How I opened my own metalworking shop and went broke: it turned out that no one needed it

It all started with an acquaintance offering me to buy a used lathe at the price of scrap metal, since at the enterprise where he worked, reconstruction and re-equipment of production was in full swing, so almost all the equipment was replaced with modern equipment, and the old one was sold or melted down.

The offer is very tempting for me, since I have long dreamed of starting my own business in this field. And there were prerequisites for this - higher technical education and several years of work at a metalworking enterprise.

I decided that I could independently organize a business in this area and make more profit than at the factory.

This is the story of my reader Evgeniy S. Today he will tell you about how he opened a metalworking shop from scratch and what came of it.

Marketing and action plan

Knowledge and experience allowed me to start by organizing a small production of metalworking and piece production of component products in the field of mechanical engineering.

But I didn’t know what exactly to produce. There were a lot of ideas, ranging from making bolts and nuts to complex structures.

Having carried out, so to speak, a quick review of the market for metalworking services in my own and surrounding regions, I was convinced of the following: everything that I could produce is already being successfully sold by other companies and in such volumes that it will be economically competitive with them unprofitable.

Nevertheless, I decided to start, and see where the curve leads. I decided to focus my business promotion on creating my own website.

WATTSAN series machines for home workshop

• Cutting hard minerals, natural stones (granite, marble edges), metals (steel, ductile iron, copper, titanium).
• Making complex shapes, engravings, cutting.
• 3D milling.
• Processing of wood, board material, gypsum, concrete, tiling.
• Cutting acrylic, plexiglass, PVC, PP, PE materials.
• Processing of a composite product (engraving, cutting out figures).
• Working with soft metals: aluminum, lead, tin, copper.

You can also check out other business plans for organizing a business in a garage

Sequence of idea implementation

Having set this goal for myself, I began to implement it in the following way:

1. Since I didn’t have money, I decided to take out a loan. I decided on the required amount and submitted an application to the bank, and after a couple of days I received the required amount.
2. I found a suitable premises and signed a lease agreement for it.
3. I bought a lathe that a friend had offered me at the price of scrap metal, and also agreed on the further purchase of a milling machine.
4. Based on an advertisement, I found a worker - a turner.

Next, I transported the machine indoors and connected it to electricity. In addition, I brought a welding machine, a grinder, a drill, in general, all the small tools that I had before. I bought several cutters and drills for the machine. As a result, without expecting it, I received a fairly equipped mini-workshop.

How to make money on a metal lathe

A widely known and popular method for producing metal parts and products for various purposes is metal turning.

During this process on a lathe, the excess layer is removed from the products, and the output is a part of the desired shape with a rough surface and the required dimensions.

Modern equipment controlled by computer-integrated devices can significantly improve the quality of the resulting products.

General information about metal turning

The metal processing procedure is carried out on special lathes using various cutting tools. The workpiece is installed in the spindle of the device , the operation of which begins after the electric motor is turned on.

The workpiece begins to rotate at high speed and a small layer of metal is removed from it over its entire surface with a cutter, drill or other cutting tool.

With the help of constant movement of the tool, the part is continuously cut to the required sizes and shapes. A more detailed process of turning a part can be seen in the video clip.

The machines allow efficient processing of various workpieces, resulting in a conical, threaded, cylindrical, shaped or other surface. With the help of turning work the following can be performed:

• rings;
• shafts;
• pulleys;
• couplings;
• gear rings;
• bushings;
• nuts

In addition, on a lathe you can:

1. Make grooves.
2. Cut off various parts of products.
3. Process various holes using countersinking, reaming, drilling, boring.
4. Cut the thread.

In the process of performing work, it is imperative to use various measuring instruments, which determine the sizes, shapes and layout options of the workpieces. In single and small-scale production, bore gauges, calipers, and micrometers are used for this purpose. Large enterprises use extreme calibers.

Advantages of metal turning

This process is considered a universal technology and is used for the manufacture of various products from alloys and metals. On a machine equipped with special-purpose cutters, even particularly hard materials can be processed.

Main advantages of the technology:

1. High surface cleanliness of the resulting products.
2. Processing precision.
3. Possibility of producing a product with a complex configuration in one working cycle.
4. The chips obtained after processing the part are melted and can be reused.
5. When using special equipment, it is possible to produce large-sized parts.

In addition, with the help of turning equipment it is possible to organize mass production of products for various purposes.

Features of turning. examples

The essence of the metal processing process is as follows:

• machine movements are carried out in clear directions;
• the spindle of the device, together with the workpiece, rotates along the Z axis, which is the starting point in operation;
• the straight X axis must be strictly perpendicular to the Z axis;
• the cutters should be located in the XZ plane;
• The distance to the cutter must be adjusted when applying equipment.

In modern lathes there is a third coordinate, which is equal to the angle of the main spindle. This indicator can be set and adjusted using software.

Types of lathes

The most popular device for metal processing is the screw-cutting lathe, which is highly versatile. It is used in large enterprises, as well as in single and small-scale production.

In addition , there are other types of lathes:

1. Screw-cutting lathes.
2. Semi-automatic multi-cutting devices for serial and large-scale production.
3. Turning-rotary two- or single-column.
4. Turret lathes designed to work with complex products.
5. Modern turning and milling complexes.

To produce parts with particularly precise diametrical and linear geometric parameters, programmable machines are used. In their design they are almost no different from universal ones.

Cutting tools for lathes

The efficiency of the equipment depends on the cutting speed, the amount of longitudinal feed of the workpiece, and the cutting depth. Using these indicators you can achieve:

• maximum permissible chip volume;
• stability of the tool and the required level of its impact on the workpiece;
• necessary processing of the part;
• increased spindle rotation.

The specific cutting speed depends on the type of material being processed, as well as the type and quality of cutters used.

Cutting tools for lathes can be rough or finishing. Their selection and application depends on the nature of the processing. Based on the direction of movement, they are divided into right and left. Various geometric sizes of cutters allow you to work with any area of ​​the layer that needs to be cut.

According to their purpose, cutting tools can be:

• cut-off;
• threaded;
• boring;
• shaped;
• grooved;
• walk-through;
• trimmed.

To process the cylindrical surface and end plane, through-thrust cutting tools are used. Parting cutters are used to cut off parts of a product and make grooves. Conventional straight and bent ones are optimal for processing the outer surfaces of metal parts. Using boring cutters, previously drilled holes are bored out.

Based on the shape of the incisor and the location of the blade, the incisors are divided into bent, straight and retracted . The width of the drawn cutters is lower than the width of the fastening part.

The geometry of the cutter used has a great influence on the quality of cutting parts. With properly selected angles between the cutter edges and the feed direction, processing productivity increases. The first angle depends on the installation of the tool, the second on its sharpening.

For large cross-section products,
an angle of 30-45 degrees , and for thin non-rigid parts - 60-90 degrees.
The auxiliary angle should be 10-30 degrees. It is worth noting that regardless of what type of machine is used, the main role in turning belongs to the cutting tool. But no matter what equipment and tools the turner works with, his workplace must be clearly organized and fully equipped.

• Alexander Romanovich Chernyshov
• Print

Advertising via the Internet

Now the task was to receive orders. I decided that the best option would be to promote a business through my own website, and since I am not particularly versed in the issues of creating resources, I turned to a specialist in this field.

For this I had to pay 70,000 rubles. It turned out that the site cost me an amount equal to what I paid for the rent of the premises, the machine and the monthly salary of the employee.

However, the IT specialist turned out to be an advanced specialist in this field, and my resource was in the first positions in search engines.

This was pleasing and at the same time discouraging, since the site offered an extensive list of services related to metalworking - it also included an offer for the production of hardware, bushings and axles, shafts, hydraulic stations, repair parts for machine tools, machines and other related services.

But initially I had an idea to produce one product. Why did this happen? Yes, because I didn’t know what the market needed more and decided to post offers on the website for several positions at once.

I thought, like this at first, and then we’ll see what is in great demand, then I’ll produce it, and in the future I’ll adjust the site itself, placing a bet specifically on a certain product.

The target audience

Turning products are necessary not only for individuals, but also for legal entities. Your main clients will be:

• construction teams;
• ONE HUNDRED;
• repair shops;
• spare parts stores;
• companies that periodically need the services of a turner, but do not plan to hire such a specialist;
• hardware stores;
• individuals.

In general, you will not be left without work. The fact is that it is not profitable for large organizations to keep such a specialist on staff if we are talking about one-time projects. Therefore, if you advertise yourself well, you will ensure a continuous flow of customers.

results

As a result, based on the results of work for 4 months, I only managed to recoup the cost of maintaining and producing my mini workshop. Basic expenses per month:

• salary for a turner – 25,000 rubles;
• payment for rent of premises – 12,000 rubles;
• payment for electricity – 3,200 rubles;
• purchase of consumables (electrodes, welding wire, cutting discs for grinders, cutters and drills) - approximately 2,500 rubles;
• transportation costs – 2,000 rubles;
• purchase of raw materials (mainly round timber grade Steel 40X) - about 5,000 rubles.

Total approximately 49,700 rubles per month. What was received in excess of this amount, it’s a shame to say, was from 200 to 700 rubles of net profit.

And then, this amount came only from a successfully rented premises in the immediate vicinity of a truck service center, from where up to 99% of orders were received (manufacture of bushings, shafts, axles, as well as the restoration of these parts by welding and grooving).

There were only 2 orders received through the site for the entire time, for a total amount of 6,000 rubles. It was not possible to recoup the costs of setting up a business.

Devices, tools

1. The workshop premises are equipped and supplemented with all available tools and machines.
2. Workbenches and tables are placed in convenient places, with access to them from 2 or 3 sides.
3. Woodworking, metalworking, stone cutting, its grinding is done closer to the outlet, dust suction, air mixture, and exhaust hood. Cones for removing dust and polluted air are placed above such machines.
4. Welding machines and autogenous metal cutting are performed with the same safety measures.

Milling engraving, wood turning, CNC machines are practical. An additional advantage of such machines is the ability to work with natural stone.

Modifications of desktop, stationary installations, with small dimensions are convenient for small spaces.

Consequences of a poorly formulated advertising policy

Subsequently, I realized that advertising on the site several diverse offers turned out to be the wrong decision, since I had to “spread myself” in several directions when I needed to concentrate on one thing, making every effort to achieve a specific goal for this position.

There simply weren’t enough initial resources to process all of their proposals. As a result, I had to close my business.

From this experience, I concluded that any startup needs to start by offering one thing, a specific product or service, especially if you advertise through your website.

In the future, of course, when promotion has already begun, you can gradually add new offers, but at the initial stage this is very risky, especially in conditions of limited financial resources. And what do you think?

Tips for Beginners

A turner can earn money on his own machine, producing in-demand parts. These are mainly simple-shaped spare parts for cars, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners. Fittings for plumbing and connecting washing equipment may be in demand.

The amount of earnings on a lathe depends on the number of orders and ability to work. Advertising and good customer reviews help implement any business plan. It is not enough to hang invitations on poles and post an advertisement on the Internet. You need to attract people with your work. Make any order, even the cheapest one, efficiently and quickly. A satisfied client will definitely tell his friends about the workshop.

Having cheated once, the entrepreneur receives anti-advertising. It spreads faster and is more effective.

The turning workshop in the business plan should include measures to improve customer service conditions and improve the quality of work.

When hiring personnel for a workshop, an entrepreneur must pay attention to the level of the machine operator, his physical condition, and work experience.

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