well. I get to continue to show up and do this every day. I would call that success.
Glad to see the laser finally running smoothly for you. Now you'll have more time to design that next cool product! Keep on rocking it!
Yes sir. But only because you said
Absolutely inspiring video, I just purchased a CNC and have a small laser that me and my 2 Son-In-Laws are going to get cranking. That’s the British way of saying things, he’s from the UK. I’ve been a sub for a while and always love your videos brother, take care and thanks again for sharing!
Have fun! Digital fabrication is such a great rabbit hole. Thank you so much for checking it out
Im going to chime in as a Laguna EX user and I was shocked it was sent to me not dialed in. The laser focus was so bad I could not get through 1/4 acrylic with 5 passes. And as I sit here to have the same issues you showed at the beginning of the video but with 1/2 inch Birch. Now while this is much thicker it sold to me knowing I would be dealing with this type of wood, I have fought with this machine and realigning the laser many times to get it tuned in. Sadly here I am 2 years of owning the machine and walking away from it to do other things that were more relaible with the CNC , but Im coming back to it and it was because I was looking at their 50x100 Machine and I am reminded how badly this one has been.
They want to charge 1500.00 to send someone out to train me with it. I have used lasers and CNCs for years, I dont need that, I need a machine that is turn key and these machines do not come turn key for $13,000. They claimed to upgrade me with the chiller, rotary tool ect... all for free. No they are making so much money and just stamping their name on it.
Whats sad is I want to use it, I want to do what I was told it could do. But at this point I wish I bought a Chinese machine because at least I would have saved enough to understand why I saved. But I spent more money and fight with this thing constantly.
Great to see you back on your feet. Keep punching those products out!
Very interesting. Thanks for the great info. I've been blessed over the years when it comes to finding customers. They just fall in my lap.
must be living right sir that’s awesome!!
Each day that goes buy I need to pull the trigger and give it a small scale try. My passion is to build things and build things I shall! Thanks for the video!
awesome Best of luck brother you can do it
The vent outside is exactly what I did with my Jet vacuum. Instead of the dust being pumped into a filter or bag above the vacuum, I put a piece of plywood (routed a groove to fit on the rim of the vacuum where the upper bag was) on the upper rim and then cut a hole in the plywood with 4" vac hose going to a dryer vented outside. Chips fall into lower bag, fine dust goes outside.
Good content brother.
Thank you Russell
Good on Laguna for backing up what they sell....plus domestic is always better!
Absolutely I was very impressed with their level of accommodation
I was pondering getting the Glowforge (I too watch Jennie & Davis) and they swear by it from what I’ve seen. You’ve made me think twice and now I’m talking to my wife about drastically upgrading to this machine. Go big or go home, right? If I go this route, maybe I can pick your brain about more of the particulars….You’ve been a wealth of knowledge and I’m sure your followers applaud you for taking the time to share it with us! Keep it up and you and your family stay safe.
If you want to cut through anything definitely get more power than you’d ever need. If all you’re doing is engraving the glow forge is OK. I’ve been at a craft show where a glow forge was on display cutting wood and it only lasted one hour before it overheated. My recommendation with the lasers get more power than you think you need.
Glad to see you’re back to your chipper self! That last video was almost painful to watch. Keep on pushing, brother! Definitely gotta get that fire extinguisher going…my brother, a fireman in the metro ATL, will tell some stories that will just make you shake your head. I’d hate to have to watch that video from you. Also, make sure you keep that outside vent screened so you don’t end up with something building a nest up in there! And clean it regularly…if you’re running it full time it’s gonna have some build up in there at some point. Just trying to keep you safe and productive! Take care and tell the fam hello!
OPHS Class of ‘87!!
I work for a company who CRUSHES the competition due to attention to detail.
Whatever he can improve from the products(of course) packaging and even adding little things like stickers and screwdrivers to the order makes a difference. The details make the difference!!
Completely agree. Thanks for the feedback. Always good to hear from you
Hope You Are Feeling Better
I am thank you
Laguna is amazing!
Yes they are
Wished I would've realized you were in Florida. I was there on a road trip and would've enjoyed visiting you and meeting you in person.
Chris - another great video. Thank you. Can you give another update on how you are sourcing plywood? Do you have an alternative to Baltic Birch?
I still have Baltic Birch in hand. My dealer that I used all the time at Florida Southern has half inch 5 x 5 still available. And I actually sourced some 4 x 8 three-quarter inch down in Orlando at some mom and pop place. But they are out and I am still stocked up
Chris, thanks for the glimpse inside your biz and the laser machine! Here’s a stupid question, when would you use the CNC instead of the laser? To put it another way, which of your products get made on the laser vs the CNC? Is it redundant to have both machines?
Also, I just installed my first French cleat shelf with the shelf brackets I bought from you. You must’ve shipped them while you were still recovering from the Rona. Thanks for getting them out. They look and work great! The care you take with your packaging is DEFINITELY a nice touch and gives a quality look & feel. 🙌🏼
I would say 80% of what I make it on the cc. Cc is a more versatile tool in my opinion. Anytime you’re working with a thinner material such as 1/8 inch or 5 mm to quarter inch a laser is a pretty good bet. Especially when you’re doing box joints and precision cuts that don’t require a bit change. I think there’s room for both in the shop but just as I did I would recommend starting out with a CNC and then migrating to incorporate the laser
Great video buddy I know where your coming from
Thanks for the video - although I would have liked to see the laser run. Laguna is a good company and makes great tools. I would love to have a Laguna lathe but that is not in the budget at this time.
As for saying you could never do something - so you never do ... another expression I heard a long time ago is "If you aim at the floor, you can hit it every time" (maybe try aiming a little higher)
And don’t forget about #3, a 10 lb commercial fire extinguisher . If anyone doesn’t have on in their should, they should.
Ahhh yes absolutely I should probably have 2😁
@@AGlimpseInside the reason Insay a commercial one, they are all metal, can be refilled, warranty, and you can recycle them by taking them back to the seller.
@@scottmorris4914 Oh no I just get the ones you find at Home Depot lol. Do you think I should look into the refillable ones. I just replace the one I have an expiration date goes bad
Your laser stuff looks great!! Be sure you don't undersell your items!! One other note...noticing your "vent cover" outside, I noticed that it didn't have a blast gate or flapper built-in. We use the metal dryer vent from Lowe's that does have a flap to keep down on some of the humidity coming back in. If you ever notice an issue with it, you might want to change that out or add a blast gate somewhere in-line near your fan. Just an observation :) Keep crushing it!
There is a flipper inside there. It was just be on the shadows. Thanks for the kind words and I appreciate you watching and giving your insight. Thank you so much
First off, I look forward to what you offer from a your personal journey as well as your talent and product innovation. Thank you.I admit up front I know nothing of the advantages of one machine over the other but i was wondering why did you choose to produce the shown items with a laser device over a cnc?
The thin material is definitely perfect for a laser. You don’t have to worry about joining box joints with dog bone fillets you can just cut straight angles and everything fits together well. So anything with box joints that is quarter inch or less I would definitely use the laser for
i started following you when you building you shop as a guild and idea for mine. and Im watching for how to make a profit using that same shop. sir god bless your heart and thank you for sharing this knowledge you rock !!!!
Thanks for being along for the ride I appreciate it
Gonna have to meet up some day! Our small shop is also in Jacksonville area!
Always glad to meet other Duval Makers. Hope you’re doing well Dan
Facebook is full of TIRE kickers...LOL
Where do you get your plywood? There are so few suppliers near me besides big box stores.
I just got a 40w co2 laser. I'm hoping I can get started making and selling some stuff.
You absolutely can. Like I said reach out to me on Instagram if you have any questions
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Another wonderful video, Chris. I'm glad you have been able to get back up and running! How has having the laser in your shop changed the direction of your business? Do you feel like the CNC still holds a major place on its own compared to the laser? - Joe
Absolutely the CNC is probably 80% of the income stream for the business.
@@AGlimpseInside that’s great. I wasn’t sure if the laser was going to complement the CNC or more or less replace it. Have you been developing any products that combine both the CNC and the laser?
That looks almost exactly like the Laguna 40watt. 12:20 co2 laser. Is it the same OEM?
Chris it's great to see you back in the shop and looking better than you did on your last video!. I'm not sure if you know this but Sir Richard Branson the owner of Virgin from TV to space rocket holidays and beyond 😉 he started out selling thing's on a market stall in Leeds, West Yorkshire. England and not only that he is also high on the spectrum of dyslexia. Now like you said in the " I could never do that " remark if that's your attitude then god help you as you said that person will never reach any goals but as I say if Sir Richard Branson can do it and become that wealthy and still sell anything to almost anyone from his humble beginnings to now, well buddy if he can we all can with a bit of effort and perseverance you can get there !!! As always brother 💯% 👍 🇬🇧
Awesome story about Richard. Thanks for reaching out brother always good to hear from you hope all is well
I recently bought my first laser (not co2, just a small scale atomstack) and the main issue I've had is finding the right kind of wood to engrave on. Most forums I've checked have been focused on co2 lasers and I am not sure if they can be even somewhat compared. Do you have any recommendations on material?
Also this is a great setup and running video. Very good quality.
I wish I could help you more with this but I only have experience with CO2. I will say that engraving can be tricky I’ve done a few things and I’ve had most success on import birch plywood for engraving. It’s not the best with cutting because sometimes various different adhesive‘s in strands of nylon are inside the plywood which don’t really cut well. Also thanks for the kind words I really appreciate it
Have a 40w laser and newer wood just wouldn’t cut through. The saw mills I use said the glue used in processing ply and mdf has changed and that seems to be the issue. Never had any issues before that could be why your 100w wasn’t getting through just a thought.
Issue was the laser was cutting through all the material just fine within the first 3 to 5 minutes of each cut. However as the cut went on if I had to do something for 12 to 18 minutes there would be diminishing power. It was some weird anomaly. Yes there is some import plywood that has a strange stuff in it and lasers do struggle to cut through it. I do agree with that however that wasn’t quite the issue here
After having spent 5 years selling Laguna Woodworking equipment at the retail level, I can honestly say that Laguna is the worst company for customer service that my customers experienced. Maybe because you are an influencer, they gave you better service. Buyer Beware.
Yeah I will be careful with that too. Unless you take steps to shop like a secret shopper, companies tend to pander to anybody who has a platform.
Your videos are truly inspirational for those “makers” starting out! Actually for that matter anyone with an idea and wants to create sought after items! Your energy and enthusiasm are very refreshing and certainly “if you think you can you can”! Life is about effort and resolve. So I am just an old retired Woodshop teacher selling a a few wooden and some wood/resin bowls mostly in a local gallery and also occasional commissions. I keep a pretty low social profile so don’t actually want to make my craft a full time job, I am an old retired guy! Just sometimes get tired of paying a gallery 40 cents of every dollar of sales for space on a table displaying my work! I just gotta find a happy medium…..maybe Etsy or something similar is an option. Thanks for letting me vent and keep up that work ethic it will continue to serve you well! Cheers from “frigid” MT.
Awesome machine indeed, Chris! Congrats!!! 😃
I'm happy to see you working again!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
BTW, have you ever heard about FPV? Search about it. I love rc stuff, but with FPV everything is even better!
Always great to hear from you brother hope all is well south of the equator thanks again
Awesome laser! i have a small one for engraving more than anything (too small for cutting)
I am curious, i saw the circle cuts you have in the bucket. you planning on doing anything with them?
though golf may or may not be something you enjoy they look like they could be engraved and make a great ball marker. i tried to make these myself but with my laser being too small i could not cut through the ply. Golf is growing fast these days so may be a way to use your waste!
keep up the great work and the great videos!
Yes I am going to make some type of sculpture with those pieces. I have a few ideas but they’re a little bit too tall for ball markers. I have made medallions with makers logos that they can recess into cutting boards in Wagoner
@@AGlimpseInside those are great ideas too! keep up the good work man, ill be tuned in!
Could you do custom scar tattoos with this? How much would you charge for a full sleeve?
I will not advocate that this Be used on a human being. I will not confirm nor deny people have done some crazy stuff with this but I’m not going there lol
Alaska here looking to buy this laser…
I had to laugh at needing an industrial chiller, I run a small charity in Scotland making basically the same things as yourself with a laser and a wood CNC. For eight months of the year, our water straight from the tap is too cold for the laser tube, so we use an aquarium heater to keep it warm, during the summer months when the rain gets warmer we turn the heater off. No chillers for us.😀
Oh that’s too funny. Our average temperature around here is about 88°
@@AGlimpseInside it is 2:30 pm and 70 of your degrees outside (21 of ours), and that for us is hot, any hotter, and we would all melt.😃
I understand we melt but somehow we push on LOL
without sounding super jealous, did you buy this laser from profits to increase production or add value to future products? The glowforge being what it costs is still a pipe dream for me and the wife but here you are knocking the price range of the GF out of the park..
Hey Keith yeah absolutely the sales from the plywood items made on the CNC afforded me to buy the laser. Thought it would be a good investment and Looks like it is definitely going to be. And always best of luck to you and yours
Great tips...but...but...how does one come up with the initial money to purchase a big ticket item like this? Thanks...glad your and yours are starting to feel better.
Well multiple ways actually. Me personally when I left my career I have 20+ years are used some of my savings to invest in this business. However some of these machines could actually be put onto the lowest credit card if you have one. Quite frankly you just gotta make it a goal to save up the money and be delivered about what you want to try and starting a new business. Hope this helps Stanley always good to hear from you
Rc car stack rack
French cleat wall mount or free standing ? Just a idea
Oh I like it
Question: how much quicker is the new laser compared to the old one? Is it noticeable with the material you are cutting?
Yes very much so. It also seems a bit effortless. I guess cause I was used to running certain percentages that were higher now it’s pretty crazy to cut through material at 50% or so
Hey buddy nice one! We actually just bought the exact model for our shop down in Texas. My question is about your microphone though lol! Is it a rode wireless? Looking to upgrade our audio as well and yours sounded pretty good! Thanks…
Absolutely you got it hit the nail on the head RODE
@@AGlimpseInside Sweet just placed the order on Amazon didn’t see a link in your bio for it or else I would have helped you get some commissions on it ha!! Thanks for the reply and if you would like to check out my wife and I’s channel it’s under Savvy Farmhouse Deisgn Co. Just started so not many subs lol !! Thanks again buddy..
Took me two months to pay the machine off (zero online sales and only 5% social media)
In your business, if you grew, would you be in the same space? If you had to go to a commercial space, what does that mean? You would be away from home, more expenses, it becomes a change of life for you. How big do you think you can go in your present space.
That’s a good point I can actually grow pretty substantially here still. I’m not maxed out. One day I hope to move to a bigger facility. And we use a family would just figure out a solution.
I love nice packaging. It says a lot without saying anything. You are going to need help soon if you keep doing what your doing. lol not a bad problem to have.
Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it
Well, they should have fully tested your lazer before shipping it out to you. Not you working with their support, hour after hour, then they agree to replace it. But I guess it is great they replaced it.
Do you think that laser would cut through a 1/2 piece of Baltic birch with 4 passes or so
It would cut through half inch in one pass if you go slow enough at an elevated power level. I haven’t tried it I just don’t want to do the where in tear on the tube
Cool machine, me i'm down for a little while. My table saw bit me, a board kicked back. It fractured my hand, wrist
Oh no brother I hope you can get back into it very soon.
Interesting video, you did $ 3500.00 over 7 weeks or average $ 500.00 / week. So out of the $ 500.00 what is your net? Thanks
Just curious if you think I should be comfortable telling this information. It’s tough to say but it’s about an between 70 - 80% net
That’s kind of a personal question…..just saying.
@@Powerstroke7911 You’re exactly right but sometimes the knowledge of this kind of thing is helpful to Some. I guess couth is out the window on CZcams
@@AGlimpseInside My apologies if you thought I was lacking manners or refinement. You advertised the video as "how fast can a $13000.00 Laser pay for itself" So asking the ROI and/or net from something I thought was a very valid question if considering the investment. No offense intended.
If these companies would only hook everyone up with steals like they do a lot of the youtubers. haha.
I cannot afford an X-Carv, but it would change my business model 10fold to have one.
convert it to a laser cannon, put it on a pirate space frigate .. then rob intergalactic traderoutes..
I run an 80W laser and I cut through 1/4" (6.35mm) Baltic Birch Plywood at: 15mm/s 40% power
I do not see why your 100W laser would not be able to cut through 5mm at: 10mm/s and 77% power
If it wasn't alignment issues then I suspect that you had a faulty tube.
You also said that you were doing 2 passes. This is a bad idea for wood. Soot is an insulator and so the soot from the first pass insulates the wood and makes any further passes less effective.
From my own experience I can tell you that when cutting wood more power is not better. I get much better results cutting Baltic Birch at 40% power than I do at 80% power.
Yeah there were something up come to think of it now that I got this newer model. The lavender/purple color of the tube looks much darker and richer than the last one. Very well could’ve been that
Labels! Put labels on the products!
Not a bad idea but I wonder how long it would take to do every single one. May have to experiment
@@AGlimpseInside All you need to do is print a sheet of labels for each product and peel-and-stick as you are wrapping them up. They don't have to be fancy. I was thinking of this looking at your shelf of products with nothing to identify what is in each pack. I know you know what is in each, but what happens when they fall over and get mixed up? Or, even better: what happens when you get big enough for employees? Also, labels will enhance the unboxing.
Also, since you are using CNC (router, laser), you could have it carve/engrave your logo somewhere on the product, itself. Or, maybe a branding iron.
Hi Chris, with the way internet scams and that are, I am not certain if the message I got to contact you via txt is legit or a scam, can you p.ase confirm either way. Take care and keep safe and well.
No it’s a fake account with using my profile picture ignore anything that doesn’t say exactly a glimpse inside to the right of the icon
"I can't" is just "I quit" before you've even started.
Dude, hire a kid a day a week to post you products on line
Stay away from TicToc unless you CCP to know everything about you.
In 2000 I started an online business, and used Go and Yahoo, and then Google adwords. So that is 23 years ago. I ended up spending $100,000 a year on ads that generated $2.8 million in sales. It works and is incremental. You can set a budget of $100 a month and then it cuts off if you like.