Finding a Woodshop

Looking for a Woodshop To Manufacture Your Product?

Finding the Right Woodshop for You

If you are looking to do smaller woodshop projects, you will not have a lot of difficulty finding the correct type of woodshop for your product.  When you get into larger scale productions it can be difficult to match your product to a woodshop. 

Larger woodshops can be extremely specific in what they do, they will use CNC machinery which is most efficient when running many multiples of the same part, it is not cost effective to use CNC machinery for low quantity orders.  For your woodshop projects, the scale will make a big difference in finding the right woodshop.

The type of wood you choose will most likely not affect where you decide to take your product, however, it will drastically change the price, look, weight, and strength of your product, and may effect shipping charges if it is not local.  

When looking for a smaller woodshop to manufacture your product, you will be looking for a woodshop that has multiple cabinet saws, industrial duty planers, jointers, band saws, spray booth, lathes, etc.  Most woodshops will have these machines, however, when you are looking for larger quantities the machines become larger and more specific, for example, sliding table saw, cnc routers, large molding machines, edge banding machines, and a shipping and packaging area are some of the machines that are found in larger woodshops.

Can You Make it Yourself?

It is very common for people to come up with woodshop plans and find a project that is made from wood and feel that they could easily make the product themselves and begin selling it.  While cost may be a limiting factor for some, it is not recommended if it can be avoided. 

Even though lower line equipment can be obtained for fairly cheap, often first time users are amazed at the total cost and difficulty of creating a quality product from wood and the immense cost in building an efficient woodshop.

Woodshops generally do not have a substantial markup.  In fact, it is not uncommon to have a part manufactured for less in a woodshop than it could be done yourself because of the discount they will receive in lumber by ordering bulk quantities.  Even in the prototype phase it can be beneficial to find the woodshop you will be using to have the mock-up made, that way you will have a good idea of how the final woodshop project will come out.

Many woodshops have begun to outsource certain portions of their products to cut cost, some examples are cabinet drawer boxes.  Often times these will be brought in from outside companies due to the cost of the equipment to create them efficiently.  So, when you have decided on your woodshop project, and you have woodshop plans, ask yourself if it is cost efficient to buy the tools and make it yourself, or seek a quality woodshop to produce the project for you.  Some choose to do this as a hobby, and therefore are not as concerned with cost effectiveness and efficiency.  If that is the case, enjoy your woodshop project!