Month: March 2022

Feature on Bucket Talk PodCast

My Full story…..

OVERVIEW:

Brian way started his entrepreneurial journey in the trades at just 15 years old. His early ventures focused on carpentry, but soon he found himself specializing in foam…specifically the templates used to organize tools, cut from CNC machines. From creating a lane for himself in carpentry to going bankrupt and the rebound that brought him to where he is today, don’t miss this exciting dive into how Brian found immense success in a very niche category.

ABOUT BRIAN

Brian Way never intended to build a career out of foam inserts. A lifelong entrepreneur, Brian first started his career in the trades at 14 building a carpentry business. By 16, he was managing his first book, a client filtered through his dad’s painting business. 

By 18, he had found a niche for himself in custom woodworking, and carpentry and within a few years he was running a 10,000 square foot facility, with over a dozen staffed employees. 

Things took a turn in 2006. With an impending economic crash, and clients holding out on payments, Brian soon found himself bankrupt and back at square one. 

Within the next year, Brian sold every asset, collected a small crew,  and built out two box trucks geared for residential and commercial millwork installation. For Brian, this was a huge turning point. Going from a huge facility to running a workshop from his truck, was no small feat. Over the next 10 years, he dialed in the art of maximizing his work space. 

One of the key products Brian utilized to create systems of efficiency? Foam. Buying sheets of foam, and cutting out space for his tools became a huge factor in his day-day work management. Not only that, but others started to notice as well. “…everyone that saw the stuff always had something to say…they were enamored with what we were doing….”

This was yet another major turning point for Brian as he not only found a system for himself, but realized what he was doing might be a need for others. A short while later, he purchased a CNC cutting machine (a programmed saw) and began cutting foam templates of his tools to sell online. “…they’d sell. they were doing really well on e-bay for a while, and it got to the point where I couldn’t really keep up…” 

Still working his day-job installing millwork, Brian would come home to work more just to keep this side hustle alive. Soon, the workload was extending past that and Brian was hiring a full-time worker just to manage the orders coming in. “…he said to me, you know Brian, I think you’re standing in front of a freight train and you need to get out of it’s way.” 

6 months had passed since Brian first put the products online and he began to realize that things were getting out of control. It was at this time that Brian made the leap and brought what is today known as Kaizen Inserts into existence. The business has grown immensely since it’s humble beginnings as a side-hustle from Brian’s garage. With over 92k followers on Instagram, there is still room to grow, but Brian has big plans for what’s next. 

Tune into to hear Brian’s full story. Where he is going, and all the insights he’s offering along the way.

https://bruntworkwear.com/blogs/bucket-talk/brian-way

Our very popular “Kaizen Holester”

A clever tool with a clever name! This is a simple tool I invented for punching holes in foam, however, quite often I need to collaborate with other creative folks to come up with a product name. So, I took this tool, posted it up on Instagram, and within hours, we had a name! I am thankful to have met a great semi-local guy, from MA by the name of Lucas D’Angelo who cleverly came up with the name. We have been friends ever since. Be sure to check him out on Instagram at @mannmadeinma or on YouTube, click here for the link!

To purchase, or for more information:

Kaizen Holester: https://www.kaizensource.com/?product…

Kaizen Holester Xtreme: https://www.kaizensource.com/?product…

Locally made here by Xcel Mfg. in Milford, CT

The Original Kaizen Holester tool, thankfully Kaizen is all about continuous improvement, as our latest Holester tool is far superior than the original!

Before the Kaizen Holester tool, this is how we made finger pull holes.

4 Post car lift Installation

I purchased this lift for 2 reasons; I need to store 2 vehicles, and I wanted the ability to work on my vehicles. This lift is an extended height version to allow for taller vehicles below the ramps. A cool feature of 4 post lifts is that you do not need to bolt it down to the floor. Also, I can use the roller options to move the lift around, or outside if needed. Keep in mind, if you need to remove your tires, you actually still need to use an additional jack. You can rig one up, or spend another $1000 on a center lift. See what that looks like here: https://amzn.to/3JsK042

One thing that keeps the cost of this lift on the lower side is the locking mechanism. In order to lower the lift, you need to manually pull a lever to release the safety latches on all 4 posts. For a shop that is moving the lift up and down regularly, this can be a nuisance, so the lifts they typically use are pneumatic release, rather than manual. A BENDPACK brand lift is typical of what you would see in a PRO shop. Check it out here: https://amzn.to/3N4gG6c

I added some LED lighting to the lower side of the lift. The LED’s are impressively bright and they did stick very well to the painted surface. I can now work on the car without shadows. Here are the lights I used: https://amzn.to/3KYdVRZ

The lift was purchased from ASE Deals in Connecticut. https://www.asedeals.com/workhorse-wh8k-dx-xlt-extended-4-post-auto-lift/ They offer all kids of lifts and were very helpful in helping me choose the right one for my needs. I chose to have the lift professionally installed, seeing as how the was going to be a fair amount of money in cars stored on it and over it. After watching the install, I am glad I paid for it. This is all they do, and are very proficient at it. THE LIFT GUYS are out of Meriden CT and can be found on facebook here.

This lift is the ASEplatinum WH8K-DX-XLT Four Post Lift. It cost me $4000 in august of 2021. The PRO install was an additional $600. It may sound expensive for vehicle storage in a garage, but the monthly fee of auto storage will quickly surpass that cost.

Building a vacuum hold down table for my Avid CNC machine

In this video I quickly talk about the steps taken to build a vacuum hold down table for my Avid CNC Router Parts table.

Table Layers: 1” HDF glued and screwed to the 80/20 frame 3/4” MDF used for the milled plenum layer 3/4” ultralight used for the “sacrificial layer” Manifold and piping: The manifold was made using 3” PVC All other pipe and fittings is made with 2” PVC Black Box Hurricane Vac System & blast gates

Black Box Hurricane Vacuum System

2P-10 adhesive: https://www.kaizensource.com/?catalog/FastCap/Adhesive_and_Accessories

Amana CNC router bits: https://www.kaizensource.com/?catalog/tools/AmanaTool

How we vectorize objects

This process has always been time consuming to perfect. We have always used photos to generate vectors. However, the method of tracing the object has varied. This method of using reference points allows the vector to import into the software at the actual size. This is a huge time saver over the previous methods. Check out the video for a basic overview of the process!

Toyota 3rd Gen Tacoma front winch bumper cutout for SSO Southern Style Offroad

This is NOT a HOW-TO or installation video. It is simply to show how easy it is to do the actual cutting of the OEM bumper with just a jigsaw and Multitool, although I would just do the entire thing with a Fein Multi tool if I was to do it again. ALSO, the entire install can be done by yourself quite easily with just a floor jack.

The front bumper I used: https://www.southernstyleoffroad.com/product/2016-tacoma-slimline-hybrid-front-bumper-customize-your-own-copy/ – Purchased with Heise – 20 inch LED light bar

Winch: SMITTYBILT X2O with remote: https://amzn.to/32gy0C4

Additional lighting on bull bar: Rigid 360 series: https://amzn.to/3e5MSWr

Front Grill by DB Customs: https://dbcustomz.com/collections/toyota

Hood scoop light by SpartanX customs

Hornblasters products: https://amzn.to/3IZx9Xv ARB Compressor: https://amzn.to/3JeCb2q

V-Air Tank: https://amzn.to/3pbG68c

OUR SHOP: WWW.KAIZENSOURCE.COM We make custom toolbox products and Kaizen Foam Inserts

GaterPanel Overview for mounting Milwaukee PackOuts in Toyota Tacomas

In a small pickup truck, sometimes it is hard to keep things secure an from sliding around. This product was developed out of my personal need to secure my Milwaukee packout boxes in my Toyota Tacoma truck. I now have the ability to secure Packouts to the tailgate, factory bed rail, and on top of the back seat.

Check out the GaterMount here!

Check out the TACOMounts here!

Reach out to us for custom panel designs for your TACO! sales@kaizensource.com

http://www.GaterPanels.com

Toyota Tacoma rear bumper lights install

I am huge into accessories that look OEM, meaning something that looks like it was installed from the factory. I found these Rigid brand flanged lights, ant that they would be perfect to integrate with my 2021 Tacoma.

Here Is the Diffused Rigid lights I used on the project: https://amzn.to/3wM6ANQ

Another option is the same style, but in a FLOOD version: https://amzn.to/3z2QNfb

Check out the video below to see the project!

The lights are controlled from a SwitchPRO system: https://amzn.to/37eqJBW

We created a masonite template for this project to make your life easier that can be found on here: https://www.kaizensource.com/?product%2Ftaco-rigidlight%2Frigid-light-template-for-bumper

For this project, we used a local high-end shop to to run the wiring for the lights, tailgate lock, rock lights, and install the SwitchPro system. Speed of Sound Technologies in Milford, CT https://speedofsoundtech.com/

If you can’t find what you like, just make it!

Sometimes it’s the simple things that are difficult, I have been looking for picture frames for my office for a while. Not just for any picture, but something that can showcase the photos that my son has taken. Since we cut acrylics regularly, I decided to make a sandwich picture frame, black acrylic on the back and obviously clear on the front. They are held together with standoff brackets.

The black mat is created by the oversize piece of acrylic the photo is sitting – each piece of acrylic is 1/8” thick

I can use different acrylic colors to create different mats to Highlight the photo in the frame. After being in this location for quite some time I look forward to putting up photos and artwork by http://www.brycepway.com