should i keep making cabs or not..

Your not going to have any issues with having orders...your work speaks for itself...
Your issue is your way too hyper about getting these done too quickly...no one is going to die if they don't get a cab in a week or two :D..or even a month;)...heck I have cabs that have been sitting around waiting for my spare time for over a year:rolleyes:...they get done when they get done..we all get into the mode where we get alot done and then nothing...just take it slow..and keep up the good work..your family will thank you and you will still be able to do what you like but not at the expense of ruining a marriage over it...

P.S..when your ready...I need me a Crystal Castles cab and also a spare crystal castles back door... NO RUSH!!!:D
 
:)

For the love of god dont stop !!!!!!!! ;)


Well I know that some of his clients are high maintenance.

I on the other hand waited 8 months for my last starfighter and
6.5 for my agent x ;)


But like every hobby slash side job we all search for the balance between
family/work etc
 
DPtwiz said:
Thanks guys. Yes, she does not like arcade games. She also doesn't like me in the garage every spare moment i have. I also set crazy deadlines i can't keep. sometimes i can but at the expense of not spending any time with my family. I have 4 kids, 2 are mine, and 2 are ours, and it's really tough on her to do 100% of the parenting for the last 18 months while i was in the garage the entire time when i wasn't at the day job.

I made 7 cocktail tables recently, started on a wed morning at 9am cutting them out, and by Friday at 7pm, i had them all assembled and out the door. I worked 42 hours in 3 days to get it done. so, i guess i will work through the current orders and then post up i can take on more. THanks again guys, Brett
Click to expand...

Not to be a jerk, but she has a legitimate problem with this if you're working 42 hours in 3 days in the garage. If this is your only job, you need to treat it like a job and only work 8 or 9 hours a day on it. You should just work out a schedule that she can be supportive of.

I don't know the situation, but if she's saying you're working too much, you probably are! You don't want to mess up your family man over some arcade games. Don't over do it, you make great cabinets, it can wait a little longer.

I'm also not trying to piss everybody off here, but if you've got more work than you can handle, that's a good sign that you're not charging enough.

Flame on!~
 
The key word here is compromise. She needs to understand you are doing this because you enjoy it and it's putting some extra scratch in the bank (well hopefully that part is true.) She also needs to understand how long it takes you per cab to put things into perspective.

You need to consider her feelings as well. If she is being a time whorder then she's in the wrong. If you're whording time then you're in the wrong.

You need "me" time and you also need "us" time.

I hope for your sake she's not one of those women that are pissed off if you're not sitting in the same room with her even though she's knitting or watching some gawd awful show. If she is good luck sailor boy - you're going to need a miracle.
 
The following story is one that's been circulating for awhile. I believe it holds a very important message regarding appropriately setting priorities in our lives.

A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was full.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and watched as the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The professor then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They chuckled and agreed that it was indeed full this time.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the remaining open areas of the jar. "Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this jar signifies your life. The rocks are the truly important things, such as family, health and relationships. If all else was lost and only the rocks remained, your life would still be meaningful. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life, such as work or school. The sand signifies the remaining "small stuff" and material possessions.If you put sand into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks or the pebbles. The same can be applied to your lives. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are truly important.

Pay attention to the things in life that are critical to your happiness and well-being. Take time to get medical check-ups, play with your children, go for a run, write your grandmother a letter. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, or fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first – things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.

I say if its something that you enjoy keep doing it, but make sure the larger rocks go in first and prioritize accordingly
 
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Thanks Gatordad, very true. Turb0, he is talking about himself lol!
 
Did you quit your full-time job? or is this just a side job that you hope to do full-time? Really, if you want your marriage to survive you need to sit down and come up with a plan that you can agree on. Also, if your working 8-10 hours before your getting to your cabinets maybe you should "only" be doing cabinet building 8-10 hours on Saturday / Sunday and assembling a couple of nights during the week. Also, maybe it's time to go over your expenses to make sure you are actually making a good enough profit with the amount of time your putting into them (taking consideration the costs you have into the wood).

Good luck and "try" to make things work out.
 
I say finish the cabs you have promised to folks and take a break. Spend some time with the kids and maybe try out that other direction you mentioned with wood work.
 
If I lived close,I'd definitely volunteer to help out.I think it'd be fun learning how to build cabs from scratch.
 
Nope, i still have the full time day job. I have been of on medical leave since Jan 4th, but should be going back in about 7 - 14 days. I am talking with another well known guy on here who makes things, big plans in the future. Hopefully, i will be doing this full time in the not too distant future. i am also refining how i make cabinets, to make it more streamlined and time effective, so i spend less time doing it, but accomplishing more.
 
What about wrapping up what your currently working on... Take a break for a few weeks to see if you can straighten out your personal life. From there, streamline your cabinet making skills and setup a schedule and stick too it... If someone says "I need a Pac Man style cabinet in two weeks" but your booked up for a month... Just tell them that your sorry but your backed up for a month. Maybe even have two pricing sheets. One for the collector that doesn't mind waiting 30-60 days and will be willing to even wait additional time if need be and then a higher price for the impatient people or companies that need them within a couple weeks. However, you still need a schedule. If you do start doing this full time you need to setup a work schedule and stick too it... Only working 8-12 hours a day (Making sure you schedule time within those 8-12 hours to do paperwork, programing, and calling back customers... oh, and learn to get customers off the phone quickly but politely so you can get back to work), Monday through Friday and DON'T sneak into the garage when your done.
 
I like the idea where you charge the "impatient" people and companies more.....

In all seriousness, I hope you can do this full time -- doing arcade stuff for a full time job is my dream job, but I would have to sell 350 games a year to do that, and I just don't think that is realistic either in production capability (1 game per day) or sales figures ($425,000 per year). To be a viable business, you would need to market to the masses, not just to the collectors.

It's a fun hobby / side business for me, but if I was ruining anyone's family (including my own) I wouldn't be too excited about it anymore.
 
marketing to the masses.. i haven't even stepped into that yet. I've had a maybe 20 - 30 days total without a cabinet order in almost 18 months.. My pm box is full of messages saying, "tell me when to send the money" it gets overwhelming at times. At one point, i had a list of 22 cabinets to do, it just gets to be a big weight on your shoulders. Getting ready to go out in the garage and do a little bondo work on the starwars upright i just got, (and sold already! :-/ ) and starting up on a tron...
 
gatordad said:
... A professor of philosophy stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about two inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. ...
Click to expand...

It's a great story. But I like the version where after the sand he asks them again, and they say it's full, and he pours his coffee into it, and says something to the effect that it's very important to take a moment and have coffee with friends when you or they need it, as the coffee doesn't stop rocks, pebbles, or sand from entering the jar. ;)

Wow. That was one hell of a run-on sentence...
 
If anyone lives near this guy and owns a dedicated Circus Charlie, there are a few pieces I'd like made so I can convert this trashed Gyruss cab I have....
 
Make me some plans Mod.. and a few pics! I don't care if you draw them up in microsoft paint, i can read em :) Aren't those parts 1" thick??
 
DPtwiz said:
Make me some plans Mod.. and a few pics! I don't care if you draw them up in microsoft paint, i can read em :) Aren't those parts 1" thick??
Click to expand...

Haha. I think you just answered your own thread question with a response like that! :D ;)
 
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