PDIB's Making MODs!

Status
Not open for further replies.

glassgal

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 7, 2013
4,126
10,613
Central Florida
www.azenglass.com
Actually, what pdib should do is contract out the parts he doesn't like doing, so he can do more of what he likes doing best to increase production. If he had maybe a little CNC machine, maybe he could make 100 a month. Or have another woodworker just do the bodies and he does all the wiring/mod parts installation.

I mean it was breakneck for him, but REO did 300 woodvil in roughly 2 months... with a bit more economy of scale, prices can come down a bit and production can increase a bit. I think he said the biggest problem was the shape? The shape is very difficult to cookie cutter out...
 

Vapeaholic

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Jan 25, 2014
1,529
8,754
NE Texas
Actually, what pdib should do is contract out the parts he doesn't like doing, so he can do more of what he likes doing best to increase production. If he had maybe a little CNC machine, maybe he could make 100 a month. Or have another woodworker just do the bodies and he does all the wiring/mod parts installation.

I mean it was breakneck for him, but REO did 300 woodvil in roughly 2 months... with a bit more economy of scale, prices can come down a bit and production can increase a bit. I think he said the biggest problem was the shape? The shape is very difficult to cookie cutter out...
Hey! I like the way you think.
Anything to reduce the wait!
 

glassgal

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 7, 2013
4,126
10,613
Central Florida
www.azenglass.com
He took 4 months, started in Oct and sold in Feb with no stabilized. stabilized slows the process. He used a cnc I don't think a cnc would work with the OliveR without a lot of breakage.

What about contracting out the shaping part to other wood turners? I was thinking about how he shaped that wood, and there's no way to put an oval on a lathe... the corners all have to be hand shaped. But there has to be a way to economize on a larger scale...

I know... go to the local college and offer an unpaid internship! Pick up 2 young kids to do the rough shaping, cleanup, and template drawing:p. hehehe.
 
Last edited:

MamaTried

Resting In Peace
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
May 31, 2013
7,404
48,068
Northern California
Actually, what pdib should do is contract out the parts he doesn't like doing, so he can do more of what he likes doing best to increase production. If he had maybe a little CNC machine, maybe he could make 100 a month. Or have another woodworker just do the bodies and he does all the wiring/mod parts installation.

I mean it was breakneck for him, but REO did 300 woodvil in roughly 2 months... with a bit more economy of scale, prices can come down a bit and production can increase a bit. I think he said the biggest problem was the shape? The shape is very difficult to cookie cutter out...

i suggested something along those lines several months ago in a PM. darn bee said he enjoys making them by hand--more than he'd enjoy cranking out a few more per month...
 

turbocad6

Unregistered Supplier
ECF Veteran
Jan 17, 2011
3,318
16,450
brooklyn ny
yeah but the appeal of the dibi is it's hand built start to finish by a highly skilled craftsman, start farming stuff out and quality will suffer. quality takes time... start cnc'ing and sending stuff out and you have a whole different business than you have now... it's one thing to go into production as a side gig for some extra cash and it's another thing entirely to gear up to mass produce, totally different things
 

ValHeli

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Dec 13, 2013
1,615
10,792
Baghdad
Ok Pdib, I learned to listen to you from my last mistake. I just wanted to make sure... when you say "don't buy a bunch"... are you actually saying don't get this one?


you know me, I gotta ask ..(and it really pains me to let this beauty go)

VH. Don't buy a bunch of Mallee until we know if it will work. Sh_t is hard as glass, and all full of cracks. (might work . . .. no clue . . . . might kill my tools . . . . )
 

super_X_drifter

ECF Guru
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Oct 4, 2012
10,635
45,120
Somewhere out there
www.youtube.com
Not to mention the time Peter spends on the fly "let me try this here right freakin now" style R&D.

It's quite awesome to have an already high performance mod and the maker isn't resting on what he's got but keeping the mechanics fluid and adaptive.

He also spends a good amount of time interacting with his customer base :)

He could conceivably drop off the radar for 3 weeks and finish batches quicker but speaking for myself, pdib's participation, this banter - It's money :)
 

glassgal

Vaping Master
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Sep 7, 2013
4,126
10,613
Central Florida
www.azenglass.com
Not to mention the time Peter spends on the fly "let me try this here right freakin now" style R&D.

It's quite awesome to have an already high performance mod and the maker isn't resting on what he's got but keeping the mechanics fluid and adaptive.

He also spends a good amount of time interacting with his customer base :)

He could conceivably drop off the radar for 3 weeks and finish batches quicker but speaking for myself, pdib's participation, this banter - It's money :)

All good points of course. I think part of the appeal, of the many different appeals, of the Dibi is knowing that it's an artist produced one of a kind item, yet also at the top of the functional innovation curve too.

I was just thinking of how he could increase access and enhance profitability, because after all, we all want him to keep making them...
 

Treebeard

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
May 27, 2013
1,333
5,788
Downtown Shufunkdeville
yeah but the appeal of the dibi is it's hand built start to finish by a highly skilled craftsman, start farming stuff out and quality will suffer. quality takes time... start cnc'ing and sending stuff out and you have a whole different business than you have now... it's one thing to go into production as a side gig for some extra cash and it's another thing entirely to gear up to mass produce, totally different things

Yep, this was the big appeal for me as well. Makes the OliveR an instant classic/collectable and the pride of ownership is off the chart. That and I just kinda like the ol' bee too.:)
 

Alexander Mundy

Ribbon Twister
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 1, 2013
4,408
26,100
Springfield, MO
yeah, it's so funny when someone see's me do a $10k job and they actually think I made $10k doing it :laugh: it's amazing how so many people don't think at all from a business point of view :p

I hear ya! A $10K job for me will net (for me after all is taken into consideration and assuming no screw ups) $800 on average. (EDIT: And the government takes 20% out of that $800 in personal taxes so it really isn't net for me.) Heck, the government takes 20% in business taxes alone. At the end of the day I barely make more than when I was employed by "the man", and now that I am "the man" I work twice as hard. At least I take solice in the fact I am providing for 5 families. (and god only knows how many people that "work the system") I have a real hard time biting my tongue sometimes when someone complains about how much it costs for labor.

Off my soapbox now, everything is roses.
 
Last edited:

ValHeli

Ultra Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Dec 13, 2013
1,615
10,792
Baghdad
This one breaks my heart: It's advertised as 6 3/8" long x 2" x 1 3/8" but is actually 1/32 shy of 2"


$_57.JPG
 

Whiplash205

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Aug 19, 2013
547
2,447
63
Cleveland, Ga, USA
I'm in for groups 5 and 13...... I was planning on stopping at 2 dibis. :p

They are like m&M's. You can say only a couple, then you look down at an empty 1lb bag. I just bowed to the inevitable and resigned myself to the fact that rob and pdib get to split my disposable income.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk
 

Alexander Mundy

Ribbon Twister
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 1, 2013
4,408
26,100
Springfield, MO
i suggested something along those lines several months ago in a PM. darn bee said he enjoys making them by hand--more than he'd enjoy cranking out a few more per month...

I "napkin" drafted a machine for him, but the costs of building it were not worth the return for this kind of production.
 

Alexander Mundy

Ribbon Twister
ECF Veteran
Verified Member
Apr 1, 2013
4,408
26,100
Springfield, MO
yeah but the appeal of the dibi is it's hand built start to finish by a highly skilled craftsman, start farming stuff out and quality will suffer. quality takes time... start cnc'ing and sending stuff out and you have a whole different business than you have now... it's one thing to go into production as a side gig for some extra cash and it's another thing entirely to gear up to mass produce, totally different things

Rob learned the farm out lesson.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users who are viewing this thread