Hello All,

As promised, here are the remainder of the turned parts for our latest project. Would like to be quoted for quantities of 6, 100, 1000, 10,000. Of course, the sooner the better, but if I can save money by being flexible and letting it fit your downtime, so be it. I understand that the quantity of 6 is a PITA for most shops, but I really need to test functionality before commiting to large lot numbers. These parts all fit in a small aluminum housing that is to be milled. I have someone locally that's supposed to be doing this at present, but if it doesn't pan out I'll post it as well (in the milling section of course).

Thanks in advance,

Burt Miller
Nami Research

i will quote tomorrow afternoon.

Quote from contract_machining_inc in another thread....

"I don't worry too much about it, I have yet to get any work from internet transactions."

Gee, I wonder why?



Well, my first foray into RFQWork.com has been quite interesting. I can tell there are some true professionals here, and quite a few clowns. I wanted to thank everybody who legitimately bid on this job. I also want to thank the clowns for the entertainment.

For the purpose of giving a heads up to the individuals looking for legitimate shops on this site, I thought I would relay my experience...

I originally uploaded 2 components of an assembly in a thread entitled "Turned aluminum parts" to see if this site would bear any fruit. I chose Arty3000 based on price alone, and the fact that he was willing to make just 6 copies of each part so that I could test them for fit and finish before going into larger numbers.

Since it was a rather positive experience, I then posted the remaining 6 components in this thread, to give everybody a crack at it. I was planning to go with Arty3000 even if he was not the lowest bidder, just to deal with one vendor, and because some of the components were press fits. He also stated that he was already starting production on the first 2 parts. I had numerous responses, although most of them were in the form of private messages, so they didn't show up in this thread.

Unfortunately, this is when Arty3000 decided to change his pricing policies and ask for "lot pricing" on each component. This resulted in a per part price of $33.00 to $42.00. I informed Arty3000 that I would have to go with someone else on the forum, as many people came in at 10% of that price. I was told "no problem", and that he had in fact started the original 2 components, so we would just complete that contract. After a series of a few more emails, I was then told that he bid the first 2 components too low and would not be able to do them. Remember, this is after winning the contract to the exclusion of everybody else on this forum that took the time and effort to bid, and after he had supposedly started the job.

I was debating about whether I should repost the job in it's entirety (8 components), when one of the members actually called, discussed the job, and subsequently bid the entire project. Due to the fact that he's relatively close, and the competitive nature of the bid, I have already given him the go ahead.

So I'm grateful for the forum in that it put me in touch with resources that I will more than likely be looking to in the future. For anybody looking, I would recommend the following members, based on pricing, professionalism, and a distaste for wearing large floppy shoes and a big red nose...


Colin Bower
Axis Machine

In the larger lot sizes (1000 to 10,000), BigDaddy was also competitive.

Hope this helps.

Burt Miller
Nami Research

Thanks Burt, its appreciated.

glad you can find someone to make them for you Burt. i didn't quote the job right. this is my fault. the Bid i gave Burt for the first Two parts were. $3.50 for one part and $3.00 a part for the second. and this was including material. once my partner found out how much i bid on it. he came unglued. unless you have a lathe with live tooling and a sub-spindle one part will take 3 set ups. and the other was 2 set-ups. with that being said. i would actually be running the parts for free. do the math. 6X$3.00 = $18.00 for 6 pc. with 2 SET-UPS plus material. yeah they would have been Free. this has no reflection on Burt. i just didn't bid the job right. hell if i was Burt i would have jumped on that too. good luck with your new vendor. take care. Art

welcome to rfq dot com. I did a job for some one and busted more in carbide than I got paid for the work. That's why I don't jump on bids any more. I especially like it when you end up spending hours a day on the internet trying to help joe make things easier to manufacture and all that on the promise that they might need a gazillion pieces in the near future that never happens.

I would think you should shoulder some of the blame yourself, whose fault is
not putting the cost of the "busted carbide" in the job bid? Also when bidding
on these quantities of 1, 10, and 1,000 the 1,000 price is if this prototype
takes flight, works and sells. It is the bidder's fault for letting a quantity of 6
go for the 1,000 price out of a hope and a prayer. Anyone who bids on a job
when they aren't familiar with the material is hurting not only themselves but
the rest of us as well.