MDes Enterprise

CNC Furniture Company

Nicholas Sargent
The CNC Furniture Company Pitch

The CNC Furniture Company prides itself on making
affordable and reliable furniture which is manufactured to a high
standard using the latest technology.

Using CNC routers we can make simple but stylish pieces of
furniture quickly and efficiently with very little waste and using
relatively little energy, making the whole process cheap,
efficient, economical and ecological. Saving the customer
money and making stylish furniture available to the masses.

Using CAD and CNC routers also allows us to make changes
to aspects of products easily so they can be tailored to each
specific person using mass customisation. Adjustments in
aspects such as height or size are much more accessible when a
products is being created in this way.

This is what sets us apart from the competition and makes us
such a fresh and innovative company.
2
Branding
3
Here are a number of ideas that I had for the branding of my company all using the chosen CNC Furniture Company name. I am trying
to get my company across in a logo so to do this I have come up with a number of logos that look like they have been made on a router
as it will let people know what my business is straight away.
Chosen Logo
4
This is the chosen logo design for the CNC Furniture Company. This follows on from the
design on the previous page where it looks like it has been routed out of a single board of wood
but I decided that it would be better to use the whole name rather than an anagram. Another
change that I have made was that instead of
SWOT Analysis
5
Strengths Weakness
Opportunities Threats
Unique Products
Putting the client first
Only using one machine
Quick product turn around
Dont have to store items
can buy materials in as I
need to
Only me working for the
business so if Im ill
business cant run properly.
New upstart business not
trusted like old established
brands.
No one else doing what I'm
doing
Taking the mass customised
style to the furthest it can
go
Making designer led
furniture available to the
masses
New companies doing the
same thing with advances in
technology in this emerging
market.
Further advances in
technology that undermine
my business.
Helpful Harmful
Internal
External
I carried out this SWOT
analysis so that I can
identify different aspects of
my business and the
problems or solutions that
I am creating toward s a
problem.

It also helps me to visualise
whether I think the
business idea would work.
Looking at the analysis
there are more comments
in the helpful side than
there are in the harmful
side which means that
there is an opportunity
there for my business to fill
so there is probably more
chance of my business
working.
7 ps of marketing
6
Website
In store Orders
Face to face
Special Offers

Leaflets

Business Cards
Me

Delivery Service

Packaging Manufacturer
CNC Router

Spray Booth
Design
Technology
Value
Quality
Packaging Branding
Interface

Facilities
Value Added Extras
Brief
My brief is to make a product/products that can be
manufactured easily using a CNC cutter to make them mass
customisable and unique to each customer.

I will offer this service through a website with my designs and
with customisable options such as height and size so that each
customer gets the product that they want and will fit perfectly
in their house allowing the customer to end up with the exact
product that they desire.

This project will include me making an example piece of
furniture that I have developed through research and ideas and
I will also include some initial ideas and CAD renders of other
products that could be included in the CNC Furniture
Companies Range.

In this portfolio I will also include some of the other aspects
about the business like looking at the marketing and costing
side of the business and also how I will get money into the
business and then how I will make money by selling my
products.
7
Exploring my Ideas
CNC
customisable
furniture
Style
Mass
customisable
End result
Finishes
Materials
Products
Modern Contemporary
Size
Shape
Finish
Flat pack
Pre assembled
Part assembled
Oil Varnish
Unfinished
Paint
MDF
Plywood
Softwood
Hardwood
Chair
Storage
Shelving
Table
8
CNC Furniture
I will use the furniture on this page as inspiration of what can be achieved by a
router as well as the ways that other people have joined CNC routed pieces as I
will have to do this for my product. It seems most products use some sort of slot
system to join different pieces of wood. These would then usually be glued as well
for extra strength.
9
Target Market
The intended target market for this project is the working and middle
tier of the UK domestic market and maybe branching out into the
commercial market in areas such as offices and hotels.

The main reason I have decided to aim my product as this area of the
market is I believe that there are very few products in this sector that
are truly well designed and I believe that this sector deserve to have
well designed and useful furniture as much as anyone else.

This is also a very large area of the market meaning the scope for my
project is very large and could potentially retail to a large number of
people due to not only the products being well designed but also the
mass customisability factor. As you can see from the visuals to the
right it makes up over a third of the UK population.

This area of people dont have a lot of disposable income which is why
I want to make my product cheaply so it is accessible to them.
Although this is my target area other tiers with more disposable
income may also find my products interesting.
10
Primary Research
11
I made a questionnaire with a number of questions on it to find out if my idea for a business would work and what other people
thought of the idea.
From this research that I carried out I can see that there is a market for the business idea that I have and people are willing to
pay a small premium on top of the basic price of other products of similar style and materials. This research as also given me a
price to aim for over a non customisable piece of between 51-75 which I think is easily doable at this stage of my business
although it may become more difficult if I get a lot of orders to change many different designs. This would be when I needed to
employ a second person.
CNC Router
I plan on using a CNC router to cut out the components for the
pieces of my project. I will have to use a piece of 2D planning
software such as CorelDraw to plan the outline for the panels
that will need to be cut out.

There are a number of advantages to using a CNC router over
traditional cutting methods:

The first point is the amount of waste material when using a
CNC router compared to convention cutting methods.
There is significantly less wastage using a CNC router as
different components can be tessellated to fit more on a
single piece of material.
A CNC router also uses very little energy for the amount of
material it can cut out compared to a using a band saw.
A CNC router also has the ability to easily cut out very
complex shapes and shapes that would use multiple tools if
not cut out with a CNC router.
The last point is that a CNC router can cut out the same
component hundreds of times and they will all be exactly
the same and they can also easily be changed and modified
to customise the final outcome.
12
Corel Draw
13
CorelDraw is the program that I will use to program the
CNC router to cut out the pieces of my products. It is the
simplest program that I know of to run the CNC router and
the best way to get my ideas from paper onto a computer
program.

It is also a really good way to develop your ideas as you can
also use it to program a laser cutter and cut out a one to five
scale model which I could show the client before I went
ahead and cut out there final piece. This would be a useful
way to make sure that I dont waste material by the full size
piece being wrong.
Materials
There are a number of different materials that I could use for this
project ranging from man made boards such as MDF and plywood,
through to both soft and hardwoods.

All of these types of materials have different properties with both
positives and negatives to each. I will explore these materials over
the next 3 pages so I can be as informed as possible when it comes to
making a final decision about what materials to use in my project.

The choice of material/materials that I chose for this project is
paramount to the success of the project as I must choose a material
that is not so expensive that it takes the products out of the intended
price range and target market but not look cheap and tacky at the
same time.

I good way to convey quality and keep the cost low could be to use a
mixture of materials some cheap and some expensive as long as they
work together to make a product that looks expensive even though it
isnt.

All of these materials over the next few pages can be purchased
locally through Arnold Laver or Jewson's meaning I will always have
the material I require as and when I require it meaning I dont have to
hold on to stock.
14
Materials - Hardwood
There are a number of different hardwoods that I could use to
make my product and I now going to look and the positives and
negatives of each and narrow down my selection.

Oak- A very strong wood which is light in colour with an open
grain. Hard to work with which means it could cause problems
with the CNC router. Looks very nice when it is varnished. It
cost 36.30 per cubic foot.

Mahogany- Is much easier to work with than oak and is also much
darker in colour, it shouldnt pose any problem for the CNC
router. It also looks very nice when it is finished well. It costs
89.00 per cubic foot.

Walnut- Is easier to work with than oak although it is not as easy
to work with as mahogany it is relatively dark in colour and again
shouldnt pose any problems to the CNC router. Walnut costs
55.20 per cubic foot.

Cherry- Is a easy wood to work with like mahogany and is a
brownish reddish colour again this should pose no problem for the
CNC router. Cherry costs 45.60 per cubic foot.

15
Materials - Softwood
There are also a number of softwoods that I could use to make my project.
They are not as hard wearing as the hardwoods but they are much cheaper as
well as lighter in weight making the shipping costs in the long run much less.

Pine- Is straight-grained softwood but it is incredibly knotty. Light in colour
with a yellowish tinge its fairly strong but easy to work with. Its a lot cheaper
than the hardwoods on the other page at only 19.97 less than half the price
of any of the others.

Western Red Cedar- is a straight grained soft wood and not very knotty. It is
a reddy brown colour and is a strong wood. It has a natural aroma which
could be a nice touch. It cost 29.95 per cubic foot.

Douglas Fir- Is light brown in colour with tinges of red and yellow with a
straight grain and few knots. Machines very well and also takes finishes well. It
has a distinct resin smell and costs around 25.17 per cubic foot.

Yew- Sapwood is usually a thin band of pale yellow or tan color, while the
heartwood is an orangish brown, sometimes with a darker brown or purplish
hue and is very knotty. It is mostly easy to work with although the knots can
be hard to work. It costs 42 per cubic foot.
16
Materials Manmade Boards
There is also the option of using manmade boards instead of using solid
woods. This would be cheaper and would also offer a unique look to a
product that isnt utilised very often. Manmade boards can also be
incredibly strong as well as being easy to work with.

MDF- A quality board, relatively cheap. This board is composed of fine
wood dust and resin pressed into a board. This material can be worked,
shaped and machined easily. Paint can be applied to it without the need
for an undercoat or primer on unworked surfaces. 64 for a
25x2400x1800 board.

Plywood-This is made from veneers (plies) of timber with each grain
layer being at right angles to each other and bonded together by resin
and pressure. The sides of the board can be made into a feature due to
the stripes that it creates. 85 for a 25x2400x1200 board.

Blockboard- This is built up with a core of softwood strips bonded
together with adhesive and covered with a sheet of plywood on either
side. Is cheaper to use this than thick plywood and is also a lot lighter
in weight. 29.95 for a 18x2400x1200 board.
17
Mass Customisation
What is mass customisation?

The process of delivering wide-market goods and services that are modified to
satisfy a specific customer need. Mass customization is a marketing and
manufacturing technique that combines the flexibility and personalization of
"custom-made" with the low unit costs associated with mass production.

Many applications of mass customization include software-based product
configurations that allow end-users to add and/or change certain functionalities of a
core product. Sometimes called "made to order" or "built to order.

Mass customisable changes can be anything from changing the size of a product to
changing the colour and materials used in the product. These options are now
much easier to change due to the increase in both computer aided design and
manufacture and the rise of buying items over the internet.

It is this area that I wish to explore as I believe furniture design and manufacture
could be easily made into a truly mass customisable area very easily with the
advances in both CAD and CAM.

But mass customisable doesnt have to be visual it could also be with how the
product is used such as apps on a phone or tablet which makes that personal to the
specific users.
18
Mass Customisation Example - NikeID
One of the earliest and most well known case studies for mass customisation
is the NikeID store. The NikeID online store was originally opened in 1999
offering customers the ability to change the appearance by changing the
colours of certain panels of pre existing styles of Nike trainers.

As the years went by this process continued to grow and change so that
nowadays you can not only choose the colour of the panels their was also the
option of choosing different materials as well as being able to have your name
or initials embroidered into a panel of the shoes.

With the success of the trainers in the NikeID store Nike then went on to
release a number of other products into the store from more shoes like
football boots through to personalised satchels and backpacks.

The success of the NikeID brand came from making an everyday item
personal to the buyer for only a small extra cost over the usual cost for an
non individual pair of trainers. And it is this individuality for a small cost is
what makes the trainers so desirable and this is the reaction I hope to get by
making my project mass customisable.

Since the launch of the NikeID store a number of other companies such as
Vans and Adidas have also introduced similar websites showing the demand
for tailored products.
19
Mass Customisation Furniture - Evolvex
Evolvex are a Australia based furniture company who specialise in mass customisable
furniture. There furniture is very minimalist in style using generally black and white
painted panels attached in a square box shape with simple leg design.

They let you choose aspects of your own products such as sizes or shape as well as
the legs on a table but unlike my company you still have to choose from a list of
sizes that they choose, you also cant change the material that is used in the Evolvex
product from painted MDF. This material I believe doesnt command the sort of
price that Evolvex charge and this is another area where I believe my business has
more potential in the long run.

They are having a lot of success at the moment and I believe that I could capitalise
on the areas that dont specialise in making my business even more successful.
20
How my product can be customisable
There are many different ways that a piece of furniture can be
customisable or made unique to the specific user that is
purchasing the item and here of some of the ways I propose to
do it:

The first way I propose to do this is by making the sizes of
my products customisable. The overall design will be the
same but some sizes such as height and length could be
customisable so the customer gets exactly what they want.
Another way that I could make my product customisable is
to change the materials that the products are being made
out of.
Another way that I could customise the product that I am
making would be the finishes that are being applied to the
components. I could offer different varnishes, oils or even
different painted components to change the overall look of
the specific piece.
Another option that I could include would be the option of
the product being pre assembled or being flat pack and
made at home for a small discount to the overall price.
21
Products I could design
There are a number of different products that I could make for
this project that would be mass customisable and fit in with the
brief that I have set myself. I am now going to look into each
option and the ways that it can be customised:

Chair- The aspects of a chair that could be customised could be the seat
height as well as the length of the back panel and size of the seat. Back rest
angle could be adjusted but may make the chair uncomfortable and
obviously the material and finishes could also be changed.
Table- The aspects of a table that could be customised are a number of
things including the size of the table top, the height of the table, number of
legs the table has and obviously the materials and finishes that could be
applied.
Shelf- The aspects of a shelf that could be changed are the width and depth
of the shelf and the number of supports that it has which ultimately changes
the amount of weight that the shelf can hold. And again obviously the
materials and finishes can all be changed depending on the customers
requirements.
Storage- The aspects of a piece of storage furniture that could be
customisable could be the size of the piece, the amount of storage that it
has and the way the items would be stored ie in drawers or open storage
or a door on the front and again the materials and finishes could all be
specified by the consumer.
22
Product Examples - Chair
Here are a collection of chairs that I can use as
inspiration if I choose to design a chair. I have
decided not to look at flat pack chairs that already
exist as I believe that they may influence my designs
to much and I may end up just copying one of the
pre existing designs.

I really like the look of some of these chairs and I
can see how I could convert them into CNC routed
flat pack furniture which is helping me to see what
panels I can and cannot make when using the CNC
router to make a chair.
23
Product Analysis - Chair
This is the &Then 210 Chair
and is made out of natural
birch plywood and finished
using matte melamine colour
laminate. Its dimensions are
H 810mm x W 43mm x D
490mm
Seat H: 43omm and costs
290.
This is the Monza armchair for
Plank by Konstantin Grcic.
This is a contemporary
styled piece made out of
wood and polypropylene.
The dimensions of the chair
W 530 mm x D 500 mm x H
760 mm and sells for 338.
This is the Makil Chair for Alki
by Patrick Norquet. This is a
simple design with a
contemporary style made
entirely of Oak with a bent
back piece. The dimensions of
this chair are W 570 mm x D
590 mm x H 770 mm - Seat :
H 460 mm and retails for
500.
This is the slab chair by Tom
Dixon and is made entirely of
black lacquered oak. I really
like certain aspects of the
shapes used in this chair. The
dimensions of the chair are L
640 mm x W 470 mm x H
750 mm - H seat 450 mm
and the retail price is 460.
24
Product Examples - Table
Again I decided to look at tables that werent
flat pack pieces as I didnt want them to heavily
influence my designs. These images will help me
with a number of things when I start designing
such as the dimensions of the tables as well as
the proportions and overall contemporary look.

I like the look of the dining tables and believe
that I could make a similar flat pack table that
keeps the contemporary style but has the mass
customisable aspects.
25
Product Analysis - Table
Srie X Table for La
Corbielle by Benjamin Faure.
It is made out of laminated
birch plywood with a formica
outer layer. The dimensions
of this table are L 1200 mm
x W 750 mm x H 750 mm
and currently retails for
720.
Slab rectangular table by
Tom Dixon. It is made
entirely out of black
lacquered oak. The
dimensions of this table
are L 2000 mm x W 900
mm x H 750 mm and
currently retails for 2128
This is the Wild Bunch table
for Magis by Konstantin
Grcic. It is made out of
beech and polypropelene.
The dimensions of this table
are 1800 x 900 cm x H 730
mm it retails for 922.
This is the Pi table for
Moaroom by Roderick Fry.
It is made of painted steel
and solid oak and has a
unique look The dimensions
are L 1500 mm x larg
750mm x H 750mm and
retails for 1491.
26
Product Examples - Shelving
Here are a selection of contemporary shelves and shelving
units that I can use as inspiration if I were to design a
shelving unit for the CNC Furniture Company. I believe
there is a lot of scope to create a shelving unit for the
range and these pictures will help me keep my designs in a
contemporary context. It also gives me an idea of sizes
and shapes that I could use but I need to remember the
flat pack element.
27
Product Analysis - Shelving
Corniches Shelving By Ronan
And Erwan Bouroullec for
Vitra. It is made of high gloss
plastic and comes in 3 size sets.
The largest sets dimensions
are W455 x H219mm,
W455mm x H86mm, W219 x
H86mm and it retails for 67.
This is Bookworm 11 bookend
bookshelf for Kartell by Ron
Arad. It is made out of PMMA
plastic and I dont like the
overall look of this product.
The dimension are as shown
approx 1900 x 1400mm and
retails for 401.
This is the 1920 Piano
Bookshelf by Riva. It is made
out of brushed stainless steel
and solid walnut edging and
veneers I quite like the overall
look of this bookshelf it is
clean and crisp. The
dimensions for this product
are W2800 x D450 x
H1770cm. This piece currently
retails for 6432.
This is the Edith Shelving Unit
by Kay + Stemmer. It is made
out of solid oak or walnut and
comes as a pre made piece
although I belive the shape
could be adapted to flat pack.
The dimensions of this shelving
unit are W800 x D400 x
H1030mm. This unit retails for
560.
28
Wall Fixings
The brackets to the left are very small brackets that
would screw the shelf brackets directly to the wall.
The main problem with this method is that as these
brackets cant hold a lot of weight which means I
would have to use a lot of them to hold my shelves up
and allow things to be stacked on the shelves, so
really I couldnt use this method unless the customer
specified it or had ordered a small set of shelves that
these brackets would be able to hold up.
The brackets to the right are much more substantial than the
ones above as they are bigger and can hold much more
weight.

They work by the bracket screwing to the wall and then the
screw on the bracket being tightened so that it presses the
shelf to the bottom of the bracket.

I could use these to hold up the brackets of my shelves but
again I would probably need a lot although because of the
style it could look like a design feature.
29
Wall Fixings
These are the fixings that are used to make floating shelves.
They screw directly into the wall and then the shelves have
holes drilled into them on which the shelves are then placed.

I am thinking of using these brackets to fix the vertical
brackets of my shelving unit to the wall. To make sure that
they are strong enough I will need to use either 4,6 or 8
depending on the number of shelves and the overall size of
the unit.

Each pair of these brackets can hold 30kg so if I used 8 it
could hold 120kg which should be more than enough for the
unit and the items stored on it.

They cost 4 per pair.
30
Product Examples - Storage
On this page are a collection of different
storage units that I have collected together all
in a contemporary style so I can get some
idea of whether I want to design a storage
unit for my company.

The images on this page will help with a
number of things such as the size of unit I
could make as well as the storage options
such as draws or open storage or doors on
the unit. It also gives me an indication of
some of the items that would need to be
stored in a storage unit.
31
Product Analysis - Storage
This is the Svelto storage
cabinet by Ercol. It is made
out of a solid oak frame with
solid walnut doors and cast
iron legs. I like the sliding
doors a you choose the
open section of the storage.
The dimensions are W1640 x
D450 x H770mm and it sells
for 1475.
This is the Kermes Sideboard
Lavender Blue Interior by
Ligne Roset. It is made out of
satin-finish stained MDF aswell
as stained solid ash. I like the
shape of this piece and the
storage options. The
dimensions of this piece are
W1200 x D400 x H1250mm
and retails for 1238.
This is the ESU Shelf 4OH By
Charles And Ray Eames for
Vitra. It is constructed out of
black powder coated frame
with Birch plywood shelves
and coloured lacquer screens.
I like the contrast between the
colours and the wood. The
dimensions are H148 x
W179.5 x D42cm and costs
1984.
This is the Tactile Sideboard
Natural Walnut by Terrence
Woodgate for Punt. It is made
out of natural walnut veneer
frame, white semi-gloss
lacquer doors and drawers
again I like the contrast
between the wood and
lacquered pieces. The
dimensions for this piece are
W2050 x D500 x H740mm
and it currently retails for
2400.
32
Customisable Furniture Yube Cube
This is the Yube Cube storage system designed by Phil Karl along with a
group of other industrial designers. The idea was to make a unique
modular storage system that is made of sustainable and recycled
material.

The Yube Cube came around as before Yube, the only modular cube
systems available were either fashionable but expensive or
economical but flimsy and not so pretty to look at. Inspired by this
lack of stylish and sturdy yet affordable modular furniture, the co-
founders of Yube Errol Drew and Jeff Greenstein set out to create
a better system.

The Yube currently comes in two different materials sets. You can
either have the set which is made of recycled plastic or recycled
plastic and bamboo or the other option is to have the aluminium
option.

The Yube has an easy system where blocks can click together to
form any shape that you require. It also has a no tool assembly as
it just snaps together to form the box shapes although due to the
shape the forms it can create are quite limited.
33
Customisable Furniture Bench with Benefits
This is a customisable bench that has holes cut into the top of the
bench which allows the user to customise the bench to however the
client wants to use it. The bench comes with the pieces you can see
to the right, the two grey arm rests the green backrest and the
cushion.

On the first configuration the two armrest and back rest are
positioned to make a single chair with a bare piece of table on the
left of the chair. The cushion is then folded in half on the top image
which would make it more comfortable.

On the second configuration one of the armrests has been moved to
make a double seat and the cushion has been unfolded. This doesnt
look very nice as the two seat backs are made of different materials
and are also at different heights. The base cushion also looks very
uncomfortable when it has been folded out to cover the full length of
the bench.

I believe this is a clever idea but it needs some modification to make
it a truly worthwhile product, because it does loose some
functionality and comfort when it is modified.
34
Mass Customisation Trend
Mass customization is The Trend of the Year,
As Customers Get To Decide What They
Want:

According to the treehugger website mass customisation is the trend of the year
and is what will be seen through out the design competitions and exhibitions.

This was first realised at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair where a
number of young and up and coming designers have designed mass customisable
furniture that can be modified by the client it is being designed by. Jaime and
Isaac Salm of MIO are an example of the designers using mass
customisation in there new products. They designed the naked
cabinets bringing computers and printing technology together to allow
customers to personalize furniture with either their own art or
photography, or their choice of work by artists and designers.

You simply choose the image you want to be printed on your cabinets and
it is made so that you have your own unique storage system.



35
Knock Down Fittings
Minifix

Minifix was invented and introduced by
Hafele in the 1980s. Minifix is an ideal
connector for high volume production of
cabinets. Minifix can be used as a
removable or permanent connector, used
with or without wooden dowels.
Corner block

Corner fixing blocks make it so that to
flat panels can be attached securely with
screws without having to pre drill angled
holes. It also makes it so that you dont
see the fixings and it holds the two panels
at exactly 90 degrees assuring a good
quality finished piece.
36
Anthropometrics
I will have to use this data through out the whole range of products
that I am designing although it is much more important in some of
the proposed products than others.

In the shelving and storage the anthropometric data is not quite as
important as it is mainly just used as a guideline to design around to
ensure the piece of furniture is uncomfortable to use. It is useful for
aspects such as the height of shelves so I dont make them to high to
be used.

Anthropometrics are
much more important
in the construction of
a chair and table
especially a chair.
This is because you
have to work off the
bodies measurements
to make sure that the
products are
comfortable to use
because if they arent
no one will buy the
products.
37
Specification
38
Here are a number of specification points that I will try my
hardest to stick to as this will make sure I fulfil the brief to its
fullest potential:

The first and most important point is that my design needs
to be able to be cut out easily on a CNC router with use
of very little other machinery as the shorter it takes to
work the product the cheaper it can then be sold for.
The products that I make must also be small enough to fit
on the CNC router which can hold material up to
1220x2440mm.
I must use a wood based material whether it be hardwood,
softwood or manmade board as these are the materials the
CNC router can cut.
The products that I make must be customisable as this is
the main selling point of my business, the products must be
adaptable to each individual clients needs.
The products much be constructed using easy joints and
knock down fittings as I want my product to be able to be
made by me before it is sent or made by the client when
they receive the product.
A want to have a range of finishes available but all of them
must be non toxic and hard wearing as I dont want it to be
harmful and I want the furniture to last as long as possible.
I must create a full range of furniture that all have a similar
style to sell on my website instead of just having a single
piece of furniture.
The products that I make need to be easy enough to
transport whether they are still in flat pack form or have
been assembled by me and then shipped to the subsequent
address. This means that all piece must fit in a medium
sized van and no single piece must be too heavy for one
man to lift.


These specification points will help me to limit my project and
make it the best that it can be in these specification points.
These points will make sure that I do not come to a problem
that I can not over come later in the project.
Initial Ideas Chair
39
The chair above is a very simple idea using the
typical side profile of a chair with slots in it
where panels of wood could be slid in to form
a full chair. I like this design for its simplicity
although I dont think that aesthetically it is
very nice to look at.
The chair below is similar to the one to the
left but instead of it having slots cut out of it ,it
just has hooks of material that the all in on
back and seat would slot into. The main
advantage if this design is that it would use less
material than the one to the left.
The idea above is more the direction
that I would like to go with my chair
design. It is a much more
contemporary design and I think will
look a lot nicer to. Also I dont think
it looks like it could just be a dining
chair as the other two on this page do,
so this is the style I will follow now.
Initial Ideas Chair
40
The chair above has a very interesting side
profile. The back and seat would then be
attached to the two identical side profiles to
form the full chair. This chairs shape is more of
a lounge chair, but I would rather have a chair
that could be used both as a lounge and dining
chair with just some small adjustments.
The chair below I believe with
some small alterations could be
both a dining chair and a lounge
chair, although at the moment
the angle of the seat is to steep
for a dining chair although this
could be easily changed before
the chair was cut out.
The chair above is different to all the
others so far as it doesnt have a solid
single piece side profile it uses two
pieces attached at the back of the seat.
This means that the angle of the seat and
arms could be changed and modified by
the user at any point during the time
they have the chair.
Initial Ideas Chair
41
The chair above is designed to combine the
lounge and dining chair and I think it does this
quite well although I dont really like the
overall look of this piece and I believe I could
make a more contemporary looking well
designed piece while it still being a mixture of
dining and lounge chair.
I think the design below is a much
better example of a chair that
combines a lounge and dining
chair. I really like the idea of not
having the back directly attached
to the legs but attached through
the arms.
I also like the above chair where
the arms arent attached to the
backrest. This makes it look
more contemporary and would
also give the arms a little
movement which may make it
more comfortable to use making
it better for lounging.
CAD Models Chair
42
This CAD model to the left is of a chair cut out completely on the CNC
router. The idea of this chair is that it would have channels cut out of each
of the side panels so that the solid wood back and seat panels can slot into
the channels and be glued into place. The plan is that all of the panels
could be cut out of one sheet on the CNC router making it easy and
efficient to cut out a whole chair. I really like how this chair looks in the
CAD rendering as I was unsure about the design before but now I really
like the contemporary look that it has created and I could
definitely see it in someones front
room or around a dining table.
This chair to the right is one of the ideas that I drew out using a typical
chair shape with slots cut out of the side profile where panels of
hardwood could then be slot into to create a full usable chair.
I didnt really like this design initially but now that I have seen it rendered
in the materials that it wood be made out of I think it looks really nice and
stylish. I really like how you can see the contrast between the stained
black legs and the clear lacquered wooden seat and back on the side
profile.
1:5 Scale models
43
The idea to the left is one that I drew up earlier and I really wanted to see what it
would look like in 3D form as it could help me with proportions as well as the
overall form of the chair itself. I really like the look of this chair now that I have
made it in fifth scale and I really like the back rest that doesnt touch the legs
directly I think it is a feature that looks really nice and would set it apart from
others that are currently on the market.
The idea to the left is one that I drew up earlier and I really wanted to see what it
would look like in 3D form as it could help me with proportions as well as the
overall form of the chair itself. I really like the look of this chair now that I have
made it in fifth scale and I really like the back rest that doesnt touch the legs
directly I think it is a feature that looks really nice and would set it apart from
others that are currently on the market.
Storage Furniture
44
Here is the final design for my storage
unit that will fit into the range for the
CNC Furniture Company. I really like
the overall look of it with the legs that
slot on to the bottom of the unit itself.

There are lots of aspects of this product
which are mass customisable to make it
just what the customer wants.

The customer could choose every
aspect of this storage unit from the size
of the legs and unit itself, to the number
of dividers if they want drawers or
doors on the front of it. As you can see
in the pictures you could have it with or
without a back panel depending if it was
being used in the middle of a room or
against a wall and of course you can
change all the options like you do on
the other products such as the finish
and materials.
Items to store
45
Books Vase DVDs CDs Ornaments
240x150x40mm 300x130x130mm 190x135x14mm 142x125x10mm 200x100x75mm
600g 1.5kg 150g 100g 300g
I have looked at some items that could be stored on a set of shelves as these sizes will help me to decide on the sizes that I will
set the initial sizes to on the website. It will also help me to set the limits of the gaps between shelves. As the CDs are the
smallest items that I have looked at I will set the limit of the gap between shelves at 150mm, this is big enough to fit in CDs but if
I was to go any smaller the arms on the shelf brackets would be to close. The other end of the limits is just the size of bracket
that I can cut on a flat bed router which is over 2400mm which should be big enough for nearly every situation. Although it
would be possible to make a bigger section cut out in two separate halves.
Initial Ideas Shelves
46
The bracket is for an individual shelf but could
possibly be developed into a bracket for multiple
shelves. Im not really sure about the form of this
idea and I dont think where it would attach to the
wall would be strong enough to hold the shelf up let
alone any other items that would be stored on the
shelves.
The design below is very similar to the design to the
left just the other way round. This bracket would be
able to hold more weight because the bracket is
underneath the shelf which adds more strength to
the shelf. I also think the design doesnt look as
awkward underneath as it does on top.
The design above is the first wall mounted bracket
system that I came up with. It uses a slot idea which
the shelves fit into and are then screwed from
underneath into place to keep the shelving unit
strong and sturdy. I dont like the arms being fully
straight it looks to boring and plain.
Initial Ideas Shelves
47
The above shelf is an idea that I had to have
multiple shelves held up by one singular
bracket that attaches to the wall underneath
each of the individual shelves as I believe this
is the way it will offer the most support to
the shelving unit and subsequently the
shelves themselves.
The shelf below is a similar idea to the one
to the left except the bracket is attached
directly to the wall. This is good as I can
attach it to the wall in more places meaning
the shelves will be able to hold much more
weight than the set to the left.
This last idea is purely for aesthetics the
bracket offers no extra support to the
shelves. This could be sold on its own to
link peoples pre existing shelves together to
make it look like a shelving unit instead of
just individual shelves. I would not make this
an initial design although I could add it to the
range after Ive added some other ideas.
Initial Ideas Shelves
48
The design above is the first wall mounted bracket
system that I came up with. It uses a slot idea which
the shelves fit into and are then screwed from
underneath into place to keep the shelving unit
strong and sturdy. I dont like the arms being fully
straight it looks to boring and plain.
I like the idea below more than the one to the left as
the arms on it aren't straight but I think the
proportions are all wrong at the moment. The
bracket is to chunky and makes the whole thing look
to clunky and not stylish.
The proportions on the idea above are much better
although I still think they are two chunky so I will
look to make them skinnier in my further
development to make sure they look well designed
and not just half designed and thrown together.
CAD Rendering Shelves
49
This idea to the left is a very simple idea using a bracket to hold up a
single shelf. The main selling point of this idea would be the
simplicity although it isnt as customisable as some of the other ideas
that I have came up with, for example I could not have an option to
have multiple shelves which is the main point to a lot of the other
designs.

I think though there is a space for this on my website as a single
shelf. Although I'm not sure whether these brackets could hold that
much weight.
This idea to the right I believe has much more potential as a mass
customisable piece of furniture. The main reason for this is the
ability to alter the design to have more than one shelf.

This idea screws either directly into the wall or I could use floating
shelves fittings. Personally I think the floating shelves would be the
best fixings as I could add as many as I needed to make it really
strong.
CAD Rendering Shelves
50
This is my final idea for my mass customisable shelving. This idea I believe has all of the mass customisable features that are required in
a shelving unit. The main feature is the ability to have as many shelves as you require on your shelving unit. Personally I think 1, 2, 3 or
4 shelves would be the options although there is no reason that you couldnt have more than 4 shelves.

Again this idea would be attached to the wall using floating shelf brackets although it would also be possible to design a free standing
version that wouldnt need to attach to the wall. I believe this could look really interesting and offer another product to my range.
Shelving Models
51
These are two models that I made so that I could see the shelving units in 3D and get a better idea of how they would look in real
life. The one on the right has the same design as the CAD ones on the page before and the one on the left has a different shape of
bracket that is just straight instead of angled. It also shows how they would look with both 2 and 3 shelves and has helped me with
the proportions as well as the space that would be required between the shelves. From these models I have decided that the angled
brackets look a lot better visually than the brackets with the straight arms but I do need to do some more tests of the bracket
shapes so that I can get them the best they can be for this project.
Final Renderings
52
These are the 2 and 3 shelf versions in a final rendered state. I
have even placed them on to a wall so that you can have the
full effect of them being real life products. I really like how
these two ideas look next to each other and can see a genuine
market for this or a very similar product.
Different Options
53
On this rendering are another two options that I have
looked into when it comes to the product being mass
customisable.

This rendering to the left shows the shelves finished in
ash instead of the oak it is finished in on the other
pages. I really like how the very light wood contrasts
with the black stained brackets the shelves are
attached to.

The shelving has also been customised so that the
spacing of the shelves is different from one to another.
This would be useful if the user had specific items set
out for a each of the shelves.

The shelves on this model are also slightly larger as this
would be an option that could easily be changed on the
website to the individual needs of the consumer
ordering the items.
Free Standing Development
54
I think that although there is a massive market for wall mounted shelving there is also a place in my business to have a free
standing shelving unit. My final idea for the wall mounted option can easily be changed into a free standing shelving unit by adding
a second pair of brackets to the other side of the shelves and then they become legs not brackets.
The above idea is my finalised wall mounted
idea but as I described at the top of the page I
have added a second pair of brackets to the
other side of the shelves to form to sets of legs
which would support the weight of the shelves
and any items on the shelves.
The idea below is a new idea where instead of having
extra arms to support the shelves there are just areas
routed out of the upright legs where the shelves can fit in.
I like the look of this product but I dont believe it would
be strong enough to hold much weight and I dont think it
would be very sturdy.
The above idea is another idea I had for the
wall mounted shelving unit and I have now
converted it into a free standing shelving unit. I
dont really like how angular it looks and I still
prefer the first idea on this page.
Shelf Development
55
On this page I am looking at the shelves that I use
on both the wall mounted and the free standing
versions of my shelving ideas. In my first ideas my
shelves were just panels of wood that slotted into
the legs/brackets that I had designed.

Just having the shelves as plane panels of wood
added no strength to the overall form so I decided
that I should re design them.
What I did to redesign them was to add small cut
outs to the shelves and this helps in a number of
ways. Firstly it helps the user to locate where the
shelves fit into the legs/brackets, it also increases
the surface are where the legs/brackets touch the
shelves which makes the shelving unit more stable.
Leg Placement Development
56
On this page I have explored a few possibilities on where to place the legs on my free standing
shelving unit. This is important as where I place my legs on this piece not only changes the
appearance of the piece it also can change how stable the piece is. The idea on the far right
would be most stable although I think adding the 3
rd
set of legs takes away from the design of
the piece. So I have made the compromise to use the middle option on this page which will be
stable without over crowding the design.
Developmental 1:5 Scale Model
57
I decided that before I went ahead and cut out the full scale version of this shelving unit I would cut out a 1:5 Scale model and
attach it altogether as I believe this would help me iron out any of the problems with the design before I made the full model. I
cut this model out on the laser cutter which is effectively a small CNC router, they can both do the same job and both can very
accurately cut out pieces of material.

From cutting out this 5
th
scale model I can see that the idea will work in full scale without having to make any major changes. I
may have to alter a few sizes when it is scaled up so it can hold the weight of the shelves but other than that it will work fine.
Extra Bracing
58
On this page I have looked at the option of
adding bracing to the free standing shelving
unit to strengthen it. I have decided that if I
had to use bracing I would try to make it a
feature instead of trying to hide it. To do this
I have looked at a number of ways that I
could arrange the bracing that would not
only add strength to the shelving unit it
would also look nice and make the bracing a
feature.
The picture to the left is an example
of steel bracing used to hold shelving
units rigid and keep them square. This
could easily be added to my shelving
by drilling some holes in the shelves
and screwing in the braces with
screws.
CAD Option Renderings
59
This page shows a range of my final design. All of the designs below have birch shelves as I really like the look of the light wood
when coupled with coloured legs. I think all of these colour options go very well with the light colour of the wood especially the
blue and red colour options. I can see people using it as a way to inject some colour into an otherwise light and monochrome
room. It could be seen as an accessory in a room as well as a piece of functional piece of furniture.
CAD Option Renderings
60
The idea above uses the same basic form
as the ones on the previous page but this
time instead of painted legs I have
rendered it in a contrasting dark wood
which looks really effective.
The idea below is meant to make the
piece look less bulky and heavy and to do
this I have painted the legs in white. I
really like this combination and I believe it
would fit into a lot of peoples homes.
The above idea again uses the white legs
but this time it is coupled with a darker
wood which I think looks a lot nicer than
the light wood and again I could see many
people having this set up.
CAD Option Renderings
61
This is again the idea with white legs but
with even darker wood shelves. I like the
mahogany shelves although even with the
white legs I think it looks quite heavy and
may not be a popular choice.
The idea below is rendered in the same
materials but this time I have changed the
size of the legs and the gaps between the
shelves which really does change the
overall appearance of the item and also
changes its purpose it makes it look more
like a book shelf than a shelving unit.
The idea above is again the shortened
version but this time I have coupled the
dark wood with a dark red leg. I think this
piece of furniture looks really heavy and
cumbersome even though the form is the
same.
CAD Option Renderings
62
The idea above uses the shortened
product but this time I have used a lighter
coloured wood coupled with black painted
legs. I think this makes the overall peace
look a lot less bulky but I still think it
looks heavier than some of the other
colour combos.
The idea below is very similar to the
shortened three shelf option but it has
been shortened further and now only
has 2 shelves. I could also see this
piece being used as a coffee table as it
is the right sort of dimensions required
for a coffee table.
The above idea is the same
shortened two shelf idea but it
has been rendered in a lighter
coloured wood and with lighter
coloured blue legs. This gives the
shelving a much lighter overall
look and I also think it would fit
into more homes.
CAD Option Renderings
63
The idea above again uses the shortened 2
shelf idea but this time I have coupled the
light wood with a yellowy gold coloured leg.
I think this keeps the table quite neutral
and I believe that it would fit into a number
of different environments.
The idea below is a tall two shelf
version, it is the same as the original
idea but without the bottom shelf.
This may be beneficial to people who
find it hard to bend down.
The above idea is again the tall 2 shelf idea
although this time it has been finished in
mahogany with white legs. I think the white
looks really good with the dark wood.
Again this is quite a neutral combination of
colours.
CAD Option Renderings
64
The two ideas on this page both have three shelves like the original idea that I rendered although on this design instead of having the
shelves at the same distances apart, I have changed the distances on these designs so that I have a small space between the top and
middle shelf and then a much larger space between the middle and bottom shelves. This allows you to store a much wider variety
of items as there are things you can store on the large shelf that you couldnt store if the shelves were smaller. I really like both
renderings although the one with the red legs and the light wood looks really nice and would add a splash of colour to any room.
CAD Option Renderings
65
The two renderings on this page are the same height as the original design but with the middle shelf removed so that there is a lot of
room between the two shelves allowing you to store almost anything as the space between the shelves is almost a metre.

Again I really like the two renderings on this page, the combination of the dark wood and light legs which I believe could fit in most
homes. The other rendering of the red legs with the light wood I think looks better than the other rendering although it will not fit
in as many peoples homes as many people wouldnt like the strong splash of colour that this product would give you.
Orthographic Renderings
66
These renderings allow you to see the
product from every angle. It also allows
you to see the sizes of the product as well
as the gaps between the shelves and how
the product would actually go together. It
may be beneficial to show a picture of this
in the instructions so people know how it
goes together.
4
0
0

1
1
0
0

1200
450
Manufacturing
67
If this product was to go into production it would be made using a
CNC router so that the repeated shapes for the legs could be cut
out perfectly. In my final models I had to make the legs out of
MDF as it was all I had at university, in reality the legs would be
made out of one of the other woods that I have outlined earlier in
my project although MDF is still an option.

Another reason for using a CNC router is that the legs can be
changed on CorelDraw easily which means they can be made all
different sizes and heights easily to make a whole range of
furniture. It also introduces the idea of mass customisation as a
customer would be able to choose the exact shelving unit that
they want. Another reason for using the CNC router when cutting out these
shelving units is that the gap on the legs has to be exactly 15mm
to make the shelving unit as sturdy as possible. If the gap is to big
the unit will wobble around and if the gap is to small I will have to
manually get rid of the material to make it fit properly.

Once all of the pieces have been cut out on the CNC router a
radius needs to be put on all of the pieces as it not only looks
nicer it also makes the corners of the pieces not sharp making the
shelving unit safer. It also allows the pieces to slot together as a
radius is left by the CNC router when it cuts the slots for the
shelves to fit into.
Manufacturing
68
Once the cutting and routing has taken place it is then moving
towards the finishing of the shelving unit. The first thing that has to
take place is the sanding of all the components so that they are
ready to be finished.

To start with the components will be sanded using hand sanders as
they can make things quite smooth very quickly and get rid of any
small imperfections in the wood.

Once it has been sanded using a hand sander it would be sanded
by hand to make it as smooth as it possibly can be so it is ready for
the client once it is sprayed.
Now that the pieces have been sanded down the desired finish
can now be applied to the pieces of the shelving units before they
are attached together.

Either a wax or paint finish will be applied to the pieces of the
shelving unit depending on the finish that the client wants on their
unit. Obviously these could be sprayed in batches instead of
individual pieces like I had to do if there were multiple orders.

Once all of the pieces have been sprayed the appropriate finish
the table can then be assembled by slotting the legs on to the
corresponding shelves and screwing them in place from
underneath the leg although this may not be necessary
Costing
69
Raw Materials

15mm MDF 6.00

15mm Plywood 21.00

Beeswax 4.00

Paint 10.00

Delivery 20.00

Total Cost 61.00

The final product would then be sold on my website for around 200 meaning that I would make a profit of 139 per piece that was
sold this would more than cover the cost of my labour to finish the piece after it has been cut out on the router. After my year in the
hatchery is up there is a possibility that the prices will have to go up slightly as also including in the costs I would have to include a
CNC company and a workshop for me to do my work in but this is where I hope the crowd funding investors would help me out.
Final Price 200
139 profit
Flat Pack Delivery
70
This is how the shelving unit would arrive if the client was to order it in the flat pack version.
Everything you see in this picture is all you need to assemble the shelving unit, you are supplied with
four legs, three shelves of differing widths with the widest being the bottom shelf and the thinnest being
the top shelf. You are also supplied with a number of screws that the client can use to secure the legs to
the shelves although they are not necessary as the shelves fit tightly into the leg slots.

The box to carry this product would only have to be 120mmx400mmx1100mm which means it would
be much cheaper to deliver than if it was assembled first and then shipped to the clients house.
Packaging
2 Shelf Unit
Dimensions: H600 x W1000 x D250
Pack Contains:
2 wall brackets
2 matching shelves
Maximum weight per shelf: 20kg
This is an example of the logo and
information that would be printed on a box
with the flat pack shelves inside.

It has the logo on so straight away you can
tell who the product has been made by, the
logo would be large enough to see from some
distance so it is very striking.

It would then have the contents of the box
written on the side. This would include as
you can see to the left the finished overall
size of the shelves, what components are in
the box and it would also include the
maximum weight that each shelf could hold.

You can also see the symbols that I would
print on to the box including the fragile
symbol and the must keep dry symbol as
these are very important to make sure the
pieces arrive as they are meant to.
71
Finished Product
72
This is the finished model of the shelving unit that I designed to be made by my company CNC Furniture Company. I have finished this
piece with scarlet red legs and plywood shelves as it is only a prototype piece of furniture. I really like the scarlet red legs with the
light birch plywood shelves, it would make a good statement piece of furniture with its bright eye catching colours. It is a functional
piece of furniture that would fit in a number of different surroundings as it is quite neutral in design and you could obviously have it in
whatever finishes that you wanted so that it fit into the environment that you wanted it to fit into. Its quite a sturdy product as well
and should last the user a number of years without any problems. I would also set up an area on my website where returning
customers could buy replacement pieces for there existing products. This product would retail for around 200 and I made it for
around 100 including the man hours I put into it finishing it so thats a straight 100 profit which I think is a fair margin.
Final Images and Scale image
73
In the image below I have added a figure so
that you can tell the size of the shelving unit
without there having to be specific sizes on
the actual picture.
Evaluation
74
In this evaluation I will reflect on the specification points that I
set out at the beginning of the project and whether I did or
didnt meet these points. I will also talk about how I thought
the project went and any aspects of the product that I would
change if I was to undertake this product again and have a
different outcome.

Firstly I will look at the specification points that I set out and
which ones I have stuck to.

From looking back at my specification I have stuck to all of the
specification points that I had originally set myself at the
beginning of this project.

This include points such as using only non toxic finishes on my
products as this is a very important point to stick to as people
will be touching my products so I cant let someone get ill
because of the finish. I have also made my product completely
mass customisable which is the most important aspect of my
project. The Slotton shelving unit that I designed is
customisable in a number of ways such as the materials that
the product is made out of, the finishes that are applied to the
pieces of the shelving unit, the size and height of the shelving
unit and whether the customer would want me to assemble it
or whether they wanted to assemble it themselves at home.

If I was to do this project again I would definitely think about
adding bracing to the back of the shelving unit as it could look
nice as well as just being functional.

Another change that I may make if I was to do this project
again would be to make the legs/brackets slightly wider as I
think it would make the overall piece more sturdy and allow
the shelves to hold a greater amount of weight.

Overall I think it was a really good project and I am very
happy with the outcomes that I have produced as well as the
final piece that I have manufactured, most aspects of the
project went well although certain aspects were trickier than
others such as the CAD side of the project which I always
find quite hard to get my head round. It was enjoyable to have
the business side of the project also included in my work and
interesting to think of where I would have to source things
and how my business would actually run.
Business Development
Website, Promotion and Funding
Website
76
This is the main way that I will
interact with the customers that
are interested either in the CNC
Furniture Company or one of the
products that the CNC Furniture
Company make.

The first page of the website
doesnt contain very much
information but is designed to draw
your eye in with the large logo. It
also has a small tag line which reads
Welcome to the home of
affordable, well designed mass
customisable furniture.
This is meant to get the customer interested in the website so that they are willing to explore the website further by looking at the
pages about me and the company itself or to hopefully move on to the store page where you can buy the mass customisable products.

There is also a contact form on my contacts page so that clients can ask me any questions or queries that they have about any aspect
of the business whether it be more information on me or more information on a product as I believe customer interaction is key.
Website Store
77
The page to the left is the front page of website store which
has the store logo at the top. This page would have every
item that the company makes on it in its basic form and size.

Each item on this page will have a price range on which will
then become a singular price once the options that the
customer require are selected. There will also be a small
description of the products on the front page of the store.
The page to the right is an item page for the two shelf wall
unit. This page has a longer description of what the product
is as well as what you will receive when you buy it.

It shows the options of the item that you can change such as
bracket colour and material, shelf size, gap between shelves
as well as the finish the product will have and whether it will
be finished and assembled by me and then delivered or
delivered flat pack to be assembled by the client.
Order Process
The client finds
the website and
decides they
want a piece off
of it.
Chooses the
design that they
want to
customise for
themselves.
They can then
measure the space
where the item is
going and inputs it
to website
Chooses
material, finish
and assembly
method they
require.
Id then receive
the order and
change any
aspects the
customer has
chosen.
Once Ive done
that the
components will
be cut out on
the CNC router
Once the
components are
cut out I will
finish them as
the client
specified
Depending on
the order the
product will then
be.
Packaged and
shipped as a
piece of flat pack
furniture.
I will assemble the
product as
specified using the
same fixings in the
flat pack version
Packaged and
shipped as a
piece of flat pack
furniture.
Client receives
the order they
replaces 4-6
weeks after
initial contact.
78
Mobile version
79
There is also a fully functioning mobile version
of the site that can be viewed on all smart
phones.

Items can even be purchased through the
mobile website meaning it is perfect for people
on the go, it also gives the ability to measure the
free spaces you have and input those
measurements straight on to the order you
require making the whole experience stress
free.

With the mobile site you still get all of the same
options that you would get on the full website
just more conveniently in the palm of your
hand.

It also allows you to contact me about any
queries that the client would have about a
product or about ordering a product easily and
also allowing them to read my responses just as
easily.
Business Cards
80
The CNC Furniture Company

Mass Customisable products designed for
the stylish available to the masses.

Nick Sargent
4 Tylney Road
Sheffield

www.cncfurniturecompany.weebly.com

nicksargentdesign@gmail.com


This is an idea for a business card as I believe this is a good way
to get business by putting in the man hours and giving out my
cards. I could also ask certain furniture companies if they
would have some of my cards and then they get a small cut of
each product ordered thorough a card from there shop.

To do this on the order page I would ask where the customer
had heard of us either from a search engine, from our website
or through a third party shop and each shop I used would be in
a drop down menu for them to select.

Then on the order page I would be able to see which shop it
was and give them a small percentage for allowing my card to
be placed in there shop.

I could also maybe put a discount code on that allowed either a
percentage off the first order or free delivery on the first order
as an added incentive to try my company to buy a piece of
furniture.
Flyers
81
This is another idea for promotion that I could use when
trying to get my business out there. Using flyers not only
promotes my business but if I do the flyering gives me one
on one time with potential customers where I can answer
an questions they might have about the business face to
face.

It also gives more information than the business card about
the business and the services that it provides. It is also a
good way to get a business promotion out there such as the
ten percent off one you can see on my flyer as introductory
offers are a good way to get people to try something and
then hopefully they will tell people they know about the
company.

Again I could do the same thing as with the business cards
of putting them in furniture shops by giving them a small
incentive.

I really think that flyering could work really well at
drumming up initial business and it costs relatively little as I
have designed the flyer myself so I only have to pay to print
them out and I also dont have to pay anyone else to hand
them out as I will do it myself.
www.cncfurniturecompany.weebly.com
07793 011 338
cncfurniturecompany@gmail.com
Video Media
82
I think video media would also be a good way to not only
advertise my business but, I believe it will also be a good way to
drum up interest in the investing side of my business.

I think this is a good way to advertise as the customers will see
me as the face of the business instead of just a flyer or business
card. The video will have a more personal touch and I also can
see it as being a more engaging way to get people interested in
my business.

It would also give the customers an inside view on the whole
process instead of just seeing words on a page. I can show
them the process of the CNC router cutting out the materials,
as well as how it would be finished and packaged and eventually
sent out to the customer.

It would certainly make business sense for me to use the free
media that these services offer over having to pay lots of
money to advertise in some of the other ways available.
Funding
83
My plan for this business would be to work alongside the SHU
hatchery for the first year of this business as it would allow me to
continue to use the universities facilities which means that I would
not have to find a third party business straight away that had a
CNC router that I could use. This would also give me a free place
to work and make my products so I would not have to rent or buy
workshop space.

I would then look at getting some crowd funding so that I would
have some money behind me for the first few products that I was
to make as well as having money so that I could advertise my
business by purchasing the flyers and business cards needed to get
my name and business out there.

To get the investors to invest in my business there are a number of
things that I can offer. The obvious one is to offer them equity in
the business so when I make money they also make money, the
other option would be to offer one of my products at a lower
introductory price which allows them to invest in me as well as me
getting some of my products out into the public market.
The Hatchery
How the Website Store Works
On this page I am showing how my website store would
work. It shows the options for materials as well as
colours and whether or not you want it to be pre
assembled or flat pack.

This then adjusts the price according to the options that
you have chosen for example making the price more
expensive when choosing a hardwood or when choosing
pre assembled over flat packed as this means more man
hours and higher delivery charges.

To make this work I had to individually price up every
combination of materials, finishes, sizes and whether its
being pre assembled or delivered flat pack so that the
website would display the correct price depending on
the options chose by the customer.

To work out the prices of the items I had to look at a
number of things including cost of materials, how much
it would cost to hire a router, the hours I would put in
and the subsequent delivery of the product.
84
People in my business
85
The only direct employee of the CNC furniture company is me as
the designer and maker of all of the products but as with any other
business I will rely on a number of other people to make sure that
my business runs correctly.

The first and most important person will be my supplier of timber
to make the furniture items that are on my website this person is
alongside the person who I rent time on a CNC router as without
these two fundamentals I cant make the business work.

The next two people are also incredibly important to the day to day
running of my business. One will be the packaging manufacturer as
they will have to be reliable so that I can always get my packaging
when I need to, to send my products out to the clients.

I also need to have a reliable delivery service as this is the person
the client will actually have contact with. There is scope that if the
item is a flat pack version that I could deliver it personally to the
customer. This may not necessarily be cheaper but I would be able
to make sure the customer service is as good as it possibly can be
and have the personal touches that can help a business flourish.
Finished Piece On Website
86
This picture to the left is a picture of the Slotton shelving
on the CNC Furniture Companies online store front
where the customers would first come into contact with
the design of the shelving unit.
The image to the right is the Slotton shelving
units purchasing page and you can see all of the
options that you can customise. You would also
send a email quoting the dimensions that you
want your unit to be.