How CNC technology reshaped the future of Olies Wood Shop

There are many rewarding aspects of producing industry-leading CNC routers and CNC plasmas, but none more rewarding than hearing success stories from ShopSabre customers around the country.

Among these great success stories is Olies Wood Shop in Los Angeles, who added a ShopSabre CNC router to their arsenal a few years back to ramp up their production and efficiency.

From hand-crafted beginnings

Olies Wood Shop is a furniture and dcor shop owned by the husband-and-wife duo of Art and Olie. Arts father moved to the U.S. from Honduras and started his own woodworking company decades ago, eventually helping Art start his own shop years later. At first, Art and his dad produced every part for every project by hand, which resulted in slow project timelines when creating furniture.

Because of this, they knew they needed a change once the business began to grow. They needed to find a way to be more efficient, and eventually started researching CNC machines.

Eventually, Art found ShopSabre, and began communicating with the team on possible equipment options.

For me it was a big investment, purchasing a CNC machine. After exchanging emails, I knew that ShopSabre was the company that I wanted to go with because the machines were very well-built and the price was very very reasonable for what you get.

Art also made note of the ShopSabre teams responsiveness in answering his many questions about CNC and the purchasing process.

Olie comes around

Despite Arts glowing first impression, Olie was not yet convinced. The couple spent a lot of time discussing the purchase and she came to understand how much a CNC router from ShopSabre would help the shops production. Art showed her the website and the benefits of CNC and just how much it would streamline many aspects of the business.

Eventually, Olie agreed, and now says purchasing a CNC router with ShopSabre was the best decision the shop has ever made.

This helps us produce so much more, Olie said. The machine is like five employees in one.

CNC changes the game

As Olies has grown, more and more orders have begun coming in orders theyd previously have been unable to fulfill without the help of CNC technology. Art and Olie are now able to cut an entire desk that would have previously taken five hours in just 15 minutes.

Because the machine automates so much of the production process, it also allows them to perform additional work around the shop and opens up new opportunities to create one-of-a-kind furniture while maximizing profitability.

The CNC software took a bit of education, which the ShopSabre team was able to assist in at every turn.

Obviously theres a learning curve, so its nice having that customer service anytime we needed help. Theyre very patient with us.

Even Arts dad whos been a woodworker for 40-plus years finds himself taking advantage of the CNC router in order to save time.

What would have taken him five hours takes the machine five minutes. We program it and everything, draw it up, and its done.

Art and Olies advice for first-time CNC buyers

From Arts experience in purchasing a CNC machine, his advice for first-time buyers is to opt for more options and functionality if you can afford it, as doing so is less expensive when paired with your initial purchase.

He and Olie also note that while CNC software can be intimidating to first-timers, it is much easier to work with than expected and is also supported by a wide range of tutorials and educational resources including ShopSabre customer service.

If we havent asked the question, someone else has. They know their stuff like the back of their hand. Theyll be on the phone and work with you. Theyre amazing at customer service.

The future of Olies

The addition of CNC technology to Olies shop has opened up new doors for them, especially in beginning to experiment with aluminum and other metals. Art and Olie are not metalworkers by trade, so ShopSabre has helped them learn the process in terms of setting feed speeds, working with different types of bits, and more.

Now theyre considering adding a ShopSabre CNC plasma to the shop to even further expand on their capability.

There are so many ideas we have for Olies as far as designs and different types of furniture that we want to build, and incorporating aluminum and steel, and its all possible because of the ShopSabre CNC machine.

Transform your shops capabilities with ShopSabre CNC

ShopSabre manufactures world-leading CNC routers and CNC plasmas to provide hobbyists and shop owners alike with unmatched precision, efficiency, and versatility. Whatever your goals may be, we are dedicated to helping you produce outstanding results at a fraction of the labor and cost.

OurIndustrial Series (IS)andPRO SeriesCNC routers provide industrial capability for a fraction of the price, while ourSideKick CNC plasmasdeliver professional quality at an entry-level cost.

Here are a few of the reasons ShopSabre is able to develop and produce such revolutionary CNC technology:

• Experienced in-house engineering talent
• The ability to totally fabricate and test designs onsite
• The ability to place the designs into production in-house

These are just a few of the advantages of being an American machine tool manufacturer. We offer commercial financing on our CNC equipment to help meet the needs of your budget.

Shop our unmatched collection of CNC routers and CNC plasmas in Minneapolis today to experience CNC the way it was meant to be.