The Impractical Machinists

The guys kick things off talking about the realities of repair and walk-in work, then get into quoting strategy — specifically what to do when a customer hands you a massive stack of confusing prints and expects a price by Tuesday.
From there it's community questions: trusting manufacturer speeds and feeds, probing from CAM, machine warm-up routines, and how AI tools like ChatGPT are actually finding their way into everyday shop life.
Brad shares advice on finding enough work to go full time, and the guys close out responding to a second-gen machinist who programmed 510 new parts in a year and still couldn't keep up — breaking down what's really going on when programming becomes the bottleneck.
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Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel

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Hans Keisler from Motor Control Technology joins the podcast to talk about his path through the machining trade — from working at Lockheed to building his own aerospace-focused machine shop.
We get into what it’s really like working in a union shop, the differences between big aerospace companies and small job shops, and what it takes to go from a one-man operation to hiring employees.
Hans also shares the reality of chasing aerospace and defense work — certifications, compliance, IT requirements, and all the behind-the-scenes work that most machinists never see.
It’s an honest conversation about building a shop, navigating the industry, and trying to make cool hardware that ends up on some pretty serious projects.
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Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum.

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Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel

Thanks for listening!!!

If you've spent any time in online machining communities, you know the name. 
Titan Gilroy has been one of the most talked-about — and most polarizing — figures in online machining for over a decade. Whether you're a fan or a skeptic, there's no question he's had an impact on how a generation of machinists learned the trade.
We sit down with Titan for a long, unscripted conversation that covers a lot of ground. We hear how he got into machining, how he built and ran a shop doing aerospace and subsea work, and how that eventually led to what Titans of CNC is today. We dig into the technical stuff too — speeds and feeds, CAM software, five-axis strategy, fixturing, and what he actually thinks separates a good machinist from a great one.
We also get into the business side: landing customers, negotiating contracts, running multiple shifts, and what he'd tell a shop that's been around for years but can't seem to move forward.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:03:14 – Titan's Story
00:34:51 – Landing Big Customers: How Titan Got Into SpaceX & Aerospace
00:49:20 – Titans of CNC Academy & Teaching Five-Axis in High Schools
01:01:32 – Advice for the Veteran Machinist Who's Hit the Ceiling
01:09:00 – CAM Software Debate
01:49:22 – Running a Profitable Shop
Learn more about TITANS OF CNC here
or follow them on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn
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Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum.

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Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel

Thanks for listening!!!

Michael is 20 years old and runs his own machine shop in Idaho. He bought his first CNC at 17 while still in high school, taught himself machining entirely through YouTube, and has never spent a dollar on advertising.
In this episode, Michael shares how he went from building RC airplanes to hand-coding G-code on a vintage Swiss lathe, why he moved his entire shop from Tennessee to Idaho, and how he stays up until 4 AM when customers need parts delivered on time.
We talk about his equipment (Haas DM-2, S20Y lathe, Citizen B-12 Swiss, and a new Mazak 5-axis), his approach to finding work through relationships instead of marketing, and his plans to add robots before hiring employees.
If you're curious about starting your own shop or wondering how someone builds a manufacturing business from scratch with zero industry connections, this one's worth a listen.
Follow Michael on Instagram or YouTube.
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Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum.

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Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel

Thanks for listening!!!

We flip the script on Dylan Jackson — co-owner of Proteum Machining and host of the Within Tolerance podcast — and dig into how he actually got here.
Dylan didn’t follow a clean, traditional path. He struggled in engineering school, stumbled into machining through community college, and slowly found that the shop floor made more sense than the classroom ever did. From running parts for free just to learn, to buying a used CNC before he even had a real shop, to building Proteome into a high-end prototype job shop, his story is messy, real, and very relatable.
We also talk about what it’s really like running a two-man shop, why prototype work is a completely different mindset, and how Dylan ended up becoming one of the most trusted voices in manufacturing through his podcast.
Find Dylan here: Proteum Machining's Instagram or Within Tolerance Podcast's Instagram.
🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!

Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum.

Or listen to our podcast on YouTube

Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel

Thanks for listening!!!