"Bill" wrote in news:12jtufon3334t83
@corp.supernews.com:

start all over again in this hobby / business / trade, what mistakes
did
you make the first time around that you'd skip on the second go around?

I'm kind of looking for arrows pointing to where the land mines are.

I think I'd skip HF for my mainstay tools EXCEPT where I had carefully
specced the exact tool I needed to buy and HF had a tool that EXACTLY
met
that spec or exceeded it. I just bought a Milwaukee 5625-29 router and
it's a real eye-opener. Can't get anything like this at HF.

I also think I'd downplay my willingness to do custom work and put more
effort into building inventory to sell from.

And I'd also give more thought to cost tracking so I'd be collecting
needed data from day one.

I find that I have a LOT of pen blanks cut from unremarkable wood. Skip
that ... anything that isn't eye candy is firewood.

I've got others ... but I'd like to hear from you.

Bill


Let's talk about HF. To buy mainstay tools (I think you mean the major
tools in your shop that are used to run your business etc.) from them
would be much less than smart. To buy any tool sight unseen is a question
of faith and hope. If you wish to buy a HF tool, visit a HF store and
place the tool in your hand. I have several HF tools and they are
satifactory for my use. Clamps (Pittsburgh), HSS turning tools (don't
particularly like the grind) for a $35 price per set of eight are a very
good buy. Many turners in this group feel the HF lathes are a good buy.
Building an inventory can be tricky. Pens, bottle stoppers and
utilitarian bowls etc., are the most common turnings I've seen at shows
and shops. I think people are getting less than excited with them. With a
bit of practice, most turners can turn very nice examples of them to
sell. Pens, stoppers, dibbles, etc. don't have a high overhead, so
building an inventory doesn't involve a large outlay.
If you are capable of doing custom work, do it by all means. The
challenge is there and the rest is practice.
The turner makes unremarkable wood, REMARKABLE. How did you acquire all
those pen blanks? A good price may not always be a good price.
Hank