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Man, I thought Oma was a Vegitarian,  I am disillusioned. 

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Another line of thinking....does it sound like fun to you?  Nothing worse than something that makes great sense for the "business" but makes you miserable in the process.  On the other hand, something that is a real pleasure and learning experience but isn't the most profitable may still be worth it.

Along with the business questions, I'd be asking myself things like: Do I like setting up complex and finicky machines? (I'm guessing yes, based on the business you're in!).  Do I have time without sacrificing other things I'd rather do.  Would I enjoy doing huge runs of parts?  Selling huge runs of parts?

 

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Better yet,will it fit in Hesh`s bathroom .
              James
My Life`s In The Drink
Pour Me A Whiskey

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

If it would allow one setup that could make all your necks then that is a setup you won't have to do over and over. Knowing you, you can put that time to ceative use on your CNC and coming up with new products. I say go for it.

[QUOTE=Bruce Dickey]
"Much work is done with the power of the Ox. Where no ox is, the stall is clean."[/QUOTE]

THAT'S it then! Someone put 10 or 12 yoke of oxen in my shop!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Oh, and I'd get it John! You'd certainly be the only guy on your block with one!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

John,

You have recieved a good deal of great information already so it should be a bit easier to make a decision. My thought is if the cost is low enough that you could resell the machine for the purchase amount or near it then I would go for it. You may never get an chance to repeat the deal. Beside if you can get out from under it for about what you would pay then the cost of giving it a try is minimal.

You are doing well enough now that you have had to close to prepair enough product to sell. If this machine can do a better or quicker job then maybe its a good move. Other posters have added the thought of increasing you business opportunities and that is certainly something to consider. Your in business to suceed and this could open doors for you that didn't exist before. If the pricing is right there may be little downside with this purchase. In fact, there may be a myriad of products that you are yet to discover that could be produced by this machine.

Best of Luck

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

     This friend of mine wanted to buy this huge pallet mill! His Dad, the real owner of the business, was dragging his feet... BAD!

    After the first job, the 250K for the mill was payed for, then his Dad shut up and would only say odd things like, "the best business decision I've ever made!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

   how many watts is the stereo in that baby?      i guess the the answer to your question, lies in this one , grasshopper !  did you post this hoping we would talk you out of buying it ? or into buying it ? 

                                                              Jody

I would go for it. The next time a buddy is braging about his new tool that he just bought at the home center show him this and he will have nothing but envy.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Funny you should say that Mike. Whenever someone brags to me about their boat and their Harley, I respond with "I have robots that do my bidding".

Thanks for all the input guys. I've decided to get the riggers (machinery movers) quote before making a final decision.

Though Taylor does a lot of necks on one of these, it still needs to go into the CNC, just for less time.

While doing a little research, I found a newer one of these on eBay of all places. No one seems to know the age on the one in the picture above, but the newer (looking) one I found was an '85. That newer one had a weight of 3.2 tons. I'm guessing the one I'm considering would be a little more. Interestingly, these were all made in England.

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John Watkins
CNC Guitar Parts

Hey John, how's it going?
Looks to me like you'd be better off upgrading your CNC to a toolchanger whether it be an addition to your Techno or purchasing a VMC.
I've seen, over the years, companies buy automatic machines like and they eventually become dust collectors. They are made for extremely high production quantities and require a lot of support simply because of the volume of raw material being processed.
Nelson

Why does Rick Turner have to be on holiday at a time like this??!!

Buy the thing, you KNOW you want to!!

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