THE INVENTABLES WORKSHOP

  Did you know that copyright infringement can land you with a fine of up to $150,000 ? This is a serious sum of money. Not only that but illegal use of copyrighted works can carry prison sentences of up to 5 years. If you're starting a small CNC business , it can be confusing trying to figure out which works are copyrighted and which aren't. However, it's essential that you wrap your head around what you can and can't use for your woodwork products.  Fortunately, once you know the basics of how copyright works, avoiding infringement is pretty straightforward.  Protect yourself and your business and carry on reading to discover the laws around copyrighted works.  What Are Copyrighted Works? Copywrite is a form of intellectual property and covers originally created works of authorship. These include things like: Books Poems Art Paintings Designs Lyrics Sound recordings Video recordings Photographs Sheet music Sound recordings Quotes Copyrighted works can't be reprodu

Creating a business has many challenges, chief among them is deciding how to price your products. One method is time and materials base pricing , which is a careful way to set prices that ensure you can recover your cost of the CNC project materials and be compensated for the time taken to create the products. A second method is approaching pricing from the market side. Market-based pricing, as the name suggests, is developing the price based on the value of the product from the point of view of the consumer and competition. Why Market-based pricing? There are two primary reasons for market-based pricing. First, maximizing your margin. As mentioned previously, time-and-materials-based pricing is safe. It lets you recapture the cost and be compensated for your time. But what if buyers are willing to pay 1.5x or 3x more? Using market-based pricing lets you maximize your profit based on the value consumers place on your product. Second, the perspective of market-based pricing is more help

Whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur or a first-time side hustler, starting a business to sell your own creations is an exhilarating enterprise. With online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy or tools like the X-Carve and Easel , it’s never been easier to pursue your hobbies and turn what you love into a living. But one of the first hurdles makers run into is a surprisingly difficult question to answer: how much should I charge for my work? Whether you’re pricing your finished pieces or providing estimates for custom orders, just like any other aspect of carving, pricing your work takes practice. In this article, we’ll provide some advice on how to get started pricing your pieces using time and materials. We cover market-based pricing in this article. P = M + ( T  * R ) Determining a price at which to sell your work generally depends on three variables: (1) cost of materials (2) time spent on the project and (3) hourly rate. One of the most common methods for determining price inco

If you’re like most X-Carve owners, you’ve probably come to the realization that a lack of organization can be a frustrating, headache-inducing nightmare. And if you haven’t come to that realization yet, you will.  Sorting and systematizing your tools and workspace is a skill that many woodworkers pick up early in their hobby or career. However, CNC machines require a unique set of tools which means you need a unique way to keep everything organized.  Sure you could go out and buy a bit or tooling organizer. But what’s the point of owning a CNC machine if you can’t make one yourself? Here are four CNC bit organizers you can create yourself to stay organized and keep on track. CNC Tooling Organizer Starting off small, this MDF tooling organizer is perfect for makers looking for a way to store their bits. The project is easily modified for individual needs. It’s a compact, reliable way to ensure your bits are always right where you need them. Thanks to Jimmy out in Hawaii for posting thi

Today, we launched the official Inventables X-Carve Upgrade Kit . This kit makes your X-Carve faster, more rigid, and more accurate—with a typical 3x improvement in material removal rates. Rather than tell you, let us show you the upgrades in action. This kit is the culmination of years of talking to X-Carve users, and being one myself. X-Carve changed my life, and I talk to customers almost every day whose lives are changing because of X-Carve. This kit is going to help grow their businesses, meet their customers’ needs, and continue to chase their dreams—and that is something I’m proud to be a part of. For those of you who don’t know, prior to joining Inventables, I ran a company that made upgrade kits for the X-Carve called TBD CNC. When we made the decision to join forces with Inventables, it was because Zach made me a promise that the only thing that would change was the resources that I had access to. I would still work for the customer first, and Inventables second. I can confid

One of the best things about the X-Carve and the X-Carve Pro is their ability to help makers simplify the process of turning their idea into a finished product. Because that process is so streamlined, the next logical step for many is to start sharing those products with the world… and make a little money while they’re at it. But many X-Carve-owning-side-hustlers have dreams of turning their creative side project into something a little more substantial; maybe even pursue it as their full-time gig. But that can be an intimidating prospect. Where should you start? What questions should you even ask? If you’re one of those people thinking about starting your own business selling your CNC products, we’ve put together some aspects of the process to consider as well as some tips to help you out on your journey. These are 3 Crucial things to Consider When Start a CNC Business. Establishing a Business Plan... Backwards Before jumping in and developing a business plan right off the bat, star