Foam Cutter

[lc]

I had worked with the electric foam cutter at my previous job..

As far as affordability for me right now I am using an electric knife.
I had noticed in a supply catalogue a hand held 410 U-cut foam cutter .
Has anyone tried it ? I haven't checked the price on it yet but I think it would be definitely be cheaper than the electric ... when my business grows up I'll go bigger.
I also want to know what you have for button machines ..where I had worked we had a swivel die so putting in the tops and bottoms were done if a jiffy ...I didn't see the same unit in my books so I ordered the button Jr .machine
Its a real pain in the ''beeep !'' Slow process to making buttons ..I wish I could find a used one of the swivel but its hard to find and I think if I did find a new one it would be costly.

On another complaintive note...I'm on a roll now ! oooh how are minds start ticking when business gets tense ,,,sleep ? Whats that ?

I didn't think I would get into the state I'm in right now ..just before Christmas I was approved for a visa and overdraft for the business .
I have to be honest as I always am., but if it weren't for that I would have fallen flat on my face because all of a sudden right after being approved for this credit ..,business went dead !! I haven't made a deposit since January until last week which was not at all big my account looks sickly.

I was doing really good last year but I remember I had a contract that was keeping me busy that wasn't needing to be finished until May
I think I got over confident thinking I'de be busy this time of year ..nope !...the phone has just recently started ringing again ..not a lot but enough to get a few dollars in.
I can't believe how you can have 9000 bucks in the account one minute and into overdraft the next . It gets discouraging. how do you keep a float ??????
Sorry .. I got into some big time venting .

[Peppy]

Around here furniture work always dries up from new years till Easter. It'll pick up again.

[JuneC]

Elsie, I wish you were closer.   I would keep you knee-deep in sewing.  Oh, how I could use a reliable subcontractor that charges reasonable fees....  ::)

BTW, you can do great things with the turkey carver.  The expensive saws are nice, but don't be dismayed by having to use a $12 electric knife.  They will work wonders if you pay attention to angle, depth, and a spritz of silicone on the blades.  But then, I don't refinish wood  :-X  

June

[lc]

Thanks
I'de be right on it if I were there June !!
I have sewn since I was young and I am pretty good not needing patterns most times.... I like to be creative.

does it ever make you guys feel that when you get this slow that you should look for another job ??
I never want to go back to working for anyone else, !!! ,sometimes it makes me wonder at times like this...I know it will pick up  I just have to learn how to budget for it...groan ...

[sofadoc]

The U-Cut 410 is for horizontal slicing of foam sheets. It's not for cutting across the width, like an electric knife.
Instead of trying to stock several different thicknesses of foam, I just buy sheets in 6" thickness, and slice with the U-Cut if need be. I use a Bosch foam saw for vertical cuts.
In previous discussions, the general consensus was that you should get an electric foam saw that BOTH blades move on.
There is a cheaper model that only one blade moves.

I've always used the Handy Jr. (non-swivel type) button machine/dies. It may be slower, but I can easily make 4 buttons a minute.  I don't seem to be doing that much buttoned furniture anymore, anyway.

Sorry it's been slow for you. Hope it picks up. I've always wondered how my business would be affected if we had the harsh winters that you guys have. Here in Texas, people "hunker down" when it even gets close to freezing. I don't know how we'd handle a prolonged winter.

[kodydog]

I used an electric carving knife for years, and got pretty good at it. Secret is to go slow and keep your eye on the blade. Keep it nice and straight. I bought my foam cutter the same way I bought a lot of my tools, second hand. Its basically an electric jig saw with the same blade as an electric knife. The flat base makes it easy to use.

Nothing makes me more nervous than when it gets slow but this is the time to get out and meet people. Drop by local decorators. Furniture stores can be a great source of income with all the cheap stuff their selling. Hotels are always looking for someone to do quick repairs. Type up a brief (one page) resume of your skills and experience and hand it out. Make getting more business your full time job. Every time I meet someone new I always manage to slip into the conversation what I do for a living. Drop off cards at all the fabric wholesalers. We just picked up a job from Hobby Lobby, a wholesaler we gave cards to a month ago. Always have faith in yourself and never ever let anyone tell you, you can't do this. You have a lot of personality so don't be afraid to get out there and drum up business.

[lc]

It's also March break here a lot of people take the kids and go places ..like a warmer climate where you are....I know once the weather gets better it should pick up. It will but it sure puts a lot of stress on the ol brain.

I didn't realize the u cut 410 cut  that way .
I hadn't seriously looked at it  .,I had just scanned it while going through the book ., thanks for the heads up.
We had the Bosch cutter where I worked . I loved it .
I think I was spoiled with the other button machine and come to think of it we don't get as many button jobs as we used to .. a few french provincials now and then . I used to love making buttons when I started my job now it's mundane and boring .

Kodydog your right  !!...I was moaning the blues and my daughter and my grandaughter picked up on it.. I'll have to make them my promotional team .

.they photo copied  a sheet with a write up about me along with it a write up I had done in a local newspaper and also added my business card to the page and went and posted it up all over the place...I was stunned !
She also put my business cards all around the document.
Yesterday I had a call and they referred to that posting in a grocery store it
was a sofa and love seat  and it may be a go ahead., today my girls told me they went to a couple of places and most of the postings had been picked up as well as the business cards ...we'll see where it goes but I couldn't believe how they came to the rescue,

[Qwerty27807]

I can't believe how you can have 9000 bucks in the account one minute and into overdraft the next . It gets discouraging. how do you keep a float
Sorry .. I got into some big time venting .

Make up something like this:


(Click for full size.)

Have it printed on 4x6 photo cards.  (You can use a place like winkflash.com, or even local Walmart in quantities of 2-300 prints for about $0.06 cents each.)

Go to the upper middle-class and professional neighborhoods in your area and tape one to the OUTSIDE of each mailbox on a Friday night.  If you are really bold, go door to door on Saturday morning and hand one to each potential customer.  Telll them "work gets very busy by May, and this is a good time to squeeze their work in."

They may not even know they want or need your services until they know about you.

If you don't get at least 1 job the next week out of it, I'll be surprised.

Never stop priming the pump.  Even when you're busy.

Cost:  About $25, some gas, and a few hours of downtime.

[Mojo]

Elsie:

This business ( for some of us ) can be seasonal and can have its busy moments and slow ones. The trick is to identify your slow times and become proactive and go after business. June, Mike and myself have slow times down here during the summer months when all the snowbirds go home. We get clobbered in the fall when they all return and then the winter months are crazy for us.

I am anticipating a slow summer so I am going to be getting busy advertising in May so I can book jobs for June, July and August. I plan on offering specials with discounts during these months. My margins are high enough to where I can offer discounts and not take a huge hit on my bottom line and still make money.

The other thing I used to counsel my clients on was managing cash flow for market swings. If you need XXX dollars per month to open your doors and you have a cyclical business, then during the UP times you need to take that money and hold some back for the slow times. I see businesses down here close their doors all the time because of poor cash management. Their cash flow goes through the roof during the winter and they spend it all taking bigger salaries, etc. then the slow summer days come and they are dead ass broke.

The biggest mistake I used to see during my business consultant days is owners sitting back and waiting for customers to come to them. I just watched my brother close his doors to his automotive repair shop for this very same reason. You need to identify the slow times in your business and get proactive just before that time hits. It beats being reactive and scrambling at the last minute for business and starving along the way.

My best advice is this. If your slow do not wait for the market to come to you - go to the market and try and create orders.

Chris

[lc]

Great ideas thanks ., I really like that idea Querty

As far as holding back some funds I know I should .,Its been hard to do .,  pay for myself ??.whats that ?
I am going on my fifth year and only now I was aproved for the credit card and overdraft. I didn't apply for it it was offered as pre aproved on my on-line banking
I never applied becuase I really didn't think I would get it..I show not much as far as income each year but I guess they go by all the deposits I put in.?  I don't know ., I'm not too good at understanding the business and banking . I should find a good book on basic business that doesn't get me all confused.
I have a couple that go into corporations and such..gets a bit overwhelming ...I need a kindergarten level on basic small business.
Thank goodness for bookkeepers or I wouldn't be here at all.
Quirties idea is an affordable one ...I know we should advertise when we're slow but without the funds to do it doesn't make it easy.
I guess this is where the new Visa kicks in ..I'll have to learn to keep some funds aside in the furure

[sofadoc]

Qwerty's flyer is a good idea, But bullet points #1,#2 are not points that I would want to make to my customer.
You're calling attention to the fact that most new furniture simply isn't worth recovering.
Around these parts, there's not enough of the older high quality furniture still in circulation.
Why would a customer pay over a grand to recover a $500 sofa? I don't know. But plenty of them do. I'm not going to discourage them.

When a customer says "I'm trying to decide whether it would be cheaper to recover, or just buy new", I tell them "If the lowest price is your ONLY concern, you'll probably be happier just buying new".
Many people bought that cheap couches when they were young, and their money was tight. Now they're ready to recover, and aren't as concerned about the bottom line.

With better fabric, and higher quality internal padding, the original value of that sofa can actually be raised.

[Mike]

Where are you located lc? I used t be in new England I do marine. Anvas and marine upholstery.
I had to work 7 days a week from i e in on the lakes to ice out. March to November
Fo get by.   And for 2O years all I've used was a turkey knife

[sofadoc]

And for 2O years all I've used was a turkey knife

In the course of buying out other shops that closed, I've acquired 2 Bosch foam cutters. So I use them because I have them. But I gotta say, in terms of sheer "bang for your buck", I like the turkey knife. There's no way I'd pay $300 or more for a foam cutter when a $15 turkey knife from Wally World  works almost as well.
But most of the cushions I do have batting around the sides, so a precision-smooth edge isn't all that critical.

[Mike]

I should more I also have one of thoose cheap band saws that works great also. It for the width you can cut I've also used a table saw

[lc]

Mike some would say I live in the hicks ha ha .

I am 4 hours north of Toronto in a wee town called Callander . North Bay and area is where most of my business comes from .
I do furniture slipcovers etc. but I have worked in canvas more in repairing boat tops rather than a whole one and making prospectors tents., I also can do automotive.
We have a small marina here in Callander... I should drop off my cards with them and see what happens. the other Canvas people are in North Bay I am always afraid of stepping on the territories.
I am going to do up a flier on recycling your furniture...I wonder if we're allowed to drop them off in rural mailboxes .