Talkin Shop with ShopSabre

Should you buy a used CNC machine or buy new? The price tag says one thing. The next five years of ownership say something completely different.
In Episode 257 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters take on the question every shop owner eventually has to answer. Not just about CNC machines either. Your next truck, your next piece of equipment, your next major investment. Same trap, every time.
Here is the part nobody tells you. Price is what you pay today. Value is what you actually receive over the life of what you own. Those are two completely different conversations, and confusing them is the most expensive mistake in your shop. Brandon lays out exactly what you are buying when you buy new, and it is a much longer list than steel and motors. He also gets into what you are quietly signing up for when you buy used, including the costs that do not show up until ownership starts.
The guys get into the stuff that actually bites: air supply damage you cannot see, grease history you will never know, control systems that cannot connect to anything, parts that stopped being made, and the phone call you make when your machine is down and nobody has any obligation to pick up.
This is not an anti-used-equipment episode. Brandon is clear that used gear has helped countless shops get started and it deserves credit for that. It is an episode about walking in with the right expectations instead of the wrong ones.
Plus three customer questions, including the one Brandon takes personally.
If you have ever told yourself you are not shopping on price, this one is going to sting a little. Hit like if it did. Drop a comment and tell us the last thing you bought cheap and regretted, and subscribe so you catch next
week's episode.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get a Quote Today: https://www.shopsabre.com/get-a-quote/
Explore ShopSabre CNC Routers: https://www.shopsabre.com/all-cnc-routers/
Follow us for daily CNC content
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsabre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsabre
X/Twitter: https://x.com/ShopSabreCNC
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsabre
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopsabre-cnc/

Think playing it safe protects your CNC shop? It might be the most expensive decision you never made. In this episode of Talkin' Shop, Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters break down how real business owners weigh risk against reward, and why the shops that grow are the ones willing to move before every question has an answer.
 
You will hear the questions every owner wrestles with. Should you finance or pay cash for that next machine? How do you know when it is time to add a second CNC? Is the "safe" choice to wait actually leaving work and profit on the table? Brandon and Nick answer real listener questions, then get into the part nobody talks about: the true cost of a decision goes way past the dollar amount on the invoice.
 
They break down the cost of time, the cost of lost opportunity, and the cost of the stress you pile on your team when you refuse to invest. They explain why the cheapest option is almost never the lowest cost option, and why standing still while your competitor automates is the biggest gamble of all.
 
If you own a shop, run a crew, or keep putting off a big decision, this one is for you.
00:00 - Why Every Business Decision Is Really a Risk Decision
04:33 - Finance vs. Cash for CNC Equipment: Why Financing Keeps Your Cash Working
07:17 - How to Know When It's Time to Add a Second CNC Machine
11:00 - Why Zero Risk Doesn't Exist: The Real Question Is Which Risk You Accept
13:47 - The Hidden Risk of Doing Nothing: Why Standing Still Costs More Than Investing
19:27 - The True Cost Beyond the Dollar: Time, Opportunity, Operational, and Emotional Cost
22:28 - Why ShopSabre Builds In-House Instead of Importing Frames From Overseas
35:43 - The Risk-to-Reward Formula: Weighing the Realistic Worst Case Against the Upside
#CNC #ShopSabre #CNCBusiness #TalkinShop #CNCMachine #CNCRouter #PlasmaTable #FiberLaser #Manufacturing #SmallBusinessTips #BusinessRisk #MadeInUSA #CNCShop #Entrepreneurship
 
Hit like if this hit home, drop your biggest business-risk question in the
comments, and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Talkin' Shop.
Discover all our CNC machines and accessories: https://www.shopsabre.com/ 
Follow ShopSabre for daily updates, tutorials, and expert tips: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsabre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsabre
Twitter/X: https://x.com/ShopSabreCNC 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsabre 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopsabre-cnc/ 
Since 2000, ShopSabre CNC has delivered high-quality CNC routers, plasma cutters, and laser engraving machines built in the USA to businesses and hobbyists worldwide. Subscribe for more insights on CNC technology, project builds, and industry-leading machine performance.

How much does an employee really cost a small business beyond their hourly wage?
In Episode 255 of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters answer that question directly for shop owners and small manufacturers.
 
The short answer: an employee's true cost runs well past base pay. Once you add payroll taxes, workers' compensation, health and dental benefits, a 401(k) match, paid time off, training time, onboarding, tools, and software, a worker's real
cost can land about 25 percent above their wage, and in extreme cases up to 50 percent higher. A $25-per-hour employee who looks like a $60,000 salary can actually cost the business closer to $30 to $38 per hour.
 
Brandon explains why time, not money, is the real trade. A business is not buying labor; it is buying time applied to an outcome. Clock-in time is nearly guaranteed, but output during that time is not, which is why two employees on the same wage can deliver very different value. His benchmark: a $30-per-hour worker producing $100 per hour of output is a strong model, while one producing $30 per hour is a wash.
 
The episode also makes the case for automation over adding headcount. As Brandon puts it, you don't need more labor; you need to make the labor you already have more efficient. A CNC machine empowers existing workers instead of replacing them.
 
The show opens with real viewer questions. Brandon confirms the ShopSabre laser alignment tool is the Wi-Fi version, not Bluetooth; explains that ShopSabre CNC tables do not have vacuum built into the tabletop but offer an optional vacuum table with vacuum pumps; and names the biggest mistake CNC buyers make, which is shopping on price instead of researching value.
 
ShopSabre is an American manufacturer of CNC routers, plasma tables, and fiber lasers based in Lakeville, Minnesota. This episode is for cabinet shops, metal fabricators, and small manufacturers weighing whether to hire or automate.
Discover all our CNC machines and accessories: https://www.shopsabre.com/ 
Follow ShopSabre for daily updates, tutorials, and expert tips: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsabre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsabre
Twitter/X: https://x.com/ShopSabreCNC 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsabre 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopsabre-cnc/ 
00:00 - Why Every Business Owner Miscalculates the Cost of Labor
04:02 - Customer Questions: Wi-Fi vs Bluetooth Laser Tool, Vacuum Tables, and the Biggest CNC Buying Mistake
09:46 - What a $25-an-Hour Employee Actually Costs: Taxes, Benefits, and the 25 to 50 Percent Markup
12:54 - Why You Hire Time, Not Tasks: Clock-In Is Guaranteed, Output Is Not
20:28 - How Labor Cost Drives Your Pricing and Margins, and Why a $50 Minimum Wage Backfires
25:33 - The Real Goal Is Maximum Output Per Labor Dollar, Not Fewer People
29:31 - Why Small Inefficiencies Scale, and What Happens When You Value Your Time at $0
37:24 - Roosevelt on Work Worth Doing, Plus Why American-Made CNC Makes Sense
#CNC #SmallBusiness #ShopSabre #CNCRouter #CNCPlasma #FiberLaser #Manufacturing #CabinetMaking #MetalFabrication #Automation #BusinessGrowth #MadeInUSA #TalkinShop #CostOfHiring

Since 2000, ShopSabre CNC has delivered high-quality CNC routers, plasma cutters, and laser engraving machines built in the USA to businesses and hobbyists worldwide. Subscribe for more insights on CNC technology, project builds, and industry-leading machine performance.

When does buying a CNC machine make more sense than hiring another employee or outsourcing the work? On this episode of Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre, hosts Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters answer that question for shop owners weighing automation against labor.
The conversation breaks down how to calculate the real return on investment (ROI) of CNC automation — and why most shop owners get the math wrong. Brandon explains the difference between calculating ROI literally (only the time a task takes) and "paralysis by analysis," then reframes the core question every owner asks. It isn't "how many people does this replace?" — it's "how much inefficiency, does this eliminate?"
Using a cabinet shop example, Brandon contrasts a CNC machine cutting a full base cabinet — dados, shelf holes, hinge pockets and all — in roughly 4 to 8 minutes against an employee doing the same work by hand in 60 minutes or more, with far more room for error. He also walks through a $100,000 job to show that automation doesn't change the price a customer pays; it changes the profit and the lead time the shop keeps.
They cover the hidden costs of labor that spreadsheets ignore — recruiting, training, turnover, benefits, payroll taxes and absences — and why a $75,000 employee actually costs far more every year, while a machine is a one-time investment that compounds. Brandon and Nick also explain how ShopSabre customers regularly discover entirely new revenue streams after adding equipment they originally bought for a single task.
This episode is for cabinet makers, woodworkers, metal fabricators and manufacturing business owners deciding whether to scale with automation or more labor. 
ShopSabre is an American CNC manufacturer based in Lakeville, Minnesota, building CNC routers, plasma tables and fiber lasers.
Watch the full episode for Brandon's formula for sustainable growth — great people, great processes and great equipment — and why nothing changes if nothing changes. Subscribe to Talkin' Shop with ShopSabre for new episodes every week.
00:00 - Intro & Cold Open
01:03 - Today's Topic: Automation vs. Labor
04:14 - Listener Q&A: Vacuum Noise, Dust Doc & Feedback
09:30 - The Right Way to Calculate Automation ROI
13:09 - The Hidden Costs of Labor
16:24 - How Automation Creates Leverage
19:09 - Saving Money vs. Making Money
23:28 - Cabinet Build: Machine vs. By Hand
26:28 - The $100K Job That Changes Everything
28:44 - Don't Wait for the Bottleneck
33:26 - The True Cost of a $75K Employee
36:46 - Work Smarter, Not Harder
40:10 - Wrap-Up & What's Next
 

Discover all our CNC machines and accessories: https://www.shopsabre.com/ 
Follow ShopSabre for daily updates, tutorials, and expert tips: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsabre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsabre
Twitter/X: https://x.com/ShopSabreCNC 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsabre 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopsabre-cnc/ 
 

Since 2000, ShopSabre CNC has delivered high-quality CNC routers, plasma cutters, and laser engraving machines built in the USA to businesses and hobbyists worldwide. Subscribe for more insights on CNC technology, project builds, and industry-leading machine performance.

You already know the answer. You're just waiting for someone to say it out loud. If you've ever stared at a job you turned away, a backlog you can't beat, or a stack of repetitive work eating your week alive, this episode is the gut check you've been avoiding.
 
Brandon Bombardo and Nick Peters get real about the single most expensive decision growing shops keep putting off: when to stop doing things the manual way and start investing in automation. They break down the exact warning signs that you've outgrown your process, why "we'll just work harder" quietly kills your margins, and the mindset shift that separates the shops that scale from the ones that stall out catching up forever.
 
Here's the truth nobody wants to hear: the moment you start asking "can I justify this?" you're already asking the wrong question. The shops that win ask something completely different, and once you hear it, you can't unhear it.
 
This one hits whether you run a cabinet shop, a sign business, a fab shop, or you're the one-person operation wearing every hat and feeling the squeeze. Brandon and Nick have lived this on both sides of the table, and they're not selling you a fantasy. They're handing you the framework to decide for yourself and a challenge to fix ONE thing this week.
 
Stop building someone else's business. Start building leverage into your own.
 
If this episode calls you out, drop a comment and tell us the ONE thing you're going to fix this week — personally or professionally. Smash that LIKE button, SUBSCRIBE for a new episode every week, and share this with the shop owner who needs to hear it. Your future self is already saying, "I should've done this sooner."
00:00 - When Is It Time to Automate Your Shop? Today's Question
02:46 - Viewer Questions: Why Use a CNC Instead of Doing It by Hand?
07:11 - Why "I Should've Done This Sooner" Is the Most Common Regret
12:17 - The Hidden Cost of Outsourcing: You're Building Someone Else's Business
16:16 - 5 Signs It's Time to Automate: Repetitive Work, Turning Jobs Away & Growing Lead Times
20:40 - Does Automation Replace Workers? Why It Only Replaces Wasted Time
24:02 - Why Consistency Is Manufacturing's Biggest Competitive Advantage
26:23 - How to Calculate Automation ROI Over 12, 24 & 60 Months
30:04 - Why Smart Shops Buy CNC Equipment Before They Actually Need It
36:20 - The Takeaway: Stop Asking "Can I Afford It?" Start Asking "Can I Afford Not To?"
41:36 - The One-Thing Challenge: Fix One Process This Week
 
#ShopSabre #CNC #Manufacturing #Automation #CNCRouter #SmallBusiness
#ShopOwner #Woodworking #CabinetMaking #CNCMachine #BusinessGrowth
#TalkinShop #MadeInUSA #Fabrication #entrepreneurship 

Discover all our CNC machines and accessories: https://www.shopsabre.com/ 
Follow ShopSabre for daily updates, tutorials, and expert tips: 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopsabre
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsabre
Twitter/X: https://x.com/ShopSabreCNC 
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsabre 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopsabre-cnc/ 
Since 2000, ShopSabre CNC has delivered high-quality CNC routers, plasma cutters, and laser engraving machines built in the USA to businesses and hobbyists worldwide. Subscribe for more insights on CNC technology, project builds, and industry-leading machine performance.