Four years ago, John King found himself at a career crossroads.
A wooden fireplace manufacturer sells wholesalethrough through Masco Corp.
Kinter\'s dealers on the East Coast have expanded to keep up with the growing business, moving stores from his base to the newly built 3,000-square-foot facility.
\"I worked in the basement for the first time and it was a typical 7-
That means everything has to be laid, \"said saysKinter, owner of Virginia. based J.
Cabinet shops in Kinter
When he added more Masco dealers to his client list and added orders, Kinter hired his daughter Catherine and JimStonestreet, a carpenter, to help.
However, Kinter found himself in a crisis when Stonestreet had a heart attack.
\"We were expanding and we were very busy.
Jim is sick. Kate and I work 70-to 80-
To keep our heads on the water, one hour a week.
\"Kinter said he knew he had to do something, so he contacted afriend of D. , David Brown. S.
Brown machinery.
\"I said, \'This is my choice. What do I do?
Kinter has considered buying a sliding table saw, a stand saw or an aCNC router.
His friend persuaded him to investigate the router and showed him a visit to C. R. Onsrud.
\"I shipped the plywood and materials that I needed to make the mantel and then cut it myself on the machine. Thathooked me.
Kinter says he is not afraid of the prospect of learning computer design or control.
\"Although I have no experience in CAD, my daughter knows the computer very well and I am very satisfied with the computer.
We bought alphacamand with a CNC router and went to class.
Kat is responsible for all programming and the operation of the machine.
Kinter says his productivity has steadily improved since buying a CNC router and has hired more help.
Except full-
Time staff Catherine and stone Strette, who hired milebagen and part-time staff
Donna Wolverton, time employee
Kinter says business is growing. -
About 80 percent a year in the last few years--
To enable him to expand his products further.
\"While the fireplace is still our main business, we now make a lot of bookcases, entertainment centers, and media centers.
Mantels used to be 98% of our production.
\"With these special products now, about 90% of the products we produce are mantels,\" he said . \".
Creating a niche Kinter has entered the woodworking industry in a fairly comprehensive field.
During his busy construction, he walked four hours a day and endured commuting.
When his employer sold the business, Kinter decided to work for himself.
He bought some second-hand equipment and equipped it for his shop.
The Mantel works in a very casual way.
Kinter was hired as a consultant for high quality building products, insulation installers to advise it on fire prevention, one of his many areas of expertise.
He saw a mantel in a quality store and said, \"I can do better.
Well, they said, build a usone.
So I did it, and they said, okay, make 20 for us.
\"That\'s how things started,\" Kinter said . \"
In the first six months of his startup, Kinter built 250 mantels.
He did 800 the next year.
\"Today, we did about 5,000 mantels ayear.
\"From builder ratings to high-end customization, the retail price of his mantels ranges from $125 to $2,000.
\"Recently installed a 17-foot-
High cherry mantel.
\"When you enter the room, it will definitely catch your eye,\" he said . \".
Cherries and maple trees are often chosen to be used in higher placesendmantels.
Standard mantel with plywood chest and legs, top of medium fiber board and stock molded, paint grade, stain grade, oak, finger-
Wood and birch plywood style.
Specializing works well at Kinter.
\"It was an opportunity when I was moving around.
I don\'t want to travel;
I like carpentry and know what I will do in that regard.
\"Kinter also produces hundreds of bookcases and professional cabinets every year.
A builder wants to build
\"Ins and we designed the design that builders are now offering is \'addend\',\" he said \'. \".
Kinter also did a small amount of custom work. -
Everything except the kitchen.
Because there are so many cabinet makers, Kinter said, he decided to quit the market very early.
Kinter\'s manufacturing method uses Onsrud Mode1144 G10 engraving machine to cut mantelbreast-
Plate and 4-2 leg sectionsfoot by 8-
Plywood footboard.
There is a router with 5-foot by 12-
Allow the company to process all paper goods required.
\"We only run about three to four hours a day.
I realize that machines run 16 hours a day to make a profit, which goes against the traditional view.
\"We haven\'t found the need to do that yet,\" Kinter said . \".
\"Without it, we wouldn\'t have expanded to the shelves. \"We tried (bookcases)
Previously, but it was too much trouble to move them from one machine to another.
Now, we drill in a row, dado, and it\'s cut off at once.
This makes the process easier.
Each part fits.
\"Since the purchase of the router, the company is no longer an outsourcing company.
\"We use the AlphaCAM door product to design the Oval mid-fiber board door.
\"We also produce very good mid-fiber plate raised panel doors,\" he added . \".
\"By making them ourselves, we have more control.
\"Kinter runs the router and is ready for everyone else.
\"It was arranged in the morning so they had a full
Assemble the work of the day.
We can continue production.
If there is a special fast order, we can usually turn it around.
\"It turns out that CNC routers are a smart investment,\" says Kinter.
\"We no longer need someone to stand in front of the saw all day cutting the parts.
This is all done on the CNC machine.
The time it saves is incredible and it\'s easier to use a CNC router than before.
I use the vacuum lift system on the plywood on the table, so this is-
Manual operation of moving plywood from chimney.
Productivity has also increased, Mr. King said.
\"Most of the saw workers now put the parts together most of the time and pack the mantel.
We pack each Mantel and ordinary carrier.
\"In addition to the router, other devices include ah AEM widebeltsander; mi 8-
Inch strong joint;
Delta, SCM and North plastic machines;
Castle plane;
A Kreg face frame drilling machine;
And a JLT glue clip.
Each station in the store is equipped with a choice of Mitter and cuttingoff saws.
In addition, the company uses a Powermatic 66 saw with a power feeder for repeated cutting on the outside.
Williams and Hussain molds are used for special molding.
\"We order the molding in large quantities to save costs, but we only use the limited molding every year.
We do this because we don\'t want to take up space to store them.
I have a knife for every molding, so if I run out on Friday afternoon and have to have a Mantel I can make the molding.
\"Kinter bought the oulder when he got the router.
Because there is no paint booth in his shop, there is no decoration.
About 95% of what he produced was made by a builder-site.
As his business grows, the areas he serves are also growing.
He said: \"We work in several branches of Masco in Connecticut and Pittsburgh, both in toRoanoke in VA and in Washington, DC, Baltimore area, New Jersey and Delaware
Kinter says he is keeping pace with growing business and doesn\'t worry about just one customer.
\"I have a good relationship with Masco\'s dealer.
This is a good cooperative relationship.