The cost of progress

[Chippygeoff]

It has been very quiet on the forum in recent weeks so I thought I would share what I have been up to the last few days. As most of you know I use my scroll saw to make things that I sell at craft fairs and at the moment things are going very well. One of the things I have to do on a regular basis is to update my stock by coming up with new ideas. I make a note of things that sell well and also things that are slow to sell.

Unlike most scrollers who have a scroll saw purely for a hobby I use my scroll saws to help with my living expenses and also to buy anything I need for the workshop. It’s not just workshop items I have to replenish from time to time, like wood, abrasives, polishes etc. I also have what I call the packaging department in another room and in here I have a variety of boxes I buy in bulk for sending orders off in. also rolls of bubble wrap and bags of shredded paper for packing out the orders.

Another aspect of my work involves spending long periods on the computer, mainly designing new products and printing off patterns. Sadly my computer was on it’s last legs, it was a 10 year old i Mac so it I had to replace it. Initially I was going to buy the same again but this time go for the big model with a 27 inch screen but like Hegner scroll saws I felt it was vastly over priced but I wanted to stay with the Apple format.

Besides the design work I also use it as an entertainment centre as I do not have a TV. Looking at all the options available I went for a Mac mini 2.6ghz. To go with this I got a 27 inch top end monitor, a blu ray player, a DVD re-writer, 1 terabyte external back up drive and then I bought the best bit of all, a desk mounted monitor arm. When not in use the monitor goes flat against the wall and when I use it I just pull it out on an articulated arm and can have it in any position I like and a joy to use. Overall I have spent just under £1000 but now I am after a nice speaker system to replace my old one and they don’t come cheap.

I have spent time designing a few new things and it is so much better now, having a large monitor I can see every detail so clearly, make very fine adjustments. I have also got dedicated software for designing things but using this entails a long learning curve, which at times can be frustrating but we are getting there.

 

[Bryan Bennett]

Hi Geoff I personally thank you for your enlightening post,I always look forward to the posts that you take time to tell us different aspects that are open to us in our fabulous hobby.
Has you said Geoff things had gone very quiet on here,thank you for waking us up mate.

Bryan

 

[ChrisR]

Geoff.

Good informative post, things have been a bit quiet on the forum of late, everybody out enjoying the sunshine and light evenings I expect.

Sounds like a decent computer system you have bought.

Respect for being able to design projects on the computer, I don’t have any computer skills, let alone being able to design things on it. I do use very bad language at it from time to time, good thing that verbal abuse of computers in the privacy of our home is not a punishable offence, as I would be given a life sentence. :shock:

Take care, and good craft fairing.

Chris R.

 

[Alexam]

.......... the best bit of all, a desk mounted monitor arm. ....... that sounds interesting Geoff, how about a photo of that please?

Alex

 

[Cordy]

Great post Geoff
Likewise I have a modern 27 inch monitor; iiyama is the make --- fantastic !

Not very good at computer designs but manage to churn out simple drawings with Inkscape

http://tinyurl.com/oqsjn9x

Excellent tutorials
http://tinyurl.com/p88vkfm

So far I only give my work away
Last month I sent an owl to Dave, my wife's friend; to put on his charity stall
Now it resides on his mantlepiece :roll:

Cordy

 

[Claymore]

..........

 

[tinytim1458]

Hi Geff what program do you use to help with the design of your scrollsaw projects that you sell.
What is the item that seems to sell the most of that you do.
Thanks
Tim

 

[Chippygeoff]

Many thanks for all your comments. Tim. On the old i Mac I had photo shop and firefox along with affinity designer and I am in the process of getting new up to date copies. I use work for most of my name signs as it is so quick.
Brian. I nearly bought one of those wacon tablets some years ago but sadly i cannot draw to save my life. I think with things like that you need some artistic skills. I to switched to a laser printer as it is so cheap to print out pattern. Sadly the book had been put on the back burner. My poor lad changed his job last month, still working for the same company and in the same office but now he is in charge of everything and ever since his promotion he has had to bring work home overnight and it's doing him in, if he is not working he is sleeping but it won't be like this for much longer.
Alex. I have enclosed a photograph but you can only see the pole behnind the monitor. I will see if I can get a photo of the arm tomorrow.

 

[Alexam]

Love the size of that larger monitor. I find that having two monitors is a great advantage particularly when I was into my photography hobby which has ceased now.

Alex