# Edge Glued Panel Maker near Milwaukee/Chicago?



## bk3132 (Sep 28, 2017)

I am starting up a small CNC shop to focus on custom furniture and art. My plan is to leverage what I can do best-design, software and the CNC work-and try not spend as much time on tasks for which I don't have the best equipment or that aren't really my specialty.

I will need edge glued panels in a variety of species from 24×48 to 48×96 in size. I would like to contract with a local woodworker/shop to make the panels. Someone with laser rip saws, clamping presses and wide planers can make panels so much easier and faster than I can. I found a few shops online, but they aren't close, so I would end up paying a lot in shipping; and I would also prefer to see a shop's quality before committing anyway.

Any ideas or suggestions? I am in the Milwaukee area. Thanks!


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

Your asking to learn a lot about a prospective vender…...yet you offer no insight about who you are and what your about !

Good luck on that one !


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## bk3132 (Sep 28, 2017)

cabmaker I am new to the forum, so maybe I am missing some etiquette, but I don't understand your response. I am looking for a local craftsman to make solid wood panels. Local because (1) I can pick up the work instead of paying costly shipping and (2) I could meet and get a sense of the person's approach and quality. You know, face to face business and relationships. Not sure what's so invasive about that…

As for about me, is it that I haven't filled out a profile yet? I registered for the forum less than 24 hours ago.

I have really benefited in the past, on other forums, from active, knowledgeable forum members who help/guide/steer with constructive feedback and criticism. "Good luck on that one!" isn't particularly helpful…


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## dannelson (Nov 28, 2011)

Really wondering if you have fully thought this out? I love your business plan. I will surly be able to undercut your prices with the material, shipping and labor by doing the work myself. Laser rip saw for what? Wide Planer for what? If you have the CNC as I do you already have 2 of your needs met. write a program to straight line edge and a table surface to plane . buy a couple of clamps and wala..DUH.

Looking forward to the competition. Im in the Milwaukee market too.


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## bk3132 (Sep 28, 2017)

> Really wondering if you have fully thought this out? I love your business plan. I will surly be able to undercut your prices with the material, shipping and labor by doing the work myself. Laser rip saw for what? Wide Planer for what? If you have the CNC as I do you already have 2 of your needs met. write a program to straight line edge and a table surface to plane . buy a couple of clamps and wala..DUH.
> 
> Looking forward to the competition. Im in the Milwaukee market too.
> 
> - dannelson


Dannelson, regarding the business plan, think of it this way. A solid wood panel ready to CNC that you purchase costs $X. Alternatively, your cost to make one yourself is the total cost of raw lumber, supplies (tooling, glue etc) and your *time/opportunity cost of time*. If I can sell more work using the time that I save by subbing out the panels, then I will make up for the increase in cost AND get to focus my efforts on what's more fun and fulfilling for me anyway. If I can't, my profit margin goes down and I have to rethink my approach. None of this would work, by the way, if my plan were to sell $100 signs. Only works if you can generate thousands of dollars of revenue from every 4×8 solid wood panel. You might think I am nuts to believe I can do that. But I believe I can.

Regarding competition, I am pretty sure the Milwaukee area has room for the two of us in the marketplace, and I would certainly like to learn something from you if you're willing to share. Using the CNC for planing an already glued-up panel is simple enough; I wouldn't have posted if that was it. But I am curious about using CNC for jointing and planing rough cut hardwood from the lumberyard to prepare for the glue up. Isn't that time intensive, especially compared to the traditional TS, jointer, planer workflow? I can't wrap my head around writing a program that will rip or plane more than one board at a time. But I am open to learning.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Try Woodweb classifieds.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

I use a CNC router to engrave plaques, signs and do various carvings. I started out as a woodworker so I already knew how to glue up panels but I have never found it economical to buy panels from someone else. If we lived closer, I might try to work out a deal.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

One of the frustrations of manufacturing wood
products profitably is it can be hard to avoid
arms-race type situations where to bring in
jobs with minimized labor time one either has
to outsource at costs which eat up the profit
or invest in more machinery, floor space and
hired labor to produce more product in house.


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## bk3132 (Sep 28, 2017)

> One of the frustrations of manufacturing wood
> products profitably is it can be hard to avoid
> arms-race type situations where to bring in
> jobs with minimized labor time one either has
> ...


Agreed. This is a tough business. I am a hobbyist turning commercial, and if I can make a success out of it, I think it's going to be thanks to: (1) having pre-existing inroads into the high end market; (2) leveraging high tech software and CNC for repeatability and precision; and (3) spending significant time marketing and selling and networking.

So that's one reason I don't really want to make panel after panel myself. I'll do it if I have to, but I'd rather spend my time designing, programming and marketing and leave as much "production" as possible to the CNC.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

I like your stated approach. Focusing on your strengths and outsourcing the rest is a good way to maximize income.

I don't know about Milwaukee or Chicago, but the last time I was in Minneapolis, it seemed like I was tripping over an outsource vendor every couple of miles.


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